Early morning the next day, the orphanage dining hall.
The old Director's spirits were worse than a few days ago, but he still insisted on sitting at the table, a gentle smile on his face as he watched the children gathered around.
Sora also sat at the table, quietly eating breakfast, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present.
Yumi and Ayumi were innocent and lively, Ichirō honest and reliable, Kabuto intelligent and reserved, Reiko cheerful and vivacious, and there was the elderly, frail yet kind old man at the head of the table, and the gentle, resilient older sister beside him...
This scene was so peaceful, as if war and conspiracy were far away.
But Sora sighed inwardly. This was merely the calm before the storm.
Orochimaru had already made his move, and Sora had to retaliate. Otherwise, he would face the various methods Orochimaru might employ at any moment.
But Orochimaru was a high-ranking Konoha official, and a frontline commander. To oppose him was to oppose Konoha.
And Sora currently had no intention of making an enemy of Konoha. After all, if things could be resolved by other means, why resort to force?
...
After breakfast.
Nonō gathered everyone except the old Director in her room, and Sora once again set up a soundproof barrier.
Facing the confused looks from everyone, Nonō took a deep breath and explained Sora's plan to leave Konoha in as calm a tone as possible.
The room fell into silence.
Yumi and Ayumi blinked their big eyes, seemingly not fully grasping the meaning of "leave Konoha".
Miyamoto Ichirō was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head and said,
"Leave? Oh, okay. Wherever Sora and you all go, I'll go."
His reaction was simple and direct, as if this were just an ordinary move.
Kabuto also nodded slightly, indicating he would go wherever Sora went.
"Leave Konoha?"
Yumi finally reacted, asking softly, "Then... then we won't come back? We won't go to the hospital anymore?"
Ayumi also nervously grabbed Yumi's sleeve.
Nonō gently put her arms around the two girls' shoulders and said softly,
"Yes, we probably won't come back for a long time. In the future, I'll teach you both more knowledge, okay?"
Unexpectedly, Yumi and Ayumi looked at each other and didn't show much reluctance.
Yumi instead seemed relieved as she said,
"Actually... I don't really have any friends at school or the hospital. My only friend is Ayumi."
Ayumi also nodded vigorously,
"Yes! My only friend is Yumi! The others... they don't really like playing with us."
Hearing the girls' innocent yet somewhat sad words, Sora and Nonō both sighed inwardly.
Because they were from the orphanage, and orphans from another village, they truly hadn't been able to fit into Konoha, suffering from not a little invisible exclusion.
Miyamoto Ichirō then spoke up sullenly,
"A few friends I knew from my orphanage days... they all died on missions. Konoha... there's nothing here worth missing."
Sora nodded, his gaze finally falling on the silent Uesugi Reiko.
Uesugi Reiko kept her head down, her lips pressed tightly together, clearly struggling internally.
Sora asked gently,
"Reiko, what do you think?"
Uesugi Reiko raised her head, looking at Sora and then at Nonō with complex emotions in her eyes, and said with a choked voice,
"Sora, Nonō... I... I don't want to leave."
"Here... there is someone I don't want to leave."
Although not explicitly stated, everyone present knew that person was Asuma.
Sora understood as well. He had long noticed the unusual feelings between Uesugi Reiko and Asuma.
Thirteen years old, in this world, was no longer considered a child. Many ninjas at this age had already begun experiencing partings and profound emotions.
Uesugi Reiko's choice was within his expectations.
Nonō stepped forward and gently hugged the crying Uesugi Reiko, saying warmly,
"Reiko, we respect your choice. Stay in Konoha, and be sure to take good care of yourself."
Sora also looked at Uesugi Reiko with concern and said,
"Since you've decided, we won't force you. In the future on missions, you must be even more careful, don't push yourself too hard."
Uesugi Reiko's eyes reddened slightly. She nodded forcefully,
"Yes! I know! Thank you... Sora, Nonō, and everyone... you all must take care too!"
She knew that this parting might be for a long time, or even that they might never meet again.
Finally, the departure plan was settled:
Nonō, Yumi, Ayumi, Miyamoto Ichirō, and Kabuto would leave with Sora. Uesugi Reiko chose to stay.
Everyone agreed to keep this matter strictly confidential and wait for the right time to act.
...
Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the third day.
The Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, holding a pipe, his brow slightly furrowed as if troubled by something.
After a while, he looked at Sora standing before him,
"Sora, there is an important investigation mission I need you to carry out. The target location is the Land of Wind."
Sora's heart stirred slightly. The Land of Wind?
"Please give your orders, Hokage-sama."
"Some time ago, the Dragon Vein seal within the ancient country of Loulan in the Land of Wind experienced a massive energy eruption. Subsequently... the Dragon Vein itself mysteriously vanished."
When Sarutobi Hiruzen said the word "vanished," his tone also held a trace of disbelief.
The Dragon Vein, a massive energy source gathering the earth's natural energy, was theoretically almost impossible to move.
The corner of Sora's mouth twitched slightly beneath his mask.
The Dragon Vein vanished?
That thing was currently resting quietly within his body, acting as his "Dragon Vein battery."
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued,
"The Dragon Vein contains unimaginable energy. Its disappearance is no small matter. Although currently the Land of Wind and Sunagakure are being extremely secretive about this matter, trying hard to suppress the news, we cannot ignore its potential impact. Whether it was taken by some unknown means or controlled by some force, it could disrupt the existing power balance."
"Your mission is to infiltrate the Land of Wind and investigate the truth behind the Dragon Vein's disappearance as much as possible. Focus on investigating whether Iwagakure or Kumogakure are involved, and... Sunagakure's true stance on this matter and the intelligence they possess."
"Yes! Understood!"
Sora responded solemnly, but his mind was racing.
Having him investigate the Dragon Vein that he himself took? This was rather interesting.
But this mission came at a perfect time. As the culprit who took the Dragon Vein, he could simply produce some related information to complete the mission, which wouldn't take much time at all.
And the remaining time would be perfect for preparing the subsequent departure plan, and he could also arrange some things to deal with Orochimaru.
Sarutobi Hiruzen handed a scroll to Sora,
"This is the mission scroll and related intelligence. Read it carefully and depart immediately."
"Yes!"
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━