"You really are something..."
That was what Hyuga Sho said when he found Morino Ibiki.
The hulking Morino Ibiki was thirteen years old.
He stood several heads taller than Hyuga Sho.
Despite his young age, he looked remarkably mature, like a middle-aged man.
And more importantly...
This guy really was a late bloomer.
Even now, he was still only a "genin."
"You don't get it. I'm playing weak to catch people off guard..."
Morino Ibiki's mouth twitched as he spoke.
"In our graduating class, the only people I can't beat are you, Hyuga Mami, Kakashi, Asuma, and Yūhi Kurenai."
Morino Ibiki was telling the truth.
He had a very clear understanding of where he stood.
"Sixth place" in his graduating class.
That was his level of strength.
As for Nohara Rin, Uchiha Obito, Gekko Hayate, Uzuki Yugao, Shiranui Genma, Namiashi Raidō, Yamashiro Aoba, Mitaraishi Anko, and the rest...
Even if they all came at him together, Morino Ibiki could wipe the floor with them.
He might only have been a genin.
But his strength was absurd.
Still, Morino Ibiki's peculiar insistence on keeping his rank low was incomprehensible.
At any rate, he had been weird since childhood.
There was just no telling whether the jujube tree in his backyard was still flourishing.
"I joined the Interrogation Department years ago."
Morino Ibiki waved a hand, still wearing his thick black gloves.
He wore a black coat and a black scarf wrapped around his head, covering himself up in that punk getup.
He apparently wasn't afraid of the heat, even in the height of summer.
"Follow me..."
Hyuga Sho followed Morino Ibiki across the surface to an entrance.
This was the legendary Interrogation Department.
The Interrogation Department stood near Konoha's Back Mountain, somewhere behind the village.
It was somewhat removed from populated