Only when Akira Sarutobi's gaze swept over them did everyone snap out of their daze.
As Akira Sarutobi passed by Nonō, he paused. "Do you have surgical instruments?"
Nonō was a Medical Ninja, highly skilled in Medical Ninjutsu.
But Medical Ninjutsu often required surgical instruments as assistance.
Scalpels, surgical forceps, saws...
These tools could save lives, but they could also... kill.
Akira Sarutobi intended to borrow some tools to interrogate the person in his hands.
"Yes..."
Nonō hurriedly nodded, having completely put away the disdain she had shown upon first meeting him.
She handed Akira Sarutobi a scroll.
Then footsteps rang out, and Akira Sarutobi entered the underground chamber created by Earth Style with the captured prisoner.
Everyone watched Akira Sarutobi's departing figure, their eyes filled with surprise and respect.
A Ruthless Interrogation!
This was a pitch-black underground chamber.
Dense walls and flooring enclosed it on all sides.
Earth Style ninjutsu could transform Chakra into soil out of thin air, but that phenomenon would only last for a certain period before dispersing and returning to the most basic Chakra particles between heaven and earth.
However... real soil compressed through Earth Style ninjutsu would forever retain its compacted shape.
Clearly, this was an underground secret chamber that had been excavated by human hands.
And judging from the uneven surfaces, someone had previously undergone extremely intense taijutsu training here.
That person... was Akira Sarutobi, the one before her who was said to be Hiruzen Sarutobi's son.
"Heh..."
The glamorous female ninja, bound tightly from head to toe, curled her lips slightly.
"Today... I really fell into your hands... I never expected..."
Slap!
Before she could finish, Akira Sarutobi slapped her across the face.
That blow completely stunned her.
"From here on, I ask. You answer."
Akira Sarutobi casually used Earth Style. The ground rumbled as a rectangular block of earth rose up, forming something like a table.
He unfurled the scroll Nonō had given him, and beneath the dim candlelight, neatly arranged surgical instruments were revealed.
The gleaming tools gave off a chilling cold light, leaving no doubt as to their sharpness.
"Heh... Since you already know what I did, you naturally have no intention of letting me go. Do you think... I'll tell you the information you want?"
"Oh." Akira Sarutobi responded blandly to her words. "I've seen plenty of people who would rather die than submit, but every one of them eventually obediently told me what I wanted to know..."
As he spoke, Akira Sarutobi picked up a scalpel and examined it before his eyes.
It was not a put-on. Rather, it was a feeling of... nostalgia.
"It's been a long time... since I've done this."
"Young Master, what's this about not doing it for a long time?"
Ino Yamanaka, who had entered the underground chamber afterward, walked over with great interest.
Clearly, she was quite interested in interrogation.
"People eat chickens, chickens eat bugs, and ninjas eat everything... The food chain... really is interesting~."
Ino Yamanaka walked to Akira Sarutobi's side and looked at the other woman with a beaming smile.
If Akira Sarutobi merely gave her a cold impression...
Then Ino Yamanaka, with her blonde ponytail, gave her a sickeningly twisted feeling.
It was the feeling of someone who disregarded all life and saw killing as perfectly natural, no different from eating or drinking.
More precisely, she was like a child squatting on the ground, crushing and burning ants to death one by one, yet finding it nothing but amusing.
"Believe me. If I interrogate you, you'll die more easily."
Akira Sarutobi looked at her as the scalpel slowly lowered to his side.
"Because I should remind you... her cousin is Inoichi Yamanaka, head of Konoha's Intelligence Department."
"!"
Upon hearing the name "Inoichi Yamanaka," the woman finally lost her composure.
There was never any shortage of geniuses in the ninja world.
Just like Minato Namikaze's meteoric rise, Inoichi Yamanaka, only a few years older, had become the head of Konoha's Intelligence Department at a young age.
He was renowned throughout the nations for his outstanding abilities and his terrifying skill at obtaining intelligence.
Fighting the Golden Flash might only result in death or capture.
But if someone fell into Inoichi Yamanaka's hands, everything in their mind would be forcibly extracted.
