On the road back, as Uchiha Ran and Uchiha Ruka moved together through the village—
A figure suddenly stepped into their path.
She was a blonde woman dressed in a nun's habit, wearing round-framed glasses. There was something mysterious about her… yet at the same time, unmistakably elegant.
Her golden hair carried a faint sheen, sunlight dancing across it as if it were alive. Beneath the loose robes of her habit was the outline of a slender, graceful figure—one glance was enough to tell she was a refined, intellectual beauty.
The round glasses obscured her eyes, making it impossible to peer into her thoughts. That very ambiguity gave off an air of quiet mystery—one that instinctively drew people closer.
"Uchiha Ran?" the woman asked softly.
"…?"
Hearing her call Ran's name, Ruka shot her a sideways glance.
"Ran-kun," she said with a teasing lilt, "when did you get acquainted with such a… cultured onee-san?"
There was a strange emphasis in her tone.
"Uchiha Ruka, correct?" the woman continued calmly.
"…?"
"You know me too?" Ruka asked, genuinely surprised.
That's odd, she thought. I barely ever return to Konoha. How does she even know who I am?
Seeing the confusion on both of their faces, the woman gave a gentle smile and explained.
Her name was Yakushi Nono.
It was a name neither of them had heard before—naturally so, because she belonged to ROOT, the organization directly under Shimura Danzō.
According to Nono, Danzō wanted to know what had really happened during the large-scale Uchiha gathering earlier that day. For that reason, she had been sent to bring Uchiha Ran to ROOT for questioning.
"Hey, hold on," Ruka cut in, frowning. "If Shimura Danzō wanted to see Ran, shouldn't this be done quietly? Why are you telling me about it so openly?"
She felt deeply uneasy.
Anyone who had reached the upper levels of the Uchiha knew one thing very clearly—Shimura Danzō and the Uchiha clan were fundamentally at odds.
So why say all this in front of her?
As if sensing Ruka's doubts, Yakushi Nono spoke again.
"Uchiha Ruka… you're wondering why I would tell you this as well, aren't you?"
Without waiting for a response, she continued.
"Danzō-sama is extremely suspicious, cautious, ruthless, and domineering. He trusts no one. He tolerates no uncertainty whatsoever—everything must proceed exactly according to his will, or he won't be satisfied."
"Because of this, he placed cursed seals on every member of ROOT. However… by chance, I managed to remove mine. And because he still needs my abilities, he chose to overlook it."
"…Wait," Ruka interrupted. "What does any of that have to do with us?"
She couldn't understand why Nono was telling them any of this.
"You may not know," Nono said calmly, "but I am a spy. I have always served Danzō-sama—ROOT."
"And you may not know this either: the only way to truly leave ROOT… is through death."
"…So?" Ruka pressed, her expression growing more guarded.
"Once, I had no choice," Nono continued. "I could only assist Danzō-sama. But now… I want to be a good person."
"Why us?" Ruka asked sharply.
"Because you are Uchiha," Nono replied without hesitation. "The clan Danzō fears the most. You know this as well as I do—no matter what you do, no matter how much you try to act for his sake, Danzō will never truly trust you."
That much was undeniably true.
Danzō trusted no one but himself—not even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Nono went on to explain that Ran, as an Uchiha, must have something Danzō found useful—otherwise, he wouldn't bother summoning him at all.
She then made her offer.
She would act as Ran's mole inside ROOT, feeding him information from Danzō's side.
In return, when the day came for her to leave ROOT, she wanted the Uchiha clan's support—especially financial backing. Her dream was to run an orphanage, and that required resources.
"I accept," Ran said immediately, a calm smile spreading across his face.
He didn't hesitate for even a second.
Seeing how quickly Ran agreed, Ruka's thoughts immediately ran wild.
Don't tell me… he's taken a liking to this onee-san?
This woman had once been a spy—who knew whether this whole thing was just another act?
She hurriedly shot Ran a meaningful look.
Ran caught it instantly.
Relax.
That was the message in his eyes.
To him, whether it was Yakushi Nono or Shimura Danzō—no matter what schemes they tried to pull—it was already impossible for them to pose even the slightest threat.
Right now, he was simply curious.
Let's see what kind of tricks you two can come up with.
With that, Ran signaled Ruka to leave.
"Tch… men are heartless," Ruka muttered, lips pursed. "And boys aren't any better."
With a flash of movement, she vanished using Body Flicker.
"Senior Nono," Ran said calmly, turning his attention back to her, "I should remind you of one thing."
"Doing business with the Uchiha always comes with a price."
As he spoke, his gaze slowly swept over her—careful, deliberate, unhurried.
It was so thorough that even Nono began to feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Her cheeks flushed faintly as she finally spoke.
"Th-Then… what price do you want?"
Ran, well aware that she was the legendary "wandering shrine maiden" spy, wasn't fooled by her expression in the slightest.
"I assume you have a way to obtain the full roster of ROOT personnel," he said evenly. "Get me a copy. That will be your pledge of allegiance."
"No problem," Nono replied without hesitation.
For her, acquiring ROOT's personnel list wasn't particularly difficult.
And besides—she wasn't placing all her bets on Ran alone.
Even so, her instincts told her one thing clearly:
Uchiha Ran is an exceptionally valuable partner.
As she led Ran toward ROOT headquarters, Nono suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Uchiha Ran… there's something I must warn you about," she said quietly. "Danzō-sama is extremely dangerous. Don't get too close to him."
Hearing that, Ran felt nothing but sympathy for Shimura Danzō.
Danzō-sama… there are traitors everywhere around you.
Your partner Orochimaru wants to drain your funds dry.Your most capable subordinate, Yakushi Nono, is willing to sell out ROOT just to escape it.And me? Uchiha Ran—I just want to turn ROOT into an organization like a certain "winery."
I'm really looking forward to the day you realize everyone in ROOT has turned against you.
Just imagining the look on your face makes me excited.
Truly—I'm such a considerate subordinate.
Knowing how tirelessly you've worked on the front lines for Konoha and ROOT, refusing to retire…
I can only take the initiative and contribute my own small effort toward your retirement.
So touching.