Leaving the Hokage's office, Minato and Honoka were arguing over the issue of housing.
Minato wanted Honoka to move directly into his home.
Having suddenly arrived in an unfamiliar environment, Honoka felt an extreme lack of security and naturally didn't want to be separated from her lover.
After all, this was Konoha, the place where Minato had always lived.
She couldn't help but worry. If she moved in with him right away, would it cause trouble for him? Would others think she was too frivolous?
Kei, who had always been perceptive, naturally wouldn't suggest something like "go live with Kushina" at a time .
First, Hiruzen had just completely avoided mentioning Kushina, clearly indicating that he still didn't fully trust Honoka. He didn't want this newly arrived Uzumaki clan member to interact rashly with the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
Second, his good friend had finally found love and was about to gallop toward a happy future.
As the one who played matchmaker, it would be far too cruel to interfere now.
"Minato, Honoka, the flowers at home haven't been watered in a while. I'm heading back first." Kei casually found an excuse, bid farewell to the two, and then turned around, heading toward the Yamanaka clan's territory.
Konoha's streets remained lively. Pedestrians filled the roads, and the city buzzed with activity. The atmosphere of daily life permeated the alleys. Even though Kei had been away for just a few days, nothing had changed.
Compared to the chaotic world outside, where villages and towns frequently erupted into battles and disorder, Konoha seemed like a peaceful sanctuary amid the turmoil. At the very least, most people on the streets didn't have expressions of numbness or suffering but rather genuine smiles from the heart.
"Konoha... really is wonderful..."
A soft female voice came from not far away. The tone was light, just a few simple words, yet it carried a thousand emotions.
Nostalgia, reluctance, longing, resolve...
Something about the tone made Kei turn his head to look at the young woman observing the same street scene as him.
She appeared two or three years older than him.
She wore a black robe, with a pair of round black-framed glasses on her face, and her long, pale-gold hair was mostly hidden under a white hood.
[Traits: The Wandering Miko (Blue), Proficient in Medical Ninjutsu (Green), Affinity (Green), Eye Disease (Gray)]
Kei was briefly stunned, but he quickly understood why her emotions had been so complicated just now.
As a professionally trained Konoha spy,
Long-term undercover missions in enemy nations brought unimaginable psychological pressure.
Even though he had only been away for a few days and had the company of friends, returning to Konoha still gave him a deep sense of warmth.
Let alone someone who had to infiltrate enemy forces again and again, never knowing how long they'd be gone or when—or if—they'd ever return.
But this list of traits... now that was interesting!
"The Wandering Miko" was a title Nonō had earned from her exploits. Many factions knew of a formidable spy by that name, yet they had never been able to catch her, making the title more and more famous.
He hadn't expected it to become an actual trait of hers. And looking the related skills—espionage, disguise, intelligence gathering, tracking, counter-tracking—all enhancing her spy abilities...
[Affinity] made it easier for her to gain people's trust. This woman was truly a born spy!
"Eye Disease... Tsk~"
Kei glanced at the last gray trait before turning to continue on his way.
A negative trait—severe nearsightedness combined with mild face blindness.
Honestly, if not for the powerful [The Wandering Miko] trait making up for it, such an obvious weakness would have been fatal for a spy.
Wait... wasn't this exactly what led to her downfall in the end?
Kei sifted through his memory palace, recalling the original story's plot, and once again cursed Danzō in his heart. That old bastard really had no sense of humanity!
Nonō had already retired, yet he still forced her back into service by using a group of children as leverage.
And that wasn't even the worst part—he then turned around and used Nonō to threaten Kabuto at the orphanage, forcing him into espionage as well.
But it didn't stop there.
To control her, he replaced her photos, making her mistake someone else for Kabuto.
Then, when Kabuto had grown stronger, Danzō decided she knew too much and fed him false information, leading him to kill Nonō with his own hands.
This… For the first time, Kei felt that simply calling Danzō a "rookie killer" wasn't harsh enough.
Thinking of Shisui, whose eyes were stolen…
Thinking of Pain, who came to Konoha just to destroy everything…
Thinking of Kabuto, who eventually became a twisted version of himself…
"Maybe I should just find an opportunity to take out Danzō?"
Kei rubbed his chin, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea.
Even though Danzō now had [Big Brainstorm], which meant he might not have as much energy to cause chaos as in the original story,
A hidden threat like him could dig a pit for his allies at any moment. Better to deal with him early.
Besides, if Danzō were eliminated, the system might just give him a massive reward!
Kei's figure gradually faded into the distance.
Nonō, who had been watching the bustling streets, let out a quiet breath and turned to glance at the tall figure in a jonin vest walking away.
As an experienced spy, she was extremely sensitive to the gazes around her. The moment Kei had focused on her, she had noticed. While pretending to be engrossed in the street view, she carefully observed him from the corner of her eye.
His expression showed no attempt to conceal his sympathy and pity…
Did he somehow guess her occupation from that single moment of emotional vulnerability?
No way—that was just a casual remark!
She carefully recalled the young ninja's face.
She was certain she had never seen him before. A face that clean and handsome—if she had ever met him, there was no way she would have forgotten.
After thinking for a long time, she came to two conclusions.
Either he had somehow learned of her identity beforehand, or he was absurdly perceptive. Because no ordinary ninjas would have reacted that way!
I don't need sympathy or pity! Everything I do is for Konoha!
Nonō silently reassured herself.
She took one last look at the vibrant, bustling streets of Konoha. Then she took a deep breath, adjusted her mindset, and prepared to set off for her next intelligence-gathering mission.
At that moment, Kei turned back once more, watching the direction in which Nonō disappeared.
With his top-tier sensory abilities, How could he not notice her moment of tension?
In the Analysis Team, he had seen plenty of captured spies from other villages. People like that feared nothing more than having their identities exposed.
Even if a fellow Konoha ninja approached them recklessly, it could cause them immense anxiety. Judging by Nonō's demeanor, she was clearly heading out on another mission.
At a time , he wouldn't do anything to disrupt her state of mind.
"May you return safely."