In order to avoid drawing the attention of Hiruzen, even though Yami was a bit anxious, he pretended to act normally after entering the village and made his way to the Root base.
Unfortunately, he didn't see Pakura right away, she was still receiving treatment from the medical-nin in the infirmary.
After some thought, Yami took a detour and headed for the interrogation room.
Shisui was there.
"Shisui-senpai."
The person he wanted had been retrieved, so Yami was in a good mood and greeted politely.
"It's Yami-kun." A tired smile appeared on Shisui's face.
After spending half a month on the run and rushing at full speed for a day after rescuing Pakura, even an elite jōnin couldn't hold up.
"You two step out. I'll take over the questioning." Yami waved off the two shinobi originally in charge of the interrogation, leaving only him and Shisui in the room.
"Shisui-senpai, tell me about the mission this time."
Shisui nodded, gathered his thoughts, and began recounting the events slowly.
He had intervened when the Mist-nin launched their surprise attack on Pakura. Using genjutsu, he manipulated one of them to kick Pakura into his hiding spot. Then, within moments, he swapped her out and inflicted identical injuries on a scapegoat's back to match hers.
He quickly sealed the heavily injured Pakura into a scroll, then retreated with her through a hidden passage he had prepared in advance.
He didn't dare move again until all the Mist-nin had left the area.
Once he reached the border of the Land of Fire, he used the coded signal to contact the Root handler, and from there, everything proceeded smoothly.
"As expected of Shisui-senpai. You accounted for both the environment and human behavior." Yami didn't hold back his praise. "If you ask me, you should be the head of the Uchiha clan. You're way better than that bitter, vengeful uncle."
"Yami, don't joke around." Shisui gave a wry smile. "Clan Head Fugaku is a very competent leader. I respect him greatly."
"And I believe Itachi will make an even better clan head in the future."
"Really?" Yami didn't comment further. Since he was trying to be filial today, he chose not to continue the topic with Shisui.
"Thanks for your hard work on this mission, Shisui-senpai. Root will handle the rest. I believe you know what to do once you return."
Shisui stood up and nodded. "Understood. I've just been recovering these past few days, I haven't gone anywhere."
He had done his part bringing Pakura back and didn't want to ask what Root planned to do next.
Still, he sincerely hoped Yami would succeed and add a powerful asset to the village.
...
After seeing Shisui off, Yami ran into another "old acquaintance."
The door of the infirmary swung open, and the medical-nin who walked out turned out to be Yakushi Nonō, who had been absent for some time.
"Director Nonō, long time no see."
"Yami-sama…"
Unlike Yami, Nonō didn't look happy at all, her expression was grim, even slightly hostile.
Yami instantly understood. "Looks like you've seen Kabuto?"
"Yami-sama," Nonō said angrily, "Why? Kabuto is just a child, he's even a year younger than you! Why bring him into Root?!"
When Nonō returned to Konoha after completing her mission, she saw Kabuto among the Root members, training hard like the other shinobi.
It felt like her world had collapsed.
She had always cherished the sensible Kabuto. Even when she wasn't around to care for him, Kabuto would lead the other children and even manage the older ones with precision.
She felt sorry that such a young boy had to grow up so quickly.
To support the orphanage and Kabuto, Nonō had forced herself to complete the missions assigned by Danzō, hoping that by embracing darkness, she could trade it for a brighter future for others.
But after witnessing that scene, she realized all her efforts had been meaningless.
The only reason she managed to restrain her fury and not explode on the spot was the long-standing fear and pressure of Danzō and Root, which kept her rational.
"I never forced him to do anything."
Yami shook his head with an innocent expression. His big eyes calmly met Nonō's angry gaze. "He knew everything you did for the orphanage, and he made his own decision."
Nonō protested angrily, "But without your approval, Kabuto never would've joined Root!"
"Why wouldn't I approve?"
Yami looked at her in confusion. "In my eyes, Kabuto's value far surpasses that of your so-called elite spies."
"If someone like him is willing to join Root, why would I push him away?"
"Nonō, I suggest you stop worrying about Kabuto."
Yami waved her off. "I'm easy to deal with, but my old man isn't so kind."
"Focus more on your missions."
"Don't wait until Kabuto grows strong enough to protect the orphanage on his own, only for the grass on your grave to be three feet tall by then."
"Live well. Live long enough to see Kabuto and the orphanage thrive. That's the best recognition of his efforts."
With that, Yami lost interest in continuing the conversation. He walked around the stunned Nonō and entered the ward.
...
Inside the white room.
Black lines extended outward from Pakura's body, forming a network across the entire room. Yami instantly recognized the technique.
Sealing Technique: Lion Closing Roar.
For anyone trapped at the center of this formation, all chakra points in the body would be sealed, rendering them unable to use chakra. The curse mark would wrap around the target's body like chains.
Pakura was still unconscious. The kunai that had pierced her back had been laced with poison, interfering with her chakra flow, enough to completely disable a Kage-level shinobi.
Yami wasn't too concerned about anything else—only whether that flawless back of hers would be left with a scar. After entering the room, he quickly flipped Pakura over and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Nonō's medical skills weren't bad. Right now, the wound was just a bit red and swollen. No visible scarring remained.
The guards hidden in the shadows watched this scene with odd expressions. They couldn't help but feel that their young master had… some kind of serious illness.
After finishing his inspection, Yami sat on the chair by the head of the bed and waited quietly.
About half an hour later, a weak groan came from the bed.
Pakura slowly opened her eyes. The intense light above her forced her to squint.
As she tried to recall what had happened, a childish voice rang in her ears.
"You're awake?"
(To be continued.)
***
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