Even if they used the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, they had none of Sora Hyuga's flesh to extract genetic material from for the summoning ritual.
Not to mention that Orochimaru had yet to fully master the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
Araki considered his handling of Sora Hyuga's situation fairly meticulous, without any oversights.
"The Military Police Force really does have plenty of problems, though."
Araki shook his head slightly. Searching for Sora Hyuga would inevitably fall to the Military Police Force. Although it was hardly confidential, the fact that children of the younger generation had heard about it so quickly and even arrived here ahead of the police did reveal certain problems.
As Uchiha Fugaku and his group left...
Araki abruptly leaped down from the treetop. His movements looked incredibly light, and even after both feet touched the ground, he made no noticeable sound. His control over the muscles throughout his body had become even more effortless.
"I can't keep staying in the woods. Tomorrow, I should move to the lake. Swimming really is more effective for conditioning my body than training on land."
Araki silently made his plans. His ability to control his body with such speed and agility was entirely thanks to his persistence in making swimming part of his regular training. Not only could he sense the movement of the air, but he could also weave swiftly through its currents while running at speed.
"And... it's time to consider adding weights!"
Gradually.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
As the morning sun rose, another night of training ended. Araki had not encountered any other members of the Military Police Force coming to investigate.
Had he not run into the Junior Detective League, he would never have known the Military Police Force was investigating this matter.
They were far too inefficient!
When Araki returned to his lodgings, he saw no sign of Kushina, but his schoolbag was sitting by the entrance. It had clearly been packed and placed somewhere convenient for him to pick up.
"She's pretty considerate."
The corners of Araki's mouth lifted slightly into a smile. Through this tiny detail, he sensed a change in Kushina's attitude.
They had reached an agreement before, but Kushina had not been particularly willing to keep her distance from him. Now, that had changed.
Kushina was clearly no longer so clingy!
Someone else might have felt anxious about losing her attention, but Araki suddenly felt much less pressure. He would not end up being treated as a thorn in someone's side.
When Araki arrived at the Ninja Academy classroom, he saw Kushina already in her seat.
As though sensing Araki's arrival, Kushina looked up at him. Her dark eyes sparkled as if they could speak, and she gave an unobtrusive nod, as though greeting him.
Immediately afterward.
Kushina turned her attention elsewhere.
It was not that she did not want to exchange a few more glances with Araki. Rather, she understood that many people in their class wanted to befriend her now, and the slightest carelessness could instead bring him trouble.
After everything that had happened over the past few days, Kushina felt as though she had died once and now been reborn.
After her rebirth, she loved life even more and cherished the people she wanted to cherish even more.
Many things she had previously failed to understand now made sense. Many things she had never cared about began to matter, while some things she had once cared about no longer mattered at all.
Tap, tap, tap-tap, tap, tap-
Not long after Araki sat down, a string of footsteps sounded outside the classroom. They were disordered and irregular. Without even thinking about it, anyone could tell that more than one person was approaching.
Ibuki-sensei appeared in the classroom doorway first. His expression was much more serious than usual, and the slight dark circles around his eyes made it clear he had not slept well.
Following close behind him were two ninja dressed in Konoha ninja attire. Their expressions looked as though every student in the class owed them money, both wearing exactly the same kind of look.
Their brows were tightly furrowed and their lips turned down in utter coldness. Their eyes, in particular, looked as though they were interrogating criminals as they swept over the class.
Chapter 30: Every Transmigrator Dreams of Being an Actor
Araki kept his head slightly lowered. Outwardly, he paid no attention to these people, his gaze remaining fixed on the book on his desk, as though he had not the slightest curiosity about what was happening.
But in reality...
He had already taken a clear look at the situation.
The two men who had come in with Ibuki-sensei were definitely from the Konoha Military Police Force. Both wore the same sour face, giving off the unmistakable impression of people abusing a scrap of authority.
Before transmigrating to the ninja world, Araki had encountered plenty of people like this, especially during his school days. Some were merely class officers, yet acted as if they were secretaries-general. They really thought they were somebody, either showing off to their classmates or running to the teachers to tattle...
These two members of the Military Police Force gave him precisely that feeling.
What was written on their faces was not dignity and fairness, but power and pride. They had no regard for anything around them.
