A Strange Development

Searching memories, or reading thoughts, was something people tried to avoid as much as possible in peacetime. During wartime, however, it was commonplace. In those times, ninjas sought to obtain every bit of useful intelligence, and reading a target's thoughts was the most effective method. However, few people were proficient in it, and Konoha's Yamanaka clan could be considered the best of the best.

Generally speaking, ninjas would first resort to torture. If that failed, they would use genjutsu to make the target willingly reveal information. If even hypnotic genjutsu could not break the target's will, they could only directly invade the target's mind and read their thoughts and memories. The third method might cause mental trauma to the target at best, and at worst, result in amnesia or turn them into an idiot. Thus, it was not used lightly. During wartime, however, no one insisted on humanitarian principles. Even the slightest bit of intelligence could have an impact, so ninjas would use every means available to obtain it.

Ye Zi was merely a child without Chakra. Even with Konoha's interests as his starting point, Hiruzen would not resort to the final method right away.

However, if hypnotic genjutsu proved ineffective against Ye Zi, then whether Ye Zi was a spy from another village would truly require further consideration. After all, one of the requirements for a spy was an iron will, so it was normal for them to resist hypnotic genjutsu. Some exceptionally skilled spies could even provide false information while under hypnosis.

Ninjas had always acted swiftly. Less than three minutes after the decision was made, two Anbu appeared in the room where Ye Zi was staying via the Body Flicker Technique. At that moment, Ye Zi was struggling to stuff food into his mouth and had not noticed the two silent, unwelcome guests standing behind him.

"Ye... Zi?"

The Anbu on the left, wearing a gray fox mask, pronounced Ye Zi's name with slight awkwardness.

Ye Zi was startled by the voice and abruptly turned around, only to see two strangely dressed men.

They wore tight black outfits, had swords strapped to their backs, and wore masks that completely concealed their faces.

"You...?"

Ye Zi was just about to ask who they were when the person who had spoken first interrupted him. "Come with us."

Their bizarre attire and impolite, faintly cold tone made Ye Zi tense up. Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed the ceramic bowl and immediately ran toward the window. He had familiarized himself with the surroundings as soon as he had been brought into the room and had already planned two escape routes.

The Konoha Anbu had never expected Ye Zi to react so violently. While they were momentarily stunned, Ye Zi had already placed one hand on the windowsill and was preparing to leap out.

The Anbu's attire and piercing tone alone had triggered Ye Zi's sensitive nerves, so he had fled without a second thought. He had not, however, taken the Anbu's skill into account.

The moment his hand touched the windowsill, the Anbu recovered and flashed behind Ye Zi, striking him unconscious with a single palm without injuring him. The Anbu clearly had excellent control over his strength. After all, Ye Zi was still a child, and his body was extremely frail.

Pain shot through the back of his neck. As his consciousness sank into darkness, he only felt a chill in his heart. While eating, he had felt at ease because he thought this place would be somewhere safe where he could learn about this world. But after being knocked unconscious, that newly formed belief was completely shattered. At that moment, his impression of Konoha took shape. Both his first and second impressions had been terrible, and correcting them in the future would be difficult.

If this world had such a thing as "if," then whenever he thought back to the decision he had made today, he might still feel regret...

When Ye Zi opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was the discomfort of having his hands and feet restrained. Looking down, he saw that he had been tied to a chair. He did not panic or curse. Ever since he had encountered Orochimaru and Tsunade, he had understood that he was a pitiful worm whom others could toy with at will. It would not be strange if someone crushed him to death the next second.

He knew that panicking would be useless, so he began observing his surroundings. The enormous room was quite dark. The only sources of light were two white candles on the chair's armrests. Their dim light was not even enough to illuminate the walls nearby and could only faintly reveal the floor two meters away. Beyond that, there was nothing but darkness.

Ye Zi withdrew his gaze from his surroundings and applied a little force. His bound hands did not move at all.

I'm really an idiot...

Ye Zi thought silently. But given the circumstances when he had encountered Orochimaru, he had had no choice. Now that he thought about it, it was merely a matter of dying sooner or later.

