Chapter 51: A Silent Night
At the Red Maple Izakaya, Kabuto's mission was simple: kill the proprietress. If he succeeded, he would finally be reunited with the Director. This mission was of the utmost importance; he could not afford to fail.
He had arrived early, hiding in the shadows, waiting.
He glanced at his watch.
Midnight.
It was time.
Kabuto took a deep breath, checked the traps he had set outside the izakaya one last time, and then, clutching a scalpel, he cautiously slipped inside.
In a room on the second floor, Nōno lay in bed, her mind in turmoil, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She glanced at the blonde woman sleeping soundly beside her, a strange expression on her face. How can she sleep?
The day Neji had left the village, he had secretly brought Samui to her. He had warned her that Root might try to assassinate her while he was away and had asked Samui to be her bodyguard. Nōno didn't know where he had gotten his information, but she knew that Root did not tolerate traitors.
It was better to be safe than sorry.
For the past few days, every night, she had been as alert as a cat, unable to sleep a wink.
BOOM!
An explosion suddenly rocked the building from outside.
Nōno shot up in bed and looked out the window. The explosive tag she had set during the day had gone off.
An assassin!
Samui, who had been sound asleep, opened her eyes and put a finger to her lips, signaling for Nōno to be quiet.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
A dark figure flew in through the window and threw two shuriken.
In the faint moonlight, Samui could clearly see that it was a young man with round glasses and blond hair.
Just as Neji said. It's him.
A glint of light flashed in her eyes. She deflected the shuriken with her short sword and then, with the flat of her blade, she struck at Kabuto's shoulder.
Kabuto sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the attack, and retreated to a corner, panting heavily. He had thought the assassination would be easy. He had never expected his target to have a bodyguard.
This woman is stronger than me. This is going to be tricky.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, the lenses glinting in the faint light.
For the Director.
I have to complete this mission, even if it costs me my life.
"You're Yakushi Kabuto, aren't you?" Samui said, her voice cold as she tightened her grip on her sword. "Take a look at that woman. Do you recognize her?"
How does she know my name?
Kabuto was stunned. He glanced at the woman behind Samui. I don't know her. All I know is that she's my target.
"Samui," Nōno said, her voice filled with surprise, "you said he's Yakushi Kabuto? But... he looks nothing like the photo." She took out a picture of a plain-looking, blond-haired boy.
"Danzō is a liar," Samui said, her voice grave. "The photo he gave you was a fake. He brought you here from Iwagakure for one reason: so that you and Kabuto would kill each other. It was all a setup."
"What did you say... she's the Director?" Kabuto's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"That's right, Kabuto," Samui said, her voice flat. "She is the woman you've been so eager to see. The director of the Konoha orphanage, Yakushi Nōno."
"Kabuto... is it really you?" Nōno took two steps forward, but Samui stopped her.
Swoosh.
A senbon flew past Nōno's head and embedded itself in the wall.
Tears welled in her eyes. "Kabuto, do you remember?" she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I gave you your glasses. I taught you medical ninjutsu. I gave you your name. You're my child!"
"The rules of the orphanage... no wasting food, no fighting with the other children, in bed by eight o'clock..."
"We used to collect junk and sell it for money..."
"We treated the wounded together..."
"And then, one day, Danzō came to the orphanage and took you away..."
Kabuto stood frozen, memories of his time with the Director flooding his mind. Many of those things, only the children of the orphanage would know. And many more were secrets between just the two of them.
"I've missed you so much, Kabuto," Nōno said, tears streaming down her face. "I asked Danzō for your photo every time. I worked so hard on my missions, all in the hopes that one day, we could go back to the orphanage together..."
"Director..."
Clang.
The scalpel fell from Kabuto's hand, his eyes red.
Nōno ran to him and held him tight, just as she had all those years ago.
"Kabuto, you've gotten so tall!"
"Director..."
Finally reunited with the woman he had longed to see, years of suppressed emotions came pouring out.
"Director, after I joined Root, Danzō sent me to the various nations as a spy..."
He began to tell her about his life in Root, trying to gloss over the hardships of his missions. But Nōno, who had been a spy for decades, knew all too well the helplessness and the constant danger of that life.
After a moment, Kabuto was overcome with self-reproach. "I even forgot what you looked like, Director... I almost made a terrible mistake..."
Nōno stroked his head, just as a mother would her child, a warm smile on her face. "It's not your fault, Kabuto. It was all Danzō's plan."
She took the photo from her robes and threw it on the ground. "Danzō and I had an agreement. After this mission, he was supposed to let you leave Root. But he never intended to keep his promise. He kept giving me fake photos, all so that we would kill each other today."
"But it's all over now," she said, wiping her tears. "From now on, we'll live in the Hidden Cloud."
"Director," Kabuto said, a hint of doubt in his voice, "will the Hidden Cloud really take us in?"
"Don't worry, Kabuto," she said, a look of absolute conviction in her eyes. "That man... he will protect us."
"Goodbye."
The chakra blade, wreathed in black lightning, flashed through the air. Aoyama Hideomi, his legs mangled by the Gentle Fist, was unable to dodge. His head flew from his shoulders, and his headless body collapsed to the ground.
Neji flicked the blood from his sword. The black lightning faded, and the polished blade reflected a demonic, crimson light.
Blood. There was blood everywhere.
He cut down a tree stump and sat on it, panting heavily.
Even with all his careful planning, his chakra was almost completely depleted.