The Walking Shrine Maiden.
Her name was Yakushi Nonō.
During the conflicts between Konoha and Iwagakure, Shimura Danzō—the leader of Root—had arranged secret operations within the Rock village. One of the chess pieces he placed there was Yakushi Nonō. Yet, after a single failed mission, Danzō noticed cracks in her reliability and quietly began to consider eliminating her.
Aoyama remembered it clearly. In the original timeline, there had been a flashback—Nonō and Yakushi Kabuto, both Root's intelligence operatives, ultimately became sacrifices to Danzō's paranoia and distrust.
Right now, Nonō was still Root's ace. Her talent in intelligence work was unparalleled. The moment she sensed irregularities in Iwagakure, she immediately rushed to the Root relay station set up there.
But she was too late. All the intelligence had already been destroyed, forcing her mission to a dead halt.
Nonō understood the gravity of this. If she returned with nothing, far away in Konoha, Danzō would never believe it was simply bad luck—he would suspect treachery. To avoid being labeled the traitor, her only option was to gather intelligence on the enemy before her.
But once Aoyama recognized that the enemy was Yakushi Nonō, a daring thought surfaced in his mind. With a mischievous grin, he urged Kong to speed up. When the distance between them shrank to about ten meters, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted:
"Yakushi Nonō! Stop running—I already know who you are!"
"Damn it!"
Nonō's heart sank. For someone like her, whose identity was meant to remain in the shadows, exposure was no different from shaking hands with Death itself. She hesitated, even considered turning back to silence Aoyama. But strength had never been her advantage. In the end, she could only grit her teeth and keep running.
Seeing her flee, Aoyama smacked Kong on the head, urging him to move faster. Godzilla, too, was gaining momentum—almost catching up to Nonō.
He called out loudly:
"Even if you make it back to Konoha, Danzō will kill you. A whole intelligence relay station he built in Iwagakure has just been wiped out. Do you think he won't suspect you of leaking information? Everyone else is dead—only you survived. You know what he'll think."
"Stop running. Let me tell you—Danzō's already planning to get rid of you. Even if you return, you're still dead. And when you die… what about your children? Don't you care about them?"
Nonō's steps froze. She halted abruptly, kunai in hand, her face radiating killing intent as she demanded in a low voice:
"Konoha traitor Aoyama! Just how much do you know?!"
Deidara swooped down from the sky, landing beside Aoyama, while Kakuzu joined them as well. Now facing three powerful enemies, Nonō no longer tried to escape. Instead, she gripped her kunai tighter, bracing herself.
Aoyama's tone was calm:
"Since you know who I am, then you must also know why I defected. Shimura Danzō framed me, made it look like I murdered a mission target. That one setup ruined my career as a shinobi."
"All because he wanted my summoning beasts. He tried everything, but he never expected I'd choose to defect."
"Before leaving, I gathered intel on Danzō's subordinates. That's how I learned about you—the Walking Shrine Maiden, Yakushi Nonō. Root's strongest intelligence asset. But your very existence makes Danzō uneasy. You've accomplished too much. You know too much."
"That's why, when he realized your children inherited the same talent for gathering intelligence, he decided it was time to replace you. You'd die, and one of them would take your place as Root's new intelligence ace."
Nonō fell silent. She looked toward the distant direction of Konoha, her expression weary. At last, she exhaled a long sigh.
"…It's Kabuto, isn't it?"
Aoyama's brows rose. "How did you guess?"
"Two years ago, I could only see my children through photos. But Kabuto… I felt something change in him. He wasn't the same as the boy in the pictures."
"At the time, I brushed it off. Every day I lived in fear of exposure, balancing mission after mission. Those photos became my greatest treasure. But looking back now… some of those children weren't even the same. Danzō must have been swapping them out deliberately. If he intended to replace me, then the only one who fits is Kabuto."
Deidara and Kakuzu didn't interrupt. They listened, piecing together just how ruthless Danzō truly was. To him, even children were tools to be manipulated without hesitation.
Yakushi Kabuto had been cultivated by Danzō to inherit Nonō's role—the next Walking Shrine Maiden.
But since Nonō was still alive, it meant Danzō hadn't yet executed the plan. Kabuto must still be in training, or perhaps Danzō's doubts hadn't yet reached the breaking point.
Hearing Aoyama's words, Nonō believed him. She knew Danzō was capable of every cruelty described. To control someone, he would use any means—even sacrificing innocent children.
Her face softened, her thoughts conflicted. If she returned and assassinated Danzō, the orphanage would be dismantled. After all, the only reason he permitted it to exist was to supply Root with a steady flow of war orphans to mold into cold-blooded tools.
Aoyama smirked. "You understand now, don't you? I'm telling you, Danzō isn't worth following. Why not come with us instead? Join Akatsuki. We're a good organization—you'll see once I introduce you to Pain."
"Akatsuki? The underground mercenary group that's worked with Iwagakure before?"
"Maybe. Doing merc jobs is just one way we make money. But really—believe me—Akatsuki's goal is to save the world."
"…I'm sorry. I know Danzō will move against me eventually. But I can't betray Konoha. My children are still in the orphanage. Without Danzō's financial support, they'll starve."
Nonō brushed a strand of hair from her face, smiling faintly as the wind carried her voice:
I don't fear death. I only fear that if I die, no one will protect those children. If I fall here in Iwagakure, Konoha will continue funding the orphanage. Even without me, they'll survive. So… can I ask you for one last favor? Kill me.