Not long after, Orochimaru left the orphanage with a storage scroll in hand, an excited expression still lingering on his face.
Only then did Yakushi Nono arrive belatedly, carrying two cups of hot tea.
She placed one cup in front of Uchiha Ren and sat down across from him with the other.
Ren took a sip of tea and said helplessly,
"You know, Nono, you took quite a while just to make tea. It almost made it seem like I was deliberately sending you away."
In truth, given the relationship between Uchiha Ren and Yakushi Nono now, there was hardly anything between them that needed to be hidden.
As for Aken and Huika, both had followed Nono when she left Root. Their loyalty and convictions were beyond question.
"No," Nono shook her head gently.
"The orphanage doesn't normally drink tea, so boiling water again took some time."
"And besides, the length of your conversation with Orochimaru was somewhat unexpected."
In reality, Nono had intentionally delayed a little.
Her intention had been to create a better environment for Ren and Orochimaru to talk.
From her experience, negotiations tended to go more smoothly when fewer people were present. Too many allies on one side could unconsciously place psychological pressure on the other party, making them less willing to open up.
Originally, she had planned to bring the tea after their discussion was nearly finished.
What she hadn't expected was that the moment Orochimaru realized what was stored inside the scroll Ren had given him, he immediately lost all interest in continuing the conversation. After a few perfunctory remarks, he hurriedly left.
Ren didn't dwell on the matter.
Instead, he asked,
"When I returned to the village today, I felt that the Konoha High Command was acting a little strangely. Has anything unusual happened in the village recently?"
Nono frowned slightly.
"There have been quite a few things, but only two really count as major events."
"The first is that Shimura Danzō has been removed from his position as a Konoha Elder, and Root has been ordered to restrict its activities."
"You could say that, at least on the surface, Danzō is now a toothless tiger."
"However, he hasn't stopped moving in the shadows. He's still extremely active behind the scenes."
"At the same time, he still retains the title of Hokage Advisor, which serves as a kind of protective shield."
Although Danzō often had to compromise in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, once he left the Hokage's presence he continued to do whatever he pleased, never allowing Sarutobi's will to override his own.
Defying orders while pretending to obey them was something Danzō had long grown accustomed to.
And Sarutobi had grown accustomed to it as well—most of the time choosing to turn a blind eye.
Because of this, when facing Danzō's threats, Nono had been forced to carefully consider the possible consequences.
If Ren hadn't appeared when he did, there was a high chance she might have accepted Danzō's demands in order to protect the children of the orphanage.
Of course, that was before she knew that the Land of Rain was now effectively under Ren's control.
After digesting the first piece of news, Ren asked,
"And the second matter?"
Nono replied,
"The second major event is that Konohagakure has reached a peace agreement with Kumogakure."
"The shinobi forces stationed on the Land of Hot Water battlefield will soon withdraw from the front lines and return to the village."
Ren frowned slightly.
"So soon?"
The development genuinely surprised him. He had expected Konoha and Kumo to haggle for a much longer time.
Nono explained,
"Mainly because Kumogakure was in a hurry. And the village seems to have underestimated their determination to retrieve A and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki."
"So an interesting situation occurred."
"When the village adopted a tough stance and tentatively proposed a series of reparations, Kumogakure agreed without hesitation."
"In other words, Konoha's very first set of demands already fell within Kumo's acceptable range."
"So both sides agreed to withdraw their troops from the Land of Hot Water."
"Kumogakure will first pay twenty percent of the agreed resources as a deposit, in exchange for allowing A to return and stabilize the situation in the village."
"Once the remaining resources are gathered, they'll exchange them for the return of the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki."
"No wonder Orochimaru, the commander of the Kumo frontline, showed up in the village," Ren said thoughtfully.
Then he asked,
"In that case, Minato should be returning soon as well, right?"
"The main army probably won't be back that quickly," Nono replied.
"Orochimaru returned early while escorting all the wounded shinobi from the front."
"As for Minato…"
She paused briefly.
"He should arrive within the next few days."
"When that happens, Konoha will likely hold a grand welcoming ceremony."
"And then the matter of Minato becoming Hokage will probably be officially put on the agenda."
"Oh, right…"
Halfway through her sentence, Nono suddenly remembered something and chuckled softly.
"There's someone here who's been waiting for you for a long time."
"She talks about you almost every single day."
Before Ren could respond, the corner of his eye caught a figure quickly approaching.
"Teacher Ren! It really is you!"
A petite girl rushed up to him excitedly.
She wore the orphanage's standard hooded outfit, her face mostly hidden behind a mask. But the joy in her eyes was unmistakable.
"Ah… Rin."
Ren looked at the girl and immediately understood what Nono had meant.
After Rin Nohara's staged death, Ren had secretly hidden her in this orphanage.
Given the nature of the place, an occasional person with an unclear background appearing there was hardly unusual.
And so Rin Nohara had been quietly waiting here for the day she could step back into the light.
"Teacher Ren…"
Rin looked at him with anxious hope in her eyes.
"Did you find any news about Obito during your trip?"
Her voice was timid, as though she feared hearing bad news.
Since she was officially considered dead, Ren had revealed part of the truth to her so she could safely live under a hidden identity.
For example—
Uchiha Obito was still alive.
But he had been targeted by a terrifyingly powerful figure.
That existence intended to drive Obito into darkness by attacking the people around him.
What had happened to Rin on the Kirigakure battlefield had been part of that scheme.
So until Ren had the confidence to confront that enemy, it was better for Rin to remain "dead."
Even though Ren had assured her that Obito was safe, Rin could never truly stop worrying.
Every time Ren visited the orphanage, she would inevitably ask whether there had been any new developments.
Ren smiled.
"You could say there's good news."
"You'll probably be able to step back into the world again soon."
Rin's eyes widened in disbelief.
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