I think the backstory Kishi is providing is idiotic and makes no sense; the only reason I rated the chapter a 3 was because it had Danzo screentime... which, um, made me fangirl uncontrollably for about 5 minutes. So yeah.
However, WHAT THE FLIP? Kabuto had a mother-figure? That's in direct contrast with his 'I was never loved or knew who I was until Orochimaru-sama' strain he's been keeping up until now. Plus, the fact she looks like a femme-Kabuto creeps me out.
Next item: Danzo's irrational behavior. Danzo is smart, knows a lot about ninja work, and has raised Root up from kids to be fanatically loyal to Konoha and able to stand up to huge amounts of pressure. But the ONLY person suitable for the mission... was an overly emotional 'retired' woman who didn't WANT to go? I mean, come on!
Next item: They had Orochimaru acting as if he were somehow subordinate to Danzo. This makes zip sense. They're both intensely proud, cautious people who hate each other's guts! Plus, Orochimaru's 'lol i'll be in ur ophanages, stealing ur childrenz' threat was something HE would do, but not at Danzo's behest. There were a zillion war orphans when Danzo was forming Root and more kept coming, he didn't HAVE to steal children. And the whole thing seemed like a Mafia extortion. Just. Plain. Stupidly. Handled.
Next item: Okay, did anyone else call what was going to happen as soon as Kabuto was in Iwa and going all nostalgic over his watch? I mean, the 'oh noes I killed my loved one in disguise' is DONE to DEATH. And in this case it makes zip sense. If they were both spies sent by Danzo (and btw if Kabuto had been Danzo's subordinate he would have stayed with Konoha) then they would have been informed of each other's position. And how did SHE even get to be an Iwa spy anyway? Do they just hire any random woman who comes wandering up to their gate during wartime?
Kabuto hasn't changed his appearance except maybe a different haircut since she saw him, he tells her his name, and she goes 'Who?'
...
Option A: Bad memory. Sorry Kabuto, your 'mother' has Alzheimer's.
Option B: She broke and decided she actually WAS an Iwa shinobi. In which case - um, yeah, that makes sense. Why did we send her again?
Then, they have Kabuto meeting Orochimaru when he looks... er, fourteen? Fifteen? Personally, I never bought it when they tried to say he was nineteen in his first appearance; he looks like fifteen there. And, as a last little weird detail - who swims around in a river/lake, underwater, with all their clothes on? Orochimaru definitely wouldn't.
Oh, and... do you have the feeling something's missing from the story? A certain red-head puppet master from a sandy place?...