area51novel Chapter 138 So-called Loyalty
Chapter 138 So-called Loyalty
Chapter 138 So-called Loyalty
Yakushi Nonou's body trembled violently, her hands barely able to hold the light scroll, as if it weighed a ton.
A heavy sense of despair overwhelmed her.
Loyalty to Konoha? The safety of the children? This choice was too cruel! She closed her eyes in anguish, her mind filled with the children's innocent and smiling faces, each one crystal clear.
"And—" Taking advantage of her distracted state, Yuan Tuoye softened his tone, like a devil sowing the seeds of tempting poison.
"You know I've cooperated with Konoha before," right? Don't worry, I don't have any direct hostility towards Konoha for the time being, nor will I ask you to do anything that directly harms Konoha." He deliberately emphasized the syllables "cooperation" and "temporary."
Yakushi Nonou suddenly opened her eyes, looking at Gen Takuno with surprise and uncertainty.
Indeed, the cooperative record on the Cloud Hidden Battlefield is undeniable evidence.
If—if he truly only wanted to gather information outside of Konoha, and not destroy Konoha, perhaps, perhaps it was possible—
Just as the scales of loyalty to Konoha in her heart were violently shaken and nearly tipped over because of the weight of the children.
Yuan Tuoye's lips curled into a confident smile as he threw out his final and most precise bargaining chip: "If you serve me, I can also help you find your adopted son—Yakushi Kabuto."
"Kabuto?!" Yakushi Nonou gasped, a surge of color rising across her pale face for the first time—a complex flush of shock, ecstasy, and disbelief. "He—he—he's still alive?!"
Her voice became shrill and distorted.
"Of course he's alive." Takuno's voice was firm and resolute, carrying an undeniable certainty. After all, he had personally wiped out the Root's stronghold, and Kabuto Yakushi was indeed not among those corpses.
"Like you, doing similar work in some ninja village. But who can predict the fate of an undercover agent? Maybe you'll be exposed the next moment, maybe you'll be beheaded the next second." He deliberately painted a bleak picture of the future, as if cutting her heart bit by bit with a dull knife.
"Kabuto—why is this happening—" Yakushi Nonou's eyes instantly reddened, and hot tears welled up uncontrollably, sliding down her cheeks.
Those were the children she wanted to protect! And yet, like her, they too embarked on this path of no return, fraught with thorns and the shadow of death—
Fate's cruel mockery tore at her heart.
"Alright." Yuan Tuoye coldly watched as her emotional defenses completely collapsed, his voice returning to its initial cold and authoritative tone, like a final ultimatum.
"Tell me your decision. Will you choose loyalty and death, burying the children's future and Kabuto's possible tragic end together? Or will you choose to be loyal to me, live on, and in exchange for their safety and my hope of finding Kabuto for you?" He pressed on relentlessly, leaving no room for retreat.
Yakushi Nonou fell into a long silence, the only sounds in the deathly stillness being her heavy breathing and the faint crackling of the firewood.
Time seemed to stand still.
After a long silence, she finally mustered all her strength and, in a hoarse and extremely dry voice, asked what was practically the last question she needed to confirm rationally: "Are you—definitely not—going against Konoha?"
"Things are unpredictable, and no one can guarantee anything about the future." Gen Takuno's answer was impeccable, carrying the arrogance of a superior and the coldness of reality. "But I can promise you one thing: during the time you work for me, there will never be a day when I need you to infiltrate Konoha again as a spy."
Yakushi Nonou fell silent again.
She understood that this was the greatest "goodwill" the other party could offer, and the only bottom line she could negotiate for.
The other side holds absolute leverage: the safety of the orphans, their hope for survival, and control over their own lives and even their dignity.
She had no grounds to question, even if the other party's words were full of hypocrisy and endless possibilities.
What else could she do but trust, which was the only way out?
"If you need my talent—" she finally seemed to have exhausted all her strength, each word heavy with emotion, "—as long as you keep your promise not to harm the children, and also, help me find Dou—"
She slowly lowered her head, a mixture of humiliation, despair, and a sliver of illusory hope swirling in her heart, causing her to sink heavily.
Watching his prey finally submit, a cold, satisfied smile curved the corners of Gen Takuno's mouth beneath his mask. The most crucial key to controlling Kabuto Yakushi—Yakushi Nonou—was in his grasp!
The moonlight spread through the forest like silver foil. Yakushi Nono stood with her head bowed beside Minamoto Takuno. At that moment, she thought of her children.
When he looked up, a glimmer of hope flickered deep in his pupils.
