Chapter 27: Chinatsu's First Formation as a Demon
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Who are they… and what are they going to do to me?
Inside a hidden interrogation chamber beneath Konohagakure, the Kumogakure shinobi now reduced to a one-armed captive was tightly bound, his remaining arm and legs restrained with chakra-suppressing ropes. His vision swam as he stared at the two masked ANBU before him.
Then
Splash!
A bucket of ice-cold water crashed over his head.
The shock alone was enough to jolt him fully awake.
Even for a trained shinobi, sudden cold like that couldn't be ignored. If he weren't restrained, he might have lunged forward instinctively.
"Yo~ awake now?" Chinatsu said lightly, holding the empty bucket.
Moments earlier, she had been idly flipping a kunai between her fingers, considering a more… traditional method of interrogation. But after seeing the effect of the water, she quietly put the kunai away.
Sometimes
Simple methods worked better.
After all, shinobi were trained to endure pain. A stab wound wouldn't necessarily break him.
Kakashi, however, had a different approach in mind.
Standing beside her, Hatake Kakashi radiated a faint chill even without removing his ANBU mask. His presence alone made the prisoner uneasy.
Still
Compared to Kakashi
The Kumogakure ninja found himself more wary of Chinatsu… and the bucket in her hand.
This woman… is dangerous.
Chinatsu tilted her head slightly.
"What? Don't like it? There's more~"
She raised the bucket again.
The ninja immediately ducked his head in reflex.
For a moment
Silence.
Then
Chinatsu burst out laughing.
She didn't even try to hold it in.
The Kumogakure ninja clenched his teeth, frustration building. Her behavior felt amateurish, unpredictable
And that made it worse.
He shifted slightly, attempting to form hand seals with his remaining hand.
But Kakashi saw everything.
He waited.
Watched.
Then
Stab.
A kunai pierced straight into the ninja's thigh.
The sudden pain broke his concentration instantly.
"No tricks," Kakashi said calmly. "You're still alive because you have value. Tell us everything your plan, your objective and testify at the inter-village meeting. Do that… and you might live."
He twisted the kunai slightly.
The pain intensified sharply.
Chinatsu winced instinctively.
Ouch… that actually looks painful…
For a brief second, the scene reminded her of something eerily familiar like a psychological torture method straight out of a dark anime.
Even so
The Kumogakure ninja endured.
No screams.
No surrender.
"…Tch."
Chinatsu clicked her tongue.
"Move. I'll handle it."
Before Kakashi could respond
Splash!
Another bucket of ice water.
Then another.
And another.
Slap! Slap!
The repeated shocks left the ninja disoriented, his thoughts scattering.
But Chinatsu wasn't done.
She had… improved the method.
Water
Mixed with irritants.
The moment it touched his open wound
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
That scream tore through the room.
Pain beyond endurance.
This wasn't just physical anymore it was overwhelming sensory overload.
The Kumogakure ninja's vision blurred, his body trembling uncontrollably.
This… this is hell…
He stared at Chinatsu as if looking at something monstrous.
A demon…
Behind her mask, Chinatsu smiled faintly.
I know it's not very nice… but it works.
Finally
He broke.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!!!"
Once the words started flowing, they didn't stop.
Everything
The plan to kidnap Hyuga Hinata, the intention to seize the Byakugan, the willingness of Kumogakure to escalate even if discovered
All spilled out.
Inside, however
He sneered.
Heh… I'll just deny everything later. As long as I survive this, I win.
Chinatsu, as if reading his thoughts, simply smiled.
Nice plan… but too bad.
When he finished, she clapped lightly.
"Great~ that was very helpful."
Beside her, Kakashi stepped forward and unexpectedly untied him.
The Kumogakure ninja blinked in confusion.
That's it?
That easy?
Relief surged
Too soon.
Chinatsu tilted her head again.
"Let me confirm," she said. "Everything you just said… was true, right?"
"…Yeah."
"And no one forced you to say it?"
"Of course not. I said it myself."
"Good."
She brought her hands together.
A seal formed.
"Then thank you for your cooperation."
Release.
The world shifted.
The dark interrogation room vanished.
In its place
The Hokage's office.
The Kumogakure envoys sat nearby, their expressions stiff.
Across from them
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, sat calmly, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
The Kumogakure ninja froze.
His mind went blank.
Genjutsu…?!
Everything
Had been an illusion.
From the moment the interrogation began.
His resistance to genjutsu something he had relied on had failed completely.
Because this wasn't ordinary genjutsu.
This was enhanced through the Sharingan.
A power they had underestimated, believing the Uchiha clan nearly extinct.
A fatal mistake.
The envoys' faces darkened as they processed his words his "voluntary" confession, spoken freely, unbound.
There was no room for denial.
The Kumogakure ninja collapsed to his knees.
Defeated.
Completely.
Hiruzen leaned forward slightly, his presence commanding.
"Now," he said slowly, "shall we continue?"
His eyes locked onto the Kumogakure representatives.
"But this time… the discussion is not about Konoha compensating you."
A pause.
"It is about what Kumogakure owes Konoha."
At that moment
The full authority of the Hokage filled the room.