Chapter 144 - Yakushi Kabuto
Naruto was prophesied by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku to be the Child of Prophecy. If he never ended up being born… would that mean the prophecy had failed?
Would that also mark the end of the millennium-long struggle between Indra and Asura?
If so, the future would be far too dull. Perhaps it was time to lighten Minato's workload.
Besides, Kakashi could use some tempering too. As his older brother-in-arms, Kazane figured it was only right to give him a helping hand.
With that thought, Kazane glanced at Kakashi beside him and quietly made a decision—for Kakashi's own good.
And speaking of the Child of Prophecy, Kazane wondered how things were going on Nagato's end.
He truly hoped Nagato would surprise him. A world without worthy opponents was far too boring.
The corner of Kazane's lips curled slightly at the thought. He set down his dumbbells, picked up a change of clothes, and headed out to buy groceries.
Since Kakashi came back early, Jiriku would probably be returning soon from training with Might Duy. They could skip dinner at the ANBU canteen today—he'd cook something himself.
---
The Next Morning
Konoha Orphanage
Kazane hadn't forgotten his promise to find Orochimaru an assistant. After finishing breakfast, he headed straight for the orphanage.
It's common knowledge: orphans are legendary.
Wait, that's not it—
Parents offered to heaven, powers infinite... No, still wrong.
Let's go with: Parents gone, sister at home, house secured… Point is, orphans are beastly.
It's well known that orphans often grow up to be great figures—emperors, overlords, chaos bringers. Konoha's orphanage, of course, was no exception.
While there weren't any gods or emperors here, there was one future endgame boss:
Yakushi Kabuto!
A man who once stood on Orochimaru's shoulders—and then surpassed him. A true successor, stronger than the master.
Unfortunately, while Orochimaru had always known exactly what he wanted and moved with purpose, Kabuto lacked that clarity. His life had been a tragedy of aimlessness.
He'd lost his memory after an injury as a child and was taken in by the orphanage director, Yakushi Nono, who treated him with the kindness of a mother.
Later, she was blackmailed by Danzo, and young Kabuto willingly joined Root to support her and the orphanage.
Raised as a spy, Kabuto traveled through many nations. But the cruelest twist of fate was Danzo orchestrating a mission where Kabuto unknowingly killed Nono.
After that, Kabuto lost his sense of purpose and drifted until Orochimaru took him in.
When Orochimaru was eventually defeated by Sasuke, Kabuto once again fell into confusion, eventually mimicking Orochimaru's path of existence.
Still, you had to admire orphans. Even just by mimicking and experimenting, Kabuto underwent an S-tier leap in strength.
He not only mastered Orochimaru's abilities but also surpassed him—learning Sage Mode and using Edo Tensei to resurrect powerful Akatsuki members like Itachi, Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, and Nagato—spicing up the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Kabuto's life was one long failure. He never truly figured out who he was or what he wanted.
But today, Kazane was here to help him. Such talent shouldn't be wasted.
After Danzo's death, Root had been absorbed into the ANBU, and Yakushi Nono—the "Walking Shrine Maiden"—had become one of Kazane's subordinates.
Kazane hadn't assigned her to any missions. He simply allowed her to continue running the orphanage and even allocated substantial funding.
Standing beneath the orphanage's prominent sign, Kazane pushed open the gate.
Inside the courtyard, he spotted a gentle-looking woman with long ash-brown hair—Yakushi Nono—playing with the children.
She noticed the door open and saw Kazane enter. As her direct superior, she recognized him instantly.
Though unsure of his purpose, she quickly approached and greeted him with respectful warmth. "Lord Kazane, welcome to the orphanage. How may I assist you today?"
That gentle smile tugged at Kazane's heart. It was no wonder the children adored her.
But such a kind soul had once met such a tragic end—Danzo truly was a plague.
"It's nothing serious. I'm here today to find a little assistant for Orochimaru-sensei."
"He's been very busy lately, and I'd like to assign a child to help him during his research. It'll also be a great chance for the child to study science."
No matter how much Kazane respected her, he didn't forget the reason for his visit. He stated it plainly.
With inventions like electric lights and refrigerators becoming common, people had begun to understand the concept of science.
And a chance to study under Orochimaru—the Hokage himself—was something even clan leaders would fight over, let alone Nono.
Naturally, she was thrilled. From her understanding, scientific research was a logistical support role. That meant the child wouldn't need to go on dangerous missions—and even during wartime, they could avoid the front lines.
For someone who viewed the orphans as her own children, this was wonderful news.
However, since Kazane only needed one assistant, only one among the dozen children would be chosen. That left Nono a bit conflicted.
But she needn't have worried—Kazane already had someone in mind.
He noticed a child sitting alone on a small bench in a corner of the yard. Unlike the others, who were laughing and playing, this boy sat with his head tucked between his knees, utterly withdrawn.
Kazane turned to Nono. "What's that boy's name? He's so quiet—not like a child at all."
With a tender gaze, Nono explained, "Lord Kazane, I found him while returning from a mission. He was badly beaten and had no memory of his name."
"I brought him back here and gave him my surname—he's now Yakushi Kabuto. Because of what he's been through, he's become rather withdrawn and prefers to be alone."
Kazane's eyes lit up at the name. It seemed fate had brought Kabuto to him.
And geniuses often stood alone. Perhaps this kid found the other children's games too childish to bother joining.
"I'll take this one," Kazane said decisively. "I like kids with presence."
Nono was secretly pleased. Kabuto's introverted nature had long made him an outcast among the others. No one played with him.
Now, he had a real opportunity—and Nono was sincerely happy for him.
She rushed over, delivered the good news, and brought Kabuto to Kazane.
"I don't want to leave," Kabuto muttered. "I like it here."
Kazane and Nono were both caught off guard—Kabuto had refused!
He had turned down the chance to study under Orochimaru.
No matter how Nono tried to persuade him, Kabuto was unwilling to leave the orphanage.
In the end, it was Kazane who convinced him: working under Orochimaru came with a salary. He could use that money to help support the orphanage.
Also, if he didn't want to live at the lab, he could return to the orphanage every night.
Only then did the stubborn child finally agree.
---
Orochimaru's Laboratory
At that moment, Orochimaru and Tobirama were conducting an experiment.
A massive machine stood before them, with a twitching death row inmate strapped to the table. The panel displayed various readings.
Suddenly, the prisoner went still. At the same time, the machine's weight reading shifted.
Tobirama pointed at the change. "As expected. The soul leaves the body the moment a person dies—the weight changes accordingly."
Orochimaru set down his data notebook. "Hmm. Looks like our first hypothesis is confirmed. Time for the next phase."
The next step was to use Edo Tensei to summon the inmate's soul and observe any degradation from leaving the body.
Just then, Kazane entered the lab with Kabuto.
Seeing the experiment in progress, he realized he was interrupting and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry to intrude, Orochimaru-sensei. This is the assistant I found for you."
"His name's Yakushi Kabuto. You can both put him to work—and I'm sure he'll be of great help to you."
The unexpected interruption didn't bother Orochimaru or Tobirama. When they saw it was Kazane, they didn't mind.
What did surprise them was the white-haired boy behind him. Given what they knew of Kazane, he wouldn't joke about something like this.
That meant… Kazane believed the boy had the potential to become a pioneer.
Their experiment was at a critical stage, so Orochimaru simply accepted Kabuto for now, planning to test his aptitude later.
And with Orochimaru's approval, Kazane left the lab—confident that Kabuto would prove himself and become Orochimaru's greatest surprise.