This is the only chance. This place is not far from Konoha. Among the fallen branches, you can even see the vague outline of the village in the distance.
If we miss this opportunity and follow Yuan Tuoye to unknown territories, those innocent smiles will become faded shadows in our memories, and we may never see them again.
After a long silence, she finally took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly: "Master—may I be allowed to return to Konoha to see the children?"
Yuan Tuoye glanced at Yakushi Nonou. Even though he had already imprinted some sealing techniques on her, he couldn't trust her so easily.
Compared to the few ninjas in Yukigami Village who had never seen a big scene, or Zabuza Momochi who was living aimlessly without any purpose,
The threat posed by Yakushi Nonou using sealing techniques alone is not enough.
Sure enough, she needed a new bond to tightly tie her loyalty to the lives of those children.
His thoughts stretched out like a spider web, and he finally nodded.
"Can."
"Thank you—Master!" Yakushi Nonou was a little surprised to see that Minamoto Takuno had agreed, but she was more delighted than surprised.
"Follow me, and don't even think about reminding Konoha." Genji Takuno's fox mask seemed to be smiling eerily in the moonlight.
"You know Konoha can't keep me here, but your children—may pay a bloody price for your foolishness."
The threatening words reached Yakushi Nonou's ears, making her tremble all over.
She knew that what Yuan Tuoye said was true, and this quietly extinguished the little thoughts that had arisen in her heart.
As the night fog thickened, Yuan Tuoye moved like a ghost, his feet barely rustling the fallen leaves beneath his feet.
Yuan Tuoye didn't say anything more. He led Yakushi Nonou towards Konoha, and when they passed through the Konoha Great Barrier, he easily tricked the sealing team using the secret door he left behind.
During this process, Takuno Minamoto walked ahead, while Nono Yakushi paused for a moment as she watched this scene.
The other party seemed very confident in their sealing technique, and at this moment, as if they were certain that she would not betray them and ignore her, could she take this opportunity to leave some warnings for Konoha?
Based on her years of experience, the other person should be completely unaware of her actions.
Finally, Yakushi Nonou made a decision. She scratched her fingertip with her nail and began to write something.
During this time, she kept her eyes on Yuan Tuoye in front of her and never looked up. If she looked up, she would see several crows in the air and on the surrounding branches, watching her every move with their blood-red eyes.
Beneath the mask, thin lips silently curved upwards, and Yuan Tuoye's lips curled into a cold arc.
Yakushi Nonou straightened up and stole a glance at the figure in front of her. The other person's steps were not faltered, and they continued to walk deeper into Konoha.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but cold sweat had already soaked through her inner shirt.
Soon, led by Yuan Tuoye, the two arrived at the front of that lonely courtyard.
At this time, there was still a secret unit outside the orphanage. It was probably because they had received a notification from the sealing group and withdrew most of their secret units, but were worried that the other party might return, so they left one secret unit to keep watch.
The next moment, a crow silently landed in front of the other party.
"Where did these crows come from?" The ANBU member was a little puzzled, but the next moment, he was stunned.
Because the crow's eye suddenly transformed into a two-tomoe Sharingan, he was completely caught off guard and fell into the illusion.
Once he regains consciousness, he will forget all of this, only remembering the outcome that nothing happened.
Yuan Tuoye pushed open the orphanage door as if no one else was there, the creaking sound of the wooden axle rubbing against each other amplified infinitely in the dead silence.
When Yakushi Nono saw Gen Takuno walk through the corridor without hesitation, turn right precisely at the fork in the road, and stop in front of a familiar birchwood door, her blood seemed to freeze instantly.
This scene terrified her even more; the other person's familiarity with the place made her feel that if they wanted to kill her children, it would be incredibly easy for them.
Even though Konoha's defenses were so tight, it amazed her, a person who made a living by infiltrating. How could the other side have infiltrated so easily?
Is this the power that strength brings?
At that moment, Yakushi Nonou remembered the warning she had left behind, and her heart was suddenly filled with fear, worried that the other party would discover the traces she had left behind.
Yuan Tuoye gently pushed open the door.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow on the mottled floor. Several small beds were lined up, and the sound of even, soft snoring came from beneath the blankets.
His gaze swept casually across the room, finally settling on a boy curled up, clutching a tattered teddy bear.
The boy was fast asleep, his cheeks flushed with a healthy rosy glow, and a glistening drop of saliva clung to the corner of his mouth.
"Let's choose him."
Pharmacist Nonou's mind went completely blank: "————What?"
