Chapter 174 : Who are you?
In the original story, Kabuto Yakushi was selected by Shimura Danzo to join Root due to his outstanding talent.
Afterward, he was dispatched to other Ninja Villages to carry out missions as an excellent spy.
At the same time, Shimura Danzo threatened Yakushi Nonou with Kabuto Yakushi's life, compelling her to serve him.
Later, Shimura Danzo felt that Kabuto Yakushi and Yakushi Nonou knew too many secrets, so he orchestrated a scenario forcing the two to fight each other to the death.
Ultimately, Kabuto Yakushi killed Yakushi Nonou, escaped Root, and became Orochimaru's subordinate.
The scene before his eyes was incredibly similar to the original story.
The only difference was that the location had changed from the Land of Earth to the Land of Lightning.
Watching the two people still locked in combat ahead, Uchiha Yuzuru could not help but sneer slightly.
Sometimes he truly could not understand what Shimura Danzo was thinking; surely he hadn't actually been kicked in the head by a donkey?
Kabuto Yakushi belonged to Root, so he must have been implanted with the "Curse Mark of the Tongue."
Coupled with the emotional tie to Yakushi Nonou, he absolutely could not have leaked any intelligence.
Yakushi Nonou's weakness was the orphanage; as long as Shimura Danzo held power in Konoha for even one day, she would never betray him.
Yet Shimura Danzo still decided to eliminate them both.
That was understandable, as they knew a bit too much, and being cautious was not inherently wrong.
However, Shimura Danzo could have easily used Yakushi Nonou to lure Kabuto Yakushi back to Konoha and kill him, or he could have used the orphanage as a weakness to eliminate Yakushi Nonou; instead, he insisted on taking the risk of making the two kill each other.
Uchiha Yuzuru truly could not grasp the meaning behind this action, concluding only that Shimura Danzo was psychologically warped.
Having stayed in the shadows for so long, that man had gradually become twisted.
After pondering for a moment, Uchiha Yuzuru closed his eyes and extended his senses.
Sure enough, he detected three Ninja hiding nearby in the darkness.
Activating Divine Might directly to appear behind them, Uchiha Yuzuru condensed a high-temperature fireball in his palm.
"Scorch Release: Super Steam Kill!"
In just an instant, the bodies of the three Ninja shriveled up.
They lost all signs of life without even managing to let out a scream.
Just as Uchiha Yuzuru finished dealing with the ambushing Ninja, the fight between Yakushi Nonou and Kabuto Yakushi was reaching its climax.
Kabuto Yakushi adopted an injury-for-injury tactic, sacrificing the use of one arm to shatter Yakushi Nonou's eyes, successfully inflicting a severe wound on her.
"It's over."
Kabuto Yakushi, his face cold, tore off the mask of the enemy lying on the ground, preparing to deliver the final strike.
The next second, his chest began to heave violently.
"D-Director?!"
Kabuto Yakushi instantly mobilized all the Chakra in his body and began treating Yakushi Nonou's wounds using medical Ninjutsu.
While treating her wounds, Kabuto Yakushi frantically said, "Director, you must hold on! I'm going to save you right now!"
Yakushi Nonou did not speak, she only looked at Kabuto Yakushi with a somewhat bewildered gaze.
"Director, I am Kabuto."
"Don't worry, I will definitely save your life."
After speaking, Kabuto Yakushi seemed to realize something, immediately taking off his glasses and placing them on Yakushi Nonou's face.
"Director, can you see clearly now?"
Under Kabuto Yakushi's expectant gaze, Yakushi Nonou only spoke weakly, "Who... are you?"
Kabuto Yakushi froze instantly, feeling utterly lost.
Who... am I?
The Director, she doesn't recognize me anymore?
"If you lose focus at a time like this, she won't be saved."
The sudden voice snapped Kabuto Yakushi back to reality, and his body instinctively prepared for battle.
But after seeing the newcomer clearly, a wretched smile appeared on Kabuto Yakushi's face.
"Uchiha Yuzuru..."
Even at his peak, facing Uchiha Yuzuru, he would not have any chance of victory; escaping would be impossible.
Not to mention now, when he had no spare Chakra or stamina left.
However, for a solitary soul like him wandering in this world, being able to die alongside the Director should be enough.
Seeing Kabuto Yakushi sink helplessly to the ground, Uchiha Yuzuru stepped forward and began treating Yakushi Nonou's injuries using the Mystical Palm Technique.
Having known Tsunade for so long, he had learned most of her medical Ninjutsu, aside from the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Uchiha Yuzuru's current medical proficiency, while perhaps not on par with Tsunade's, could certainly be considered first-rate in the Ninja World.
Seeing this, Kabuto Yakushi froze completely.
It was only after Yakushi Nonou's injuries stabilized that he recovered his senses, looking at Uchiha Yuzuru and asking incredulously, "You aren't going to kill us?"
Uchiha Yuzuru did not stop working, bandaging Yakushi Nonou's body without lifting his head as he said, "You are Konoha Ninja, aren't you? You were simply blinded. I can give you both a chance."
"It won't be too late to kill you after I confirm that you won't pledge allegiance to me."
Kabuto Yakushi let out a bitter laugh; his opponent certainly had the right to speak that way.
Even if he teamed up with the Director, Kabuto Yakushi saw no hope of surviving Uchiha Yuzuru.
A moment later, Yakushi Nonou, having struggled back from the brink of death, gradually stabilized her breathing.
She glanced at Uchiha Yuzuru, then at Kabuto Yakushi, and finally asked, bewildered, "Why... did both of you save me?"
Upon hearing Yakushi Nonou's words, Kabuto Yakushi's pupils constricted.
Sure enough, the Director hadn't been delusional just now; she truly did not recognize him.
A fear he had never experienced before consumed Kabuto Yakushi.
As an orphan who had been without parents since childhood, he had no past and no future.
Every day, he could only live aimlessly, like a wandering ghost.
It wasn't until Konoha Year 49 that the five-year-old him was brought back to the orphanage in Konoha Village.
There, he met Yakushi Nonou, the director of the orphanage.
Nonou, as the Director, not only named him Kabuto but also gave him the surname "Yakushi."
From that moment, Kabuto Yakushi felt that his real life had begun.
The Director was his everything; she was his anchor point for living in this world.
For the Director, he worked hard to Cultivate, desperately surviving various highly dangerous missions.
But now... the Director doesn't recognize him!
The fear buried in his heart for many years consumed him once again, and Kabuto Yakushi felt that he had once more become a piece of drifting duckweed.
He looked at Yakushi Nonou, shouting hysterically, "Director, I am Kabuto Yakushi! This is the name you gave me! How can you not recognize me?!"
Hearing this, Yakushi Nonou could not help but frown: "I know Kabuto; he is the child I miss the most."
"But I don't recognize you."