章 316: Chapter 316 - Interrogation: Ibiki's Mind Games
Leaf Village - Forest.
"This is very troubling news Jiraiya boy." A small green road with white hair, thick eyebrows and small goatee spoke. "To think that man would do something like this after all these years…"
"I know. It's the reason I summoned you, boss." Jiraiya was respectful as he spoke to the elder toad. "I've been able to dig up information on Orochimaru but it might be too late by the time we act on it. I was hoping you could make contact with Tsunade's summon Katsuyu."
"I'll see what I can do Jiraiya. In the meantime… How are you holding up?" The toad sage Fukasaku was concerned as he looked at his student.
Jiraiya looked down as he remembered the day he confronted Orochimaru. "I should have taken care of him that day when he escaped. I was merciful. And today that mercy has caused untold tragedies."
"You can't predict the future and you can't control what he does. This isn't on you Jiraiya."
The Toad sage clenched his fist. "Regardless, he is now my responsibility. No matter what, I'm going to find him and stop him once and for all."
Fukasaku nodded. "I'm heading back to the mountains. I'll try to make contact with Katsuyu as soon as possible."
Jiraiya nodded. Just before Fukasaku disappeared Jiraiya spoke. "In the next few days, please be ready. And please tell Ma' to be prepared. I might be in need of both of your assistance."
The small green toad nodded in understanding. "I got it. But one of these days you need to learn to go into sage mode by yourself."
The toad Sannin had a small smile as he listened to the old toad's lecture. "I'm nowhere near as proficient in it as either of you."
"And that's why you need to train." Fukasaku replied. The green toad made a ram seal and vanished in a puff of smoke the next instant.
—-
T
In the dimly lit, confines of a secured interrogation room deep within the bowels of the T (Torture and Interrogation) Department in Konoha, a tense atmosphere prevailed. The room, sparsely furnished with a stark metal table and chairs, was designed to disorient and apply psychological pressure on its occupants.
At one end of the table was Ibiki Morino, one of Konoha's most formidable interrogators. Across from him was Rinji. A high-value prisoner with direct ties to Orochimaru. The tied up prisoner displayed defiance on his face but Ibiki was slowly cutting through that mask.
It's only been a few hours but Ibiki was slowly starting to understand the mind of his prisoner. He started with subtle psychological tactics, carefully observing Rinji's reactions to gauge his mental state.
Ibiki's approach was methodical and he was able to create an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty inside his victim's mind. His goal was to exploit any cracks in Rinji's loyalty to Orochimaru, to sow doubt and fear.
The interrogator looked at the tied up man without any pity. 'He's ambitious and has above average intelligence. He's also the scheming type. On top of that he has an inferiority complex when it comes to Kabuto but he's trying his best to hide it.'
Ibiki didn't utter a word as he stared at Rinji. He even used silence as his weapon. 'Unlike that woman Guren this man isn't as devoted to Orochimaru as he wants us to believe. That may be my chance.'
Finally, Ibiki leaned forward slightly, breaking the silence with a voice that was calm but carried an underlying edge of menace. "Rinji, you're a smart man," he began, his tone deceptively conversational. "You should understand the situation you're in… And you know that your cooperation can... alleviate certain outcomes."
Rinji swallowed and then kept his voice steady as he responded. "I have nothing to say to you. I won't betray Lord Orochimaru."
Ibiki had a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Betrayal is such a harsh word. Instead, you should think of it as... reassessing one's loyalties in light of new information. After all, loyalty to a cause that is doomed to fail is, quite frankly, stupidity."
Rinji smiled as he looked at the Leaf ninja. "Oh Please. You can dress it up however you want. But the reality is, the moment you get what you want from me, I'll be dead. So unless you're willing to let me go, which I highly doubt, I don't have any incentives to help you."
Ibiki smirked as he looked at the man. "You're right. But there are things far worse than death in our world."
The way it was spoken immediately erased the smile on Rinji's face. He clenched his fists under the table in anger.
Ibiki was undeterred and he continued. "Alright. We won't speak of betrayals then. Let's talk about survival. About choices… You see, I'm not here to break you. I'm here to offer you a chance. A chance to reconsider the path you're on."
Ibiki then shifted tactics, detailing the fates of the other followers of Orochimaru who chose silence over cooperation. "You're not immune to the consequences of your choices, Rinji. No one is. But it's not too late. You have valuable information. Information that can save important lives. Helping us isn't betrayal, it's choosing a different future… Think about it. In the end, what reward do you get for your loyalty to Orochimaru? Isolation? Suffering? Maybe even death?"
Rinji was silent even as fear slowly gripped his heart but he tried not to show it on his face. He kept his mouth shut and still held a defiant attitude.
"I want to ask you a question? Orochimaru uses many people as just disposables. Do you think you're one of those people or do you think Orochimaru sees any value in you? Like he does with Kabuto." Ibiki asked, keeping a calm tone. He deliberately mentioned Kabuto's name just to provoke a reaction out of the tied up man.
"Of course he does." The answer came from the man too quickly.
Ibiki smiled when he heard that answer. "You don't have to answer my next question. You just have to think about the answer in your heart. Just do yourself a favor. Don't lie to yourself."
Seeing Rinji's silence, Ibiki continued. "Orochimaru tasked your team with rescuing Kabuto from our Anbu. Do you think he'd do the same for you if he found out you've been captured? Or do you think he'd just kill you to stop any information leak?"
The interrogation specialist leaned back in his chair and turned his attention to the glass near him. He took the small jar of water and began to fill the cup. The man drank the glass of water as he glanced at his prey.
Rinji was cautious and he tried to gauge the interrogators' intentions. He was looking for loopholes and ways to mislead them without giving away vital information. However, Ibiki's psychological maneuvers were designed to induce guilt, fear, and doubt and slowly chip away at his resolve.
Ibiki was an expert in the art of interrogation and reading body language. He could see several micro emotions appearing and disappearing on Rinji's face.
Several moments of silence later Rinji spoke. "As long as I stay silent I'm valuable to my Lord. And even if I die, I don't have any regrets because Lord Orochimaru will complete his goals and take revenge for me. So Leaf nin… I don't have anything to say to you."
Ibiki leaned forward, with a menacing smile on his lips. "Oh, but I think you do. Rinji, we already have a good deal of information on Orochimaru's operations. What I'm interested in now is...the finer details. And I believe you're just the man to fill in those blanks. You see, I understand you better than you might think. You're intelligent, calculated, and you weigh every decision carefully. You're not blindly loyal to Orochimaru, you're loyal to your survival, to the idea that serving him is your best option."
Ibiki slowly stood from his chair and walked behind Rinji. "Do you want to know what else I learned?"
The man was tense as Ibiki leaned closer to his ear.
"You're not as valuable as you'd like us to believe. You have information on Orochimaru but you aren't one of his trusted men, are you? That means there is a good chance you don't have the intelligence we're looking for. That would be unfortunate for you… You understand where I'm going with this right?"
Rinji's eyes flickered with a hint of uncertainty. He sensed the change in Ibiki's demeanor. He tried to mask it quickly, but Ibiki had already seen it—a crack in Rinji's facade.
Ibiki continued, the psychological noose tightening. "When you were brought in, Daichi gave us a full report on your team. He noted that it was Guren who called the shots. She's the leader. Not you. And based on his observations you were all intimidated by her."
"So what?" Rinji gritted his teeth and asked. The anger in his tone was visible.
"You see, in your position, your worth is measured by the information you can provide. And if you're not as useful as we thought, well, I'm sure you can imagine the implications."
Ibiki gave another blow to his target's psyche. "Here. Let me show you something."
The Leaf ninja took a scroll from his pocket and spread it across the table in front of him. The scroll was a map of Fire country and its bordering nations including the Land of Rice Paddies. On the map several spots were marked with a red X.
Rinji took a look at the map and slowly his eyes widened in shock.
"See. This is just a small piece of the intel we gathered on Orochimaru and his hideouts. I'm showing this to make you realize that you don't hold all the cards. So unless you can provide us with new intel we don't know, your life will get infinitely harder from here on out."
Rinji looked at the marked location on the map and was shocked. 'Those are the locations of some of the bases recently built in this country and there are even a few marked in the Sound village. How did they get that? I thought Orochimaru made sure to keep the existence of those locations a secret.'
The nails on Rinji's fingers dug into his palm. 'Damn it. Am I going to die for no reason? If they have this much information then they'd definitely have more. Lord Orochimaru's plan to capture Daichi failed. Even if his plans with Tsunade succeed, Orochimaru won't be able to survive the wrath of an entire great village… Am I going to die because of his mistakes? Should I…'
After several long moments of silence Rinji spoke. "Hypothetically, if I tell you what I know, what do I get in return?"
"That depends on the information you give us. If it helps us with our current situation, you'll be looked upon much more favorably." Ibiki told him.
Rinji was silent for a few moments. Ibiki then added another point. "You should hurry up though. My colleagues are currently interrogating the woman and the others in a much more hands on manner. If they decide to cooperate, your value becomes even lower."
"Guren and Gozu won't talk. And the rest of those fools. They don't know anything." Rinji spoke with a frown on his face.
"We have mind readers capable of pulling out your deepest darkest secrets. It might take some time but the results speak for themselves. So Rinji. In all fairness, I don't need them to talk." Ibiki replied in a cold tone with his arms crossed.
Rinji's resolve began to waver and the psychological pressure was mounting exponentially. He had been trained to resist torture, to guard secrets with his life, but Ibiki's methods were something else entirely.
As he came to terms with the demoralizing thought that he might not be as important as he believed, he slowly began to crumble.
Ibiki, watching the man's internal struggle, knows he hit a nerve. "Consider this your last opportunity, Rinji. Help us, and we can offer you protection, perhaps even a chance at redemption. Keep your silence, and you become nothing more than a liability, easily disposed of."
The room went silent once more, save for the low hum of the lights and the distant sounds of the facility beyond the walls. Rinji sat motionless, caught between loyalty and survival, his mind racing with the potential consequences of his next words.
A minute of silence passed before the prisoner spoke. "What do you want to know?"
Ibiki kept a neutral expression and slightly leaned forward. "Let's talk about the last mission Orochimaru assigned you. The capture of Daichi Hekima. Tell me everything about it. From why Orochimaru wanted the Genin to where you were supposed to take him."
Rinji was silent for a few more seconds before he slowly began spilling his guts.
—------------
Author's Note.
We haven't seen much of any interrogation tactics in Naruto. Especially from Ibiki. In my opinion Kishimoto could have used him much better. Ibiki and Inoichi were untapped potential.
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