A kunai marked with a unique seal flew toward one of the ninja.
In the next instant, Namikaze Minato appeared as if out of thin air, materializing behind the man.
He planted one foot firmly on the man’s back, while the tip of the kunai in his hand was already aimed at the man’s throat.
“Don’t move,” Minato said coldly.
“Or I’ll kill you.”
“S-So fast…!”
The man pinned beneath his foot could not move at all.
His pupils suddenly widened, endless fear bursting through his eyes.
On the other side, during that brief moment, Nohara Haruto had also beaten the ninja who had ambushed them until he lost the ability to move.
He grabbed the man and dragged him over to Minato’s side.
The two of them tied both attackers together with rope.
Namikaze Minato stepped forward and tore the masks from their faces.
Under the bright moonlight, he clearly saw one of their faces.
Surprised, he said, “Aren’t you from the Inuzuka Clan…?”
As for the man’s name, Minato truly could not remember it.
After all, they had only met once, a long time ago.
If not for Minato’s excellent memory, he would not have recalled even that small detail.
“The Inuzuka Clan?”
Nohara Haruto raised an eyebrow.
He had already roughly understood what was going on.
Minato nodded and analyzed the situation reasonably.
“I’ve seen this person once before.
He should be a special jōnin from the village.
If the strength of these two is similar… then both of them should be special jōnin from the Inuzuka Clan.”
“What exactly is your purpose?”
Minato’s voice turned cold.
The two bound men on the ground were filled with horror.
This matter had been carried out in secret from the beginning.
They could not allow it to be connected to the clan.
Because of that, they had already hidden anything that clearly marked them as Inuzuka.
They had never expected to be recognized so quickly.
According to their information, the boy they wanted to teach a lesson had always acted alone.
Who could have imagined that today he would be walking with someone else?
And not just anyone.
He was walking with elite jōnin Namikaze Minato.
But regretting it now was useless.
The two of them could only guard the secret to the death.
They absolutely could not admit their connection to the clan.
And they absolutely could not reveal anything more.
Both men pressed their lips tightly together and said nothing.
“How does Konoha usually handle this kind of situation?”
Nohara Haruto asked Minato.
This was his first time encountering something like this.
Minato replied, “Since they’re people from the village, we should handle it privately for now.
After all, we’re all from the same village.
If they wanted to attack us… there may be some reason behind it.”
Nohara Haruto nodded.
Of course, he knew the reason better than anyone.
But he absolutely would not say it out loud.
Otherwise, the friendly, pure, radiant, and noble image he had built in Namikaze Minato’s heart would collapse completely.
“Let’s question them first,” Minato suggested.
“At the very least, we need to find out why they were lying in ambush.”
At that moment, the two bound Inuzuka Clan members suddenly started making a scene.
They stiffened their necks and shouted with unconvinced expressions.
“What right do you have to attack us?
What right do you have to tie us up?!”
Minato frowned.
“You were lying in ambush here, and you still think you’re in the right?”
“We weren’t ambushing you!
We… we were looking for a dog!
Yes!
One of our Inuzuka Clan’s dogs ran out, so we were only searching for it here!”
The two of them stubbornly refused to admit anything.
“That’s right!
We didn’t even attack you!
What proof do you have that we came here to ambush you?”
Their words gave Namikaze Minato a slight headache.
When they discovered these two hiding nearby, he and Haruto had acted immediately.
Because their strength had completely overwhelmed the attackers, the two men never had a chance to make a move.
But now, because of that, they had no direct evidence.
Nohara Haruto smiled faintly.
Then he suddenly seemed to think of something.
A sly smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The two men bound on the ground shivered at the same time.
An ominous feeling rose in both of their hearts.
This brat… what is he planning to do?
Minato also sensed Haruto’s sudden excitement and could not help reminding him,
“Haruto, they are still Konoha shinobi.
Even if we interrogate them, we can’t use private punishment.”
The two bound men both let out a breath of relief.
They did not know whether running into Namikaze Minato beside this brat today counted as good luck or bad luck.
“I know, I know.”
Nohara Haruto waved his hand indifferently.
“Private punishment is such a tiring thing.
Even if you asked me to do it, I’d be too lazy.”
A crafty smile lifted his lips.
“I have a way to make them spit out all their secrets.”
He rummaged through his medical kit for a long while before finally finding two dark-brown pills from some forgotten corner.
They looked very similar to the pill he had previously given Namikaze Minato.
But clearly, these pills were not that precious to Haruto.
Otherwise, he would not have thrown them directly into his medical kit without even placing them in a porcelain bottle.
“When I was refining poison last time, I casually used the leftover materials to make two poison pills.
Fukumaruyou.
You get to try them.”
Nohara Haruto smiled as he pushed the two pills into the mouths of the two men.
“Go on.
They taste good.
Plum flavor.”
Although the two men did not fully understand everything Nohara Haruto said, there was one word everyone present heard with absolute clarity.
Poison.
These were two poison pills!
And more importantly…
What kind of lunatic made poison pills plum-flavored?
That was completely deranged!
This wicked sense of humor was enough to make anyone shudder.
Namikaze Minato did not understand much about Haruto’s pills either.
But when he saw that the poison pills Haruto mentioned looked almost identical to the pill Haruto had given him earlier, Minato’s face instantly turned pale.
“Haruto, the one you gave me… is different from the ones they just swallowed, right?”
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he could not help asking.
“Of course it’s different!”
Nohara Haruto looked at him in exaggerated shock.
“There’s such a huge difference between a Dragon Crystal Pill and a poison pill.
Don’t tell me you didn’t notice?”
Only a ghost could notice that!
Even Namikaze Minato could not help silently complaining in his heart.
Still, his complexion improved a lot.
As long as the pill in his hand was not poison, that was enough.
But in complete contrast to Minato, the faces of the two bound Inuzuka special jōnin on the ground grew paler and paler, until they were as white as paper.