Chapter 74: Who’s The Traitor?
Hoshigakure, Star Shadow Building.
Menma sat in the main seat, fiddling with a glass tube in his hand, inside which an eyeball of a three-tomoe Sharingan floated in pale green liquid.
The blood-red pupil gleamed with a demonic sheen amid the interplay of light and shadow.
“The opponent is called Shisui?” Menma lightly tapped the glass tube on the tabletop. After listening to the battle report from Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Hikari, he slightly raised his eyebrow: “So is this the left eye or the right eye?”
“Left eye.” Uchiha Hikari sat in the first position to Menma’s left, representing her status in the organization.
From the seat on the right, Kakuzu’s hoarse voice came from under the mask: “Shisui Uchiha of Konohagakure, during the Third Great Ninja War in battles against Kirigakure, established illustrious war merits, earning the title ‘Shisui the Teleporter’ with a unique Body Flicker Technique. Kirigakure put a bounty of thirty million ryō on him.”
As a bounty hunter who frequented the underground black market, Kakuzu knew every person on the bounty list like the back of his hand.
Such a long-famous jonin strong practitioner had actually been defeated by ‘Nameless’, and from the battle process described by the two, ‘Nameless’ alone had routed the three ninjas dispatched by Konoha.
Although no Konoha ninjas were captured, they had taken one Sharingan eye from Shisui Uchiha.
Kakuzu involuntarily felt even more dread toward ‘Nameless’s strength.
There was also Uzumaki Kushina, who acted together with ‘Nameless’. Clearly just chunin level not long ago, this time she had restrained one Stone Village jonin and two chunins—her strength had progressed too quickly.
Menma placed one hand on the glass tube, his index finger rhythmically tapping the glass tube cap, the crisp sound especially clear in the silent hall.
Of course, Menma was extremely familiar with the name Shisui Uchiha.
This one’s Mangekyo Sharingan was known as the strongest illusion technique, Kotoamatsukami, capable of altering a person’s will.
Now it had been forcibly gouged out by Uchiha Hikari.
Tsk tsk.
However, Menma remained vigilant and did not rush to transplant this Sharingan eye onto himself.
If Shisui had left some dojutsu in this eyeball, it would be troublesome.
Moreover, there were many things going on recently; being restrained would not be good.
Menma put away this eyeball and said to Uchiha Hikari: “Well done. I like this Sharingan eye very much.”
Uchiha Hikari pretended to be aloof, lightly humming and slightly turning her head.
But the upturned corner of her mouth betrayed her delighted heart.
Next, Menma listened to Kakuzu’s report on the capture process of those two Sand Village ninjas.
After separating from Yakura, these two guys tried to blend into a merchant caravan and enter Hoshigakure, but were directly taken down by the Anbu led by Kakuzu.
As for Yakura, Menma recalled that woman’s stubborn appearance, limping yet still trying to form hand seals.
“Based on the preliminary interrogation of these infiltrating foreign ninjas, it can basically be confirmed that someone sent out a distress signal from the Land of Bears, or even Hoshigakure.” Menma rested his chin on one hand, his gaze turning to Yoruya.
This former ‘Third Star Shadow’ of Hoshigakure hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground: “Lord Shura, this matter absolutely has nothing to do with me!”
“I know. You didn’t have time to do it.” Menma said lightly: “Do you have any suspects?”
This actually made Yoruya stammer a bit.
Seeing this, everyone understood that Yoruya indeed had some secrets.
“You old guy, what are you hiding? Hurry up and say it!” Kado shouted irritably at Yoruya.
At this point, Yoruya could only confess honestly: “Replying to Lord, Hoshigakure… indeed still has two jonins who have been away.”
Yoruya spoke slowly.
It turned out that a year ago, the two ninjas with the highest progress in meteorite cultivation in the village, Hotaru and Natsuhi, discovered the side effects of meteorite cultivation and decided to steal the meteorite to destroy it.
They were surrounded and intercepted by Yoruya leading Anbu ninjas just as they were about to escape the village.
But Yoruya also knew the side effects of meteorite cultivation had caused many genius youths in Hoshigakure to die young, so he took this opportunity to seal off meteorite cultivation, prohibiting people in the village from practicing it.
Hotaru and Natsuhi were then given important tasks by him to monitor the village’s movements from outside.
If someone wanted to restart meteorite cultivation and he was no longer around, he entrusted them to handle it.
Yoruya then announced to the villagers in the name of ‘Third Star Shadow’ that Hotaru and Natsuhi had been killed by enemies attempting to steal the meteorite, dying heroically.
“Are you sure it was those two who sent the distress message outward?” Menma had long known the intelligence on Hotaru and Natsuhi; he was just giving this old guy Yoruya a chance to see if he would come clean on his own.
Now, Yoruya had passed the test.
“I’m also… not too certain…” Cold sweat seeped from Yoruya’s whitening temples.
Hotaru and Natsuhi were the strongest young people of the current generation in Hoshigakure, which was why he placed high hopes on them.
“Go bring those two back.” Menma said to Yoruya: “Let them accept the investigation honestly. If they did it, I will deal with them myself; if not, it adds two jonin combat powers to the organization.”
Menma vaguely remembered that Natsuhi’s Peacock Myōhō practice had reached great completion, possibly making her the strongest in combat power among this group of Star Ninjas.
However, her husband Hotaru’s condition was not good; after being eroded by the meteorite’s radiation energy, he might not live more than a few years.
“Yes!” Yoruya respectfully accepted the order.
After Yoruya withdrew, Menma tossed a scroll to Kakuzu: “Capture people according to the list. The interrogation is left to you.”
Menma had the Dark Nine-Tails’ Malice Perception and was very clear on who in the village harbored the greatest malice toward him.
Round up all these people and interrogate them one by one, and the traitors would surely be found.
“Heh heh heh!” Kakuzu stowed the scroll, emitting a hoarse and unpleasant laugh.
But just as Kakuzu stood up to leave, Uzumaki Kushina stood up and volunteered: “Lord, let me participate in the interrogation as well.”
“Hm?” Menma voiced his doubt.
Uzumaki Kushina explained: “I’m practicing ‘Kagura Shingan’ and found that this secret technique can sense detailed changes in chakra. It might have some effect during the interrogation of ninjas.”
It turned out Uzumaki Kushina wanted to test if ‘Kagura Shingan’ could be used as a lie detector.
“Mm, go ahead.” Menma nodded in approval.
——————
Land of Rain.
Akatsuki headquarters.
A spatial vortex fluctuated, and the figure of ‘Uchiha Madara’ wearing the tiger mask emerged.
“Where did you come back from? You still carry the scent of blood.” Konan smelled a faint blood scent and stared at ‘Uchiha Madara’s ninja sword, slightly frowning.
“Went out for some fun.” Obito’s face under the mask rarely showed some pleasure.
He had just helped a Uchiha boy awaken his eyes, completing the layout of one pawn.
The Deva Path in the shadows slowly opened his eyes: “Zetsu brought back some intelligence. That mysterious ‘Shura’ might be in Hoshigakure.”
“What, are you interested in that guy who hides his head but shows his tail?” Obito placed one hand on the sword hilt, the tiger mask lifting as the Sharingan met the Deva Path’s Rinnegan.
