In the original story, Kabuto Yakushi was recruited into Root by Shimura Danzō thanks to his exceptional talent.
He was later dispatched as a spy to various hidden villages to carry out missions.
At the same time, Danzō used Kabuto's life to threaten Yakushi Nonō, forcing her to work for him.
Eventually, Danzō decided that Kabuto and Nonō knew too many secrets, so he orchestrated a scenario where the two would kill each other.
In the end, Kabuto killed Nonō and escaped from Root, becoming one of Orochimaru's subordinates.
The scene before him now was uncannily similar to the original.
Only the location had changed—from the Land of Earth to the Land of Lightning.
Watching the two figures still locked in combat ahead, Yuzuru couldn't help but let out a cold smile.
Sometimes, he genuinely couldn't understand what went on in Shimura Danzō's head.
Had he been kicked by a donkey when he was a child?
Kabuto belonged to Root and had certainly been branded with the "Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."
On top of that, he had a bond with Nonō—there was absolutely no way he would leak any intelligence.
And Nonō's weakness was the orphanage. As long as Danzō held power in Konoha, she would never betray him.
And yet, Danzō still decided to eliminate them both.
Fine—one could argue they simply knew too much and he wanted to be cautious.
But Danzō could have easily tricked Kabuto back to Konoha through Nonō and killed him there.
He could have also used the orphanage as leverage to dispose of Nonō herself.
Instead, he chose to make them fight each other at great risk.
Yuzuru genuinely couldn't understand the point of such a plan. In the end, he could only attribute it to Danzō's twisted personality.
Someone who lived in the shadows for so long would inevitably become warped.
After thinking for a moment, Yuzuru closed his eyes and released his senses.
As expected, he detected three ninja hiding nearby.
Without hesitation, he activated Kamui, appearing behind them as a high-temperature fireball formed in his palm.
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
In an instant, the three ninja shriveled up, their bodies drained dry.
They didn't even have time to scream before all signs of life vanished.
As Yuzuru finished dealing with the ambush, Kabuto and Nonō's battle also approached its end.
Kabuto chose to trade injury for injury—sacrificing one arm to smash Nonō's eye, severely wounding her.
"It's over."
Kabuto's face was cold as he yanked off his opponent's mask, preparing to strike the final blow.
The next moment, his breathing suddenly turned erratic.
"Di–Director?!"
Kabuto immediately gathered every last shred of chakra he had and began using medical ninjutsu to treat Nonō.
As he worked, panic spilled from his voice.
"Director, please hold on! I'm saving you right now!"
Nonō didn't respond. Her gaze was unfocused as she looked at Kabuto.
"Director, it's me—Kabuto."
"Don't worry. I'll definitely save you."
Then, as though realizing something, Kabuto hurriedly removed his glasses and placed them on her face.
"Director… now you can see clearly, right?"
But under Kabuto's expectant gaze, Nonō only murmured weakly:
"You… who are you?"
Kabuto froze, completely at a loss.
Who… am I?
Director… doesn't recognize me?
"Spacing out at a time like this? She won't survive if you keep that up."
The sudden voice snapped Kabuto back to reality. Instinctively, he prepared to fight.
But once he saw who had appeared, his expression twisted into a bitter smile.
"Yuzuru Uchiha…"
Even at his peak, Kabuto stood no chance against Yuzuru—not even escape was possible.
Let alone now, when he had no chakra or stamina left.
Still… as a wandering soul cut loose from the world, being able to die alongside his director might be enough.
Seeing Kabuto collapse helplessly to the ground, Yuzuru stepped forward and began healing Nonō with Palm Sage Technique.
After being around Tsunade for so long, he had learned most of her medical ninjutsu—aside from the Yin Seal.
His current medical skill might not rival Tsunade, but he was certainly among the best in the shinobi world.
Kabuto stared blankly at the sight.
Only after Nonō's breathing stabilized did he finally come back to himself, disbelief in his voice.
"You're… not killing us?"
Yuzuru's hands didn't stop as he wrapped bandages around Nonō.
"You're Konoha shinobi. You were simply blinded. I can give you a chance."
"After I confirm you won't submit to me, killing you won't be too late."
Kabuto let out a helpless laugh. The man had every right to say such things.
Even if he joined forces with the director, Kabuto couldn't see any possibility of survival against Yuzuru.
Moments later, Nonō—pulled back from the brink of death—finally steadied her breathing.
She looked at Yuzuru, then at Kabuto, confusion flickering in her eyes.
"Why… are both of you trying to save me?"
Kabuto's pupils shrank.
So it hadn't been confusion earlier—she truly didn't recognize him.
A horrific fear swallowed him whole.
As a boy with no parents, Kabuto had no past and no future.
He lived day to day like a wandering ghost.
Until the forty-ninth year of Konoha, when he was brought to the village orphanage at age five.
There, he met Yakushi Nonō.
The director not only gave him the name Kabuto, she gave him the surname Yakushi.
From that moment on, Kabuto finally felt he had begun a real life.
The director was everything to him—his anchor in this world.
For her sake, he trained desperately. He completed countless life-threatening missions and survived each one.
But now…
She didn't know him.
The fear buried deep in his heart surged forth once more, devouring him completely. Kabuto felt like he was becoming a piece of drifting weed again.
Looking at Nonō, he cried out hysterically, "Director! I'm Kabuto! You're the one who named me! How can you not recognize me?!"
At his words, Nonō frowned slightly.
"I know Kabuto. He's the child I miss most."
"But I don't know you."