"Lord Hokage, you heard it too."
"Ah, this child.
Has Uchiha Mina been caught?"
"She was already locked in the interrogation room next door before you arrived at the Interrogation Department.
Shall we begin questioning her now?"
"Let's go."
The two left the room and went next door, where Uchiha Mina was being held for interrogation.
Uchiha Mina sat in a chair, her face filled with terror, unable to sit still.
Bang!
Takuya Yamanaka entered the interrogation room and sat across from Uchiha Mina expressionlessly, beginning the interrogation.
"Tell me exactly what happened yesterday. If you confess, perhaps you can receive a lighter sentence.
You should know that Uchiha Tunan wanted to take the blame for you today. His lie was simply too clumsy, and I saw through it.
If you refuse to confess, then I can only act according to the law and have him executed."
Takuya Yamanaka told a small lie, intending to put pressure on Uchiha Mina.
"Tunan-kun... he wanted to die in my place...
No, I don't want that. I did it. It has nothing to do with Tunan-kun."
Clearly, Uchiha Mina's thoughts were not so complicated. The moment Takuya Yamanaka said this, she became agitated.
"Why did you kill Hyuga Senrin?"
"I... I'm sorry. I acted on impulse."
"Answer my question. Why did you kill Hyuga Senrin?"
"She killed Koyuki first, and she even **seduced Tunan-kun. I was so angry at the time."
"Koyuki?"
"Koyuki was the cat Tunan-kun gave me, and also the first gift he ever gave me."
Takuya Yamanaka swiftly wrote down the motive in his notebook, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good. Start from when you woke up yesterday. Don't leave out even the slightest detail. You can't hide anything from me."
"Yesterday..."
Before long, Uchiha Mina recounted everything she remembered.
Takuya Yamanaka's brows furrowed slightly as he said in a low voice, "Is that all?"
"Yes."
Uchiha Mina nodded, her eyes filled with despair.
Tunan-kun, thank you for your kindness. Let me bear the consequences of what I did myself.
Takuya Yamanaka left the interrogation room with the statement and came to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.
"Lord Hokage, according to Uchiha Mina's testimony, she was indeed the one who killed Hyuga Senrin.
This is the record. Please review it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the record and examined it carefully.
The motive, the sequence of events, and the description of the crime scene all matched perfectly.
"Hmm, there should be no mistake."
Takuya Yamanaka hesitated for a moment before voicing the doubts in his heart.
"However, I still feel that something is not right."
"What is not right?" Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head in confusion.
"I don't know. I can't put my finger on it. It's just intuition."
Since a professional like Takuya Yamanaka had raised doubts, Hiruzen Sarutobi would not dismiss them.
"Murdering a fellow student means execution under the village's rules anyway.
You can have someone examine her memories."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Takuya Yamanaka responded and was just about to order someone to examine Uchiha Mina's memories.
"Wait. I'll go talk to Tunan first and ask for his opinion," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, stopping Takuya Yamanaka.
"Yes."
Takuya Yamanaka now understood Uchiha Tunan's standing in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart.
Ask for his opinion? About what?
Could it be that if Uchiha Tunan said not to examine her memories, Lord Hokage would forbid them from doing so?
Or would Lord Hokage spare a death-row prisoner for him as long as Uchiha Tunan kept pleading for mercy?
Hiss...
An Uchiha Clan brat actually carried such weight.
In the interrogation room, Uchiha Tunan had both hands buried in his hair, looking gloomy and utterly dejected.
"Tunan." Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly entered the interrogation room, walked to Uchiha Tunan's side, and gently patted him on the shoulder.
Uchiha Tunan raised his head. Seeing the kind and benevolent Hiruzen Sarutobi before him, he looked as though he had seen a relative, tears glimmering in his eyes.
He suddenly hugged Hiruzen Sarutobi and sobbed,
"Lord Hokage, I... sob..."
The corners of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth curled up slightly as he sighed.
"Child, I understand how you feel, but some things are beyond our power to change."
"I'm so sad."
"Mina has already confessed. According to the village's rules, she must be executed.
Only then can we give the villagers and the Hyuga Clan an explanation."
Uchiha Tunan froze at those words and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in disbelief.
"Does she have to die?"
That was wonderful.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer directly. After hesitating for a moment, he tested him.
"After all, the victim was from the Hyuga Clan. This is not an internal matter of the Uchiha Clan, and no one can show favoritism.
Tunan, I hope you can understand."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already made plans. If Uchiha Tunan insisted on saving Uchiha Mina,
then Hiruzen Sarutobi could only use other methods to secretly save Uchiha Mina.
That way, Uchiha Tunan would surely be deeply grateful and devote himself wholeheartedly to serving him.
It was just that such methods would require sacrificing many interests and would, to some extent, undermine his authority.
At that moment, Uchiha Tunan stopped crying, slowly stood up, wiped away his tears, and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi,
"I understand. Governing the village by its rules is the foundation of the village.
I'm sorry, Lord Hokage. I was foolish before.
Please forgive my selfishness."
After saying that, he placed both hands on his knees and gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep bow.
It seems that I and the village hold a far higher place in his heart than that little girl.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was secretly pleased. Naturally, it would be best if he could resolve this matter completely without resorting to special measures.
Moreover, once Uchiha Mina died, Uchiha Tunan would completely lose both familial love and romantic love.
At that time, Hiruzen Sarutobi would be his only emotional refuge.
Very good. Perfect.
"It's all right. You're still young, after all, and not mature enough.
I hope you won't become dissatisfied with the village because of Mina."
Uchiha Tunan took a deep breath and shook his head firmly.
"I won't. This was a mistake Mina made herself. No one else is to blame.
I'm not someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and added,
"Because this involves a human life, and Mina is about to be executed, the Interrogation Department still needs to examine her memories."
Uchiha Tunan's heart sank slightly as he inwardly realized something was wrong.
Outwardly, he wore a pained expression. "Will it affect her body?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated for a moment but answered honestly.
"If memories from too long ago are examined, Mina will likely become mentally impaired.
Fortunately, not much time has passed since the incident. We only need to examine yesterday's memories, so there should not be any problem.
It's just that the process may be somewhat painful."
Uchiha Tunan closed his eyes painfully and said in a hoarse voice,
"She must be very afraid right now. As her boyfriend, I want to stay with her."
Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally would not refuse such a simple request and immediately nodded.
"All right."
Before you continue