Yamanaka Inoichi?
The moment Natsuhiko saw the blond man in front of him, his name immediately surfaced in his mind.
As the future father of one of the "Konoha Twelve," Ino—and the captain of Konoha's Intelligence Division—there was no way Natsuhiko wouldn't recognize him.
Konoha's intelligence system was divided into two branches.
One was the Interrogation Force within the ANBU. In the future, a rather famous figure would emerge from that unit—
Morino Ibiki, who oversaw the Chūnin Exams' written test. If Natsuhiko remembered correctly, the woman most important to Kisame had been surrounded and captured under Ibiki's leadership.
The other branch was directly under the Hokage—the Intelligence Division led by Yamanaka Inoichi.
This division held significant authority. At times, they would even intervene in intelligence operations normally handled by the ANBU.
For example, when enemy heads were brought back after missions, it was this division that handled the final processing.
Natsuhiko had dealt with members of the Intelligence Division many times and had seen Yamanaka Inoichi on numerous occasions.
But to truly interact with him directly? That had basically never happened. Their ranks were simply too far apart.
Though Inoichi was "only" a division head—seemingly just one level above Natsuhiko in title—
In reality, even the commander of the ANBU wouldn't dare casually command him.
His political influence was far too strong.
After all, he stood alongside the Nara and Akimichi clans.
But why is Yamanaka Inoichi here to see me? Could it be…?
Natsuhiko's thoughts moved quickly. He soon pieced things together.
Inoichi's arrival naturally meant questioning about the incident. Fortunately, it wasn't the Interrogation Force—that indicated the issue wasn't considered too severe.
Still, a division commander had died. If the matter wasn't handled properly, it would be difficult to explain.
After all, when Kusunoki died, Natsuhiko had been the only one beside him.
And beyond specific incidents like this, Konoha had always been meticulous about eliminating hidden dangers early.
However, Natsuhiko felt there was another purpose behind such measures: preventing anyone from extending their influence into the ANBU.
The ANBU was the hardest department for external forces to infiltrate—and also the most important.
Its importance lay in its authority to execute orders—both within the village and beyond it.
Once the ANBU identified someone as a traitor and completed a comprehensive investigation with sufficient evidence, it would act without regard for status or identity.
Of course, in terms of sheer authority, Root technically had even greater power.
But Root was subject to heavier restrictions—and was even less able to operate in the open.
Therefore, to prevent ANBU members from being manipulated, shifting loyalties, or betraying Konoha, there existed a highly refined internal inspection system.
What Natsuhiko was curious about, however, was what method the head of the Intelligence Division would use to extract the necessary information from him.
If he knows I'm from the Senju clan… I wonder what he'll do?
Natsuhiko maintained a gentle smile on his face, though his mind continued racing.
It wasn't his first time undergoing inspection.
But previous checks had mostly involved reviewing mission details.
At the highest level, they had used certain special techniques to have him present specific aspects of his missions.
However, such methods had no real effect on Natsuhiko—and strictly speaking, they didn't count as true memory probing.
Even if information was obtained, it would always be cross-checked with others.
After all, conducting baseless investigations would only create unnecessary trouble.
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi maintained extremely tight control over the ANBU, it was still better not to do things that would create division within the village.
Memory searching was the specialty of the Yamanaka clan. In Natsuhiko's memory, such methods were typically used only on confirmed spies or enemies.
Searching the memories of one's own people? In his more than five years of ANBU service, Natsuhiko had never seen that happen.
Could it be… I'm going to be the first?
At that thought, his heart shifted slightly. Even though he knew it was unlikely, he still needed to remain cautious.
He wasn't afraid. He had made plenty of preparations. But if it truly happened, it would still be troublesome.
"I never expected it would be Mr. Inoichi," Natsuhiko thought inwardly, while maintaining an unusually gentle smile. "Sorry, the doctors won't allow me to get up freely, so…"
"It's fine. Get proper rest." Yamanaka Inoichi shook his head lightly and smiled faintly. "Just consider this a routine inspection. After all, a division commander has died."
"I understand." Natsuhiko nodded with a smile. "I will cooperate with Mr. Inoichi."
"Very good. Then I have a few questions for Captain Nightingale."
As Inoichi spoke softly, his chakra began to circulate slowly.
The chakra radiated toward Natsuhiko. At that moment, Natsuhiko felt drowsy, yet completely unable to fall asleep.
Inoichi's voice seemed to echo continuously in his mind, as though urging him to reveal every hidden secret.
The Psycho Mind Transmission?
At the very moment Natsuhiko felt most disoriented, something deep within his mind suddenly cleared completely. In that instant, he understood Inoichi's method.
This technique was one of the Yamanaka clan's signature jutsu—more precisely, a modified version derived from their secret arts.
In Natsuhiko's memory, this technique required no devices, and its execution was vastly different from genjutsu.
Yet it could cause the target, through the flow of chakra, to reveal their hidden secrets—both mentally and physically.
However, it wasn't without flaws.
To perform it successfully, the target had to either trust the caster—or be in an extremely weak and defenseless state.
It seems the honorable Third Hokage exercised restraint and did not allow Inoichi to use the simplest and most brutal method.
Natsuhiko reflected inwardly. Outwardly, however, he cooperated and spoke slowly:
"Mr. Inoichi, please go ahead and ask your questions."
"For my first question…"
Inoichi observed Natsuhiko's condition and nodded slightly. The state Natsuhiko was in—and the flow of chakra around him—indicated that the technique had succeeded.
Still, Inoichi remained fully focused. This "Reading" technique required not only listening carefully to the target's words, but also observing facial expressions and signs of chakra fluctuation.
Any small mistake could result in a major misjudgment.
Otherwise, he would not have personally taken on this task.
"Does Commander Kusunoki's death have anything to do with you?"
...
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