Forced Confession

Hearing Nawaki guess the rough outline of his past in just a few words, a flash of wariness crossed Zhixin's eyes. "It really is impossible to talk too much in front of a monster like you!"

Nawaki smiled slightly. "Betrayal and redemption? Such things are common in the Shinobi World. Is Mr. Zhixin so concerned about these past events? I wonder if this humble one might have the honor of listening?"

Zhixin's talkative nature flared up. "It's all in the past anyway, and it's not exactly a state secret, so telling you won't hurt! My idiot teammate was too trusting of others and couldn't keep her mouth shut. She actually told her so-called 'friends' about our mission. I argued with her over it, and afterward, our squad was indeed ambushed due to that betrayal. Everyone else died; only I survived under her cover!"

Nawaki nodded. "I imagine the idiot you speak of was a woman, wasn't she?"

Zhixin raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"Girls are generally more fond of flowers and plants than boys, aren't they? And among the four of you in that squad, why did she insist on covering only you so you could live? And she even urged you to live on for her sake? It seems she must have been very fond of you. As for the leak of information... Mr. Zhixin, don't you think you talk a bit too much yourself? How can you be certain it was she who leaked the intel and not you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhixin's face changed drastically, turning pale and then green, before filling with remorse. "To think that a brat like you sees things more clearly than I do. You're right; it's very likely that I was the one who caused the death of the entire squad. That is why I could never commit an act of betrayal again, even if it meant death!"

Nawaki frowned. It seemed he had said the wrong thing and instead stirred up the man's resolve to die.

"Why must you be like this, Mr. Zhixin? Those rogue ninja have no friendship with you, and the consortium behind you only uses you for mutual benefit. Are they really more important than the dying wish of a loved one?"

Zhixin once again recalled the words that idiot had said to him at their parting: "Zhixin! Run! Since you believe it was me who doomed everyone, let me stay behind to atone for my sins! Remember to live on and carry my share of life with you! Run, Zhixin!"

Recalling that sad past once more, Zhixin closed his eyes, and two lines of tears fell. "Kill me! Don't even think about getting any information out of me! And don't try to trick me either; I know your secret. Once you get the information, you'll surely kill me to silence me, won't you?"

Nawaki raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what secret of mine does Mr. Zhixin know?"

"You claim to be of the Senju Clan, and combined with that technique that absorbs chakra, I suspect it is the legendary Wood Release! The terrifying bloodline limit of the God of Shinobi actually has a successor! Such massive news has yet to circulate in the Shinobi World. I imagine Konoha must have kept you hidden away. Once a secret of this magnitude is known to me, how could you possibly let me live?"

"Clap, clap, clap." Nawaki applauded upon hearing this. "One truly cannot underestimate any ninja. In such a short time, Mr. Zhixin has analyzed such important intelligence! It seems your mind is quite sharp as well. I'm beginning to appreciate Mr. Zhixin's talents... If Mr. Zhixin is willing to cooperate, I guarantee I will spare your life!"

"If you spare me, aren't you afraid of exposing your own secret?"

Nawaki replied with a confident expression, "If you are willing to submit, I naturally have the means to keep the secret."

"A Cursed Seal? That unique binding technique of your Konoha!"

"Correct. As long as a Cursed Seal is carved into Mr. Zhixin's body, I can naturally rest easy."

Nawaki had recently been researching Cursed Seals for his practice of the Flying Thunder God, but his current ability could not possibly develop a control-type Cursed Seal in such a short time. Therefore, he used the knowledge of Cursed Seals left behind by the Second Hokage as a template and spent Wish Power through the system to derive his own control-type Cursed Seal. Its principle was the same as the seal Madara used to control Rin and Obito: once carved, every move would be under Nawaki's control. Furthermore, he added the effect of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal; if the bearer attempted to leak his secrets, they would suffer full-body paralysis, unable to speak or move, and the seal would only be lifted upon Nawaki's death! Since the control-type Cursed Seal did not involve spatial rules, it only cost 100,000 points of Wish Power.

"Hmph! Even if you place a Cursed Seal on me, I will not submit to a brat like you! Don't even think about getting any information out of my mouth!" After saying this, Zhixin closed his eyes, maintaining a posture of total non-cooperation.

Nawaki shook his head helplessly. "Mr. Zhixin is so stubborn; it really is quite troublesome. In that case, I have no choice but to use some special methods!"

Seeing that Zhixin remained unmoved, Nawaki continued, "I imagine that before, when you were unwilling to bite your tongue to commit suicide, besides your companion's dying wish, you must have also been terrified of the pain before death, right?"

Nawaki was right. After witnessing his squad members being cruelly slaughtered, their wails before death and the expressions of agony left on their faces had always been a shadow in his heart, which was why he could never muster the courage to kill himself!

Watching Zhixin's twitching eyelids and pricked ears, Nawaki knew he had guessed correctly. "This humble one has some interest in interrogation, so I have specifically researched torture methods for extracting confessions, and I have even tried to create a few sets of punishments myself, though I've never had the chance to put them into practice. I'm afraid I'll have to try them out on Mr. Zhixin today."

"Hmph! Use whatever methods you have!" Zhixin couldn't help but speak out.

"Good! Mr. Zhixin truly has backbone! Let me first introduce the torture I have meticulously designed. Let's start with skinning. The most direct method is to use a small knife to shave away the skin and flesh bit by bit, though this method is time-consuming and requires a certain level of skill from the practitioner. Therefore, I have come up with a more convenient method: first, scald the skin with boiling water until it is cooked, then take a brush and scrub the cooked flesh away bit by bit. This was an inspiration I gained after observing a butcher slaughtering and skinning a pig. This way, it is both convenient to operate and won't produce much blood. How does Mr. Zhixin feel about that?"

Hearing Nawaki's calm and detailed explanation, Zhixin couldn't help but imagine the scene of the torture in his mind, and cold sweat began to break out on his face.

Ding! Zhixin has developed a strong sense of fear toward the host. Gained 1000 points of Wish Power.

Upon receiving the system notification, Nawaki knew that Zhixin's psychological defenses had reached their limit; with just a little more pressure, he would completely collapse. Thus, he pressed his advantage: "Actually, the pain of skin and flesh is far inferior to the pain of the internal organs and nerves! I have also done some research into medical ninjutsu. Pain can be divided into twelve levels; the pain of skin and flesh reaches at most level 4, while the pain of the internal organs and nerves can reach as high as level 12! For this, I specifically created a Wood Release ninjutsu! Come to think of it, this ninjutsu has quite a connection to Mr. Zhixin! As a gardening enthusiast, I imagine Mr. Zhixin must be very familiar with the art of grafting, right?"