Chapter 95:
After hearing Orochimaru's explanation, the assembled jonin shifted uncomfortably in their seats as though sitting on needles. They twisted in their chairs, heads turning as they desperately wanted to whisper to each other, yet feared Orochimaru's rebuke. The discomfort was palpable.
Of course, some weren't particularly interested in serving as witnesses to this interrogation. They had no desire to be involved, but Orochimaru's authority was absolute, and without a reasonable excuse to refuse, they could only endure their displeasure in sullen silence.
At that moment—
Uchiha Shisui stood up and responded loudly: "Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
He accepted the assignment without complaint or hesitation. He didn't bemoan the difficulty, didn't hedge against potential failure, didn't even leave himself an escape route. His character was so straightforward and honest—truly the perfect tool for any commander's use.
Then—
He strode quickly to stand before Suikazan Fuguki, lifting up the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who had grown considerably thinner since their last encounter. However, Fuguki kept his eyes tightly shut, refusing to cooperate.
"Shisui, let me help you!"
Uchiha Teyaki stepped forward, moving swiftly to Shisui's side in a few quick strides. He reached out with both hands and forcibly pried open Fuguki's eyelids.
Fuguki's eyeballs rotated violently, desperately trying to avoid the Sharingan before him.
But unfortunately—
His efforts were futile. Two seconds after his eyelids were forced open, his frantically spinning eyes suddenly froze, instantly losing that spark of vitality known as "self."
"Got him!"
Shisui announced.
Teyaki immediately released his grip. Shisui reached forward and removed the gag from Fuguki's mouth. Without support, Fuguki's body swayed before he collapsed onto the ground with a thump.
"Lord Orochimaru, I will now deceive Fuguki's brain into believing he has been returned to the Hidden Mist Village through a prisoner exchange and is currently being questioned by the Mizukage. Whatever questions are asked, as long as he knows the answer, he will respond. Of course, if his own perception contains errors, we may not get the answers we're seeking. In this regard, it's not as effective as the Yamanaka Clan's mind-reading techniques that directly access the brain."
Shisui explained in detail the general theory behind genjutsu interrogation and its advantages and limitations.
Orochimaru nodded, indicating his understanding.
Though genjutsu wasn't his specialty, he still possessed skills above the average jonin level. He understood the basic principles and had witnessed Uchiha teammates interrogate enemies during joint missions before, though he'd never personally participated.
However, Ritsu didn't quite understand. The Hyuga Clan's knowledge of genjutsu was remarkably shallow—they simply relied on their innate high resistance to illusions to avoid fear of genjutsu users.
Out of curiosity, he spoke up: "Shisui, what do you mean by errors in Fuguki's own perception?"
"Ritsu-senpai, it's actually quite simple. Right now it's morning. If I ask you what you ate, would you tell me everything you ate for all three meals yesterday? But if I ask what you ate last night, naturally you wouldn't tell me what you had this morning!"
"Ah, I understand now."
After hearing Shisui's clear explanation, Ritsu suddenly comprehended.
In other words, genjutsu interrogation heavily depended on questioning technique. Simply put, using genjutsu interrogation meant you had to input the right question to receive the answer—you couldn't directly access the raw data. Direct brain reading, on the other hand, was like accessing backend data storage.
Both methods had drawbacks. The former required exceptional questioning skills—ask the wrong question and you'd struggle to obtain the desired intelligence. The latter was exhausting and dangerous, since the brain stored vast amounts of complex information. Finding specific intelligence within it was like panning for gold in an ocean of sand, and a single mistake could destroy the brain entirely. After all, the human brain was extraordinarily fragile.
Of course, the Yamanaka Clan's mental techniques were exceptionally powerful. To use an imperfect analogy, Yamanaka experts could manually install a keyword search function within a target's brain, greatly reducing search difficulty and allowing them to find desired intelligence quickly and efficiently.
"Ritsu-senpai, any other questions? If not, I need to concentrate on constructing the genjutsu to deceive his brain."
Shisui asked again.
"No more. Continue, Shisui. I won't interrupt you again."
Shisui nodded after hearing this, then stared intently at Suikazan Fuguki, beginning to carefully construct and weave the genjutsu. Everyone maintained silence, quietly waiting.
After approximately two minutes, Shisui, who had been holding his breath in concentration, slowly exhaled and looked toward Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru, it's done. You can question him now. Would you like to do so personally?"
"Do I need to come closer?"
"That's not necessary. Fuguki's current state is similar to dreaming or being intoxicated. He's lost the ability to control himself, but hasn't completely fallen into unconscious sleep where he can't speak. His brain can still think normally—he just can't control himself. If you speak at normal volume, he'll hear you. Also, everyone else please remain quiet and don't interfere with Lord Orochimaru's interrogation."
Having said this—
He fell silent as well, simply nodding toward Orochimaru to indicate they could begin.
Orochimaru nodded in acknowledgment, understanding. He glanced at the subordinate seated at a specially prepared desk with brush in hand, ready to record everything. Then his gaze focused on Suikazan Fuguki sitting on the ground. After two seconds of consideration, he asked: "Suikazan Fuguki, why did your Seven Ninja Swordsmen's surprise attack on Konoha fail?"
This was a test question. The recording subordinate's brush flew across the paper.
In that moment—
Everyone stared intently at Fuguki, watching to see if he would truly answer, whether his response would be rational and accurate.
The next second, Fuguki's mouth opened and he actually began to speak, though his voice wavered unsteadily, rising and falling unpredictably.
He said: "Lord Mizukage, our operation was going smoothly at first. Konoha never anticipated we would make such a bold decision. After breaking through the coastal defenses, we pushed straight toward Konoha Village. We encountered a few Konoha genin brats. We were planning to eliminate those genin and head straight into Konoha, but suddenly a middle-aged man in a green jumpsuit with a bowl-cut hairstyle burst out at us..."
At this point, Fuguki paused, fear appearing on his face as though recalling something particularly terrifying.
Seeing this, Ritsu frowned slightly, worried that Fuguki might break through Shisui's genjutsu due to intense emotional fluctuations. But clearly his concern was unnecessary.
Even without considering his Mangekyo Sharingan technique, Kotoamatsukami, Uchiha Shisui's mastery of genjutsu was now undisputedly the strongest in the Uchiha Clan.
Sure enough, after pausing for several seconds as though calming his terror, Fuguki continued:
"That strangely dressed man seemed to have used some kind of terrifying forbidden technique, unleashing horrifyingly fast speed and strength. With a single punch, he killed Kuriarare Kushimaru before he could even react. Next was Jinin Akebino—his Blunt Sword Kabutowari couldn't even touch the man's shadow before he got his head kicked clean off. Jinpachi Munashi tried to use the Explosive Blade Shibuki to blow the man up, but the explosion's shockwave couldn't even catch up to his speed. He ended up with the man's fist punched straight through his chest."
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