Surrender to the Authorities, Anbu Interrogation

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Uchiha Tunan struggled to get up.

The high-intensity genjutsu he'd used yesterday had consumed too much chakra, and a few hours of sleep were hardly enough to recover.

His body was still in a semi-weakened state.

The first thing he did upon getting up was to open his diary.

There hadn't been any major events recently, so the diary was mostly filled with filler.

He'd written about the Will of Fire so much that Uchiha Tunan himself was sick of it.

"October 6th.

Something big happened today, something I've thought about for a long time but don't know how to write.

Senrin asked me to meet her by the waterfall in the forest tonight, saying she had something to tell me.

But I never expected her to strip in front of me.

And want to be my woman.

I ran away.

I only see her as a sister, and my heart has long belonged to Mina.

I thought this would be the end of it.

But then, on the way back to the village that night, I ran into Mina.

Her expression was very strange, but I didn't notice it at first.

I gathered my courage and confessed my feelings to her, and I kissed her.

She didn't refuse.

I was overjoyed then, feeling like the happiest person in the world.

But she told me that she had personally killed Senrin...

I don't know what to do. According to the village rules, Mina's actions should be punishable by death.

But I can't bear to do it.

This secret is now known only to Mina and me.

On one hand, there's the village, and on the other, my lover. What choice should I make?"

The handwriting in the diary was very messy and scribbled, and it stopped abruptly here.

Uchiha Tunan had even deliberately left a few ink blots in the blank space afterward.

Then, he casually tossed his pen onto the open diary and left the room with a lost and dejected expression.

He dawdled on the road for a full two hours before finally standing before the Hokage Building.

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was leaning back leisurely in his chair, smoking his pipe.

Suddenly, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat up straight.

Immediately after, the office door was knocked by Uchiha Tunan.

"Come in."

Uchiha Tunan pushed the door open and walked into the office. He glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a pale face, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Then, he slowly lowered his head, falling silent.

"Tunan, what happened?"

Uchiha Tunan clenched his fists, suddenly knelt on the ground, tears welling from his eyes, and said with a choked sob:

"Lord Hokage, I killed someone, please sentence me to death!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled. He walked up to Uchiha Tunan and said in a deep voice, "Tunan, lift your head and look at me."

Uchiha Tunan slowly raised his head, but before he could even meet Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze for a second, he looked away.

His eyes darted around, looking extremely guilty.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, feeling a bit uncertain.

He immediately summoned an Anbu member.

"Take Tunan to the interrogation department. No one is to question him without my orders," Hiruzen Sarutobi commanded.

"Yes," the Anbu replied, grabbing Uchiha Tunan and disappearing from the Hokage's office with a Body Flicker Technique.

Hiruzen Sarutobi now felt the situation was a bit tricky.

Uchiha Tunan had already shown value far beyond his peers and was loyal to him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt very reluctant to have him executed just like that.

But killing someone in the village, no matter who it was, meant execution according to the rules.

"If all else fails, I'll assign him to Root. That would at least save his life."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was already considering his final fallback.

No, if he decided to surrender, why was he so guilty?

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly, discovering something unusual.

Guilt meant he had lied, so...

"Anbu."

"Lord Hokage."

"Go to Tunan's house and bring me his diary."

"Yes."

Ten minutes later, an Anbu member brought Tunan's diary to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly flipped to the most recent few days.

Just as he suspected!

This child was actually dating someone without him knowing.

On one side was the village, on the other was his girlfriend, so you chose to become a scapegoat?

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed the diary and handed it to the Anbu member, saying:

"Return the diary, and by the way, bring Uchiha Mina to the interrogation department."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

After the Anbu member left, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked towards the Konoha interrogation department with his hands behind his back.

The Konoha interrogation department was built underground, with specialized ninja guarding everywhere.

"Lord Hokage." Takuya Yamanaka, the captain of the Konoha interrogation department, welcomed Hiruzen Sarutobi at the entrance.

The two talked as they walked towards the interrogation room.

"Takuya, Tunan is still in the interrogation department, right?"

"Yes, is Lord Hokage going to interrogate him personally?"

"No need, I'll just observe.

The latest intelligence indicates that the killer is Uchiha Mina, who is also Tunan's girlfriend."

"I see. I understand."

Next to the interrogation room was a one-way mirror. Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in this room, quietly observing the situation inside the interrogation room.

Meanwhile, Takuya Yamanaka walked into the interrogation room with a stern face.

Uchiha Tunan sat on the chair looking utterly dejected, not even lifting his head.

Takuya Yamanaka coughed lightly and began the interrogation:

"Uchiha Tunan, I understand your situation, but there are a few more questions I need to ask you."

Uchiha Tunan, looking like he had no will to live, said, "Go ahead, I'll confess to everything."

What do you mean, confess to everything?

Veins bulged on Takuya Yamanaka's forehead. If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't been watching next door, he would have wanted to punch Uchiha Tunan first.

Taking a deep breath, Takuya Yamanaka put down his notebook, picked up his pen, and began asking questions rapidly while writing just as quickly.

"What was your relationship with the deceased?"

"Classmates."

"Where did you last see her?"

"Under the waterfall east of the Hokage Rock."

"What was she doing at the time?"

"She was bathing."

"What was your motive for killing her?"

"Motive?"

Uchiha Tunan was stunned by the question.

"Why did you kill her?"

Perhaps the question was asked too quickly, Uchiha Tunan seemed to have not even thought about how to answer.

His eyes darted constantly to the lower left, hesitantly saying:

"Because... because... she liked me."

Takuya Yamanaka slammed his pen heavily onto the notebook and roared, "Do you think that's reasonable?"

"But I didn't like her."

Uchiha Tunan broke out in a sweat, explaining incoherently.

"She undressed in front of me and hugged me. I was furious, so I..."

"Do you know the consequences of taking the blame for someone else?" Takuya Yamanaka's tone turned completely cold. He crossed his arms, abandoning the idea of taking notes.

With this question, it was basically confirmed that Uchiha Tunan was not the murderer, so taking notes was meaningless.

"I didn't take the blame for anyone, I really didn't. I didn't, please believe me." Uchiha Tunan's clear tears streamed down as she pleaded with Takuya Yamanaka.

Takuya Yamanaka let out a cold laugh and said in a deep voice:

"Alright, one last question. How did you kill her?"

As soon as the question was asked, Uchiha Tunan fell silent.

She could only lower her head deeply. After more than ten seconds, she spoke with an uncertain tone:

"I... I don't remember clearly. I think I killed her with a kunai."

"Be specific. Which part did you stab with the kunai? Two centimeters to the upper left of the heart?"

Takuya Yamanaka tapped his fingers heavily on the table, as if reminding Uchiha Tunan.

"Yes! Right there." Uchiha Tunan's eyes widened, and she said with extreme certainty.

However, upon hearing Uchiha Tunan's admission, Takuya Yamanaka immediately began packing up his notebook and pen, not even bothering to glance at her.

"That's enough. Our investigators have already seen it.

The victim's head was severed and burned with a Great Fireball.

Uchiha Tunan, obstructing official business is punishable.

It's impossible to take the blame for someone else in front of the Torture Department."

With that, Takuya Yamanaka left the interrogation room without looking back and went into the next room.