Chapter 151: Interrogation
Under the pursuit of Ishiro's porcelain-style mud, and due to the jonin's intentional stalling, the latter was slowly pushed back toward where the mud had previously been neutralized.
But just as the jonin stepped into the area affected earlier, Ishiro acted.
The previously paralyzed mud suddenly surged back to life, rising from the ground and wrapping around the jonin.
The jonin's sensory perception was strong; the moment his foot touched the mud, he sensed something wrong and tried to evade. However, Ishiro was faster and didn't wait for the ambush to be fully set—he acted the moment the jonin detected anything amiss.
As a result, although Ishiro didn't trap him immediately, he gained the upper hand and soon forced the jonin into a corner. Before the jonin could commit suicide, Ishiro managed to bind him.
Unlike earlier, when Ishiro killed the two chunin by compressing them to death with stone, this time he sealed the jonin's chakra using a chakra sealing technique embedded in the mud.
He then created a new mud clone to stand guard—something he had recently developed, as only a mud clone could effectively control porcelain-style chakra-based mud.
Afterward, Ishiro tracked the retreating chunin. The opponent hadn't run far—using Light-Heavy Rock Technique for speed and sensory ninjutsu to locate him, Ishiro quickly caught up and captured the chunin too.
Despite some hiccups, Ishiro was satisfied—two Lightning Release users captured, one of them a jonin.
Instead of returning to camp, Ishiro found a secluded spot nearby and began interrogation.
Interrogating ninja was difficult. Ishiro hadn't learned proper interrogation techniques at the academy, and ninja were often hardened individuals with unwavering beliefs. However, ninja also had unique weaknesses—like genjutsu.
Ishiro's genjutsu wasn't high-level, but his spiritual strength was incredibly strong.
Using the C-rank genjutsu "Interrogation," and overwhelming mental force, the chunin crumbled quickly and revealed what Ishiro wanted to know.
Unfortunately, despite being a Lightning Release user, the chunin hadn't learned the Lightning Chakra Stimulation Method. His understanding of it was even more limited than Ishiro's, who had analyzed plenty of experimental data and theories back in Iwa.
Still, the chunin had lived in Kumogakure all his life and knew things about Lightning Release that Ishiro didn't. Though not revolutionary, the information was somewhat helpful.
After finishing the interrogation, Ishiro killed the chunin without hesitation.
Next was the jonin, but it wasn't going to be as easy.
This jonin had exceptionally strong willpower—probably the type who had a chance to become an elite jonin someday.
Though Ishiro successfully applied the genjutsu, the effect wasn't deep.
Here, it's worth explaining the genjutsu "Interrogation."
It was easy to learn. Against normal civilians, even a genin could extract valuable information. But it had a fatal flaw.
Unlike combat genjutsu, which focused on control—where as long as the target couldn't dispel it, they were trapped—"Interrogation" had to fool the target into believing they weren't under genjutsu. It required the caster to create an illusion the target would accept and then coax them to give up secrets.
If the target was especially wary—subconsciously alert about the subject—then the technique's success rate plummeted.
Fortunately, this genjutsu induced a mild disoriented state, allowing the user to weave a believable illusion in that fuzzy window.
Ishiro's illusion was a teaching scenario—the jonin had taken on a student, modeled after the future Fifth Raikage, Darui, to enhance believability.
In the illusion, Darui excitedly asked his teacher about the Lightning Chakra Stimulation Method.
"Darui wants to learn Lightning Chakra Stimulation? Well, you need to master Lightning Release to a certain level first. Otherwise, instead of boosting your speed, it might damage your cells."
"Sensei, then please explain the training steps in detail?" Ishiro mimicked the tone his own disciples used when asking him for instruction.
"Haha, alright. The first step is precise control. Lightning is the hardest to control of the five elements. Go to a lake and practice hitting multiple targets with the same amount of chakra. When you can hit over a hundred targets using chakra equivalent to a C-rank technique, then you move to step two."
"What's step two, sensei?"
At that point, the jonin's brow furrowed. His mind began resisting something—an internal struggle against the illusion.
Noticing this, Ishiro increased his mental pressure and control.
In the illusion, Darui asked again, "Sensei, what's the next step? Please tell me!"
"The next step is... You reduce the power of the lightning as much as possible, reduce it to the point where—ah!"
"You damned Iwa ninja! Trying to steal Kumogakure's jutsu?" the jonin roared as he broke free from the illusion.
This was a known drawback of "Interrogation." Once the target realized they were under genjutsu, the technique lost all power. It wasn't built for control, only deception.
Ishiro tried casting it again, but it no longer worked. The term "Lightning Chakra Stimulation" had become a mental red flag for the jonin. Even related topics were now on high alert.
Ishiro lacked the skill to bypass such deep resistance.
"What a waste!" he muttered. He was only a few words away from uncovering the second training step.
Realizing he'd get nothing more—and to prevent future complications—Ishiro killed the jonin and incinerated his body with Fire Release.
The fight had taken a while. That jonin now knew much about Ishiro's abilities. Letting the information leak would endanger his position—especially since only a handful of people in the Eastern Division even knew about his Kekkei Genkai, Porcelain Release.
Unfortunately, Ishiro underestimated the situation.
His secret was already out.
And it hadn't leaked through the usual suspects. The problem came from two sources—both tied to this battle.
He had left no witnesses and cleaned the battlefield. Theoretically, no intel should've escaped.
But the chunin, Kuromaya, though weak, was experienced. Uncertain whether he'd escape, he left hidden messages while fleeing—multiple ones, in fact. Two of them were later found by Kumogakure shinobi and sent to the Third Raikage's desk.
Even if Ishiro had found them, it wouldn't have mattered. Because his fight had also been observed—by a hidden pair of eyes.
A White Zetsu clone.
Since the Rain Country incident, White Zetsu had never approached Ishiro directly—not out of fear, but caution.
Back then, Ishiro had lured Akatsuki with false information and killed a tracking clone. He'd even used sensory ninjutsu to monitor another clone from afar. While Zetsu hadn't thought much of it at the time, once Ishiro sabotaged Danzo and Hanzō's meeting, the connections became clear.
The information trail pointed straight to him.
Since then, Zetsu had avoided direct surveillance. Every time Ishiro appeared, Zetsu kept a safe distance.
The Eastern Division camp was never directly scouted. Only distant observation was conducted.
Ishiro's sensory skills were sharp, capable of identifying disguised White Zetsu in trees—but only if he was actively looking for it.
This time, he wasn't.
Zetsu saw everything. And even if Kuromaya's information hadn't reached Kumogakure, Zetsu would've sent it himself.
After all, someone like Ishiro—who was growing dangerously close to the Rinnegan's vessel—was a threat.
And now, in Zetsu's eyes, Ishiro's carelessness made him seem less dangerous than expected.
Someone who overlooked something so basic couldn't possibly set a trap for him...
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