"Reformation"

After sending the man and dog to the dungeon, the Senju duo took out a book titled General Interrogation Methods of the Senju Clan and began studying it. They didn't know much about this subject.

After Hiugo finished reading, his expression was a sight to behold. He'd expected some sophisticated techniques for getting people to talk, but the methods were surprisingly crude and simple. The book seemed like a halfhearted effort.

The Senju interrogation methods in the book were divided into two types:

One involved breaking through the enemy's inner darkness with a whip, thereby reforming them and extracting information.

In the terms of his previous life, it was torture to force a confession.

The other involved sending in the enemy's family and using the power of familial love to reform them.

To be honest, by the standards of his previous life, it was just holding relatives hostage to force information out of someone.

"What is this supposed to be? Reading it was a waste of time."

Hiugo curled his lip and stopped reading. He was certain the book was meant to fool children. He refused to believe that the mighty Senju Clan didn't have dedicated interrogation techniques.

Tobirama gave it a cursory glance and sighed.

"Tobirama, why are you sighing?"

"I suddenly feel like I've gotten stupid. I actually believed you and read this book. Have we been spending too much time together lately?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Spending time with me should make you feel your mind evolving."

Hiugo gave two soft snorts. "It doesn't matter that the book was useless. I have my own methods, and they're much more effective than that lousy book."

"You have methods?"

Tobirama looked at him doubtfully.

Hiugo didn't explain. He went straight to the cell where the man and dog were being held.

Inuzuka Hong sensed someone approaching. He opened his eyes and glared coldly at the two of them. The medicine they'd just given him had left his voice weak. "Kill me. I won't tell you a thing about the Inuzuka Clan."

Hiugo shook his head.

"What nonsense are you talking about? We're the Senju of Love. How could we just kill someone? Not only will I spare your life, I'll even tell you how I plan to deal with you."

Inuzuka Hong gave two cold laughs. Love? These people called themselves loving after turning a rabbit into a walking bomb by sending it through a pit of shit. He felt speechless and closed his eyes, refusing to look at the boy in front of him.

"First, there's your Tetsumaru, your good buddy. Judging by the looks of things, he hasn't become a 'father' yet. But that's fine. I'll take care of everything."

"I'll arrange for him to mate with dogs from other small and medium-sized clans in his spare time. I've looked into it. Ninja Dogs and ordinary dogs are very likely to have Ninja Dog puppies. Given the quality of the Inuzuka Clan, I'm sure they'd be happy to pay a sum of money to raise a new generation of Ninja Dogs."

Inuzuka Hong's eyes reddened at his words. Grabbing the bars of the cell, he said, "Don't go too far! How could Tetsumaru's noble bloodline be sullied so carelessly? Especially with ordinary dogs. Even if they really had Ninja Dog puppies, they'd be inferior."

"True, the Ninja Dogs they have wouldn't be as good as Tetsumaru. But an inferior Ninja Dog is still a Ninja Dog. Better to have one than none, right?"

"Don't worry. I have a second plan that should satisfy your desire to protect his bloodline."

"Let's be honest, Ninja Dogs are still dogs. If they're careless about their private lives, they can easily catch diseases. That's what you'd call sullying their bloodline, right? So I think we should just remove the thing that 'spreads the bloodline.'"

The thing that spread the bloodline?

Inuzuka Hong felt a chill below the waist. "Y-you're actually planning to do something so depraved to Tetsumaru? Is this what the love your Senju Clan proclaims looks like?"

Hiugo chuckled. "Of course not. You'll have to go through all of this too. Love means treating everyone equally."

"W-what?"

"You know how badly those small clans want to get ahead. They heard we were selling Ninja Dogs from the Inuzuka Clan and asked if they could 'invite' you over for a few days... Honestly, I think it's a great idea. You might even get the chance to help the Inuzuka Clan branch out..."

Tobirama silently committed Hiugo's words to memory. In truth, he knew his good little brother had just made all of this up on the spot. Ever since the battle ended, they'd been sitting together reading. There was no way Hiugo had looked up any other information.

Still, this kind of idea was one of a kind in the Warring States. Clans had a unique pride in their own bloodlines—in other words, clan honor—and rarely coveted the bloodlines of other clans.

But Hiugo himself had little sense of clan honor, so he'd naturally come up with this. Combined with his naturally villainous air, he'd managed to make the other man believe him.

Inuzuka Hong pointed at Hiugo, unable to speak. He spat out a mouthful of blood and passed out.

"Faking it?"

Hiugo raised an eyebrow and called over the two Senju Chunin on guard, intending to take Tetsumaru out first.

Inuzuka Hong's eyes flew open. His voice trembled as he said, "I won't betray my clan, but I can tell you about the Aburame Clan."

Hiugo told the Senju Chunin to stop, then nodded.

"Fine. Tell me, why is the Aburame Clan supporting the Onmyo Clan?"

"The Onmyo Clan gave the Aburame Clan a type of insect that had disappeared from history. For the Aburame Clan, an opportunity to increase their strength like this is rare."

"Next question. Does the Aburame Clan still have a scouting team?"

"As far as I know... no. The Aburame Clan is just squeezing the Onmyo Clan dry. If they don't get any new 'insects,' they'll withdraw and stop getting involved."

"Then why not just take them by force? The Onmyo Clan has already fallen from the ranks of the great clans, and Onmyo Seimei isn't even there."

"The Onmyo Clan hid things like that inside their summoning beasts. The Aburame Clan wouldn't be able to find them on their own unless the Onmyo Clan wanted to hand them over."

Hiugo nodded. "That's enough for today. If anything comes up, I'll come back to see you."

"Tetsumaru..."

"I'll turn them down for now. Don't worry."

The two of them turned and left the dungeon.

Tobirama spoke up.

"From what we can tell, this war is a contest of the Onmyo Clan's reserves. The Inuzuka Clan's situation is much the same as the Aburame Clan's. Once they run out of their 'things,' we'll definitely be able to take the Onmyo Clan down."

Hiugo nodded.

"The Onmyo Clan's defeat is only a matter of time. I just don't know whether they'll be wiped out."

Exterminating a clan could be called the most profitable outcome of a battle. It meant erasing the name entirely, plundering whatever remained of the clan's resources, and turning them into history.

"Father's using the excuse that Onmyo Seimei bullied the weak and that he's avenging our clansmen. It's very possible he'll wipe them out."

Even the Senju, a great clan, had wiped out other clans in the past. They just tended to wave the banners of justice and love while doing it.

"At this point, we just have to wait and see how the war ends. The only way to make it end sooner is for Onmyo Seimei to return to the Onmyo Clan Compound, or for True Sun Teacher to appear."

"Appear... Do you think Teacher is still alive?"

"Yeah. Yesterday I met someone whose heart was on the right side. I think there's no telling what might exist in this vast world. If no one's seen the body, then they're not dead."

As he spoke, Hiugo glanced at Tobirama.

Besides, even if he really died later, someone could summon him back. Impure World Reincarnation was such a broken technique...

Tobirama found Hiugo's gaze strange and silently took two steps back.

"Why are you backing away?"

"I read a book once. It told the story of a man and another man."

"...I have a fiancée."

"That man did too..."

"Get lost!"