Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Orochimaru
On a weekend morning, Kitahara Kaede took a break from his training.
He first stopped by a bookstore to pick up a few titles, then swung by a confectionery shop to buy some treats the children loved.
As he carried the bags toward the orphanage, the courtyard was buzzing with activity. A group of younger children had gathered around Yakushi Nonou, who was holding a bag of candy and handing them out one by one.
"Only one piece each. Remember to rinse your mouths after eating, and no hiding them under your pillows," she warned. "If any of you end up with a toothache, don’t expect me to be lenient."
The children erupted into giggles.
Kitahara Kaede stood by the gate for a moment, watching the scene. After Nonou finished distributing the candy, she looked up and spotted him. She froze for a second, then a warm smile spread across her face.
"Kitahara-kun."
The children turned around as well.
"Mama, is that him!"
"Is he the one who brought Kabuto back?"
"Did he really defeat a lot of bad guys?"
The group of children swarmed him all at once, nearly pinning him against the entrance. Kaede looked down at the small, upturned faces, his tone softening.
"Hello, everyone. Look what I brought for you."
He handed the bag of treats to Nonou and pulled out several children’s books to distribute among the group. When a few of the kids received the books, their faces fell with visible disappointment.
Kaede noticed immediately. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. *As expected, kids hate reading.*
"Once you finish the books, I’ll bring sweet dango next time," he promised.
The children’s eyes lit up instantly.
"Really? You’re not lying, right?"
Kaede nodded. "I promise."
A little girl clutching her book asked in a small voice, "Can I have red bean flavor?"
Kaede glanced at her. "You can."
"Me too!" someone nearby shouted.
"I want some too!"
Nonou clapped her hands gently. "Alright, alright. Go play now. Don’t pester our guest."
Only then did the children disperse.
Kaede’s gaze drifted past the crowd, landing on a far corner of the courtyard. Under the shade of a large tree, Yakushi Kabuto sat alone. A thick book rested on his lap, and round-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.
Following his line of sight, Nonou’s voice dropped an octave. "That child has always been very quiet."
Kaede looked away. "I’m going to go chat with him."
Nonou nodded. "Go ahead."
As Kaede approached the tree, Kabuto heard the footsteps and looked up. His gaze was still quiet, but it no longer held the hollow emptiness Kaede had seen back at the ruins of Mount Kikyo.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses and whispered, "H... hello."
Kaede stopped in front of him. "My name is Kitahara Kaede."
Kabuto nodded. "I know."
Kaede looked at him. "You can just call me Brother Kaede."
Kabuto remained silent for two seconds before speaking very softly, "Brother Kaede."
Kaede gave a small hum of acknowledgment and sat down beside him. The canopy of the tree shielded them from the sun. He glanced down at the book in Kabuto’s lap: *Basic Medical Ninjutsu Theory and Chakra Pathway Anatomy*.
Kaede’s eyelid twitched slightly. *How old is he, and he’s already reading stuff like this?*
Kaede reached out and pointed to a page. "Do you understand it?"
Kabuto looked down at the text. "There are some words I don’t recognize."
Just as Kaede was about to nod, Kabuto continued, "But I can understand the chakra flow routes described here."
Kaede’s hand paused. He turned his head to look at the boy. Kabuto wasn’t bragging; his small face remained perfectly calm.
There was a reason the original Yakushi Kabuto had caught Orochimaru’s eye.
Kaede shifted his focus back to the page. "Why are you reading this?"
Kabuto hugged the book tighter. He didn’t answer immediately. After a long moment, he looked toward Nonou in the distance. She was currently brushing the dust off the knees of a child who had tripped.
Kabuto’s voice was barely a whisper. "Director... Mama works very hard."
Kaede didn’t interrupt.
"If I learn this," Kabuto continued, "I can help her. And later, I can earn money to protect the orphanage."
Kaede stared at Kabuto’s profile, falling silent. A child this young shouldn’t have to worry about such things, but the shinobi world was a cruel place.
Kaede reached out and ruffled Kabuto’s silver hair. Kabuto stiffened for a moment but didn’t pull away.
"If you want to protect the people who are important to you, medical ninjutsu alone isn’t enough," Kaede said.
Kabuto looked up at him.
Kaede locked eyes with him. "You need to become a true ninja."
Kabuto froze.
"Go to the Ninja Academy," Kaede said calmly. "Study hard."
Kabuto’s eyes flickered.
Kaede lowered his voice. "Once you stand high enough, many of these problems will solve themselves."
Kabuto didn’t speak. A breeze swept through the courtyard, making the leaves rustle. Kaede didn’t press him. These words might be too heavy for the current Kabuto, but as long as he remembered one thing, it was enough: *Never leave your life in the hands of others.*
After a long silence, Kabuto finally nodded. "I will."
"Good," Kaede replied.
From afar, Nonou watched the two figures under the tree, the smile on her face softening. She didn’t go over to disturb them.
Kaede stayed with Kabuto for a while longer. Soon, the other children swarmed them again, pulling at his clothes and asking what it was like outside of Konoha and if all ninjas could fly. Kaede answered each of them, leaving the children wide-eyed with wonder.
Once the children finally scattered, Nonou led Kaede to the veranda and poured him a cup of tea.
"Kabuto has changed a lot lately," she noted.
Kaede took the tea. "I can tell."
Nonou looked at Kabuto in the courtyard with a tender gaze. "He used to never speak and wouldn’t play with the other children. He’s still quiet, but he’s finally willing to communicate with others."
Kaede took a sip of tea. "That’s a good thing."
Nonou nodded. "And he learns incredibly fast. Literacy, arithmetic, medicinal herbs—he can memorize them after seeing them once." She paused before adding, "There are some medical texts I only kept on the shelf; I didn’t expect him to take them and read them on his own. I’ve tested him a few times, and he can answer almost everything in those books."
Kaede looked back at the courtyard. Kabuto was bent over his book, his small round glasses reflecting the sunlight.
Nonou said softly, "So, I plan to teach him how to extract chakra after a little while."
Kaede nodded. "He’ll pick it up quickly."
Nonou looked surprised. "You’re so certain?"
Kaede withdrew his gaze. "He isn’t an ordinary child."
Nonou fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "I feel the same way." She looked down at her teacup, her voice dropping. "But I don’t want to push him. He’s already suffered too much."
Kaede nodded. "Take it slow."
While he said the words, his mind was already calculating. It would be a waste of Kabuto’s talent if he didn’t have a master teacher. Nonou was strong, and her medical and intelligence skills were decent, but there were many more paths Kabuto could take.
Medicine, combat, infiltration, research... there was so much this child could learn.
Kaede knew he wasn’t the right person to teach him.
Suddenly, a name leaped into his mind.
*Orochimaru.*
The hand holding the teacup paused.
At this point, Orochimaru had not yet defected, but he was already closely aligned with Danzo. It seemed he had even taken Anko as his apprentice.
Kitahara Kaede’s expression darkened slightly.
However, if he wanted to change the course of events in Konoha, there was no way to bypass Orochimaru. And besides, later on...
The man was dangerous, but his value was immense. Kitahara Kaede might just happen to possess exactly what Orochimaru truly desired.
He glanced at Kabuto, who was quietly flipping through a book in the courtyard.
First, he would find an opportunity to make contact with Orochimaru. Then, he would give him a reason he simply could not refuse.
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