When a person is sad, it can be seen.
As Akihara Kagura told his story, he looked very sad.
At this moment, the boy didn't seem like someone plagued by jealousy and hatred, but simply like a child who had been abandoned.
"..."
Kabuto remained silent.
He thought his own fate had been very rough.
Once, in order to raise more funds for the orphanage and to avoid causing trouble for the Dean of the orphanage, Yakushi Nono, he voluntarily sacrificed himself and joined the Root organization to become a spy ninja living on the edge of death.
However, compared to Akihara Kagura...
Kabuto felt so fortunate.
Because his sacrifices were worthwhile, as the Dean of the orphanage, Yakushi Nono, always cared for him. This concern even sparked jealousy in another child with a similar fate.
"I… don't know."
Kabuto slightly lowered his head, his expression hesitant and uneasy: "Over these years, I've never received any messages from the Dean, nor have I ever seen her…"
Kabuto hesitated and thought for a while, feeling he must apologize to the boy: "I'm sorry, I never knew all this."
This seemed like pity from a superior to an inferior.
Kabuto never thought of himself as a superior.
But in front of this boy forgotten by the Dean, Kabuto felt like a lucky person who suddenly obtained a treasure without reason, while the boy struggled in vain to get the treasure.
This made Kabuto feel like a thief...
At this moment, a sense of guilt arose in his heart.
Although he had never done anything wrong to Akihara Kagura, the excessive care from the Dean made Kabuto feel warm and happy, but also guilty towards the forgotten boy.
Although somewhat guilty and apologetic…
But now, Kabuto truly felt very happy.
However…
One's happiness might be easily obtained, but protecting it is not so simple, often requiring some hardships.
"You know nothing."
A corner of Akihara Kagura's mouth revealed a mocking smile, as if he was looking at someone who knew nothing: "What a coincidence... Dean also knows nothing."
"What?"
Kabuto felt his brain go blank and asked subconsciously, "What do you mean? The dean also knows nothing, what does that mean?"
"Kabuto."
Akihara Kagura posed a critical question: "When you joined the Root organization a few years ago, you were younger than I am now..."
"However, you have been in the Root organization for more than four years and are now thirteen or fourteen years old, right? We all grow up fast, and our appearance changes compared to when we were children... Do you remember what you just said about how long it has been since you last saw the Dean?"
"Since I joined the Root organization..."
Kabuto faintly felt that he and Dean were caught in a conspiracy.
"So..."
Akihara Kagura looked at Kabuto, coaxingly asked, "Do you want to guess what method Dean wants to use to see you?"
"Photo!"
Kabuto's eyes turned cold, almost gritting his teeth as he gave the answer: "Dean must have asked for a photo of me after I grew up, but you let them give the dean a fake photo..."
Kabuto is a very smart person, he immediately remembered what Akihara Kagura mentioned about the photo at the Training Ground.
In an instant, Kabuto also understood the conspiracy against him and the Dean, a photo of him after growing up could cause a problem!
"Really smart, and you guessed right again!"
Akihara Kagura looked at Kabuto with admiration on his face and corrected, "However, it wasn't me who gave the fake photo, it was Lord Danzo who gave the fake photo... I'm just a child, what decision can I make in the Root organization?"
"That's not necessarily true…"
Kabuto shook his head and responded, "All the ninjas at the base are afraid of you, which proves that Lord Danzo values you highly. Whatever you want to do, he won't oppose it."
"Because you are jealous of Dean's concern, letting Lord Danzo give fake photos of you to Dean is quite normal..."
"Tch..."
Akihara Kagura sighed, not bothering to refute, and continued leisurely, "You're right about one thing, Dean does care about you a lot, always asking for your photos, wanting to know that you're safe and sound..."
"Really..."
"She's always thinking of you..."
"But she has never asked about me."
"To ensure Dean keeps providing information to the Root organization, Lord Danzo gradually replaced your photos with fake ones. The photos Dean saw were all forgeries, she has no idea what you really look like."
"If it had stopped there, it would have been fine, just a fake needed to keep Dean from providing information to the Root..."
"However..."
"You, the real deal, are still alive."
"Lord Danzo keeps sending you on dangerous missions, hoping you'd perish during them, but you've survived every single time."
"Such luck..."
"Successfully completing missions time after time..."
"Finally made Lord Danzo recognize your talent, wanting to make you a spy who can serve the Root organization forever, but he faced a problem."
"If Lord Danzo wants you to stay in the Root organization, you and the Dean are bound to meet eventually, and then all the lies will be exposed."
When Akihara Kagura said this, she suddenly added: "It's not surprising, since it's a lie, it will be exposed sooner or later."
"But..."
"Lord Danzo will not make a mistake."
"So he will definitely deal with his own errors."
"So..."
Kabuto pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose and said in a low voice, "You don't want me to live to see Dean, or you don't want Dean to live to see me."
"That's what Lord Danzo originally thought."
Akihara Kagura, holding her arms, sighed, "Lord Danzo prefers you because he believes that Dean has never been loyal enough, so he has been thinking about when to kill the Dean…"
"..."
Kabuto's body trembled slightly.
This uncontrollable fear about the most important thing in life swept over him.
Kabuto's fingers dug tightly into his flesh, a cold sweat slowly formed on his forehead, and he felt like he had guessed something: "Why... are you telling me this? Do you... want me to commit suicide now so that Dean can live?"
"That's what I originally thought."
Akihara Kagura raised his eyebrows indifferently and continued, "But then I heard something... Dean has always wanted to make a deal with Lord Danzo. She could do anything for Lord Danzo, to get you out of the Root organization in exchange for your freedom."
"Kabuto..."
"I'm even more jealous of you now."
"Why didn't she think of rescuing me?"
"Why didn't she think of rescuing me when I was sent to the Root base, sent to be used as a subject for human experimentation?"