"This situation is that serious?" Tsunade frowned, her brow furrowing.
These spies had become far too bold, infiltrating Anbu of all places.
Xin, walking a little behind them, kept his head lowered, seemingly staring at the floor- but in reality, he was stifling his laughter. The last thing he wanted was to burst out laughing.
Who would've thought that Ophis knocking out two Root operatives would cause this much chaos?
The Third Hokage was now so paranoid that he was ordering an internal sweep of Anbu. All thanks to Ophis's impeccable timing and skill.
'Ophis did a brilliant job,' Xin thought, trying not to grin.
Back at home, Ophis stretched, yawned, and curled up again, oblivious to the chaos she'd caused. She had the vague sense that Xin was praising her, but she chalked it up to a dream and drifted back to sleep.
The Interrogation Department was one of the most secretive and grim places in the village. If Anbu brought you in for questioning, it likely meant you were a suspect, and they just needed to verify things.
But if you were sent to the Interrogation Department, congratulations-you were probably never leaving.
Even if you did make it out, you might be alive, but you wouldn't walk out-you'd be carried. And sometimes, even your corpse would be put to use.
Death didn't always mean peace in the world of ninjas. There were plenty of jutsu, like the infamous Reanimation Jutsu, that played with the souls of the dead.
This was Xin's first time visiting the Interrogation Department, and he hadn't expected it to be located underground, not far from the Hokage's office.
The closer they got, the stronger the faint metallic smell of blood became. It was enough to make anyone's skin crawl. Who knew how many lives had been ended in this place?
Inside the department's main hall, every available Anbu and Root operative had been gathered. Alongside them stood members of the Yamanaka clan, who had been tasked with screening for any spies.
"Isn't this a bit much?" Xin muttered, yawning as he leaned against the wall, looking more tired than alert.
He hadn't slept well, and it showed.
"Stop talking like that," Tsunade snapped in a low voice, glaring at him. "Can't you at least pretend to be serious?"
Xin rolled his eyes. I'm always serious.
He glanced around the room with mild interest. The gathered Anbu and Root operatives had all removed their masks, revealing their faces-something rarely seen.
'Isn't this supposed to be a secret operation?' Xin thought. 'Why drag me into this?'