Inside the Interrogation Room
Makoto pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Anko was sitting there, her hands and feet bound by chains.
She merely lifted her eyes to glance at him when he entered.
Makoto sat down in front of her and asked, "Have you thought it through?"
Anko lowered her head in silence.
Makoto wanted her to reveal Orochimaru's whereabouts.
"Come in," Makoto suddenly called toward the door.
A moment later, another person walked inside.
"This is someone from the Yamanaka clan. If you refuse to speak, I'll have to let him pry into your mind himself."
Anko's eyes widened in shock.
She knew very well how terrifying the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques were.
Right now, she was completely at their mercy—if they used their jutsu on her, it would mean laying bare everything within her mind.
Her hands clenched into fists, and she bit down on her lips.
"Makoto… what will it take for you to let him go?"
Makoto casually gestured for the Yamanaka ninja to leave.
The man exited, shutting the door behind him.
With a calm expression, Makoto spoke, "Anko, haven't I treated you well enough?"
Anko had no words to refute him.
Had Makoto not treated her well enough?
"Your current status, your position, your strength—aren't they all things I granted you? I've tolerated your willfulness and arrogance, even when you did such foolish things under my name at the Daimyo's residence."
"..."
"You know that Orochimaru will kill me, don't you?"
"..."
"If you refuse to reveal his whereabouts, should I take it as you wanting to help him kill me?"
"No… it's not like that…" Anko replied in distress, lowering her head even further.
"There has to be another way…"
Makoto frowned slightly.
This woman was far too naive.
"I'll give you one last chance. Just tell me where Orochimaru is hiding, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened. You'll still be one of my Seven Crown Guards, and you can continue living in the village as before."
"But if you insist on being my enemy… don't blame me for what happens next."
Anko finally broke down. "No! It's not like that!"
She didn't want to turn against Makoto, but he wasn't giving her another choice.
Even if she refused to speak, he would still search her memories.
Compared to that, compromising seemed like the better option—it would at least leave her a way out.
But doing so meant she would be personally forcing Orochimaru onto the path of death!
She would be betraying the person dearest to her.
"Makoto! Don't do this, I'm begging you, Makoto!"
Her eyes were filled with terror as she struggled against the chains binding her to the chair, but she couldn't break free.
Makoto's gaze flickered slightly, and he said calmly, "It seems you've made your choice."
With that, he turned to leave the interrogation room.
"No!" Anko suddenly raised her voice.
"I… I…"
The words hovered at the edge of her lips, but her mind suddenly went blank.
She wasn't even sure what she had just said—whether those words that should never be spoken had already slipped out.
Before her lay two paths—one where she lost only Orochimaru, and one where she lost everything, including him.
No matter how she chose… it would be painful.
Perhaps she shouldn't have chosen at all, but in the end, Orochimaru would still die because of her!
In that instant, she completely lost herself.
She stopped struggling, sitting limply in the chair, staring blankly at the table before her.
It wasn't until she realized that Makoto had somehow sat back down in front of her that she became aware—she must have really said something just now.
Lost in her daze, she let out a twisted, broken smile, but even the bitter laughter failed to escape her lips.
Her heart clenched in agony.
Makoto looked at Anko's shattered expression and simply said, "Speak."
Like a puppet with its strings cut, Anko slumped in her chair, tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling lamp above.
The interrogation room remained silent for a long time before Anko finally murmured a single word.
"Ryuchi Cave."
Makoto continued his questioning. "What about the one who escaped from the Daimyo's mansion? And the one you saw in Konoha before?"
"…They are the same person. His name is Hakuryu. He is now a Ame ninja."
Makoto asked, "Are these the only fragments of Orochimaru?"
Anko slowly lowered her head.
Makoto noticed the emptiness in her eyes, as if all light had faded from them.
"Lord Orochimaru's soul has split into countless fragments. Hakuryu and Princess Kushinada are just a few with stronger consciousness. The rest have been sealed away by Lord Orochimaru himself… I don't know where."
After a brief pause, she added, "I really don't know. These fragments may have some connection with each other, but they don't know each other's exact locations."
Having gotten his answers, Makoto stood up and left.
Not long after, another ninja entered the room and unlocked the shackles binding her limbs.
"Lord Hokage said you are free to go home."
Home…?
Anko seemed dazed.
Did she still have a home to return to?
After leaving, Makoto immediately began reviewing records on soul-related forbidden techniques.
During the battle atop the Hokage Rock, Orochimaru had abandoned his physical body and shattered his own soul into fragments.
Though this allowed him to survive, maintaining a purely spiritual existence for too long would inevitably result in being dragged into the afterlife by the Death God.
To delay this fate, he had no choice but to keep splitting his soul again and again, prolonging his existence in the mortal world.
Just how many fragments of Orochimaru were out there?
Perhaps Anko truly didn't know.
It seemed the only way forward was to capture one of Orochimaru's fragments first.
..............
Amegakure.
In a tightly sealed room, Hakuryu's trembling hand struggled to guide a syringe toward his arm.
His fingers shook so badly that he couldn't align the needle with his vein.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he fumbled with it for what felt like an eternity.
Finally, the needle pierced his skin.
Hakuryu tilted his head back and let out a long breath, as if a wave of relief had washed over him.
He injected the drug, then carelessly tossed the syringe into the trash bin—where many other discarded syringes had already piled up.
Slumping into his chair, he looked utterly drained, caught between the emptiness and fleeting pleasure of satisfying an addiction.
This body was reaching its limit.
He had to find a suitable new vessel soon.
Anko was no longer an option.
During that last battle, Guy had shattered the internal structure of this body beyond repair.
He was too weak—far too weak to stand against Hyuga Makoto.
He couldn't even defeat one of Makoto's subordinates.
How could he possibly devour the other soul fragments like this?
Especially that one in Ryuchi Cave!
Knock, knock, knock!
A sudden knocking at the door jolted him.
Hakuryu quickly straightened up, adjusting his appearance before heading to the door.
"Lord Nagato?"
Standing at the doorway was a red-haired man, and Hakuryu's face showed nothing but astonishment.
"Why are you here?"
"You're home—perfect. Come with me," Nagato said with a slight smile.
"Is there a mission?" Hakuryu asked.
"No. The Hokage of Konoha has suddenly paid us a visit. I'm going to receive him, and I want you to come along."
The Hokage of Konoha…
Hakuryu's heart skipped a beat.
Hyuga Makoto… He came to Amegakure?
"I didn't hear anything about this beforehand," he said cautiously.
Nagato sighed helplessly. "Neither did I. Even Yahiko wasn't informed. That's why I said it was a sudden visit."
"Come on, let's go meet him together."
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