At this moment, Hyuga Hizashi no longer dared to act on his own. As the head of the branch family, if he were to bring trouble to the Hyuga clan due to this matter and the Hokage held them accountable, the main family might abandon him. It was not an impossibility!
The Hyuga clan was ruthless! Blood relations could not erase the vast chasm between the main family and the branch family. The hierarchy was strict, and for the sake of the main family, the life of any branch family member was expendable.
Of course, this was an extreme scenario. Acting against Haruto Saito might not necessarily lead to such drastic consequences. Hyuga Hizashi was merely displaying an abundance of caution.
Hyuga Hiashi, on the other hand, was different. Theoretically, he had the authority to mobilize the entire Hyuga clan as long as his orders did not conflict with those of the clan leader—his father.
"...It is said that Tsunade-sama was also present at the scene. After losing a bet, she fled, seemingly trying to avoid paying up," Hizashi concluded. "From Tsunade-sama's behavior, it seems she was the one who taught Haruto Saito…"
"That's impossible!" Hiashi interrupted immediately.
"That was indeed the situation at the time. Many people were there…" Hizashi hesitated.
"No!" Hiashi shook his head. "I'm not questioning the events. With so many witnesses, there's no way he could have faked it. What I mean is… he couldn't have learned the Mystical Palm Technique in a single day! There must be something else going on!"
"Well… that's true…"
"He might have been practicing it for a long time but only succeeded after joining Konoha, using it as an opportunity to deceive Tsunade," Hiashi analyzed quickly. "Or perhaps he obtained the technique through some other means rather than through training! He… is suspicious!"
"It is unusual. Ever since he joined Konoha, his strength has progressed rapidly. He is now at the level of a Chunin."
"Hmm…" Hiashi pondered for a moment before looking up. "Arrange for another assassination attempt. If possible, lure him out of the village under the guise of a mission. Handle it outside."
"Yes, brother!" Hizashi accepted the order but hesitated. "But what if the Hokage…"
"The Hokage must have already noticed something off about him. If we can see it, then so can the Hokage." Hiashi continued, "A kid with this many issues—if it were the Hokage's usual approach, he would have been eliminated long ago. I don't know why he's been spared this time, but… it doesn't matter! If certain things aren't openly acknowledged, they can be ignored! Eliminating a problematic individual like him, setting aside our own grudge with him, may actually be beneficial for Konoha as a whole!"
From dusk until nightfall, the news of Haruto Saito mastering the Mystical Palm Technique in a single day spread like wildfire throughout Konoha. It seemed like everyone knew about it. However, it was not as shocking as one might expect, because many people doubted its truthfulness—some even considered it mere rumor.
Anyone with a shred of common sense found the situation highly suspicious.
The moon shone brightly, stars scattered across the night sky.
The Konoha Police Force Headquarters was brightly lit. The recent instability across the ninja world had led to an increase in minor skirmishes between factions, gradually escalating. Signs of turbulence were appearing, which meant the police force had to work late into the night.
At the dimly lit end of a corridor, behind an iron-barred window, was a small holding cell.
Haruto Saito sat on a metal chair bolted to the floor. In front of him was a small iron table. A larger office desk was positioned farther away, but the room was empty. There was no one else in the interrogation chamber—just Haruto himself.
He had been sitting there for two hours now. He had initially thought that the Uchiha clan had brought him in as a ploy to recruit him, but no such thing had happened. After being locked up, he had been completely ignored.
"Damn it, I'm starving…" Haruto muttered.
The room was dimly lit, with only a single candle serving as its light source.
Haruto glanced at the candle, then at the iron door. With a flick of his wrist, five cards appeared in his hand.
Originally, he had planned to examine them at home, but now that it seemed like he wouldn't be going home anytime soon, he decided to go through them here instead.
These were the five cards obtained from the samurai Kuromaru:
Sword Technique: Wind Howl Card!
Iai Slash: Rhino Horn Strike Card!
Iai Eight Consecutive Light Flashes Card!
Basic Healing Card!
1,000 Reputation Points Card!
Haruto quickly flipped through them, pleasantly surprised. "So this guy practiced the Iai Slash style of swordsmanship!"
Iai Slash, in simple terms, was a school of quick-draw sword techniques—unsheathing and striking in a single motion. If no strike was needed, the sword remained sheathed.
In the original storyline, the most famous samurai of this style was none other than Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron.
There were many different schools of samurai swordsmanship. Iai Slash was one of the major styles. However, Haruto found it curious that Kuromaru, a practitioner of such a prestigious style, had chosen to betray the Land of Iron.
Eat! Eat! Eat!
Haruto consumed three ability cards in quick succession, stored away the Basic Healing Card, and then absorbed the 1,000 Reputation Points Card.
"Not bad! Killing a Chunin-level samurai actually dropped a Reputation Card!" Haruto mused aloud.
"Ding! Reminder: The drop rate of Reputation Cards from hostile non-ninja targets is higher than from ninja enemies!" The voice of the Card Emperor Spirit echoed in Haruto's mind.
"Oh?" Haruto was intrigued. "Why is that?"
"Because they are far fewer in number compared to ninjas."
"That… doesn't really explain much?"
Haruto didn't quite understand, but rules were rules. The Card Emperor Spirit offered no further explanation.
"So in other words, if I hunt enemy samurai, the drop rate for Reputation Cards is higher, right?" Haruto asked.
"Yes!"
"Hmm… hmm?" Haruto suddenly lifted his head, sensing movement near the interrogation room door. His heightened perception detected a group approaching from the corridor. Among them was a presence he recognized—Uchiha Mikoto!
Ten seconds later—
BANG!
The door was kicked open violently. Uchiha Mikoto entered the room, holding a leather whip, her face icy cold. The others remained outside, shutting the door behind her.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Haruto felt uneasy. Her relationship status with him had shifted from 'Dislike' to 'Loathing'!
CRACK!
Mikoto lashed the whip against the metal table, the tip narrowly missing Haruto's nose. The sharp sound echoed through the small chamber.
"Speak! Confess honestly!" Mikoto barked, her stance exuding authority.
In the dim interrogation room, the flickering candlelight cast moving shadows. A certain young lady wielded a leather whip…
"Queen of Whips, huh?" Haruto muttered.
"What did you say?" Mikoto glared at him.
"Ah, oh." Haruto feigned innocence, shrugging. "I was just wondering… what exactly do you want me to confess?"