"Is this an interrogation—or torture?"
"It's… an interrogation."
Uchiha Setsuna turned his head toward Rokuro.
"Little Rokuro, did you answer their questions honestly? Did you cooperate with the Interrogation Unit?"
"Of course I did," Rokuro replied calmly. "Just now, I told them everything—from how Lord Orochimaru became my squad leader to what we had for dinner last night. I didn't hide a thing. I even shared my guesses about why Orochimaru took me as his disciple. But…" he gave a small sigh, "these two brothers from the Interrogation Department insist I confess to things I've never done. That puts me in quite the difficult spot."
With a faint motion of his arms, the steel cuffs around his wrists snapped apart with a sharp crack, as if they were made of tin.
"The Third Hokage has always been a symbol of justice and integrity in my heart. I never imagined that his subordinates would resort to leading questions in an interrogation. Under the Will of Fire, every shinobi of Konoha is supposed to be like family—brothers and sisters to one another. So tell me, how could brothers and sisters treat one of their own like this?"
He turned toward the lead interrogator and patted his arm lightly.
"You agree with me, don't you, brother?"
The man flinched but couldn't move away. From the moment Rokuro broke the cuffs, an icy pressure had enveloped him—an illusion technique that instilled an overwhelming sense of dread, freezing both body and mind.
Breaking it would've been easy for someone with an unshakable will. Unfortunately, this interrogator clearly lacked it—he couldn't even form a rebuttal.
Rokuro smirked inwardly.
To him, these coercive interrogation tactics were crude and cheap. They worked well enough against the weak-minded, but in a world ruled by chakra, such tricks were little more than jokes.
Even the likes of Shimura Danzō—always scheming and plotting—ended up dying at the hands of an impulsive brat like Sasuke.
In this world, without power to back you up, no scheme lasts long.
Everyone in the room could feel the oppressive weight of Rokuro's genjutsu, yet none dared intervene. The Uchiha who came with Setsuna were all three-tomoe veterans; if things got violent, it was obvious who would lose.
"Since the matter's been clarified," Setsuna said coolly, "and since the Hokage only ordered an interrogation—nothing more—I'll be taking him back now. You have no objection, do you… White Fang's son?"
Setsuna's aged eyes locked on Kakashi. The young jōnin weighed the situation carefully. With Orochimaru still at large, starting a conflict with the Uchiha's Grand Elder would be disastrous.
After a long pause, Kakashi nodded. "…Understood."
Setsuna didn't say another word. He turned and led Rokuro away.
On their way back to the Uchiha compound, they passed several squads of ANBU rushing in the same direction—toward the laboratory Orochimaru had taken Rokuro to two nights ago.
It was clear: the manhunt for Orochimaru had begun.
Having just endured that unpleasant interrogation, Rokuro felt his blood stir. Perhaps this was the perfect chance to vent a little frustration.
"My thanks, Grand Elder. If not for you and the others, I might've suffered quite a bit in there."
"Little Rokuro," Setsuna said with a faint smile, "you are the pride of our Uchiha clan. Guiding and protecting you as you grow—it's the duty of us old men."
Rokuro glanced at the group walking with them. Only now did he realize that they were all veterans, most of them well past forty—an age that, for a shinobi, was already retirement.
So that was it… these were the elders, the backbone of the old guard.
"What about the Clan Head?" Rokuro asked.
"Forget him," Setsuna replied flatly. "From this day forward, you belong to my branch. I have full authority to make decisions for us—you needn't concern yourself with the Clan Head's opinion."
Rokuro felt a warmth spread through his chest.
To be honest, ever since learning he'd been reborn into the Uchiha clan, he hadn't thought highly of them. Sure, Konoha's leadership was corrupt—but the Uchiha weren't exactly innocent either. To him, they were arrogant, self-absorbed, and blind to reality.
In the original history, they suffered great injustice, yes—but all they ever did was complain. And when they finally decided to rebel, they didn't prepare weapons, allies, or even an escape plan. They simply charged in headfirst.
That wasn't courage—it was stupidity.
To Rokuro, the clan's so-called "three filial sons"—Shisui, Itachi, and Obito—were all traitors, but of very different kinds.
Shisui was the weakest of them—a man who killed himself instead of fighting back when betrayed. Rokuro despised that kind of cowardice.
Obito, on the other hand, was a lunatic—a man with unmatched power and zero sense. With two Mangekyō Sharingan, he could've been invincible long before the Sage powers ever appeared… if only he'd had the guts to kill Kakashi and reclaim his other eye. Instead, he wallowed in obsession.
And then there was Itachi. Opinions about him were divided—some called him a saint, others a monster. To Rokuro, he was the only one among them truly ruthless and rational. He didn't slaughter his clan because of sentimentality—it was because he knew they were dead weight.
The Uchiha's rebellion was doomed from the start. Even if they killed Hiruzen, the village would never accept them as Hokage. Their extinction was inevitable—Itachi merely chose to control the timing and spared his brother.
From a pragmatic view, Itachi's actions made sense.
But from a human one—he was a beast who killed his own parents.
In short, all three of them agreed on one thing: the Uchiha were beyond saving.
Rokuro used to think so too. That's why he'd never cared to "unite the clan." All he wanted was to grow stronger on his own.
But today… seeing Setsuna and these old men standing up for him—he felt, for the first time, a flicker of warmth. Maybe, just maybe, the Uchiha weren't all hopeless fools.
Maybe Setsuna's faction was worth saving.
"Grand Elder," he said softly, "it's getting late. My mother's waiting for me at home for dinner. I'll visit you tomorrow—I have something important to discuss."
Setsuna nodded. "Very well. I'll be waiting."
Rokuro bowed deeply to every Uchiha present, then turned and left the hall.
END OF CHAPTER
35 CHAPTERS AHEAD!!
Forbidden Java Jutsu - MrBehringer's Secret
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