After confirming that Nonō was indeed the very same Nonō he had once seen in the anime in his previous life, Hoshiyomimi's expression softened considerably.
If it had been just some random Root spy, Hoshiyomi would likely have asked a few questions and then left in a hurry. But realizing this was Nonō made him far more interested.
For one, he already knew her personality—Nonō was an absolute good person. The very fact that she allowed herself to be blackmailed by Danzō into returning to espionage just to protect the children of the orphanage proved this beyond doubt.
For another, Hoshiyomi had a strong desire to change her tragic fate. In fact, he was deeply curious: if he really managed to save Nonō, then logically, Kabuto would never fall into darkness. If Kabuto didn't turn, then the future would be missing an entire army of Edo Tensei resurrected shinobi. If that happened… what would the Fourth Great Ninja War become?
Up to this point, aside from saving the Uzumaki clan, Hoshiyomi hadn't actually done anything that drastically altered the original story. He couldn't help but wonder: would Nonō become his second major turning point in changing the plot?
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Hoshiyomi returned to the present. He nodded, acknowledging his identity, then asked Nonō with some curiosity:
"Why did you come alone? Is there no one else left from your group in Sunagakure's camp?"
The truth was, Nonō had been recruited into Root almost by accident. At the time, she had only been scouted because Danzō's men discovered her espionage potential.
And since Danzō's attention at the time was focused on Hiruko, Nonō had never undergone any harsh trials. She just stumbled her way into becoming a Sunagakure spy.
In fact, even now, she naïvely believed that Root and the regular ANBU were not much different. Even the Tongue Cursing Seal placed on her—she only thought it was a means to prevent information leaks.
After hearing her roughly describe her situation, Hoshiyomi quickly pieced things together. Clearly, Danzō had never paid her much attention—he must have regarded her as nothing more than a trainee spy.
Perhaps in the original story, it was precisely because she managed to remain embedded in Sunagakure without ever being discovered that she eventually earned Danzō's attention, and under his endless commands, step by step, became the infamous "Wandering Nun" of the entire shinobi world.
But now, thanks to Hoshiyomi's intervention, things had shifted. Danzō had been frightened back to Konoha, and Nonō's connection with him had been completely cut off. At this point, Danzō probably didn't even know he had once gained such a talented spy under his control.
Realizing this, Hoshiyomi's smile deepened. After all, every Root spy in Sunagakure was already dead, and Danzō himself likely wouldn't live much longer once Hoshiyomi returned to Konoha. Which meant—it would be easy for him to say whatever he pleased to win Nonō over.
With that thought, Hoshiyomi's eyes flickered and he said smoothly:
"Danzō received an emergency summons from the Hokage and has already returned to Konoha. Before leaving, he transferred command of your spy unit directly under me. From now on, I am your direct superior."
Nonō, unaware of all the details behind the scenes, naively believed his words. She even looked genuinely happy about being placed under Hoshiyomi's command.
At the very least, compared to Danzō, she was far more familiar with Hoshiyomi, and his presence felt warm and approachable—so much better than Danzō's cold, stone-faced demeanor.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Hoshiyomi got down to business and began asking about the internal situation within Sunagakure's camp.
To this, Nonō answered openly and without reservation.
In just a few minutes, while Hoshiyomi did not obtain Sunagakure's latest battle plans, he had already gained a rough understanding of their camp's layout, their numbers, and related information.
Don't underestimate this kind of information—sometimes having such details is enough to determine the outcome of an entire war.
After going through the intel, it was already getting late. Seeing that there wasn't much else worth asking, Hoshiyomi was just about to leave when Nonō suddenly stopped him:
"Hoshiyomi-sama, I just remembered a piece of information that might be very useful to us."
"What information? Tell me."
"Recently, a group of rather ill-tempered Sunagakure shinobi arrived at the camp. I heard that they're actually political opponents of the Third Kazekage, and he intentionally sent them here to die."
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi's eyes lit up, and he immediately pressed for details:
"Can you confirm the authenticity of this intel? Also, how many of them are there, and what is their strength?"
Nonō carefully recalled the specific details she had observed and said hesitantly:
"Their numbers are around a hundred or so. Their strength isn't weak—they should range from chūnin to elite jōnin."
Hoshiyomi nodded inwardly. He thought this might be a real opportunity.
Fixing his gaze seriously on Nonō, he asked:
"Nonō, if I gave you an S-rank mission, do you think you could accomplish it?"
Nonō was stunned, staring at Hoshiyomi in surprise, not sure how to respond. But before she could open her mouth, Hoshiyomi had already laid out his plan:
"I'll give you ten days. During this time, I hope you can find a way to incite a rebellion among this group. Of course, not to have them defect to Konoha, but to get them to open the gates and flee.
If the information you received is correct, then those people were already sent to the battlefield to die. They must be filled with resentment. If you can stir them up to revolt and break out, it will cause chaos inside Suna's camp and greatly benefit us in this war.
In short, just making things chaotic inside Sunagakure would be enough.
On the fifteenth of this month, I'll have all Konoha shinobi ready. If we hear of internal turmoil in Sunagakure, we'll use the chance to launch a direct night raid on their main camp.
Of course, if you can't pull it off, that's fine too. Just make sure to protect yourself. Once we break through Sunagakure's base in the Land of Rain, we'll bring you back."
As she listened to Hoshiyomi, Nonō's smile gradually faded. She wasn't stupid—she knew very well how dangerous this mission was.
To stir up such a unit without exposing herself? That was a mission with hellish difficulty. If she failed, it would mean certain death.
Her pretty brows furrowed as she visibly struggled with the decision. She hesitated for a long time, and just as Hoshiyomi himself began to think his plan might be too much to ask, a resolute voice came from Nonō:
"Hoshiyomi-sama, I am willing to take this mission. For the sake of the village, I believe I can try."
Hoshiyomi could hardly believe what he was hearing. After confirming that she truly meant it, he solemnly reminded her:
"No matter what, you must keep yourself hidden. If you ever feel you're being suspected or that you've been exposed, create some kind of disturbance immediately. I'll have people closely watching every night over the next several days.
As long as you create even the slightest signal, I'll immediately bring reinforcements to pull you out."