Naruto: The Fifth Hokage [17]

Chapter 17: Kinoe's Arrangement

That night, within the Uchiha clan's shrine, under the solemn prayers of the priest, the nine Sharingan recovered from Danzo's arms were ceremoniously placed within the shrine. Every clan member present watched in silent reverence.

After the ceremony, the clansmen gradually dispersed, while Makoto made his way to the interrogation room.

After enduring an entire day of interrogation, Reito and the others were barely holding on. However, the newly captured Hiroshi continued hurling curses at Makoto.

Makoto merely scratched his ear, pretending not to hear him.

Seeing this, the Uchiha Chunin in charge of interrogation increased the force of his baton, swiftly silencing Hiroshi.

Ignoring him, Makoto walked straight to the cell where the Wood Release ninja, not yet known as Yamato, was imprisoned.

Since he had already decided to hand the captive over to Kakashi as a means to earn him merit, Makoto had no intention of making things unnecessarily difficult for him. Aside from the initial beating on the first day, he had kept the prisoner in solitary confinement.

Of course, Makoto had personally applied a sealing technique to restrict him. Though vastly inferior to the First Hokage, a Wood Release user was still not someone ordinary Chunin could restrain without precautions.

In the dimly lit cell, Yamato—still known as 'Kinoe'—heard footsteps and immediately sat up, his body tense.

Makoto stepped in and turned on the light, causing Jia to squint against the sudden brightness.

Just as he was about to make a move, the clinking of chains and the sharp pain from the seal reminded him of his helpless situation.

"Let's talk." Makoto dragged a chair over and sat down.

"Hmph. I won't say a word."

"By the way, how much did Danzo pay you? You're quite loyal," Makoto said with a smirk.

"We followed Lord Danzo for the sake of Konoha. It was never about money!" Kinoe declared righteously.

"Oh, so you didn't even get paid, yet you were still willing to risk your life?" Makoto chuckled.

"You, an Uchiha born with evil blood, could never understand Lord Danzo's dedication to the village!" Kinoe's eyes burned with fanaticism, making Makoto shake his head.

"So you mean Yamanaka Fuu and the others? At least they had families as leverage, which Danzo exploited. But you, an orphan? Was it necessary for you to be used like this?" Makoto signaled for someone to bring in food, then handed it to Kinoe.

Kinoe sneered but said nothing.

"Tell me, how did you acquire Wood Release?" Makoto asked. "Your crimes aren't that severe. Though you were ordered by Danzo to assassinate the Third Hokage, he's more interested in recruiting talent than punishing you. And as for the rest, Kakashi has spoken on your behalf. For his sake, I won't push too hard. So, as long as you explain everything clearly, you'll still have a future."

"I will never betray Lord Danzo!" Kinoe gritted his teeth.

"No need to pretend. It's Orochimaru, isn't it?" Makoto smirked. "The artificial Wood Release experiment wasn't exactly a secret among ninjas back then. The foolish Senju clan believed in it, and look where they are now—reduced to a shadow of their former strength. Eventually, the Third Hokage shut the project down due to its cost and lack of results."

"But Danzo refused to let it go. He secretly continued the research, partnering with Orochimaru. You are the only success from that project, aren't you?"

Seeing Kinoe's eyes widen in disbelief, Makoto chuckled. "Don't look so shocked. I'm not stupid. Over the years, orphans have regularly disappeared from the village's orphanage. The Police Force has records of all of it. We just couldn't act against Danzo back then. But if you compare the timing, you'll see that the disappearances peaked just before Orochimaru defected. After he left, they dropped significantly. Given your age, it's easy to connect the dots."

Kinoe's gaze flickered.

Makoto pressed on. "So why are you, a captured and experimented-on orphan, so loyal to Danzo? Your loyalty should be to the village and the Will of Fire."

"There are only two choices before you. One, you confess and live as a normal Konoha ninja. Two, you continue resisting and die for a man who saw you as nothing more than a disposable tool. The seal on your tongue that prevented you from speaking has expired. Think carefully—Kakashi went out of his way to get you this opportunity."

Having said his piece, Makoto placed the food and water down and left the cell without another word.

He had no real expectations of winning over Kinoe. He wasn't like Naruto, able to talk people into switching sides. If he wanted loyalty, he had to offer tangible benefits. Besides, he knew from the beginning that the Uchiha clan wouldn't be able to keep Kinoe. The moment Hiruzen recovered, he would demand custody of him.

So rather than fight a losing battle, Makoto decided to turn the situation into an advantage for Kakashi. At the very least, he wanted Kinoe to believe that his release was granted because of Kakashi's efforts.

—

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen sat behind his desk, silently smoking his pipe, while the two advisors, Homura and Koharu, glared at him with displeasure.

"Hiruzen, we can't allow Uchiha Makoto to continue unchecked. He's clearly using the investigation as an excuse to eliminate dissenters," Homura broke the silence. "He even arrested the head of the Shimura clan! If we let this continue, we'll be next."

"Makoto won't go that far," Hiruzen muttered after a moment of thought. He was still wary of Kotoamatsukami. Besides, it had only been three days since Danzo's public disgrace. Many of the village's core ninjas had seen his corpse firsthand. If he forcibly shut down the Uchiha investigation now, it would only raise more suspicions.

"Hiruzen! Don't hesitate! Have you forgotten what our teacher taught you?" Koharu pressed.

Hiruzen sighed. "Fine. But we can't just order the Uchiha to stop the investigation without reason." He took a deep drag from his pipe before issuing his command. "Dog, go to the Uchiha district and have Makoto report on the progress of the investigation tomorrow."

"Understood."

From the shadows, the dog-masked Anbu, Kakashi acknowledged the order and disappeared into the night.