Interrogation

Uchiha Tekka was patrolling the clan grounds.

The village had been restless lately. The monster attack two days ago was still fresh in everyone's memory, and for certain reasons, the Uchiha seemed to have been "isolated" once again.

And so.

After Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Setsuna discussed the matter, some members of the Konoha Military Police Force began patrolling around the clan grounds.

It wasn't as though the village seemed to need their police force these days anyway!

Just as he led several men into a secluded area on patrol, he faintly sensed chakra moving, as though someone was fighting.

After taking a closer look.

Uchiha Tekka spotted an unusual patch of mist in the woods nearby.

That was where the chakra was coming from.

Was someone fighting?!

Uchiha Tekka recognized at a glance that the mist had been created by ninjutsu. Having fought on the battlefield, he was certain it was probably the Hidden Mist Technique, a jutsu developed specifically for assassination that could obstruct a ninja's senses and vision.

However, the Hidden Mist Technique couldn't exert its full power against bloodline abilities with keen perception, such as the Byakugan and Sharingan.

"Let's go!"

Realizing something was wrong, Uchiha Tekka led the three men behind him toward the woods.

But before they could investigate further, the Hidden Mist Technique slowly dispersed, revealing two figures at its center.

"Hui?!"

Uchiha Tekka was a little surprised.

He looked at Uchiha Hui, who stood where he was, and frowned slightly, but the ninja on the ground soon drew his attention.

That seemed to be the enemy?

"You came just in time. This guy ambushed me. I suspect he's a spy. Take him back for questioning!"

Uchiha Hui looked at Uchiha Tekka, whom he knew fairly well.

They were about the same age, but Tekka was more talented and had long since become a jonin. He was currently a squad captain in the Konoha Military Police Force, with more than a dozen Uchiha ninja under his command.

"He actually dared attack an Uchiha?!"

At Uchiha Hui's words, Uchiha Tekka's expression turned cold. He lowered his gaze to Sato Kai, who lay on the ground groaning quietly, and a harsh glint flashed in his eyes. The Uchiha ninja behind him reacted much the same way.

Members of the Uchiha Clan felt a strong sense of solidarity with their own.

Although that solidarity still included feelings such as discrimination and dislike, once an outsider attacked one of their own, the vast majority could stand together against the external threat!

And that made it impossible not to mention the dutiful son and the worthy second son again. Those two buddies really were utterly inhuman!

"You aren't hurt?"

Uchiha Tekka suddenly noticed something, and surprise crept into his voice.

The enemy on the ground wasn't weak. He was at least a chunin and had even used the Hidden Mist Technique, yet he had suffered such a crushing defeat.

In contrast, Uchiha Hui didn't even have dust on him, as though the fight had been a complete rout!

"This guy underestimated these eyes!"

Uchiha Hui offered no further explanation and simply showed his Sharingan again.

At that, Uchiha Tekka and the others smiled.

Although Uchiha Hui's Sharingan only had a single tomoe, how could ordinary ninja possibly imagine its power?!

Two men stepped out from behind Uchiha Tekka and bound the incapacitated enemy on the ground. At Tekka's signal, they carried him toward the distant Konoha Military Police Force building.

There were dedicated cells for criminals there, as well as facilities for basic interrogation under torture!

"I'll take him away first. I'll let you know once we get something out of him."

Uchiha Tekka looked at Uchiha Hui.

He wasn't sure whether he was imagining it.

Since the monster attack, both of his encounters with Uchiha Hui had felt different. Hui seemed fundamentally different from his former arrogant self, and his strength seemed to have improved as well.

Tekka wasn't so conceited that he truly believed a single-tomoe Sharingan was overwhelmingly powerful.

It was just that.

Uchiha Tekka knew that was merely Uchiha Hui's excuse.

So he couldn't be bothered to press him.

There was never anything wrong with praising the Uchiha's strength or the Sharingan's power, after all!

"I suggest you don't hand this guy over to the village just yet. At least find out what he wanted first. Once the village gets its hands on him, we Uchiha won't have any say in the matter..."

Uchiha Hui offered the reminder quietly.

