Talisman Clues

Honestly, Hinata felt a subconscious fear of Moriyue now. It was a fear she hadn't even realized herself. It was like Zhuge Liang capturing and releasing Meng Huo seven times. Although Moriyue hadn't truly let her go, everything that happened afterward was perfectly orchestrated by that scoundrel.

Compared to physical torment, this mental frustration made her feel even worse. As the saying goes, the best strategy is to attack the mind. This was probably what they meant by "killing the heart."

Moriyue set Hinata aside, not worried at all that she would run away. He glanced at Kiba, who was still unconscious, and felt there was nothing on Kiba that interested him.

What could he get from Kiba? A "Guide to Getting Rich by Raising Dogs"? "Precautions for Becoming One with Your Dog"? "How to Avoid the Urge to Eat Poop After Transforming into a Dog"?

He decided to just leave Kiba alone and let him remain unconscious. Given Kiba's noisy personality, he would probably start shouting as soon as he woke up. It was better for him to stay asleep.

"Now, let's have a chat, Shino. You don't want your companions to turn into two cold corpses, do you?"

Moriyue squatted in front of Shino, who was tied up like a pretzel, and spoke with a somewhat arrogant attitude. The coldness in his tone clashed completely with the kind smile on his face.

"I will never..."

Shino was about to refuse without even thinking. It was a joke. No matter what, he, Aburame Shino, was from the Aburame clan. As a founding clan of Konoha, how could he betray Konoha and sell out the village's information?

He, Aburame Shino, would rather die here and now, jump into that mud, than reveal a single piece of information!

"Don't be so quick to refuse. Let me tell you a story. Our member, um, that woman over there, she's a ruthless killer, the kind who eats two eyeballs with her meals."

Moriyue pointed at Kazeki, who was currently on guard around them. She looked bewildered when she heard him say that. However, after a moment of stunned silence, she cooperatively put on a fierce expression. It wasn't very convincing, though, and looked about as effective as an excited villain's punch.

"...See? That person is very scary. It wouldn't be good if something dangerous happened by accident."

Even Moriyue was almost broken by Kazeki's clumsy acting. He forcibly suppressed the urge to laugh, as that wasn't the point.

"Hmm... My answer is still the same as before. I refuse..."

Shino looked expressionlessly at Kazeki, who was trying her best to appear fierce and hungry, and stuck to his original stance.

"Interrupting, that's not important. What I want to say is, among your members, there's a future head of the Hyuga clan's main family. The Hyuga are also a major clan in Konoha, aren't they? Speaking of which, the Hyuga clan is even more influential than the Aburame clan. What if..."

"A member of the Aburame clan attacked the young master of the Hyuga clan during the Chunin Exams. It was an international friend from the Hidden Cloud Village who intervened, but unfortunately, they were still a step too late. The Hidden Cloud Village couldn't stand such bullying and was determined to punish the Aburame clan, demanding an explanation from the ninja world..."

What Moriyue said was naturally impossible to become reality. After all, the relationships between ninja villages were unpredictable, and every decision concerned the survival of a village. Those in power couldn't act on impulse, so what he said was unlikely to happen, but that wasn't important.

What was important was to break through Shino's psychological defenses.

Hearing this, Shino indeed showed a hesitant expression. Although he knew that what Moriyue said was most likely nonsense, if his teammates really died before his eyes, could he still remain so firm?

"Shino, I'm not asking you to betray Konoha. I just want to know the current situation in Konoha. You know, my relatives used to be in Konoha. I just want to know about the changes in Konoha. You wouldn't refuse such a small request from me, would you?"

Moriyue's lies came out so easily, without the slightest blush. Shino's expression showed some pain, and he was caught in an internal struggle.

Seeing that Shino hadn't made up his mind yet, Moriyue decided to push him. What he said next was a heavy blow to Shino.

"Do you remember the content of the written exam? Are companions less valuable than cold news? Since you passed the exam, you shouldn't abandon your companions, according to the content on your paper. It seems it was all just talk..."

"...Let Hinata and Kiba go, let them leave... What do you want to know... I'll tell you."

After a period of internal struggle, Shino sighed. He had finally compromised, and his tense nerves instantly relaxed as he slumped to the ground powerlessly.

Hearing that Shino had finally agreed, Kazeki no longer had to pretend to be fierce. The blade in her hand left Hinata's smooth neck.

"Let them both go? That won't do. What if you go back on your word later, like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water? How about this: let Kiba go, and keep Hinata. What do you say?"

Moriyue wanted to negotiate further with Shino, but Shino wasn't stupid. He would only speak if both Hinata and Kiba were released. Moriyue didn't force the issue and simply untied the two of them.

"Alright, I've done what you asked. Now, tell me, what was Konoha's objective in sending you here? Tell me everything you know."

Seeing that the two were truly untied, Shino felt a sense of relief. However, Hinata showed no intention of leaving. The moment she was untied, she attacked Moriyue, activating her Byakugan and Gentle Fist simultaneously, trying to create an opportunity for Shino.

"Shino! Take Kiba and run!"

Hinata bought Shino a precious... moment of time. It took Moriyue some effort, and he ended up with a few bruises, but he successfully subdued Hinata again.

Skillfully tying her up, he sat directly on her back.

"As you can see, she's not behaving. You continue talking."

"..." Seeing Hinata captured again, Shino felt a sense of despair and decided to stop resisting. It was just some unimportant information anyway. If used well, it could even guide Moriyue onto a path beneficial to Konoha.

"There's no specific target. We just came to participate in the Chunin Exams. Our biggest goal, of course, is to pass the exam and become Chunin."

"However, we were indeed given some information. It's said that near a certain waterfall, someone discovered a magical... creature? Or power? The specific information is unclear, but we only know that the existence there seems very powerful."

Shino's words were somewhat ambiguous, which made Ando unable to contain himself.

"Why don't you re-read what you just said?"

However, Moriyue's mind suddenly made a connection to something – Talismans.

"I'm not sure yet, let's just note it down. A waterfall..." Moriyue was somewhat shocked internally but showed no outward signs of it. It was the first time he had heard information that might be related to Talismans, which made him a little excited.