In severe cases, their brains could be turned into a complete mess, perhaps even leaving them an idiot.
As Inoichi Yamanaka's cousin...
Ino Yamanaka had not only inherited the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques and bloodline aptitude.
Her cruelty of temperament even surpassed his.
For Inoichi Yamanaka, gathering intelligence was merely work.
But for Ino Yamanaka, tormenting an enemy's mind could amuse her for quite some time. It was more than enough as entertainment.
"You're sure I won't kill myself first?" The woman's expression changed several times, and her earlier arrogance vanished.
"You won't."
Akira Sarutobi placed the scalpel beside her neck.
Even in her disheveled state, her lavishly jeweled attire was still extraordinarily eye-catching.
"From a standard ninja to someone who pursues luxury... You amassed vast wealth, became part of the upper class, lost the sharp instincts born from life-and-death struggles, and gained the pathetic humility of someone clinging to life..."
Simply put.
Once someone had money, they felt their life was worth more.
"How could someone like that want to die?"
Akira Sarutobi looked at her mockingly.
He did not believe she had poison hidden between her teeth or anything of the sort.
With her true nature exposed, her body began to tremble slightly.
Humiliation? Rage? Hatred? Pride? Being unable to back down...? Perhaps all those thoughts were present, but they were no longer important.
"Then, first question... What is your gender? What work do you do?"
The woman: "..."
Several hours later.
Akira Sarutobi had extracted nearly every piece of information.
From her origins, upbringing, and experiences to everything about her current life, including her own abilities.
That was right, even her insights into cultivating Shadow Clone and Fire Style... Chakra Flow had been obtained by Akira Sarutobi.
It was equivalent to getting all the experience and skills of a Jonin for free.
And when Akira Sarutobi casually asked a question, her next answer exceeded his expectations.
It even caused Akira Sarutobi's expression to change for the first time.
Question: Do you have any other abilities?
And her answer was...
"I also tried cultivating Steel Style."
"!"
Akira Sarutobi stared fixedly at the prisoner before him, an astonishing gleam flashing in his eyes.
Even Ino Yamanaka could not help glancing sideways at this. "Young Master?"
"You said..."
Taking a deep breath, Akira Sarutobi regained his indifferent expression.
"You cultivated Steel Style?"
Steel Style was also a type of Kekkei Genkai.
As mentioned before, Kekkei Genkai came in two broad categories.
One was mutated physical organs like the Byakugan and Sharingan of the Hyuga and Uchiha.
The other was the fusion of two Chakra natures to form a new nature.
Steel Style belonged to the latter category.
Its effect was to increase the toughness of the body's surface.
And there was an interesting detail: even Kekkei Genkai with names that sounded exactly the same...
Could have vastly different functions.
For example, Lava Style could manifest as Rōshi covering himself in magma, Kurotsuchi spewing cement, or Dodai spitting rubber... three entirely different forms.
Differences in the ratio of fused Chakra natures and in individual physical qualities caused the final manifestation of a Kekkei Genkai to vary.
At that moment, Akira Sarutobi finally realized something.
Earlier, he had struck with all his strength, landing dozens of consecutive blows before barely managing to render her helpless.
At first, Akira Sarutobi had assumed it was because her physical condition was absurdly strong. After all, she was a Jonin.
But in truth...
Swish!
Akira Sarutobi rolled up her sleeve, revealing an arm as smooth and pale as jade.
Akira Sarutobi stared hard at her skin, looking almost like some sort of gentleman.
But he quickly discovered the secret. "Your skin..."
"Heh... That's right. I used Steel Style to harden my skin..."
She muttered.
Though her skin had hardened, her internal organs and most of her muscles were not within Steel Style's enhancement range.
So when faced with Akira Sarutobi's blunt, violent beating, she had still been shaken hard enough to cough up blood.
It was like striking a knight wearing medieval armor with an iron hammer.
Even if the armor could withstand ordinary blades, it would still meet a bitter end against a massive warhammer.
"Tell me how to cultivate Steel Style."
Akira Sarutobi's tone turned cold, even carrying a hint of urgency.
Because... a method of personally fusing a Kekkei Genkai like this was simply too valuable!
Before you continue