Before she could even see the movement, a kunai had silently slipped between Yuan Tuoye's fingers, the cold metal reflecting a chilling light in the moonlight.
"I warned you about that clumsy mark you left behind," Yuan Tuoye slowly approached the bedside, the sharp end of his kunai hovering a few inches in front of the sleeping boy's throat, "It requires an equivalent life to pay for it. A fair trade, isn't it?"
"No!" Yakushi Nonou screamed, her knees slamming heavily onto the cold floor. "Master! I know I was wrong! Please—please spare him!"
She frantically slammed her forehead against the ground, each impact producing a dull thud, oblivious to the blood streaming down her face, tears mingling with her blood as they trickled down her cheeks.
"Nun?" A childish voice, still groggy from just waking up, rang out.
The boy rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up. Seeing the kneeling Pharmacist Nono, his face instantly lit up with a pure, innocent smile. "You're back! I missed you so much!"
He reached out his little hand, as if to pull her.
"No!" Nono screamed in anguish, struggling to lunge forward, but was nailed to the spot by an invisible despair.
The kunai fell in that instant, slicing through the air with a subtle yet sharp buzzing sound!
"Pfft!"
Hot blood splattered like ink on the mottled lime wall, its crimson color spreading rapidly under the moonlight.
The boy's smile froze on his face, his clear eyes clouded with the gray of death, and his small body slumped down on the scarlet-soaked pillow.
The tattered teddy bear in her arms fell off the bed, half of its cheek stained with blood, its eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Yakushi Nono's pupils suddenly dilated, and the world was stripped of all color, leaving only a chaotic gray-white.
My heart felt as if it were being gripped and torn apart by a cold, iron claw.
Tinnitus drowned out all other sounds, leaving only the thunderous roar of surging blood.
"It's me—it's all my fault!" The inner scream was deafening. "Why did I covet this one meeting? Why did I leave that damned mark? I personally—I personally led death to their bedside!"
Immense regret materialized into a vortex that dragged her into the abyss of consciousness, as if half of her soul had been severed, leaving a bloody void.
"The first time is just a warning." The devil's whisper, like a fine needle, pierced the chaos of her consciousness.
"Warning? You've taken his life!" Yakushi Nono suddenly looked up, her bloodshot eyes burning with flames of madness and destruction.
Her reason snapped completely. Like an enraged mother beast, she gathered her last strength and lunged at Yuan Tuoye.
However, just before her fingertips were about to touch the cold noodles, the scene before her rippled, shattered, and vanished like water.
The walls were spotless, and the moonlight flowed gently.
On the bed, the boy rolled over, smacked his lips, and mumbled in his sleep, "Sister—Little Bear—"
His cheeks were rosy, and the blankets rose and fell steadily with his breathing. The tattered little bear lay unharmed in his arms.
There was no trace of blood left on the ground or walls; only the moonlight silently washed everything away. The air was filled only with the faint scent of soap and the sweet smell of children's milk.
Yakushi Nonou stood frozen in place, her outstretched arm suspended in mid-air.
"It's... an illusion?!" she uttered, her voice trembling. Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, and a frantic hope grew wildly on the crumbling walls of her heart.
She stared intently at Yuan Tuoye, as if a drowning person grasping at the last piece of driftwood: "It's an illusion, isn't it?!"
"Yes. Still want to play your little tricks?" Yuan Tuoye's voice was laced with a cold laugh. "Next time, the warm body beneath this blade and the spurting, sweet-smelling blood won't be fake anymore~"
He flicked his fingertip, and a blood-stained piece of cloth fluttered down to Yakushi Nono's feet. It was the fabric from the inside of her clothes, and the writing on it was like a red-hot branding iron, deeply searing her eyes.
The last glimmer of hope vanished completely.
She collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, then struggled to her feet, slamming her forehead heavily against the cold, hard floor with a dull, desperate sound: "Master! It was my mistake! I swear on my life—there will never be a second time!"
The pain in the illusion was too real: the warmth of the blood, the passing of life, the emptiness of the soul being torn apart.
She finally succumbed to fear completely; what Gen Takuno had forged was by no means a physical shackle.
It was an invisible yet unbreakable chain of bonds, one end connected to Nono's soul on the verge of collapse, and the other end—suspended around the young and fragile necks of these children.
Yuan Tuoye didn't say anything and leaned against the wall.
Yakushi Nonou paused for a moment, realizing that this was a time for her to spend with the children.
Unfortunately, she could only see them when they were asleep.
She looked tenderly at the small figures and whispered, "I'm sorry, you must live well. I—I won't make the same mistake again."