The corridor leading to the underground was cold and damp, and the water droplets seeping from the walls condensed into rows, glowing faintly under the dim light, as if this steel fortress was flowing endless tears. The air was filled with the unique smell of rust and mold, and every breath was like inhaling the despair of this village.
The Amegakure attendant walked in front, and the sound of his footsteps was amplified in the empty corridor, which seemed particularly abrupt and guilty. His back was straight, but he could not hide the stiffness of his body, as if what was following behind him was not a six-year-old child, but a poisonous snake that could choose anyone to bite at any time.
Senju Chen followed him. Under the small cloak, his young face was calm. His eyes swept over the identical metal doors on both sides, each door was engraved with a cold number.
This is the place where Hanzo of the Salamander detains "suspects". It is said to be incarceration, but in fact it is more like isolation. Before the real murderer is found, these people are both suspects and evidence that need to be "protected".
"This is it." The attendant stopped in front of a door with a dry voice, "There are seven people in total, all of whom had access to the young master's daily life during that time. Lord Hanzō personally interrogated them, but... they all found nothing."
When he said "nothing", his eyes subconsciously drifted away. Obviously, Hanzō's "interrogation" would never be a gentle conversation.
"Yes, I understand." Senju Chen nodded, and his calmness beyond his age made the attendant's heart sink another half.
"You... you must not act recklessly." The attendant mustered up the last courage and warned in a low voice, "They are all emotionally unstable now. What if..."
Senju Chen ignored his "just in case" and pushed open the first door.
Inside the door was a metal room that was no different from where they lived. A slightly fat middle-aged man wearing a chef's uniform was sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands in his hair, looking depressed. Hearing the sound of Gate of Opening, he raised his head suddenly, his eyes filled with bloodshot eyes.
"Kid... who are you? Are you here for another interrogation? I really don't know anything!" He almost yelled, with the edge of collapse in his voice.
Senju Chen didn't speak, but walked slowly Earth Flow up to him with his short legs, looking up at him.
"Are you the chef who cooks for Lord Hanzō's son?" he asked, his voice clear and without any emotion.
"Yes... it's me." The chef was so frightened by what he saw that he stammered in reply.
"My teacher said that the poison that killed the young master was a very rare Scorpion-Tail Orchid. It is colorless and odorless, and you can't taste it when mixed in food." Senju Chen tilted his head, with innocent curiosity on his face, "Weren't you afraid after you put the poison in the soup? Why didn't you run away immediately?"
"You... what are you talking about!" The chef was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and his hair suddenly exploded. He jumped up from the bed, pointed at Senju Chen's nose and roared, "I have served Lord Hanzō for twenty years! My life was given by adults! How could I harm the young master! You Konoha brat, are you trying to frame me for trouble!"
His chest heaved violently, his face turned red, and his eyes were full of anger and humiliation.
'The mood swings are not big, only anger and grievance, no fear.' Senju Chen silently wrote it down in his heart, but he still had that innocent expression on his face.
"I'm just asking casually, uncle, why are you so excited?" He muttered in a low voice, turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the chef trembling with anger.
The attendant at the door was already sweating. He looked at Senju Chen, his lips were trembling, and he couldn't say a word.
Senju Chen didn't look at him and walked straight to the second door.
In the second room, there was a tall Amegakure ninja with a stern face. He sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes and rested. He just raised his eyelids when he heard any noise, and exuded the aura of keeping strangers away from him. He was one of the young master's personal guards during his lifetime.
"You are the closest to him." Senju Chen Gate of Opening pointed out, "It is difficult for anyone to do something under your nose."
The ninja snorted coldly and said nothing.
"Unless..." Senju Chen paused, a hint of slyness flashed in his clear eyes, "You are the one who does it. A perfect crime, isn't it? After poisoning, then pretending not to know anything, you will be the first to notice anomalies and sound the alarm."
He paused and said in an almost admiring tone, "You are so powerful. You killed someone in front of everyone. Why are you still so calm and don't want to run away at all?"
"Kid." The ninja finally opened his eyes, with cold murderous intent in his dark green pupils, "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't talk nonsense. If you insult me, you are insulting Lord Hanzō. Do you want to die?"
A substantial murderous aura rushed towards his face, and the attendant at the door felt his legs weaken and almost knelt down.
Senju Chen didn't seem to feel it. Instead, he took a small step forward with a provocative smile on his face.
'The murderous intent is strong, but it's not the anger of being exposed as a lie, but the anger of being questioned as a professional.' He made a judgment in his heart, but said reluctantly, "Look, you are angry."
After saying that, he turned around and left without giving the other party any chance to react.
Next is the third, fourth...
When the maid in charge of cleaning asked Senju Chen, "Did your hands tremble when you wiped the table with that wet cloth stained with poison?", she was so frightened that she cried on the spot and repeatedly said, "It's not me."
When a gardener who was responsible for pruning potted plants was asked, "Aren't you afraid that you will be poisoned if you mix pollen from Scorpion-Tail Orchid into aromatherapy?" he looked confused and confused.
Everyone, Senju Chen, used the same method to weave the poison details analyzed by Orochimaru into a seemingly reasonable modus operandi, and then hit them in the face in the most direct and abrupt way.
"You used this poison to kill people, why didn't you escape?"
This sentence, like a spell, echoed repeatedly in these depressing rooms.
Everyone's reactions, anger, grievance, fear, confusion... were all what he expected. But these emotions are just normal expressions of ordinary people when facing false accusations and death threats.
Until he opened the sixth door.
There were actually two people in the room. They were a middle-aged man, about thirty years old, wearing glasses and looking polite. According to the attendant, he seemed to be named Jonin.
The other one looked like his maid, the one who took care of daily life. When she saw Senju Chen coming in, she immediately stood up and hid against the wall.
Hey, he's already in jail and still has people waiting for him. This status is really not low.
When the man saw Senju Chen coming in, he just adjusted his glasses with a trace of doubt on his face.
"Kid. Who are you?"
Senju Chen didn't answer him, and walked slowly to him as before.
"I heard that your young master likes to read for a while before going to bed every day." He said, his voice not loud.
"I'm asking you, kid, who are you?" The man looked a little angry when he saw Senju Chen talking to himself.
"Scorpion-Tail Orchid's poison is ground into powder and applied to the pages of the book with a special colloid. It is colorless and odorless. As long as the pages are turned, the poison powder will evaporate and be inhaled." Senju Chen's voice was calm as if he was stating something that had nothing to do with him. "As long as the dose is well controlled, it can even delay the attack."
He raised his head, and his clear eyes were like two bottomless ancient wells, reflecting the man's gentle face.
"You used this poison to kill people, why didn't you escape?"