RADG: Chapter 30: Kabuto’s Awakening

At this moment, Kabuto was overwhelmed with emotions, his mind nearly short-circuiting from the sheer weight of it all.

He finally understood why Nonō would frequently disappear for periods of time, often leaving the nurses in charge of the orphanage.

She was out on dangerous missions.

Thinking about Nonō constantly putting herself in peril for the orphanage, Kabuto felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.

None of the orphans knew.

None of them understood what Nonō had sacrificed for them.

"Why me?"

After what felt like an eternity, Kabuto finally lifted his head, his voice hoarse.

"I’m just an ordinary orphan… Am I even worthy of being compared to Director Nonō?"

He wasn’t afraid of hardship.

What he feared was not being good enough, that he would fail and drag Nonō down with him.

"Of course, you’re not worth comparing to her right now."

Yami shook his head slightly, watching as Kabuto’s face fell with disappointment.

"But I see potential in you."

"I believe you will become a great intelligence ninja in the future."

"Then… if I become strong enough, will Director Nonō be able to leave Root?" Kabuto asked with anticipation.

"No."

Yami’s answer was like an icy dagger, freezing Kabuto’s hope in an instant.

"Once you enter Root, even in death, you belong to Root."

Yami yawned.

"Leaving is impossible. But… I can ensure that Nonō no longer has to go on missions. She can focus solely on running the orphanage, acting as a reserve force for Root instead."

"This is already the best outcome."

"Don’t push for more."

"If you want to bargain with me, you have to prove your value first."

"Right now, you’re not qualified to negotiate."

"…I understand."

Kabuto lowered his head, the light reflecting off his glasses.

Then, without hesitation, he slid off his chair and knelt on one knee before Yami.

"Master Yami, I am willing to join Root and serve you."

"Good."

"You’ve enrolled in the Ninja Academy, right?"

"Yes. I just started last month."

"Attend your classes during the day. At night, report to the Root base for training."

"Remember—tell no one. Not even Nonō."

"Understood."

Kabuto responded without hesitation.

Yami’s words had just taught him a crucial lesson.

The importance of self-worth.

Only those with value could be recognized by others and achieve their goals.

Yami believed in his potential.

That was his value.

Now, he needed to transform that potential into real strength, to prove that Yami had made the right choice.

When that time came…

Nonō would finally be free to live the life she wanted.

And the orphans would have a better future.

Kabuto clenched his fists.

For the first time, he had a goal to strive for.

He had found his purpose.

—

"Seiji, take him to get familiar with the base and assign him a teacher."

The moment Yami finished speaking, Aburame Seiji stepped out from the shadows.

As they left, Kabuto and Izumi crossed paths at the entrance.

Izumi glanced at Kabuto with curiosity, her large eyes filled with confusion.

She didn’t ask any questions and simply ran into Yami’s house.

"Yami! I came to hang out with you! You officially become a ninja, let’s celebrate!"

At that moment, Shimura witnessed something interesting.

As Izumi and Kabuto passed each other, the sunlight cast a shadow at the doorway.

One ran toward the light.

The other walked into the darkness.

—

The Next Day

After a full day of rest, Hizashi’s team gathered outside the Hokage Building.

Once all three of them arrived, Hyūga Hizashi led them inside and headed straight to the Mission Assignment Center.

Konoha’s missions were generally divided into two types:

1. Commissioned Missions: Anyone could issue these. The rewards were based on difficulty, and the village took a 20% commission as a handling fee.


2. Village-Issued Missions: These missions paid significantly less—only about one-third to one-fifth of the market rate.


However, village-issued missions had an advantage: they provided contribution points.

During the past Shinobi World Wars, ninja participation wasn’t purely out of duty, missions were assigned based on difficulty and rewarded accordingly.

Contribution points could be exchanged for various benefits:

Jutsu

Ninja tools

Even private training sessions with high-ranking shinobi


Thanks to this system, originally created by Senju Tobirama—Konoha’s military efficiency had skyrocketed.

Even ordinary ninja now had the chance to grow stronger.

This was why, over the years, Konoha’s shinobi quality had remained among the highest in the Five Great Nations.

And Konoha's economy was also the strongest among them.

—

"Excuse me, we’d like to take a mission."

Hizashi spoke politely to the clerk.

The overworked clerk didn’t even look up. He simply grabbed a stack of mission request forms and handed them over.

"Pick one and register."

Hizashi took the stack and skimmed through them, his expression darkened.

The listed missions were either:

Helping farmers plant rice

Finding lost cats and dogs

Long-distance, time-consuming errands


The rewards were decent, but none of these missions provided any real training.

"Sensei, let me take a look."

Yami walked up from behind Kurenai.

Hizashi handed over the stack.

Yami took one glance, then slammed the papers onto the clerk’s desk with enough force to nearly break the table.

The loud bang turned every head in the room.

The surrounding shinobi and mission clients all stopped what they were doing to stare.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

The startled clerk looked up in shock and anger.

Yami pointed at the family emblem on his clothes.

"I am Shimura Yami, grandson of Shimura Danzō. Think carefully before deciding how you want to talk to me."

The clerk’s face immediately changed.

His flattering smile appeared at record speed.

"So you're the Shimura Clan’s young master! Please forgive me, I’ve been so busy I didn’t notice!"

"What kind of mission would you like?"

Yami ignored him.

Instead, he grabbed the entire stack of mission scrolls.

"Never mind. I’ll choose myself."

"Of course, take your time! But… some of these are quite dangerous—"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’m not looking to die."

Yami waved the clerk off, then turned to his three stunned teammates, flashing an innocent smile.

"Sensei, let’s take our time and pick the right one."

At that moment, all three had the same thought.

Being a rich second-generation kid is freaking awesome.


(To be continued.)