In the Anbu Prison, a few men gathered together, smoking.
Naruto lay on a small couch, one arm casually hanging down, half-asleep and half-awake. Shikamaru, Asuma, and Ibiki sat nearby, waiting for results.
This interrogation had been kept secret from Inoichi for two reasons: one, to avoid creating too much noise and alerting others, and two, because there's a seal on the prisoner's mind. Using Mind Reading Technique or unlocking the seal would cause him to die on the spot.
And the prisoner's mouth was also sealed, preventing him from speaking voluntarily.
Now that the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal had been removed, the only method left was traditional interrogation. In order to prevent the prisoners from committing suicide, Shikamaru had been staying here for days.
The flickering embers of the cigarettes glowed and dimmed, as the smoke swirled in the air, slightly choking. The room had no bright lights, just a dim one hanging in the corner.
Yugao pushed open the door and walked in, looking around with an expressionless face.
"Did he talk?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yeah." She nodded and placed a document on the table.
The three men took turns reading it, looking somewhat surprised. There had been a lot of noise from the interrogation room, and the prisoner's desperate screams had been unnerving.
The interrogation had lasted for three days, with people constantly coming and going, interrogating without pause. Medical-nin had also been in several times, and each time they left, they looked worse for wear.
Ibiki had hesitated several times, wanting to remind Naruto not to go too far. What if the crucial evidence was lost? What if the prisoner died? Who could bear that responsibility?
But every time he was about to speak, he couldn't bring himself to. After all, Naruto had only gone in once with the team… maybe for training or to set the direction of the interrogation.
After that, Naruto stayed in the lounge, seemingly unaffected by the prisoner's screams. He ate, slept, and even took walks when he got bored.
This was Konoha's underground. It's soundproof to the point that even if pigs were being slaughtered, no sound would escape to the surface.
Naruto finally woke up, sitting on the couch for a while before glancing at Yugao and asking the same question again.
"Did he spill everything?"
"Yes." Yugao's expression remained unchanged. "He even talked about **** and gave a clear description of the woman, along with everything else he remembered."
"Okay, then I'm leaving. Don't forget to pay me next time." Naruto stretched lazily, gave Shikamaru and the others a casual farewell, and left.
After Naruto left, Yugao followed suit. Seeing this, Ibiki chased after her, his scarred face twisted in a complex expression. He cornered Yugao in a secluded spot and asked in a low voice.
"Is that man still alive?"
"He's alive, but he's pretty much a shell." Yugao pursed her lips, her face clouded with a sense of dread, as if recalling something terrifying.
"Is there nothing the Medical Team can do? We still need this guy later. He can't die just like that." Ibiki frowned, "If there's a problem, we need to fix it immediately."
"The Medical Team has already been in. There's nothing more they can do. They can barely keep him alive." Yugao responded.
"Damn it! We may have gotten what we needed, but this was way too reckless." Ibiki grumbled as he turned to leave. Yugao just watched him go.
"Where did they take him?"
"Ibiki-sama? He has been taken into custody. What's wrong?" One of the interrogation team's members replied, looking puzzled.
"How's his injuries?"
"Injuries?" The interrogation team's member looked a bit uncomfortable and hesitated.
"Hurry up and tell me!" Ibiki demanded, growing impatient. He was already preparing for the worst-case scenario, thinking about how to handle whatever fallout might come. No matter what happened, at least Naruto did get the result, so at least he couldn't veto others.
"Well… Ibiki-sama, that guy isn't physically hurt. There's not a single mark on his body, except for a bump on his head, which is self-inflicted when he tried to kill himself."
"No injuries? Then why was he screaming like he was in agony?"
"Well…" The interrogation team's member showed complicated expressions, "Ibiki-sama, we took turns interrogating him without giving him any time to rest."
"Exhaustion tactics?" Ibiki mused. The interrogation team had a variety of methods, and exhaustion tactics weren't unheard of.
"No, it wasn't just that. We kept asking him repeatedly whether he ever thought about killing his mother, or if he ever considered ****." The interrogation team's member explained, listing off a few examples.
'Except for the first one which is barely acceptable, the following questions are more challenging than the last, almost leaving no stone unturned in digging out the darkness in people's hearts.'
'Questioning someone like that for an entire day would be enough to shatter their worldview and break their will. No wonder that person…' Ibiki felt a chill run down his spine and finally understood Yugao's words.
"Did he go insane?"
"No, he answered everything we asked." The member of the interrogation team replied truthfully.
Ibiki's eyelids twitched slightly, and he wanted to say something but didn't know where to start. He could only wave his hand to let the man leave, and quietly lit a cigarette.
The flickering flame of the cigarette cast shadows on his hard face.
…
Naruto returned home and lay on the couch for a while, feeling uncomfortable. Sleeping on the prison's couch for the past few days had left his back and waist aching. Being such a tall guy cramped up on a couch… it would have been surprising if he had felt comfortable.
Just as he was about to get up, he saw Kurama casually walking out of the room and heading straight for the kitchen. Kurama seemed to sense something and turned to look at him.
"What are you looking at?"
Naruto's eye twitched, and after a moment of silence, he responded, "Nothing."
Kurama, feeling satisfied, continued his strut toward the kitchen, then opened the fridge. Just as he was reaching in with his little paws, a hand suddenly reached over his head.
The next second, the entire fridge disappeared.
Kurama was dumbfounded and turned to look at Naruto. Seeing the finally satisfied expression on his face, Kurama suddenly looked ashen, as if mourning a great loss.
The happiness didn't vanish, it merely transferred.
After tormenting Kurama, Naruto casually headed to the bathroom. After a shower, he went to his room to sleep. When he woke up, the sky was already dark.
His stomach growled, and he had no choice but to sit up. The room was still dark, with a thick stack of money Hinata had given him sitting on the table. The 10 million ryo from Yugao hadn't arrived yet.
He grabbed a few bills at random and, slipping into his slippers, headed to the living room. Kurama was nowhere to be seen, but Naruto couldn't be bothered to look for him. After all, Kurama was familiar enough with the place.
After changing his shoes and walking out, Naruto finally realized how busy he had been these past few days. One task after another, barely catching a break. Now that things had quieted down, he wasn't used to the free time.
He wanted to find someone to grab dinner with, but suddenly realized everyone was busy. Ino was tied up with the communication device project, Sakura was neck-deep in research at the department, working day and night.
Hinata had been staying at the Hyuga Clan's compound, and just scheduling a meeting with her was a hassle.
Usually, he'd visit Tsunade, but right now Tsunade had no time for him, and he didn't feel like going there and cause trouble. More importantly, he couldn't leave the village for the time being.
There were too many things going on, and he couldn't afford to be absent. Tsunade wouldn't wait much longer and would inevitably make a move against Danzo. How could he miss such a crucial moment?