Hearing that, Uchiha Tekka, who had already turned to leave, suddenly paused. Then he turned his head slightly to look at Uchiha Hui, a glimmer crossing his eyes as though he was considering something.

"I'll let Elder Setsuna decide!"

"Also, the village is unsettled right now. Unless you have something to do, don't leave the clan grounds without good reason. Ugly rumors have been spreading through the village, and plenty of people have lost their heads!"

With that.

Uchiha Tekka vanished from the spot, chasing after his teammates who had left ahead of him.

"So who said all Uchiha were reckless brutes?!"

Uchiha Hui watched Uchiha Tekka's retreating figure. Surprised by what he had said, Hui's expression grew thoughtful.

Clearly.

Uchiha Tekka, who was classified as a hardliner, wasn't the sort of person Hui had imagined, constantly clamoring for rebellion.

If anything.

The original Uchiha Hui had been that sort of person.

He had only been as strong as a chunin, and had only managed to earn even that promotion through his Uchiha connections. Yet he had always tried to push the Uchiha into confronting the Konoha High Command, and had frequently proposed "reorganizing Konoha and launching a coup" at clan meetings.

"Time to head back. Looks like I'd better keep a low profile for now!"

Uchiha Hui jumped back onto a nearby tree, picked up the bag he had left there, and held it in his arms before slowly heading home.

He had only left the clan grounds once, and he had ended up getting attacked.

Wasn't that probability a little ridiculous?

Or was Konoha simply like this?

Uchiha Hui considered everything that had happened that day, his gaze flickering as though something had occurred to him.

Perhaps.

He could do something?

There were so many spies, and he happened to need people to practice on. Whether they dropped experience or skills, either seemed like a good option?

"Would that be too dangerous?"

Uchiha Hui began to hesitate again.

Once or twice would be fine.

But if he did it too often, the village would surely notice him, wouldn't it?

Before long.

Uchiha Hui arrived home.

He began preparing his lunch and stopped dwelling on it.

As for the Ninjutsu Card he had just obtained from that man named Sato Kai, Uchiha Hui had chosen to use it as soon as he returned.

Much as when he had used an Experience Card.

A considerable amount of information appeared in his mind, and he successfully mastered the support ninjutsu called the Hidden Mist Technique.

Lunch was beef stew.

Uchiha Hui ate a full three jin by himself. Besides the beef, he also ate quite a bit of salad before he finally felt somewhat full.

Meanwhile.

After returning to the Konoha Military Police Force, Uchiha Tekka reported the attack on a clan member to Uchiha Setsuna.

And so.

In an interrogation room in the Konoha Military Police Force building, Uchiha Setsuna and the others opened their mesmerizing Sharingan and began placing the incapacitated enemy under genjutsu!

Before long.

They obtained the information they wanted.

Sato Kai was a Kirigakure spy belonging to the intelligence and reconnaissance unit under Genji. He had been hiding in Konoha for eight years and was a chunin.

As for his reason for attacking Uchiha Hui.

He had merely wanted to extract more information about the monster attack two days earlier, particularly whether the Uchiha had truly been more deeply involved, such as attempting to stage a coup...

Rather laughably, however, even the information this man knew was false intelligence someone had deliberately spread.

Even so.

After getting the answers, Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Tekka, Uchiha Inabi, and the others fell into an inexplicable silence.

They weren't surprised by Uchiha Hui's increased strength, or that he could now defeat a chunin who had mastered the Hidden Mist Technique. Rather, they were thinking about the rumors in the village.

At the same time that Uchiha Fugaku and the others discovered the rumors spreading through the village.

Uchiha Setsuna and the others had received the same news.

However, Uchiha Setsuna and the others hadn't taken those rumors seriously at first. Surely Konoha wouldn't let such things spread unchecked. Yet judging from this spy's confidence, the rumors seemed to have taken firm root throughout the village, to the point that even spies believed them!

Damn them!

Uchiha Setsuna recalled something that had happened many years earlier. Back then, a rumor had likewise driven a powerful ninja to commit seppuku.

A familiar tactic!

But this time, it was aimed at their Uchiha Clan!