"You're overstating things," Qingyu replied, his voice still maintaining that practiced, fragile quality. "I'm simply protecting the village in the only way I can."
"Qingyu, you must rest during this time. No pushing yourself. I don't want to see anything happen to you!" Minato's expression was dead serious, his tone carrying an edge of command.
"I understand." Qingyu exhaled a long breath, no longer offering resistance. He had finally accepted Minato's "orders."
"I'm glad you've come around." A bright, relieved smile broke across Minato's face. Beside him, Kushina beamed as well. The atmosphere in Ichiraku Ramen finally relaxed into its usual warmth.
Qingyu had achieved his goal. By successfully baiting Minato into handling his leave, he had secured his safety. He trusted Minato; if the future Fourth Hokage said he'd handle the paperwork, it was as good as done. It was only a matter of time now.
"Let's eat before it gets cold!" Minato urged, and the three of them dove into their ramen.
Between bites, they chatted about trivial things. Minato mostly expressed concern for the mental toll of working in the Anbu. In his mind, those who spent their lives in the darkness of the Torture Force were burdened with heavy, negative emotions. They were heroes who carried the village's weight in the shadows, and they deserved immense respect.
Eventually, the bowls were empty, and it was time to part ways. Before leaving, Minato emphasized one last time that Qingyu must not overwork himself. After giving his word, Qingyu headed back toward the Anbu dorms.
Finally settled, he thought. He had staked out Ichiraku for seven straight days to catch Minato. Now, regardless of how the "missing persons" case or the Yamanaka internal politics unfolded, he would be safely out of the blast zone.
Safety first, he reminded himself. He just wanted to stay quietly in the Torture Force, reading memories and growing stronger in secret.
The next morning.
Qingyu rose early, donned his ninja gear, and strapped on his cat-faced mask. Though Minato was working on the leave, it hadn't officially come through yet. Since his week of vacation from Eaton was over, he had to return to his post.
Walking through the sunless, gloomy corridors, he returned to his small, dimly lit interrogation cubicle. No sooner had he stood still than the captain of the guards arrived, leading several men who were escorting a middle-aged man.
"You're back," the guard captain greeted him.
"Mm," Qingyu nodded. He kept his relationships here strictly professional. He wore a mask; they wore helmets. Everything started and ended in this black cubicle.
"Efficiency dropped while you were gone. This one is yours," the captain said, gesturing to the prisoner. "Witnesses saw him sneaking into the Konoha Hospital. Suspected theft, but we don't have the specifics yet."
"Understood," Qingyu replied flatly. He intentionally avoided making friends or building "karma" with his coworkers. It was safer that way.
Once the guards finished shackling the man to the wooden post and left, Qingyu closed the door. He turned to look at the prisoner through the slits of his mask.
"I didn't do it," the man blurted out. The silence of the masked ninja was unnerving him.
"You don't need to say anything."
Qingyu walked forward and placed his hand on the man's head.
Hum!
His body vibrated slightly.
"Ding! Memory read successful! Obtained: Wind Style: Gale Wolf (Wind Cutter) Technique!"
Qingyu's pupils dilated slightly behind his mask.
Something's wrong.
The prisoners sent to this specific cubicle were usually ordinary civilians. The rewards were typically small boosts to chakra or mental energy. But this time, he had received a Ninjutsu.
This meant the middle-aged man wasn't a civilian—he was a ninja.
Interesting. Qingyu scanned the man's clothes. No forehead protector, no hidden weapons visible. He was perfectly disguised. Even the guard captain hadn't realized he was a shinobi.
Qingyu immediately began diving into the memories.
Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village (Sunagakure).
Rank: Chunin.
Mission: Infiltrated Konoha two years ago as a war refugee.
Cover: Worked various jobs in the catering industry.
Hidden Objective: Frequent visits to Konoha Hospital to investigate the village's medical standards and healing techniques.
Purpose: To provide data for Elder Chiyo, allowing her to develop specific poisons that Konoha's medical ninjas would be unable to counteract!
Good grief, Qingyu thought. First day back on the job and I stumble into a Sand spy.
This presented a dilemma. If he just "extracted" a confession for petty theft, the man would be released after a short jail stay. But if he reported him as a spy, he'd have to explain how he knew.
He couldn't very well say he used the Yamanaka Mind Reading technique on a random "thief" when he was supposed to be too "exhausted" to function. That would ruin his chance at the long-term leave Minato was securing.
I guess I'll have to play it a bit more ruthless...
Relying on his vast library of absorbed memories, Qingyu quickly formulated a plan to neutralize the spy without exposing his own secrets.