His experiences since childhood had caused Ye Zi to harbor an instinctive wariness toward outsiders. He also considered the worst possible outcome before anything else. This was not merely a matter of taking precautions; he had witnessed too much darkness...

Just like now, he had imagined several gruesome endings. Aside from the process, all of them ended the same way: death.

But...

Ye Zi did not want to die. His eyes shifted slightly while his expression remained calm, but his thoughts began to churn.

An unknown room, his hands and feet bound tightly, inadequate lighting—there were far too many disadvantages.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

Suddenly, a slightly gentle voice rang out from the dark room. Accompanied by faint footsteps, a figure emerged from the darkness and slowly walked to within a meter of Ye Zi.

Ye Zi's heart jolted, but his expression remained calm. He raised his head slightly and quietly studied the newcomer. His gaze swept over the familiar attire he had seen several times before and finally stopped on the man's face.

His thin lips were pressed into a straight line, his nose was firm, and beneath his straight, sword-like brows was a pair of bright, piercing eyes. He was a man outstanding in both vitality and appearance.

Is this the child...?

Yamanaka Genya paid no attention to Ye Zi's scrutinizing gaze. Following the procedure established beforehand, he would first use words to lower the target's guard, then use genjutsu to extract every detail, avoiding the use of the clan's secret technique as much as possible.

"Do you think I'll believe something like that? I'm not a child."

Ye Zi dismissed the newcomer's words with disdain.

Yamanaka Genya was slightly taken aback. A trace of surprise was hidden in his gaze as he looked at Ye Zi. He carefully studied Ye Zi's eyes and saw only indifference, fear of death... and undisguised wariness. This child...

He raised an index finger and traced the forehead protector tied around his head. After giving a self-mocking smile, he said calmly, "Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter. The facts will prove everything."

After saying that, he fixed his gaze on Ye Zi's eyes, which seemed far too mature for his age, and rapidly formed hand seals.

Genjutsu: Dream Realm.

Ye Zi stared in astonishment at the series of hand seals Yamanaka Genya formed. He realized that those few gestures were as clear as pictures in his mind. Before he had time to wonder when his memory and eyesight had become so good, he saw Yamanaka Genya's eyes suddenly transform into swirling vortices. They expanded in an instant, sucking everything—including Ye Zi—into them.

Endless darkness swallowed everything. In the blink of an eye, light returned.

Ye Zi opened his eyes and immediately saw Ye Rui sitting against the bed. His gaze grew hazy.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Concern appeared on Ye Rui's thin, pale face, and her large eyes were filled with questioning.

"Nothing..."

Ye Zi slowly shook his head. Sunlight streamed through the window, warming his body. He reached out and held Ye Rui's small hand. It was cold to the touch, incredibly real. This was not a dream. It wasn't...

"Brother, why are you crying?"

"Huh?"

Ye Zi raised a hand and touched his cheek. His fingertips brushed over a trace of moisture. He turned toward the blue sky outside the window and chuckled. "I got some sand in my eyes."

Looking at Ye Zi's vacant eyes, Yamanaka Genya lowered his hands and asked softly, "Where are you from?"

"..."

Ye Zi did not respond. Like a puppet, he remained completely motionless.

Yamanaka Genya frowned. There was no doubt that the genjutsu had succeeded. After a pause, he asked again, "What's your name?"

Still, there was not the slightest response...

Yamanaka Genya's brows drew together even more tightly. He asked several questions in succession, lowering his standards with each one, yet he still received no response.

"The possibility of him being a spy..."

Yamanaka Genya muttered under his breath. When he had first seen Ye Zi, he had not believed it, because the wariness in Ye Zi's eyes had been too intense. That was not how a spy should behave. Yet Ye Zi's current state after falling under the genjutsu made him question his initial judgment.

He spent a full half hour trying, but obtained no information at all.

"Looks like there's no other way."

Yamanaka Genya sighed softly. Though he had no choice, he did not want to use the clan's secret technique on a child.