"That punch… it was monstrous."
"Kira of the Red Sun Society… terrifying."
Orochimaru staggered to his feet from the lake, swaying unsteadily as though his inner ear itself had been rattled.
It took him a long moment to regain balance.
Pffft!
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression tightening. His snake-like eyes locked on the boy at the shore, filled not with arrogance this time—but with dread.
Terrifying.
Even against Tsunade's legendary monster strength, his serpentine escape techniques could always disperse enough impact to keep him alive.
But that punch? For the first time, Orochimaru felt that if the boy had added even a fraction more power, he might have died.
"Look—over there!"
"My god, that's one of Konoha's Sannin, Orochimaru!"
"Hurry, inform Lord Tsuchikage! Orochimaru's infiltrated Iwagakure! Surround him—don't let his schemes succeed!"
The whole village stirred like a hornet's nest.
Dozens of Rock shinobi leapt from the cliffs, sprinting across the lake's surface, killing intent thick in the air as they encircled him.
"Damn it… my Rock base is finished."
Orochimaru's face twisted. Not only had his plans been cut off, but now his cover was blown. With Iwagakure's forces converging, this hideout—paid for with blood and gold—was lost.
And the one responsible for ruining everything…
He cast a venomous glare at the boy on shore—Naruto—and then slipped beneath the water, vanishing before the Rock shinobi reached him. He needed to salvage what he could before abandoning the base completely.
"We should leave too."
"You—who are you really?"
"Doesn't matter. First, we get out of Iwagakure."
Naruto took the lead, slipping through enemy lines with casual ease.
Yakushi Nonou and Kabuto followed, tense and wary. Despite him saving them, years of spy work had left them too cautious to trust anyone easily.
Eventually, Naruto led them to a cave outside the village and stopped.
"Rest here. We'll wait for someone."
Kabuto stepped protectively in front of Nonou, glaring at Naruto like a cornered wolf. "Who are you? What do you want from us?"
"I want you both to join the Red Sun Society I founded."
He said it bluntly.
"The Red Sun Society…?"
The two exchanged looks. They had expected this. Their spy experience was valuable—of course that was what he wanted. But to them, this invitation sounded like nothing more than another set of chains.
Kabuto's eyes hardened with resentment. After everything with Nonou, after the pain of living as a spy, he wanted nothing to do with that life again.
The cave fell silent.
Naruto didn't seem concerned with their hesitation. His mind was elsewhere—thinking of how to truly make use of them.
Spies?
Ridiculous.
Yakushi Nonou's medical skills were wasted in espionage. She was born to be a healer, not a pawn in Danzo's twisted games. That fool never understood the simple concept of putting people where they truly belonged.
And Kabuto? He could be so much more than a disposable spy.
Time passed, and morning sunlight eventually cut into the cave.
Uchiha Shisui appeared at Naruto's side as if out of nowhere.
"Boss."
"Shisui. Did you get it?"
"Yeah. Three million ryō. Enough to keep us going for now."
Their quiet exchange made Kabuto narrow his eyes. Then his face paled as recognition hit.
"You… you're Uchiha Shisui?! But—you're supposed to be dead!"
Nonou gasped as well. She had heard of Shisui's death years ago. The entire shinobi world had. She too had mourned the loss of a pillar of Konoha.
But here he was. Alive. And standing with the Red Sun Society.
The implications were staggering.
"This is Yakushi Kabuto, right? And who's the woman?" Shisui asked.
"Yeah, that's Kabuto—a slippery, two-faced one," Naruto replied casually. "And her? Yakushi Nonou. Former head of Konoha's orphanage. Brilliant medical ninja. Danzo sent her to Iwa as a spy."
Shisui's jaw tightened, anger at Danzo flashing across his face.
Kabuto scowled at Naruto's harsh description of him, but when Naruto spoke of Nonou as a healer rather than a spy, his glare softened just slightly.
"Alright," Naruto said at last. "Everyone's here. Time to head back to Konoha."
"But… our mission in Iwagakure—" Nonou began.
"Forget it," Naruto cut her off. "From now on, you don't take Root's orders. Those fools set their own people against each other like puppets. It's pathetic."
His voice was cold and final.
In his mind, Nonou's role was already decided—not as a spy, but as the hospital director of Red Sun Town, maybe even acting as caretaker for the orphans they took in.
As for being Root's disposable pawn?
Who cared about that anymore.
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