After all, the current Kabuto was still very far from his prime form.
He asked coolly, "I'm curious—shouldn't you have gone back to Orochimaru by now?"
Kabuto Yakushi turned to face Shiki Uzumaki. "Of course I will. But before that, I wanted to see you. After all, aren't we friends?"
"I really doubt the meaning behind that word 'friend' coming from you."
Kabuto Yakushi shook his head. "Alright, that's not what I came here for. But truthfully, your performance really surprised me."
Shiki Uzumaki looked up and asked, "So then, what's your real purpose for coming here?"
Chapter 205: End of the Conversation
"My purpose is simply to chat a bit—and while at it, remind you once again about the orphanage matter."
Kabuto Yakushi gazed calmly at Shiki Uzumaki, as if they were merely having a casual conversation between friends.
Yet now, he was already one of Konoha's most wanted ninja.
The orphanage matter...
Suddenly, Shiki Uzumaki recalled how Kabuto Yakushi had told him years ago—if the day ever came when Kabuto left Konoha—he had hoped Shiki could help take care of the orphanage.
Maybe only someone who grew up an orphan could truly understand what that meant.
And Kabuto wasn't just an orphan—he wanted to give back to his foster mother, Nonou Yakushi.
Perhaps it was after Nonou's incident that Kabuto completely lost faith in Konoha.
"Don't worry. The orphanage is on me."
Shiki Uzumaki gave a small nod. He was used to keeping promises.
Thanks to Sena Hoshino, he often stopped by the orphanage to offer medical help—it had become a habit. Over time, he'd even gotten into the practice of leaving some money behind.
"Aren't you at least a little curious why I'm doing all this? I figured you'd keep digging until you found every last detail."
Kabuto Yakushi felt slightly surprised. In fact, he had even prepared plenty of explanations in case Shiki Uzumaki pressed further.
But surprisingly, the boy stayed completely calm, like none of it even affected him.
"No need. Kiba told me you were the one who treated Hinata after she collapsed in the stands—and then took out the whole group. You started the attack, didn't you? Of course, Kakashi-sensei personally confirmed that you cast the genjutsu. Never imagined it—you, senior Kabuto, actually capable of casting such an astonishing illusion."
"That technique was [Nirvana Temple Technique]." Kabuto Yakushi revealed the name. "As for helping Hinata, it was just a small favor. Also, my mission didn't involve hurting the Leaf shinobi."
Shiki Uzumaki nodded. Truthfully, he wanted to ask further questions about Sasuke. He had heard from Kakashi that Kabuto Yakushi had previously arrived at Konoha Hospital intending to kill Sasuke.
However, as someone who had read the original story, he naturally understood Orochimaru's true objective.
If Kabuto Yakushi wanted to kill Sasuke, wouldn't that mean he was trying to stop Orochimaru? Indeed, in the original plot, Kabuto had tried to obstruct Orochimaru's plans before. And treating Hinata seemed to fall under the same category.
But he could no longer clearly recall the details from the original story. Anyway, under the current circumstances, Shiki Uzumaki vaguely felt that he couldn't quite figure out Kabuto Yakushi's intentions.
This man was shrouded in layers of mystery, and moreover, Shiki didn't possess the strength to fight him head-on.
So perhaps that was exactly why Kabuto felt so comfortable visiting him alone.
"At any rate, thank you," Shiki said firmly. "Hinata keeps trying to be like Naruto, but sometimes not everyone is built to follow his path... Huh, I'm going off-topic again."
"It's because of the Nine-Tails," Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses with a confident expression.
"Yeah. Because of the Nine-Tails, even my regeneration ability can't match Naruto's."
Shiki nodded in agreement. Take Karin as a prime example—the Uzumaki Clan was renowned for its extraordinary regenerative abilities. Their cellular activity was so strong that others could recover quickly just by drinking her blood.
"Yet your performance has still been impressive. You've even mastered [Five Elements Seal], an A-rank sealing technique."
Kabuto expressed slight admiration. After all, sealing techniques were considered extremely difficult to learn among other jutsu.
Even Kakashi mastering [Evil Sealing Method], a B-rank sealing jutsu, impressed Lord Orochimaru. It was a clear sign of Kakashi's growing strength.
Of course, generally speaking, sealing techniques had relatively limited use in actual combat.
"If there's nothing else you'd like to talk about, maybe we can call it a day here. To be honest, my mood right now isn't very good."
Sensing there was nothing more worth discussing, Shiki unhesitatingly issued a dismissal. He truly felt exhausted too. All he wanted to do now was lie on his bed, staring blankly at the white ceiling for a while—that was one of the rare moments of peace he got.
Under the setting sun, Kabuto first sighed, then smiled once more.
"There really isn't anything left to discuss. However, once I leave Konoha this time, it'll likely be hard to return anytime soon."
A trace of melancholy laced Kabuto's voice. Even though Shiki kept reminding himself to stay cautious about every word Kabuto spoke, he still felt slightly moved by what was said. Who wouldn't feel the same leaving a place they once called home?
Kabuto noticed a glimpse of regret flickering in Shiki's eyes and couldn't help sighing inwardly again.
Though he could sense Shiki constantly guarded against him in his heart, sometimes he genuinely treated him as a friend.
Without warning, Kabuto stepped closer and lightly patted Shiki's shoulder under the latter's slightly startled gaze.
"If given the chance, I'd really like to be friends with you. People like you are as rare as phoenixes in this world."
After saying that, Kabuto turned around and started walking toward the window. From somewhere, a gentle breeze blew in,
making the curtains, bathed in the golden hue of the setting sun, sway gently.
Suddenly, when Kabuto reached the windowsill, he glanced sideways with a smile. "But Shiki, from now on, you probably won't get much time to rest for a while."
"Your performance this time has been so outstanding, I'm afraid you'll find yourself pulled into a lot of things soon enough."
"Could it really be..."
Shiki Uzumaki widened his eyes, an unpleasant guess forming in his heart.
"Don't worry, it's not that sly old fox Danzo," Kabuto Yakushi said with obvious disdain.
Theoretically, he and Danzo were still on the same side. Moreover, Lord Orochimaru still retained close ties with Danzo.
Still, because of what happened with Nonou, he held deep resentment toward Danzo.
He was a very patient man; unless he had overwhelming power, he wouldn't show his claws.
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