"The second shop to the left after the grain store."
Nagato had no interest in looking at the passersby and quickly searched for the grain store's sign.
"That way."
It was Konan, with her sharp eyes, who noticed it first—a grain store that had long been out of business.
"Let's go."
Nagato immediately walked forward, his thoughts consumed by that one graceful figure.
After all these years, he wondered how she was doing.
After turning left past the grain store, the four quickly reached the second house.
The door was patched multiple times, clearly repaired all over.
Taking a deep breath, Nagato knocked on the door using their prearranged signal.
Thud~thud thud.
One long knock followed by two short ones.
Hardly any footsteps were heard before the door creaked open.
A dirty, messy face appeared before them, dressed just like the refugees.
Once she saw who stood before her, she seemed unable to believe it. She rubbed her eyes and stared hard again.
Then she opened her mouth but couldn't get a word out.
As if suddenly remembering something, she covered her face and ran inside without looking back.
"Why are you running?"
"It's me, Nagato."
Nagato was completely stunned by Nonou Yakushi's reaction—could it be she didn't recognize him?
Even though her face was filthy and her body had changed,
he immediately recognized her as the woman he had missed deeply.
As for himself, he hadn't changed much over the years.
Besides, with his unmistakable red hair, how could she not recognize him?
At this thought, a wave of melancholy washed over him.
"Is this really her?"
Yahiko was also unsure. After all, they hadn't really known each other well to begin with, and now Nonou's appearance did look quite rough.
She looked very different from the Nonou he remembered.
Although her hair had grown longer and her chest more developed,
she still wasn't exactly attractive.
Konan also looked toward Nagato with similar doubts in her eyes.
"It is her."
Nagato calmed his emotions and chased after her.
"Now this is interesting."
Kakuzu watched the scene unfold with amusement; Nagato sure wasn't acting like the guy who had punched him earlier.
As soon as he entered the house, Nagato saw Nonou halfway through washing her face.
He slowed his steps and approached gently.
"Don't you recognize me anymore?"
His heart pounded faster and faster, afraid of hearing "Who are you?"
"How could I not?"
"You're my Pain."
Nonou straightened up and looked directly into Nagato's eyes, her smile blooming like a flower.
The dirt on her face had been washed away entirely, droplets of water sliding down her delicate face.
How could she possibly not recognize Nagato?
She just wanted to show him her best self instinctively.
Nagato finally relaxed the heavy weight in his heart and remained silent.
He took one big step forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Nonou.
A faint glimmer of tears formed in his eyes.
At that moment, joy from reuniting filled his entire heart.
Taken aback at first, Nonou found herself surprised. In her memory, Nagato had never been this proactive.
She hesitated briefly, then hugged him back with equal warmth.
Her chin instinctively came to rest on Nagato's right shoulder.
Both savored the warmth of each other's presence, wishing time would stop right at this moment.
"Cough, cough..."
"You should've had your fill by now."
An untimely voice rang out. Nonou looked up to see Yahiko grinning mischievously.
"Long time no see, Yahiko, Konan."
"And who's this?"
Nonou blushed and gently pushed Nagato away.
Among the four, Kakuzu was the only one she hadn't met before.
"Long time no see, Sister Nonou."
"You've gotten even prettier."
Konan enthusiastically stepped forward and hooked her arm around Nonou's, staring repeatedly at her chest.
How did she even grow like that? Why wasn't I blessed with a figure like hers?
If there weren't so many people around, she might've even reached out to feel for herself.
As for Kakuzu, she clearly had no intention of introducing him whatsoever.
"Nice to meet you again."
Yahiko dropped his teasing grin and stopped poking fun.
"This is Kakuzu."
Nagato discreetly wiped away a tear while introducing Kakuzu to Nonou.
"Hello, I'm Kakuzu."
Kakuzu didn't put on airs and even gave Nonou a smile.
He clearly understood—he couldn't afford to provoke this woman.
"Kakuzu?"
"That infamous bounty hunter?"
"Isn't he supposed to have gone missing a long time ago?"
Nonou was greatly shocked. How had Longmen ended up hanging around with someone like this?
"Missing? He just had the audacity to sneak into Konoha and try to assassinate Teacher."
"We locked him up for a few years—that's all."
Konan wasn't about to miss the chance to mock Kakuzu.
Kakuzu, who had originally intended to say a couple of words in explanation, instantly darkened his face.
Even though it was all true, didn't she know the rule—never kick a man when he's down?
"Assassinate Lord Kawaki?"
Nonou found it hard to believe. He must've been out of his mind to pull off such a reckless stunt.
The title "God of the Ninja World" wasn't just hype—it was earned through real battlefield victories.
"Yeah."
"If it weren't for Teacher's mercy, do you think he'd still be alive today?"
Konan shot Kakuzu a smug glance, as if she personally had been the one to defeat him.
"Alright, Konan."
"It's all in the past now. Kakuzu is our ally."
Yahiko really had a headache—Konan's obsession with money was getting out of hand.
"Hmph~ If you don't want to talk, then don't."
Konan didn't press further. Truthfully, her issue was just that all the funds were under Kakuzu's control.
It's not like she actually hated him or anything.
"I was just being reckless back then. Now, I've received my due punishment."
Oh...
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade
Kakuzu played polite conversation well.
He had also thought—if time could turn back, would he still accept that bounty contract?
In his heart, he knew he probably would've made the same choice.
You don't truly understand pain unless you've fallen flat on your face.
Nonou didn't respond. She glanced at Nagato instead.
When she saw Nagato give a slight nod, she finally relaxed.
Her reaction was only natural, given how dangerous this person appeared.
"Alright, let's drop the topic."
"How long have you been in the Land of Rain?"
Nagato changed the subject.
"Exactly one week today."
"Everyone, please have a seat. No need to stand."
Nonou gestured for everyone to sit. Although the room wasn't large, there were enough chairs for everyone.
"Any new intelligence to report?"
As soon as Yahiko sat down, he started asking Nonou.
After all, Nonou was a seasoned intelligence agent.
"Didn't get much intel—just going to ramble a bit."
Nonou said, setting down glasses of water for everyone before pulling out a detailed map of the Land of Rain.
"The biggest faction is right next to us—a band of wandering ninja."
"Then there are the remnants of the Land of Rain's own ninja—they're based right here."
"Lastly, there are scattered smaller factions—they'll be absorbed eventually; it's only a matter of time."
Nonou pointed at each location on the map one by one. The map was full of dense notes.
...
After nearly an hour of explanation, Nonou finally stopped to take a sip of water.
She had laid out the balance of power in the Land of Rain with remarkable clarity, along with what each faction might do next.
Since when was *that* 'just rambling'? She was being way too humble.
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