"Thank you for helping me when I was in the most danger," Mikoto said again.
"Actually, it was Kushina who discovered you. We were brought here by her. We can clear your name, but it just so happens that I'm medical-nin." Araki didn't seem to be trying to take credit.
"No matter what you say, I still want to thank you." Mikoto shook her head, then continued, "I didn't hear your analysis and reasoning, but I have a question in my mind: why did the murderer choose to kill the Ueki killer but not me?"
"Do you remember what happened before you fell into a coma?" Araki didn't answer Mikoto's question, but instead asked his own.
"I don't remember much. I vaguely remember that I went to the backyard and then I didn't know anything. When I woke up, I saw Ueki lying in front of me covered in blood," Mikoto said, shaking her head.
"When did you go to the backyard?" Araki asked again after a moment's thought.
"It should be around 10 a. m. I plan to practice my Genin tool throwing a little, and then wait to have lunch with Kushina," Mikoto.
"How long has it been since you and Kushina ate together?" Araki asked again, seemingly lost in thought.
"We often meet for lunch together. We ate together yesterday, didn't you know that?" Mikoto replied after a moment's hesitation.
"Yeah, we eat almost Tenten, unless we have a mission," Kushina chimed in.
" Mikoto, I have a question. According to what Lord Nanagen'u said, you had some conflict with Ueki yesterday. Could you tell me what it was?" Araki asked in a deep voice.
" Araki, why are you asking this?!" Kushina glared at Araki, annoyed. It was obvious that he was bringing up a sore spot. Even she knew that Ueki had tried to force himself on Mikoto yesterday, and now he was asking her this so bluntly.
"It's alright." Mikoto shook her head, her spirits clearly high. She then took a deep breath and said, "Last night, he came to my house from Ueki. I don't know what happened, but he suddenly confessed his feelings to me. I didn't accept, and he went crazy and pounced on me."
"And then?" Araki seemed to show no mercy whatsoever.
"Of course I couldn't let him succeed, so I kicked him away. I kicked him really hard, and my knee is still sore from the impact." Mikoto rubbed her right leg as she spoke.
"Where did you kick?" Araki pressed.
"My chest," Mikoto said casually, then asked, "Is there a problem?"
"No problem, just learn more and you'll understand why the killer only killed the Ueki and not you," Araki said calmly.
"So you know why?" Mikoto's beautiful eyes suddenly widened.
"I have a general idea in mind." Araki nodded.
"Can you tell me?" Mikoto asked cautiously. As she spoke, she glanced at Kushina and Mikoto beside her and noticed that the two of them, as well as Jiraiya, were all pretending to eat, but were actually listening attentively.
"Let's forget about it. I'm not part of the Konoha Military Police Force, I have no interest in solving cases, and besides, it's all just speculation. I have no evidence. It's already quite good that I can clear your name." Araki shook his head with a slight smile.
"Do you think Uncle Nanagen'u can find the murderer?" Mikoto continued to ask with concern.
"It will be very difficult." Araki pondered for a moment and said, " Lord Nanagen'u's thinking is inherently one-track-minded, and sometimes he is biased by his preconceived notions. In the case of Ueki, there are many preconceived notions, so it will be very difficult for him to investigate. However, I think he will not give up on the investigation."
"Oh dear, you all don't need to worry about the murderer; that's the Konoha Military Police Force's business. As long as Mikoto is alright, that's all that matters," Kushina said with a smile.
"That's true." Araki nodded, a smile returning to his solemn face, as if ice and snow were melting.
As he was eating, Jiraiya stood up.
He wiped his mouth, finished his meal, and was in a good mood.
"You bunch of kids, making such a commotion delayed my research, but the process itself was quite exciting. Don't forget to meet up tomorrow for the mission. I'm off now."
That's all.
Jiraiya left immediately.
"I'm full, I'm going to cultivate."
Araki followed closely behind and left. After he left, Minato also left, leaving Kushina and Mikoto, who continued to eat together in silence.
Araki had only been out for a short while, and was about to enter the forest, when a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
This person was none other than Uchiha Nanagen'u.
"Is there anything I can do for you Lord Nanagen'u?" Araki didn't beat around the Araki; he knew that the other party must be looking for him to be here.
" Araki, how can you help me find the murderer who killed the Ueki killer?" Uchiha Nanagen'u asked directly, getting straight to the point.
"I don't have that ability. I can only determine the cause and time of death through the signs on the body. I can't help with anything else," Araki said, shaking his head.
"Do you still remember Sora Hyuga?" Uchiha Nanagen'u said in a deep voice, "To me, it was a trivial case, I've even forgotten the person's name, but for you, it's not."
"Who is Sora Hyuga?" Araki asked blankly.
"Have you forgotten your classmates from the Ninja Academy?" Uchiha Nanagen'u frowned, clearly dissatisfied with Araki's answer.
"Now that you mention it, I think I vaguely remember him. Why did you bring him up?" Araki asked.
"If you can help me find the murderer who killed Ueki, then I promise you I won't investigate Sora Hyuga's case anymore!" Uchiha Nanagen'u had already decided in his heart that the person who killed Sora Hyuga was Araki. After all, they still hadn't found Sora Hyuga, not even a body, and everything might not have been completely cleaned up. This made him think that the only person who could do such a thing was Araki.
" Lord Nanagen'u, are you upset by the death of the Ueki? Why are you saying things I don't understand..." Araki remained unmoved, raising two fingers and saying, "First, as I just said, I don't have the ability to find the murderer! Second, as Sora Hyuga's classmate, I sincerely hope that you will continue to investigate Sora Hyuga's case and give the village an explanation. This is the duty of your Konoha Military Police Force."
