Secret Detention

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

As soon as Hiruko appeared, Naraku and the other five surrounded him from every direction, blocking off his escape routes.

"Why are we after you? You know exactly what you did, don't you? Hmm!?"

Uchiha Naraku demanded righteously, ending with a heavy nasal grunt as if the evidence were conclusive.

"Could the Chimera Technique I created really be buried before I've finished experimenting with it?" Hiruko glanced at the surrounding shinobi, his brow furrowing.

"I'm Hiruko, a Konoha jonin. Is there some kind of misunderstanding?" Hiruko replied, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Hiruko, you're suspected of being involved in the disappearance of shinobi from Konoha. You're coming with us!"

"Don't accuse an innocent man! I'm a Konoha jonin. How could I be connected to something like that?" Hiruko protested.

"Whether you're innocent or not, we'll find out once you come with us to the Military Police Building. If you had nothing to do with it, we'll let you go. What are you afraid of? Hmm!?"

Hiruko's eyes flickered, and he seemed uncertain.

Naraku shouted, "Look at me!"

At his words, Hiruko couldn't help looking toward Uchiha Naraku. What met his gaze was a pair of crimson Sharingan, and five small clusters of chakra distributed across Naraku's fingertips.

Seeing Hiruko go blank, Uchiha Naraku knew the Genjutsu had worked. He lunged forward in a single step.

"Five Elements Seal!"

Under the effects of Naraku's Sharingan Genjutsu, Hiruko couldn't move for the moment. He could only watch as Naraku pressed all five fingers against his abdomen.

"I... my... cha... chakra..."

The tremendous force of Naraku's five fingers struck Hiruko in the abdomen, doubling his body over and making his eyes bulge. The external force broke the Genjutsu, but Hiruko had already been hit with Fuinjutsu.

The Five Elements Seal disrupted the flow of chakra. Under its effects, even a powerful ninjutsu became as harmless as a child's toy.

Those with an ordinary amount of chakra might not even be able to gather it, let alone use ninjutsu.

Uchiha Akabi took out a rope and tied Hiruko's hands behind his back.

"Take him away!"

Konoha Prison

Konoha Prison stood on the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan Compound. The Military Police Building and Konoha Prison were two important institutions within the compound.

The prison's existence made the Uchiha Clan members increasingly arrogant and brazen. They often humiliated prisoners in their cells.

Once you entered Konoha Prison, you had one foot in the grave.

Because Hiruko was a jonin, he was assigned a single cell in the maximum-security prison.

Two arm-thick holes in the cell's walls let in the sunlight. A foul stench lingered in the corner, where the bedding, sheets, and mattress were blackened.

Pinching his nose, Hiruko stared blankly and tried circulating his chakra. It quickly dissipated, and he couldn't form any ninjutsu.

"I've really fallen this far..." Hiruko murmured, his eyes vacant.

Hokage Building

"Naraku, a group of wandering shinobi came to the Land of Fire and took your clan members hostage. The Anbu have dealt with them. I expect your people have returned home by now."

The Third spoke softly and gently. He puffed on his pipe, holding a file as he spoke to Uchiha Naraku without looking up.

"Yes. Ten of the missing Uchiha have returned, but five are still unaccounted for," Naraku answered quietly.

"Oh? Is that so?"

The Third looked up at Naraku and frowned slightly. He was certain Danzo wouldn't dare defy him and should have released everyone who had been captured.

The Third wondered whether Uchiha Naraku was trying to extort him for benefits. His expression turned stern.

"Yes. The case has been solved. The culprit was Hiruko, a Konoha jonin. He was injured during the Second Shinobi World War, and his mental state became unstable. He attacked villagers outside the village for no reason. We found some clues and tracked him down, but by then—"

"His home was empty, and he'd set up quite a few traps inside. Some members of the Military Police Force nearly got hurt. We've been searching for him for days. Unless Hiruko went on a secret mission, I suspect he's defected."

Naraku had no intention of confronting the Third. The Second Elder's precious grandson, Uchiha Kyo, had returned to the clan, and the Second Elder had already calmed down.

As for the other missing shinobi, their bodies had been found at Hiruko's experimental facility. They had been confirmed dead.

"Ghost Fox, check Hiruko's file and see whether he's on a mission."

The Third blew a smoke ring and spoke to Naraku.

Just as Naraku was wondering how to respond, a voice echoed from a corner of the Hokage Office. A cloud of smoke appeared there, and an Anbu Ninja used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

The guards in the Hokage Building really are strict, Naraku thought.

"Naraku, you've done well. The Police Force did a good job investigating this case, too. Go back. I'll handle things from here."

"Yes!"

Naraku left the Hokage Building and headed back to the clan.

A talent like Hiruko obviously couldn't be handed over. They only needed to say that Hiruko had defected and have the Third issue a wanted order.

Of course, the Anbu would never be able to capture him. Hiruko was locked up in Konoha's prison, in Naraku's hands.

Before coming to the Hokage Building, Naraku had already told the Warden not to humiliate Hiruko and to let him live normally in his cell.

Now Naraku was considering how to make use of Hiruko. Judging by the way he acted, Hiruko had clearly already begun experimenting with the Chimera Technique.

And he had reached a critical point. Otherwise, Hiruko wouldn't have been so frantic and unscrupulous.

Many prisoners were held in Konoha Prison. Some were ordinary villagers arrested over minor matters and brought in to teach them a lesson. But there were also quite a few serious offenders locked up inside.

It wasn't that Naraku was ruthless. He simply needed test subjects, and these serious offenders could be put to good use. Besides, most of them wouldn't suffer any lasting effects.

The Uchiha Clan had once used torture to humiliate some villagers in Konoha Prison, people who had no family or friends to speak up for them.

Some had family members who had died serving Konoha, leaving them with no one but themselves. Others had no relatives for other reasons. When people like that ended up in Konoha's prison, no one paid attention or cared.

No one cared about them, no relatives filed complaints, and the Hokage wouldn't find out. If no one knew, nothing would happen.

Because of incidents like these, Uchiha Sanzang had once severely punished the Warden, somewhat curbing the Uchiha's arrogant ways.

But the prison's environment had fostered that culture, and it couldn't be changed.

Those arrested for minor offenses, as well as members of shinobi clans and civilian shinobi families, were generally punished according to the law and released when their sentences ended.

The Military Police Force had important responsibilities, but it also had plenty of small, tedious tasks.