The feeling of relief from breaking the Tongue Eradication Seal did not last long. The joy on Nonō's face was gradually replaced by a trace of worry.
She knew Danzo, she knew the Root's way of doing things.
This former "tool" of theirs had slipped from their control. Danzo would never let it go.
"Sora," Nonō spoke softly, "Danzo... Danzo won't let me off easily. He will discover the seal is broken sooner or later."
This was the first time Nonō had spoken Danzo's name in front of Sora.
Hearing this, Sora showed no surprise on his face. He had already considered this problem.
"I know. So, sister, we should consider leaving Konoha."
"Leaving... Konoha?"
Nonō was slightly taken aback. This thought had not been absent from her mind, especially during those dark days in Root.
But Konoha was, after all, her birthplace. There were always emotional bonds.
"Yes. Leave."
As his strength grew, Sora had long wanted to leave Konoha. Especially after the trip to the Land of Lightning, where Sarutobi Hiruzen had indirectly betrayed him once, his already scarce sense of belonging to Konoha had dropped to its lowest point.
Now, with Nonō's return, he had no remaining concerns.
Sora looked firmly at Nonō.
"I never had much sense of belonging to this village. You should understand clearly, sister, what I suffered here since childhood."
Nonō nodded silently.
Sora, an orphan from another village, suffered no shortage of exclusion and scorn as a child. The same was true for Miyamoto Ichirō and the others. Some orphans had even died in various dangerous missions. She saw all this and felt the pain in her heart.
Sora continued.
"Moreover, the current situation is not optimistic. Orochimaru has already set his sights on me. Last time in the Land of Lightning, he teamed up with Kumogakure to set a killing trap for me. I almost didn't make it back."
"Lord Orochimaru?"
Nonō was shocked. The name of the Sannin was thunderous in Konoha. She hadn't expected Sora to have already come into such sharp conflict with a powerhouse of that level.
"Correct."
Sora's eyes were cold. "That poisonous snake will do anything to get my body and research data. Having failed this time, he will not stop. Staying in Konoha means not only facing Danzo's underhanded tricks but also guarding against Orochimaru's schemes. Even..."
He paused, thinking of Sarutobi Hiruzen's seemingly benevolent yet deeply controlling nature.
"Even the Hokage himself may not be happy to see me completely slip from his control. He needs 'bonds' to tie me down. And all of you are what he considers the best shackles. Staying in Konoha, we will always be passive."
Listening to Sora's analysis, Nonō's face gradually turned pale.
She hadn't realized Sora was secretly under such immense pressure and danger.
Dealing with elite Kumogakure squads, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, even the Third Raikage, while also facing Orochimaru's covetousness and the Hokage's suspicion... any one of these factors could be fatal.
Seeing the worry in Nonō's eyes, Sora's tone softened.
"Sister, Konoha is not the only home. There is a wider world outside. We are leaving not to escape, but for a better future. A future where we are no longer controlled by others, where we can truly master our own destinies."
"But..."
Nonō was still hesitant. "What about Yumi, Ayumi... and Min, Ichirō, Kabuto... what about everyone?"
"This is what I will say next."
Sora had obviously already considered this thoroughly. "We all leave together."
"Together?" Nonō widened her eyes.
"Yes."
Sora walked to the table, dipped his finger in some water, and began to draw simply on the table surface. "What we need now is a detailed and feasible plan, and a safe place to go."
"First, you, sister. Danzo will definitely assign you missions later. Before, with the seal, you couldn't reveal mission content and details. Now, without that restriction, once he gives you a mission, tell me immediately."
"When the time comes, either you simply 'disappear' during the mission, or I go to the mission location in advance, deal with any possible Root members present, and create an accident. You leave Konoha and Root's sight as 'deceased' or 'missing'."
Nonō nodded. This was indeed the most suitable method for her.
Root members going missing or dying during missions was common. Even if Danzo suspected, without solid evidence it would be hard for him to do anything, especially during wartime.