"You..."
Uchiha Nanagen'u never expected that Araki could be so arrogant, completely fearless. This made him realize that investigating the Sora Hyuga case would be far more difficult than Ueki.
" Lord Nanagen'u, please stop bothering me. You won't find the answers here. You'd be better off using your time to find the murderer. I can give you a hint: the Genjutsu that caused the death by Ueki originates from..."
Araki paused slightly at this point, then added in a deep voice.
Sharingan!
"What did you say?!" Uchiha Nanagen'u was shocked upon hearing this answer. He had considered this possibility before, but only briefly, quickly suppressing it. But now it was different. With Araki's words, it was almost like evidence, directly narrowing down the scope of his investigation. "You mean, the murderer is a member of the Uchiha Clan?"
"That's your own conclusion, it has nothing to do with me. I've said all I can say, Lord Nanagen'u, good luck."
After saying that, Araki turned and disappeared into the woods without looking back.
Uchiha Nanagen'u did not follow him.
but...
He sensed another current of air following him from afar.
This was all within his expectations.
Of course, this is only within his current expectations; for him, having this answer in his heart was truly unexpected.
Araki walked into the woods for more than half an hour, and after confirming that there was no one around, he stopped.
at the same time.
His breathing also stopped.
"Stop hiding, come out. There's no one else here now, we can talk."
Araki's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the forest and reached the ears of a figure perched on a branch.
Immediately afterwards.
Before that figure could move.
Araki's voice rang out again, completely unsettling the other party.
When did you Mangekyō Sharingan?
Chapter 16 Mystery
After Araki said those words, the other party still didn't make the slightest move.
It seems to have been hidden very cleverly.
but...
From the very beginning, Araki had already detected the other party's presence; he could sense their aura.
"I know who you are, and you should know that I know who you are. There's no one else here, so I think you can just walk out."
Araki spoke again, his tone suggesting he wasn't too concerned about the matter, appearing quite nonchalant.
After Araki uttered those words, the forest fell silent, completely still, as if no one existed at all.
"Well..."
Araki sighed softly, then turned around and looked directly at the tree branch. Although the person on the branch was hiding very cleverly and could not be seen with the naked eye, he was certain that that was where the person was hiding.
"Actually, I didn't know it was you at first. It was just that your question made me discover some flaws. If I had to say something, it would be that you shouldn't have asked me."
Araki spoke to himself, without using any strong tone, as if he were talking to the air in front of him. However, his voice could be clearly heard by the person on the branch.
"When I saw Uchiha Ueki, his body was already covered in large patches of lividity. Judging from this, he had been dead for at least two hours. After I applied pressure, the lividity temporarily disappeared, indicating that it was lividity during the settling phase, and the time of death was within six hours..."
Araki slowly began to speak, uttering some words that were difficult to understand, but his logical thinking remained remarkably clear.
After he finished speaking, the other party still did not make a move.
This caused Araki to slowly open again.
"So when I examined Uchiha Ueki's body, he had been dead for at least two hours, but no more than six hours. You said you went to the backyard around 10 o'clock, but by that time, Uchiha Ueki should have already been dead. Is that clear enough for me?"
Araki's tone remained calm, as if he were telling a story.
After he finished speaking.
The branch twitched slightly.
A figure suddenly jumped down and appeared in front of Araki; it was Uchiha Mikoto, whom he had just met.
"What are lividity spots?" Mikoto stared wide-eyed at Araki, her eyes still filled with intense confusion.
"After a person dies, blood circulation stops, and blood will flow along the blood vessels to the lower, uncompressed parts of the body due to gravity. Over time, the red blood cells in the blood will show purplish-red or dark red spots through the skin, which is called livor mortis," Araki explained slowly, seemingly unaffected by Mikoto's appearance.
"How can something be so complicated..." Mikoto rubbed her temples, feeling that this knowledge was a bit beyond her grasp.
"Actually, the places where the bodies were disposed of this time weren't very good, but I think you did a great job. If you had made it perfect, you wouldn't have been able to clear your name. However, you still underestimated the incompetence of the Konoha Military Police Force." Araki commented as if it were a very simple matter.
"You seem to have known it was me all along?" Mikoto asked, puzzled.
"No, I wouldn't have guessed if you hadn't told me these things." Araki shook his head.
"But all I told you was that I practiced Genin tool throwing around 10 a. m. That shouldn't be a reason for you to suspect me. I can simply say that I was drugged and that's why I don't remember clearly." Mikoto blinked her big, dark eyes, staring intently at Araki, showing no sign of worry even though she was being suspected.
"You ate lunch with Kushina every day, which should be the time you chose to kill Uchiha Ueki in the morning. At that point, you would know that if Kushina didn't see you when she came looking for you, she would do her best to clear your name," Araki said casually. "That part of the plan is quite remarkable."
"So you've already decided it's me?" Mikoto asked, tilting her head.
"Whether it's you or not is none of my business. I have no curiosity about that, nor do I intend to help Nanagen'u investigate the case." Araki shook his head.
"Since you have such doubts, why didn't you ask earlier?" Mikoto asked again, feeling even more puzzled by the boy in front of her whom she was quite familiar with. She originally thought she knew Araki very well, but found that she still didn't understand anything.
"I think this matter is just right, so why should we continue it?" Araki said with a slight smile.