When Nonō returned to the tent, her roommates were already asleep. After confirming that they were fast asleep, she quietly pulled a map of the Land of Rain from her pack.
After searching for a while, she finally found the location of Fumotsu Town under the dim moonlight filtering into the tent.
Seeing its position, Nonō's eyes lit up.
Konoha had chosen well—too well, in fact.
Fumotsu Town was located in the heart of the Land of Rain, a prosperous trade city. More importantly, it was far from the battlefront between Konoha and Sunagakure.
Even if she went there, no one from Suna would suspect she had any ties to Konoha.
With that realization, a plan began forming in her mind.
The next morning, Nonō behaved as usual. She didn't wander around but spent her time working at the medical camp. Only at noon did she head with her colleagues toward the mess hall for lunch.
Just as they stepped out of the tent, they spotted a young man of twenty-three or twenty-four loitering outside the medical camp. The moment he saw Nonō, his face lit up with a bright smile. He approached and awkwardly greeted her:
"What a coincidence, meeting you again."
This man was none other than the patrol squad leader from last night.
Hearing such a clumsy opening line, three black lines practically appeared on Nonō's forehead. Her coworkers, however, giggled at the sight. One of them even teased:
"Oh my, Nayū, I just remembered I left something back in the medical camp. We're going back to get . You head to the mess hall first and save us a seat, okay?"
With that, the girl tugged her colleagues away, giggling and sneaking winks at the young man as they left.
The Suna squad leader 's heart felt secretly delighted at this, thinking to himself: Ha, asking my cousin for help last night really paid off.
He turned back, cheeks thick-skinned, and said to Nonō:
"Nayū, um… how about we head to the mess hall together?"
Nonō quickly realized this guy must have some connection with her coworkers. Normally, she would have turned him down flat. But remembering the message she received last night, she changed her mind.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally nodded shyly.
On the way to the mess hall, the young man never stopped talking. Nonō didn't even need to coax him—he spilled his entire life story in one breath.
His name was Tarō. To Nonō's surprise, this guy actually had some background. No wonder someone so young could already be a squad leader.
According to Tarō, his family was a fairly influential clan in Sunagakure. His uncle was one of the close subordinates of the Third Elder—apart from Ebizō and Chiyo. He oversaw many of the camp's affairs and held considerable authority, essentially acting as a department head.
Hearing this, Nonō's eyes lit up again. This was like someone handing her a pillow just as she was feeling drowsy. She might even need his help when the time came to head to Fumotsu Town.
So she showed him a bit more warmth. Trained as a spy, Nonō's natural charm and approachability were almost a weapon in themselves.
Under her subtle friendliness, it only took a few words for Tarō to fall into one of life's great delusions:
"She likes me."
From then on, he chatted away without holding anything back.
The two arrived at Suna's mess hall laughing and talking. But as soon as they entered, they noticed something was off.
The hall was filled with a group of unfamiliar faces. They sat stiffly, their expressions dark and hostile—as though each of them was owed a fortune.
Just a moment ago, someone carrying a tray accidentally bumped into one of those newcomers while talking, and it instantly escalated into a heated quarrel. Such incidents were extremely rare among the usually disciplined shinobi.
Noticing this, Nonō couldn't help glancing over a few more times. Seeing her attention fixed on that group, Tarō's expression darkened. He gently tugged on her sleeve and whispered:
"Don't look at them. They're nothing but trouble."
Nonō felt a stir in her heart. She shifted her gaze away but couldn't resist asking curiously:
"Who are they? I've never seen them before."
After pulling her to a seat, Tarō lowered his voice:
"I heard from my uncle that they just arrived yesterday. They were personally assigned here by the Third Kazekage."
Tarō hesitated, debating whether to share something so secret. But when his eyes met Nonō's clear, gentle gaze, his resolve melted. His heart skipped a beat, and he blurted everything out:
"Listen, don't tell anyone else about this. My uncle said those people were either sent here because their families—or they themselves—had conflicts with the Third Kazekage. Basically, they were shipped off to the battlefield to die."
"Ah!"
Nonō covered her mouth in apparent shock. Seeing this, Tarō felt that sharing such secrets was worth it—he was utterly smitten. He went on even more fervently, blurting out everything he had heard from his uncle:
"Some of them were old opponents dating back to the Second Kazekage's era. Others are lunatics who tried to impeach Lord Kazekage with the Wind Daimyō after he started this war.
My uncle said eight out of ten of them will probably die here on the battlefield. They know it too—that's why they're so full of resentment.
Anyway, don't mess with them. They're like mad dogs now. Even Chiyo and Ebizō can't control them—only assign watchers to keep an eye on them and let them vent."
Behind her glasses, Nonō's eyes glimmered. Now this… this was valuable intelligence. If she could relay it, it might be of great benefit to the village.
But Tarō, oblivious, kept chattering on. Nonō finally cut him off:
"That's enough. Stop talking. If they overhear you, you'll be in real trouble."
Hearing the concern in her voice, Tarō felt that even if he were to die right now, it would all be worth it. He obediently dropped the subject, trying instead to come up with new conversation topics to draw closer to her.
But Nonō, calm and composed, quickly finished the food on her tray and said politely:
"I'm done. I'll head back to work first. You take your time. It was nice meeting you today."
Panic flickered across Tarō's face. He blurted:
"Let me walk you back."
But Nonō firmly shook her head, even sounding a little displeased as she pointed at his still-full tray:
"Tarō-kun, our Suna resources are already so tight. It wouldn't be right to waste food, would it? Besides, the camp isn't dangerous—I'll be fine on my own."
With that, she slipped away quietly, leaving Tarō staring after her, dazed.
As he absentmindedly shoveled food into his mouth, his mind spun with fantasies.
Ah, Miss Nayū is so kind… If I could, I'd…
But what should we name our children in the future? That's the real dilemma…
Author's Notes: If you're a simp, you'll end up with a bad ending. Promise me, don't be a simp. You'll get hurt, T_T!