"Welcome home. You've worked hard."
As soon as Kageyama Kogetsu stepped in, Nono Yakushi—now in a black loungewear set—bowed, then quickly brought slippers and helped him take off shoes and socks.
The home clothes were Kogetsu's; since finishing his business, Nono had stayed at his place without returning to the orphanage even once.
Heh, laying it on thick with the service…
Kogetsu kept a straight face, but inside he was pleased, feeling a bit like a lord of the manor.
"Have some late-night snacks. They're on the coffee table."
"Okay."
Kogetsu went to the living room and saw three neatly arranged plates of delicate pastries and a warm glass of milk.
He tried them. Not bad—decent flavor.
"Kogetsu-kun, is it settled?" Nono asked, hopeful yet uneasy.
"All handled. Tomorrow, swing by Root, then you'll be reassigned to Konoha Hospital."
"Doctor Kōme at the hospital is a good friend of mine. If anything comes up, you can consult her."
Nono's face lit up. "That's wonderful—thank you."
"Not much sincerity there. Just a verbal thanks?"
"I… tomorrow night, you can do whatever you want with me, alright?" Nono's cheeks flushed as she lowered her head.
"Why tomorrow night?"
"I haven't been back to the orphanage in a very, very long time. I miss everything there, so tonight I'd like to go back," Nono said, mustering her courage.
"Wouldn't tomorrow be the same?"
"I'm eager to go… and also… I'd like a day to recover. You're too good."
Heh, this woman can really talk.
If I say no to that, I'm the bad guy.
But I can't walk away empty-handed either, or I'll end up in her palm.
"Fine. You've played a lot of roles as a spy, haven't you?"
"Yes." Nono didn't know what he was getting at, so she answered honestly.
"Which roles have you played most?"
"Nun and shrine maiden."
"Then remember to bring a nun's outfit and a miko outfit."
Nono blinked, then realized what Kogetsu meant.
Tch. So young and already a man famed across the shinobi world, and yet so bad—thinking of that kind of thing…
Men.
"Got it." Nono's ears turned pink as she kept her head meekly bowed.
"Since you're being so good, I've got a gift for you."
"Your strength is far too low. If anything happens, you won't be able to protect yourself."
"Lift your head and look into my eyes."
Nono did as told and saw Kogetsu's strange right eye. She was startled, but asked nothing.
"I've sealed a jutsu into your eye with fūinjutsu. If your life is in danger, it will trigger automatically."
"Thank you—you're so kind." Nono smiled. "May I ask what kind of jutsu it is?"
"If something happens, I'll know how to respond."
"Of course it's a large-scale lethal technique. Kill the enemy, and you won't be in danger."
Nono froze, then thought it over—it did make sense. Kill all the enemies and there's no danger.
The jutsu sealed in Neji's eye had been a large-scale lethal one as well. Escape or medical techniques weren't Kogetsu's style.
"If you run into trouble you can't solve, don't hesitate—come straight to me."
"Okay."
Warmth surged in Nono's chest. She gritted her teeth, stood, and sat in Kogetsu's lap.
"Uh… what are you doing?" The sudden softness and warmth threw Kogetsu for a moment.
"It's not that late. I can go back a bit later." Nono leaned on his shoulder, breath warm, voice barely above a whisper.
"Hehe, that's a pleasant surprise."
"Alright, but I'm eating. Not convenient. You'll have to help yourself."
Nono shot him a bewitching look, bit her lip, and began to help herself—self-reliant and well-fed…
Forty minutes later, Kogetsu was full, and so was Nono.
Kogetsu finished—and exhaled; Nono finished—and also exhaled.
After tidying up, Nono, legs still a touch unsteady, carried the plates and glass to the kitchen to wash.
"Look at you shaking like that. Fine, I'll walk you back," Kogetsu said with a helpless smile.
"It's your fault—charging like a wild bull." Nono shot him a look as she came out of the kitchen, half peeved.
"Standard operation. Honestly, with my physical condition, I was already holding back."
"Let's go."
"Mm."
Two minutes later, Kogetsu brought Nono to the orphanage on the outskirts.
Lights were out; everyone was fast asleep.
"Here. Take this money. Tomorrow, buy some gifts—consider them my greetings to the kids." Kogetsu pulled out a wad of cash.
"It's too much." Nono's eyes softened as she gently shook her head.
"Stop fussing. Use the rest to improve meals, repair the building, add some furniture." Kogetsu said, impatient.
"Alright, I'll go in first. You should get some rest too."
"Mm."
At the door, Nono looked back and saw Kogetsu still standing under the moonlight.
"Maybe misfortune turned to blessing for me."
Moved, Nono raised a hand in a small wave, then went inside.
On the way back, Kogetsu spotted a familiar Anbu silhouette and waved him over.
Night patrols in Konoha were mainly handled by the Police, but Anbu and Root each kept a small night detail.
"Captain." The Anbu shinobi in a jackal mask knelt on one knee atop the roof.
"At ease. Tell the boys to swing by the orphanage more often on patrol."
"Yes, Captain," the Anbu answered in a low voice.
Kogetsu nodded and handed over a few bills.
"Captain, this is…?"
"Everyone's working hard. Grab some breakfast in the morning."
"I… I can't accept this."
"Quit talking and take it," Kogetsu barked.
"Yes." The Anbu obediently accepted.
"Go. And patrol properly."
"Yes."
Watching Kogetsu depart, the Anbu immediately altered his route, checked the area around the orphanage, then continued his rounds.
Unlike the Police, Anbu and Root didn't follow fixed patrol paths and also bore responsibility for monitoring whether the Police were doing their jobs.
Back home, Kogetsu brushed his teeth, then sank into the tub, singing a lively tune—king of the bathroom concert.
...
Over the next month, Nono stayed over at Kogetsu's place every few days, and life was sweet for him.
As one of Konoha's headline figures, Kogetsu drew plenty of attention in the open and in the shadows, and Nono's presence gradually became known.
Nono's classified records were out of reach to department higher-ups, but her basic Konoha Hospital file was accessible.
The male shinobi didn't react much—just chatted about her luck.
The kunoichi reacted more.
Quite a few secretly liked Kogetsu but, given the gap, didn't dare act.
Why should an "older woman" get to be the idol's girlfriend?
Some kunoichi who'd crossed paths with Nono, driven by envy, set small snags for her—nothing over the line.
At first Nono was puzzled, but with her superb intel-gathering skills she quickly grasped the cause and handled it with ease.
She didn't ask Uzumaki Kōme for help, nor Kogetsu.
For Nono, those little hassles were nothing compared to the complex situations she'd faced deep undercover.
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