Chapter 90 – Nonō and Kabuto
The Third Hokage had already returned to Konoha—after all, the village couldn't be left without its leader for too long. Jiraiya too had departed, heading back to handle matters on his own front.
Only Orochimaru remained on the Wind Country battlefield, tying up loose ends: collecting Sunagakure's reparations, organizing the transport of the wounded, and preparing part of the forces to return to Konoha.
The main army, however, could not yet withdraw. Until the peace agreement with Sunagakure was formally sealed, they had to remain vigilant. After all, if Konoha pulled out too soon, what would stop Suna from striking back immediately? A division had to stay stationed at the border, ensuring that no treachery caught the Land of Fire off guard.
At the rear command post, most of Konoha's shinobi gathered together. With Sunagakure defeated and surrendering, their outposts and camps no longer mattered—the real work was dismantling them and preparing for the march home.
Everywhere, the air was lighter. Faces that had carried the weight of war now showed relief, even joy: joy at victory, and joy at the thought of returning to their families. Nan's squad was among them.
Technically, they were still a genin team. Frontier defense did not require genin, nor did it need elite jōnin. Whether it was Nan and Kosuke—elite jōnin—or rookies like Anko and Hayate, none were required to remain. They would all return to Konoha, rest for a while, and await reassignment to whichever battlefield needed them next.
While Anko and Hayate busied themselves packing, Nan found himself once again dragged along by Orochimaru.
Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than to avoid the Sannin entirely, to put as much distance between himself and Orochimaru as possible. When Orochimaru came seeking him, Nan could only complain silently: If you want to wander around, why force me to tag along?
Still, he dared not show his distaste. He kept up a polite façade, answering Orochimaru's idle questions with forced cheer.
As they strolled, Orochimaru gradually steered the conversation toward philosophy—his voice smooth, casual, yet probing.
"Nan, after surviving this war, have you gained any new perspective on life? Don't you feel it is like a shooting star—flashing briefly, then gone without leaving a trace?
Or like a fragile bubble—burst with a touch, leaving behind nothing but scraps too faint to prove it ever existed?"
Nan shook his head, answering without hesitation.
"No. To me, whether they were from Konoha or Sunagakure, every fallen shinobi is worthy of respect.
Their names may fade, but their sacrifice will never be in vain. What they protected lives on, passed down from one generation to the next.
Isn't that the true meaning of life?"
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed, but his tone sharpened.
"And yet those they protected will also die one day. The dead have no awareness—they cannot witness what comes after. Compared to this fleeting 'inheritance,' isn't eternal life—an existence that can gaze upon all horizons—far more meaningful?"
But Nan countered firmly.
"It's precisely because life is finite that we seek meaning. We fear leaving nothing behind—that fear drives us to live with purpose.
If life were eternal, that drive would vanish. People would drift through eternity like empty shells, existing without truly living.
Isn't that far more meaningless?"
Orochimaru had expected his gifted disciple to emerge from war changed—more aligned with his own ideals, more receptive to his vision. Instead, Nan's new convictions were the opposite of what he had hoped for.
Worse still, the boy's words were so compelling, so logical, that for an instant Orochimaru felt himself falter, his own obsession with immortality shaken.
Quickly, he shook his head, forcing the thoughts away. Dangerous… I nearly let my student brainwash me.
He still wanted to say something to change Nan's view, but just then, startled cries rang out from nearby, pulling both of their attention in that direction.
Before Orochimaru could speak, Nan seized the chance to quicken his pace, heading toward the commotion. Orochimaru could only follow after him.
"They healed Katō's wounds this quickly? Could it really be Lady Nonō Yakushi, the one known as the Walking Shrine Maiden?"
Nonō wiped the sweat from her forehead and called to a bespectacled boy beside her:
"Kabuto, come here. Stitch up the wound for him."
The boy answered excitedly. Nonō had already treated the worst of Katō's injuries—now only the final sutures remained. She intended to let this orphan she had recently taken in, one who possessed natural talent for medical ninjutsu, attempt the last step on his own.
Watching Kabuto's skilled movements, Nonō nodded in satisfaction. He hadn't been learning long, yet he had already grasped the techniques with remarkable ease.
His gift even surpassed her own, and wasn't far off from that of Uchiha Nan, she thought.
Kabuto's talent reminded Nonō again of that other prodigy in medical ninjutsu—the one said to have already surpassed her—Konoha's brightest genius, Uchiha Nan.
Just then, the so-called "Brightest of Konoha" himself arrived at the scene. Spotting Nonō at the center of the gathered crowd, Nan quickly stepped forward with a smile.
"Aunt Nonō, it's been a long time. I'd heard you were assigned to the Wind Country front, but never managed to see you. Who would've thought we'd meet right as everyone's about to withdraw?"
Nonō turned at his voice.
"So it's you, Nan. I've been hearing all about Konoha's Lightning Flash lately. Your name has spread far and wide."
Nan scratched his head bashfully. "I'm just lucky to have everyone's support, that's all."
Then his eyes fell on the boy suturing Katō's wounds. Something about him looked familiar, and Nan asked curiously:
"Who's this child? I don't recall seeing him before—he doesn't look like one of ours from Konoha."
"Oh, him? I took him in some time ago. He seems to have been a prisoner from Sunagakure, but after suffering a head injury, he lost his memories. He doesn't even remember who his parents were, so I adopted him. His name is Kabuto. He has a remarkable talent for medical ninjutsu. I've passed on some techniques to him, and he's picked them up astonishingly fast."
So this was Yakushi Kabuto. Nan studied the silver-haired boy with keen interest.
Right now, Kabuto looked rather ordinary—but Nan knew that in the future, he would become one of the greatest villains of all. With Edo Tensei, he would resurrect countless fallen shinobi, bringing immense trouble to the Allied Shinobi Forces.
For crimes like his, execution would have been expected—yet in the end, not only did he avoid death or prison, he was even allowed to run an orphanage. That, Nan could never quite comprehend.
By now Orochimaru had also caught up to Nan, and when his eyes landed on Kabuto's deft hands at work, a glint of appreciation flashed across his gaze.
He had heard Nonō's words too, and it was clear this boy possessed extraordinary aptitude for medical ninjutsu. Orochimaru found himself intrigued.
Still, with Nan already his disciple, he had no plans of taking Kabuto in. For now, it was nothing more than appreciation. But deep down, a thought stirred: if he could not ultimately draw Nan onto his path, perhaps Kabuto might make a fine substitute.
Once Kabuto finished closing Katō's wounds, he returned to Nonō's side. Nonō introduced him to Nan and Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's appearance was frightening—enough to intimidate most children. True to form, Kabuto couldn't bring himself to meet the man's unsettling gaze.
But when introduced to Nan, his eyes lit with curiosity. For some time now, he had heard people speaking of Uchiha Nan, the Lightning Flash of Konoha. Never did he imagine that this famed prodigy was someone close to his own age.
Nan had already earned recognition and respect from everyone around him. To Kabuto, who couldn't even remember his own past, that was something to envy.
Nan, for his part, examined Kabuto closely. Having just noticed Orochimaru's keen interest in the boy, he couldn't help but form a different, more complicated thought.