Morale is Usable

The masked Anbu commander held high a strip of cloth a little over a finger wide. Under the sunlight, it refracted a dazzling gleam, as though he held the brightest pearl in the world!

"This cloth isn't produced anywhere in our village!"

"Look, this cloth is exactly the same as the trousers he's wearing!"

"There's no mistake—the murderer is him!"

The Hoshigakure ninja grew increasingly vicious with every word. Chakra-like cloaks gradually spilled out around their bodies, followed by butterfly-shaped wings emerging behind them!

Houka watched with interest, thinking to himself, This must be the Mysterious Peacock Method formed when their Chakra was activated after absorbing the meteorite's radiation.

"Stop! Before the matter has been thoroughly investigated, you cannot rashly conclude that Lord Houka is the murderer based on a mere scrap of cloth!" Natsuhi stepped in front of them.

Akahoshi shouted, "Natsuhi, the evidence is right before your eyes! Are you really going to shield him?"

"This..." Natsuhi hesitated.

She looked at the cloth in the Anbu commander's hand, then turned to look at Houka's trousers. Their colors really were identical. Her heart skipped a beat. "Lord Houka, you..."

Houka smiled. "Hey, hey, this is a setup. I didn't kill the Third Hoshikage."

"A setup? The evidence is conclusive, yet you call it a setup?" Akahoshi pointed at Houka, his entire body trembling in fury. "Fine! I'll leave you with nothing to say!"

With that, Akahoshi charged forward and began circling around Houka.

One circle, two circles, three circles.

The more Akahoshi turned, the dizzier he became. A layer of cold sweat even seeped across his forehead.

What was going on?

Why couldn't he find it?

He had clearly torn it from Houka's trousers—so why was that tear gone?!

Akahoshi swallowed, at a complete loss.

"Hey, you look awfully