Chapter 109: The Walking Miko
How much change did the death of Danzo truly bring to Konoha?
The Fourth Hokage absorbed all the Root ninja, expanding the ranks of the Anbu. As for the loyalty of the Root ninja, time would naturally smooth everything over.
However, some Root ninja could not be forgiven. They held not only Danzo's intelligence but also more secrets about the elders and their connections with Orochimaru.
Among these people, the members of Konoha's intelligence division were the most prominent. They found themselves wanted by both the Konoha elders and one of the Sannin, Orochimaru. They knew very well that even if they explained the situation to the Fourth Hokage, there would likely be no place for them in the current Konoha.
Nonō Yakushi, known in Root by the title "The Walking Miko," was a key target of the manhunt. This woman, who seemed completely unrelated to the world of espionage, held all of Root's top-secret information, the top-secret information of other countries, and firsthand materials on the dealings with Orochimaru.
As long as this woman lived, the elders could never rest easy.
With a bounty of 20 million Ryo posted in the black market, Nonō Yakushi became the number one target of bounty hunters.
Intelligence indicated that this woman was an expert in disguise, skilled in all types of infiltration and reconnaissance work, and possessed considerable medical ninjutsu. However, she had a characteristic that drove all bounty hunters wild.
Her combat ability was not strong.
Even if she knew assassination and poisoning, it could not hide the weakness of her own lack of strength.
But that was not her greatest weakness. Her greatest weakness was that she was once the matron of an orphanage. Corresponding to her infiltration abilities was her motherly nature, which radiated like that of a saint, treating all children with equal care.
At this moment, Nonō Yakushi, with her long, pale-yellow hair, dark green eyes, and a gentle, water-like demeanor, wearing a nun's white robe, had arrived at the border of the Land of Water, relying on her extraordinary anti-tracking abilities.
Transformation Jutsu.
The biggest difference between her and an ordinary ninja was her Transformation Jutsu. With not much chakra, she could use every single strand to its utmost limit, achieving a transformation so real that not even the Sharingan could see through it.
This precise chakra control was also the reason she could easily learn medical ninjutsu. During a chance encounter with one of the Sannin, Tsunade, in the medical corps, she was praised: "Your chakra control is second only to mine. Do you want to be my disciple?"
If it had been before she joined Root, Nonō Yakushi would have definitely accepted this life-changing opportunity. She gently shook her head and refused Tsunade, and amidst the latter's sigh of "what a pity," she left the Konoha medical corps and continued to travel to various countries to complete her intelligence-gathering work.
This intelligence did eventually prove to be of some use.
Danzo and those guys all knew she was once the matron of an orphanage, but they didn't know how many orphanages she actually had under her care. In fact, except for the Land of Wind, she had visited orphanages in all the other countries. Two of them had been destroyed in the war, and the one in Konoha had been taken over by the Fourth Hokage. So, the one she was most worried about was the orphanage in the capital of the Land of Water, which had the most children and was in the most remote location.
After giving this last bit of funding to the children, I can just find a place to die, I suppose.
She thought to herself silently.
Being killed by a bounty hunter is fine too.
I just hope it's not too painful.
From the first day Nonō became a spy, her life was something that could be discarded. In this world, she had seen too much cruelty. She still clearly remembered Danzo's assessment of her.
"You have not yet extinguished the heart of compassion."
To be born human, I am sorry.
"Three Ryo."
Her voice also disguised, the spy Miko boarded the ship to the capital of the Land of Water. Standing at the bow, listening to the whispers of the sailors around her, the salty sea breeze blowing from the sea, the ship entered the mist and set off towards the capital a hundred li away.
All of this was just as she had planned for her life from the beginning: to contribute silently, then to pass away silently, like the largest creature in the sea, the whale.
Why a whale?
Because even after a whale dies, it will provide a paradise for the creatures of the sea, a feast for decomposers that sustains for a hundred years.
It can even form a complete ecosystem.
This process has a poetic name: "Whale Fall."
Miko Fall? Yakushi Fall?
Those didn't sound very good. Nonō Yakushi imagined her future tombstone. It would be nice if someone could draw a whale on her tombstone. No... it wasn't even certain if she would have a tombstone. And who would be there to draw a cute whale for her?
It was somewhat regrettable.
Handing her Land of Water identification to the city gate guards, the spy Miko easily blended into the city. Following her familiar memories, she found the orphanage located in a corner area.
Knock, knock.
She raised her hand and knocked on the main door of the orphanage. The door then slowly opened a small crack with a creak. A child peered through the crack, warily looking at this unfamiliar woman.
"Who are you?"
A child who has just arrived at the orphanage.
Nonō reverted to her original appearance. From the inner pocket of her white robe, she took out a bag of candy and a large pouch of money and gave them to the child.
"Give this to the matron. You don't have to give her the candy. Share it with your friends, but don't eat it all by yourself, okay?"
After speaking, the woman in the white robe changed back to the appearance of an inconspicuous passerby, without even a puff of white smoke, and quietly prepared to leave this final orphanage.
"Miko-sama!"
A shout stopped Nonō in her tracks. She saw the orphanage matron she had found, who loved children as much as she did, quickly open the door and come to her with the money.
"Someone gave us a lot of support two days ago. You don't need to come to such a dangerous place so frequently."
"Someone else?"
The spy Miko was a little surprised. She never knew that this orphanage had received support from anyone else.
In this era, people were already struggling to survive. Who had the time to care about the life or death of children?
"It was a man and a woman. Both of them were not very old."
"Ninja?"
"Yes. They were ninja, but not from the Land of Water. From how they addressed each other, I only know that the silver-haired boy's surname is Hatake."
"Hatake..."
The name was as loud as thunder. The whole ninja world was saying that the Uchiha clan head had killed Danzo and defected, but Nonō knew very well who the leader of Root had truly died at the hands of.
I didn't expect him to be a person with a kind heart.
Her escape from Root could be considered a debt she owed him.
Perhaps... I can die a little later.
Not taking back the funds she had offered, Nonō took off her glasses. Looking at the world through the lenses always gave her a sense of vague unreality. She took a deep look at the orphanage, then finally said goodbye to the matron and slowly embarked on the road to that country second only to the Five Great Nations.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin