Namikaze Minato could not understand what exactly Nohara Haruto was planning.
However, since Haruto had said the poison would not truly take effect for another two hours, Minato decided to watch for now.
When the poison was about to activate, he would make Haruto hand over the antidote.
No matter what, he could not allow people from the village to truly be ruined.
Minato stood there, stunned and deep in thought, still trying to figure out what Haruto’s real intention was.
Nohara Haruto, however, simply stared at the two Inuzuka Clan members without saying a word.
As for the two bound Inuzuka shinobi, they were deathly silent.
The two of them exchanged a glance, then looked at Nohara Haruto, then at Namikaze Minato.
Time passed.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
The faces of the two Inuzuka Clan members turned deathly pale, as white as paper.
For a while, they sank into an unbearable torment.
On one side was their loyalty to that lord within the clan.
On the other side was their current situation.
If this man truly destroyed their meridians today, then they would never be able to continue as shinobi.
They might even become cripples.
And if they could no longer continue serving the clan, they would certainly be abandoned by the clan as well.
Normally, they had done many things for the clan.
If they lost the clan’s protection in the future, their only path would be death.
If that happened…
What meaning would everything they had now still have?
After an intense struggle in their hearts, their mental defenses finally collapsed completely.
At a time like this, they still chose to protect themselves.
“We’ll talk!
We’ll talk!
We’ll tell you everything!
Don’t destroy our meridians!”
They shouted while trembling, their eyes red and bloodshot.
“Very good.
Very smart.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Nohara Haruto’s mouth.
His brown eyes were like deep gemstones, calm and clear without the slightest impurity.
Within them was a trace of absolute confidence, as if their surrender had been a result he had predicted from the beginning.
“Then answer me.
Are you members of the Inuzuka Clan?”
“Yes.”
“Strength?”
“Special jōnin.”
“Who ordered you from behind the scenes?
And what was your purpose here?”
Nohara Haruto’s gaze sharpened as he continued pressing them.
The two Inuzuka Clan members hesitated for a moment.
In the end, they had no choice.
Under Haruto’s pressure, they could only force themselves to speak and confess honestly.
“It was Lord Inuzuka Yū who sent us.
He told us to avenge Young Master Inuzuka Hirono and teach you a proper lesson.”
“Teach me a lesson?”
Nohara Haruto’s gaze turned cold, and he gave a chilling laugh.
“I think you mean assassination.”
Although he knew that what these two were saying was indeed the truth, this was not the answer he wanted right now.
“No… no!
Lord Yū only told us to…”
The faces of the two Inuzuka Clan members turned pale, and they hurriedly tried to explain.
If they had truly come to kill someone inside the village, then this matter would become far too serious.
At that point, it would be impossible to hide.
In the end, the reason behind everything would definitely be investigated.
That was why Lord Inuzuka Yū had only told them to give this brat a proper lesson.
Beating him half-crippled would have been enough.
“Oh?”
Nohara Haruto raised the corner of his eye.
His brow lifted slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the edge of his lips.
He had already said it before.
If someone provoked him…
The consequences would be terrifying.
“I advise you to think carefully before answering.”
His voice was calm.
“If I don’t get the answer I want… all of your chakra will be crippled.”
“You only have one chance to explain.”
No expression.
No nonsense.
A flat tone.
Yet within that casual indifference, there was an unintentional sense of danger.
Beneath that calm surface, something seemed to be hidden so deep that no one could see the bottom.
It was as if some terrifying thing lay dormant inside him.
Once it erupted, the result would be impossible to predict.
Gulp.
The two Inuzuka Clan members swallowed hard and forced back the words they had not finished saying.
Their palms were covered in cold sweat.
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Clearly, they had already become nervous to the extreme.
But…
They had clearly been telling the truth just now!
Even so, at this moment, neither of them had the courage to finish what they had been about to say.
The man in front of them was far too terrifying and powerful.
Beneath that calm face was a coldness that did not feel human.
It was as if they were already standing at the border between life and death.
At this moment, their minds became clearer than ever before.
The lord before them was not satisfied with the answer they had tried to give.
In other words…
This lord did not want the real answer.
He wanted an answer that would satisfy him.
That was what he truly wanted!
Boom!
It was as if thunder exploded inside both of their minds.
The answer Nohara Haruto wanted had already surfaced in their thoughts.
But if they really did that, then they would truly have no humanity left.
That would not merely be selling someone out.
It would be betraying Lord Inuzuka Yū, who had usually taken good care of them!
Maybe they still had a chance to explain.
Maybe if they denied it now, elite jōnin Namikaze Minato would still be able to protect them.
This was their final chance to explain things clearly!
How could they be so spineless?
They were members of the Inuzuka Clan, a clan always known for loyalty!
For the honor of the clan.
For Lord Inuzuka Yū.
Even if they could no longer be shinobi and became cripples, so what?
“It’s true!
Inuzuka Yū sent us to assassinate you!”
One loud shout rang out.
The entire scene fell silent.