"Class, allow me to introduce these two..."
Ibuki-sensei began slowly. Perhaps because these two big shots stood beside him, even his voice lacked its usual force.
However...
Before Ibuki-sensei could finish.
The brown-haired member of the Military Police Force standing on the right side of the lectern, close to Ibuki-sensei, raised his right hand and cut him off.
"We'll handle it ourselves."
The brown-haired man uttered those few words simply. His tone held no emotion, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.
With that.
He swept his gaze around the classroom, letting it linger briefly on each student.
"We're from the Military Police Force. My name is Uchiha Nanagen'u. We'll be asking you some questions now, and you must answer truthfully. If I find out any of you have lied, you certainly won't want to know the consequences."
The brown-haired man introduced himself first, but throughout his speech, he did not introduce the other man.
As for the other member of the Military Police Force beside him, his eyes had unobtrusively turned blood-red, with three black tomoe in them. He had clearly activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and was carefully examining each student's face, watching the changes in everyone's microexpressions with precision.
This was a coordinated two-man effort!
One was responsible for applying verbal pressure, while the other searched for openings.
It had to be said...
They did have some skill here!
Araki took it all in, especially the member of the Military Police Force named Uchiha Nanagen'u. He was clearly making harsh threats to frighten them, yet his tone remained flat, as though he were making casual conversation.
This was the first person like that he had met in the ninja world.
Not even Ibuki-sensei had that sort of presence.
Only spending a long time in a high position could cultivate such an air. Even if he was abusing a scrap of authority, he had held that scrap for a long time.
"When did you last see Sora Hyuga?"
Uchiha Nanagen'u's tone abruptly turned icy, and his entire presence changed in an instant. The calm, reflective tone from before vanished, replaced outright by forceful questioning.
The sudden change brought panicked looks to the students' faces, and each hurriedly thought back over what had happened.
At the same time.
The other member of the Military Police Force standing to one side with his Sharingan active observed the changes in everyone's expressions.
At this point.
Araki suddenly understood.
Last night in the woods, he had thought the Military Police Force incompetent. Now, it seemed they were not entirely as he had imagined.
Judging by their current approach...
The Military Police Force had probably already concluded that Sora Hyuga had been murdered.
As Uchiha Nanagen'u's gaze moved, every student he looked at began recounting the relevant circumstances.
Before long...
His gaze fell on Araki.
"A-after... school..."
Araki once again took up the label of someone with a communication disorder. If he were only dealing with classmates, he could gradually show that there was nothing wrong with his speech, but when facing the Military Police Force, it was better to play it safe.
"Where?" Uchiha Nanagen'u's brow shifted slightly. He felt that Araki's stammering seemed to conceal something, so he pressed him with another question.
"The... the... little grove..."
Araki displayed his acting skills without the slightest panic. After all, every transmigrator dreamed of being an actor.
All of this stemmed from his confidence!
He knew he had left no evidence behind. Never mind that this man had yet to suspect him-even if he already did, he had no decisive evidence.
All Araki needed to do now was perform as usual!
There were still some gaps in his information regarding this matter.
He only knew that no one had followed Sora Hyuga that day. He did not know whether anyone had seen Sora Hyuga enter the little grove.
That grove was where he often trained.
From information Biwako Sarutobi had inadvertently let slip, he knew that the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had observed him with the Telescope Technique long ago.
If they truly pursued the investigation, these things were bound to be discovered. He might as well mention it himself and instead cut off this line of inquiry.
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Nanagen'u's pupils contracted slightly. He suddenly realized there seemed to be a particular discovery here. The students he had just questioned had all said they had not seen Sora Hyuga after school, but this stammering child had mentioned the grove. It seemed to give the case a new direction and a breakthrough.
"What exactly happened?"
Uchiha Nanagen'u slowly raised his voice, putting pressure on Araki in an intangible way.
The scene also drew the attention of the other students in the class.
For a moment.
Countless gazes fell on Araki.
"That... that day... Sora Hyuga came to me... wanting to have a sparring match..."
Araki spoke very slowly. That simple sentence seemed to consume all his strength, leaving everyone listening exhausted.
"I... I... I wasn't... a match for him... so I ran... After that... I don't know..."
The moment he said that.