"Then Yumi and Ayumi."
Sora continued.
"They have both graduated from the Ninja Academy. According to Sarutobi Hiruzen's original promise, they were assigned to the medical training department under Konoha Hospital. Although relatively safe, wartime medical personnel are strained. They occasionally need to go to rear camps near the front lines to assist with treatment."
"I will closely monitor their movements. Find a suitable opportunity when they are out on a medical mission. Create a fake scenario of 'encountering an enemy attack' and bring them to safety."
Thinking of those two simple, kind girls, Sora's eyes softened for a moment.
He had promised to protect them. He would never let them become cannon fodder for the war.
"As for Min,"
Sora looked at Nonō.
"She is now in a team with Asuma and Kurenai. She is a Chunin. With my current strength, I can completely fake a sufficiently realistic attack to 'abduct' her alone, or create a scene where she 'dies in battle'. Asuma and Kurenai won't see through it."
After arranging for Uesugi Min, Sora pointed at the table.
"Ichirō and Kabuto are not ninja, just ordinary people. They are the easiest to arrange. We can use excuses like purchasing supplies or going out to find relatives to meet at a predetermined location. It won't attract much attention."
Nonō listened seriously. Sora's plan sounded bold, but each step considered the actual situation and likely reactions from various parties. It indeed had high feasibility.
Her biggest worry was everyone's safety. Seeing Sora consider things so thoroughly, the unease in her heart was gradually replaced by a new hope.
"What about... the Director?"
Nonō asked the most crucial, and most saddening, question.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Sora sighed softly.
"The Director... we all know his time is short. His greatest wish was to see you return safely. That wish is now fulfilled, I'm afraid..."
Nonō's eyes reddened again, her voice choked.
"I understand... We can't take the Director on a long, arduous journey. That would be too painful for him... Let him pass away peacefully in the orphanage he guarded his whole life..."
This was the most realistic, and most helpless, choice.
The old Director's roots were in Konoha. His whole life was dedicated to this land and the children here.
Making him leave his home in his twilight years, to live a life of displacement, would be cruel.
"Yes."
Sora nodded. "We'll accompany the Director on his final journey. After he... passes, we will then act according to the plan, one by one. There should be enough time."
Nonō wiped the corner of her eye, took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
"Then, after we leave Konoha, where do we go? The Land of Fire is large, but completely avoiding the eyes of Konoha and Root won't be easy."
Sora used his finger to draw a circle in the water marks on the table, to the east, near the coastline.
"Go here. The Land of Whirlpools."
"The Land of Whirlpools?"
Nonō was somewhat surprised. "Isn't that..."
"Correct. Uzushiogakure has been destroyed. The ninja system of the Land of Whirlpools collapsed long ago."
Sora explained.
"But precisely because of that, it has now become a blind spot. The attention of the major nations on that area has dropped to its lowest. After all, a country without a ninja village holds little value in their eyes."
"Moreover, the Land of Whirlpools has many islands, a complex environment, easy to hide in. We can find a remote fishing village or small town to settle in, temporarily living under assumed names."
Sora remembered that in the original story, after the Uzumaki clan's country was destroyed, the Land of Whirlpools indeed became no-man's-land. Later, it even became a base for multiple forces including Orochimaru, indicating supervision there was indeed lax.
Otherwise, his underground laboratory wouldn't have been located in the Land of Whirlpools either.
"The Land of Whirlpools..."
Nonō pondered, feeling Sora's analysis was reasonable. A destroyed nation would indeed be easier to hide their identities.
"Alright. I'll listen to you."
Seeing Nonō finally agree, Sora felt settled.
In this world, Nonō was his closest person. Having her understanding and support was crucial.
Sora instructed. "Tell everyone tomorrow morning during breakfast. As for the specific action plan, we'll adjust it based on the subsequent situation."
"I understand." Nonō nodded solemnly.
The two discussed more details carefully until late at night when Sora returned to his own room.
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