strictlysupreme Chapter 632 Night
Chapter 632 Night
As night faded and the east began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the corridors of the interrogation department were gradually quieted by the arrival of staff. However, a persistent, nauseating stench of blood filled the air. Some experienced ninjas frowned and began to whisper amongst themselves.
"What's going on? Why does it smell so strongly of blood?"
"Was there something big going on last night?"
Just then, the blond man from the Yamanaka clan, named Yamanaka Inoichi—though mistakenly written as Yamanaka Nita in the records—found Hatake Sakumo, who was reviewing documents in his office. He sniffed the air, a hint of doubt and unease on his face.
"Lord White Fang," Yamanaka Inoichi asked respectfully, his voice tinged with hesitation, "You've been working here all this time, have you noticed any strange smells?"
Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo sighed inwardly. He looked up at Yamanaka Inoichi, a barely perceptible hint of weariness flashing in his bloodshot eyes.
"Hmm." Hatake Sakumo responded calmly, then stood up, picked up a spare key from the table, and said, "Take the spare key to room number 1 and come with me."
The two walked one after the other, following the direction where the smell of blood was strongest. When they arrived at a heavy metal door, the stench of blood reached its peak.
Yamanaka Inoichi couldn't help but cover his nose, his brows furrowed and his face pale: "It's here... The smell of blood is so strong, Lord White Fang, what happened in here?"
Hatake Sakumo did not answer, but simply handed the key in his hand to Yamanaka Inoichi and instructed, "Open it."
Although Yamanaka Inoichi was apprehensive, he did as instructed. He took the key, inserted it into the lock, and twisted it hard. The heavy door creaked open slowly.
The scene inside the gate stunned Yamanaka Inoichi for a moment.
The room was a scene of utter chaos, with hundreds of corpses lying haphazardly, pools of blood staining the cold floor a shocking dark red. Most of the prisoners had their eyes wide open, their expressions still reflecting extreme terror, as if they had endured immense fear and despair before their deaths; their deaths were gruesome. In the center of the blood-soaked room, only one man, dressed in black and without a mask, stood silently. He was untouched by blood, seemingly incongruous with the carnage.
Yamanaka Inoichi trembled, his voice shaking with fear and disbelief as he pointed at the man in black and asked, "You...you...who are you?!"
Sakumo Hatake stepped forward, patted Inoichi Yamanaka on the shoulder, and calmly reassured him, "Don't be afraid. He's my disciple, Zhang Hai. I sent him to help interrogate these prisoners."
Upon hearing this, the few remaining surviving ninjas in the room, seeing the door finally open, felt as if they had seen a savior. Their previously dejected expressions were instantly replaced by an overwhelming will to survive, and one of the ninjas roared at the top of his lungs:
"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Ask me anything! As long as... as long as this demon stays away from me!" His voice was choked with sobs and despair, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Hatake Sakumo was used to this scene; he simply shouted in annoyance, "Zhang Hai, come out."
At this moment, Zhang Hai had already removed his mask, revealing a slightly immature yet confident face. A faint smile played on his lips as he slowly turned around.
“Teacher,” Zhang Hai said with a hint of excitement and accomplishment, “I have a general outline of the new sword technique, and I’ve given it a name… Illusion Sword Technique!”
The moment Zhang Hai turned around, Hatake Sakumo's eyes seemed to be pierced by the unmistakable sharpness emanating from Zhang Hai. It was a killing intent and sword intent honed to perfection through blood and fire. He knew that after this night, Zhang Hai's swordsmanship had improved once again, and by a great leap forward.
Sakumo Hatake asked the question knowingly, playing along with Zhang Hai's act: "Why were so many prisoners killed?"
Zhang Hai understood immediately and feigned an explanation: "Oh dear, teacher, you don't know, some of the prisoners were really uncooperative and even tried to escape, so I had no choice but to kill them. As for the rest, during the interrogation, I might have... used too much force and they died too. Now there are only a few left, so it seems I can interrogate them however I want." He pointed to the few prisoners who were trembling with fear.
Hatake Sakumo nodded and said cooperatively, "In that case, Yamanaka Inoichi, you take the remaining prisoners and interrogate them."
The master and apprentice explained the situation in a back-and-forth manner, though their explanation sounded more like a cover-up. Despite his doubts and unease, Yamanaka Inoichi cautiously entered. Passing by the corpses strewn across the ground, he felt a chill run down his spine. Suppressing his nausea, he addressed the nearly terrified prisoners, saying, "Come with me."
Upon hearing Yamanaka Inoichi's words, the prisoners felt as if they had heard heavenly music. Tears welled up in their eyes, and they staggered to their feet, scrambling to follow Yamanaka Inoichi, as if afraid that if they were a step behind, Zhang Hai would "accidentally" kill them.
As Yamanaka Inoichi passed by Zhang Hai, he finally couldn't help but lower his voice and say with a hint of accusation and dissatisfaction, "These are all human beings. How could you do this?" He knew what had just happened. Most of the ninjas here had been screened and were no longer of any value, but Hatake Sakumo had just let his disciple deal with them. This made him very dissatisfied, and he even felt that this behavior was too cruel and exceeded his bottom line.
Faced with Yamanaka Inoichi's accusatory question, Zhang Hai's face remained completely calm, not even his eyes changing. He retorted calmly, "Are prisoners even human? As a member of the interrogation department, you're not qualified."
These words pierced Yamanaka Inoichi's heart like a sharp awl. His chest tightened, his face flushed and paled, yet he found himself speechless. As a member of the interrogation department, he knew the fate of these prisoners and understood the cruelty of war. However, when faced with the bloody reality, the unease in his heart and his so-called moral bottom line still made it impossible for him to accept. He said no more, silently leading the remaining prisoners, as if escaping hell, and quickly left the room. Passing by Hatake Sakumo, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately only sighed and walked away.
Only the master and apprentice remained in the room. Hatake Sakumo watched Yamanaka Inoichi's departing figure, then turned to look at Zhang Hai, his eyes filled with a complex and heavy expression.