Chương 46: Interrogation
A/N: Double Release (1/2). Our target is to reach 500 powerstones by next Sunday for another Double Release. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Goal: 500 Powerstones!
------------------
Having had a successful day yesterday, Goro strolled through downtown Konoha in a good mood, his hands casually resting in his pockets as he glanced at the early morning sky. The streets were emptier than usual.
'Everyone's still in shock about yesterday, it seems. The village barely incurred any damage, so they should be back outside in a few days, although I don't know exactly how many days that'll be.'
As he walked, Goro realized he had yet to decide what he would eat for breakfast. Pacing back and forth in the street, Goro tried to make a decision.
'It's too early to have a heavy meal like ramen or meat, so either I buy some bread or I visit the local teashop. One of the two...'
The thought of sitting in a warm, quiet teahouse, sipping something light, sounded ideal.
Deciding to visit the teashop, Goro headed in that direction. The teashop was located among the various restaurants and businesses in the area. Since Goro was currently in the fresh food market, he had to walk a short distance to reach his destination. Just as he turned a corner, Goro sensed three chakras above him.
'I'm still being watched, so it was Danzo after all...'
Paying the chakras no mind, Goro continued his journey. As he walked further down the empty street, the chakras followed him.
Seeing as the street was empty and he had confirmed to himself that it was Danzo watching him, Goro made his knowledge of being followed known, pausing and looking up to where the chakras came from.
Unexpectedly, the three chakras that were watching him jumped down, landing with precision in a circle around him.
'The Hokage's Anbu? Not Danzo? But why? What's going on here...?'
Two of the Anbu moved instantly, grabbing each of Goro's arms with a firm grip. The third Anbu, standing directly in front of Goro, stared at him through the expressionless mask, his voice cold. "You're coming with us."
Goro's eyes darted between the three masked figures. He could feel the readiness to strike in their stance—they weren't just here for a casual conversation.
"What's this about?" Goro asked, his voice measured but laced with some doubt. He didn't struggle against their hold, hoping they'd take into account his cooperation and give him answers.
The Anbu in front of him didn't reply. Without answering Goro's question, the two holding him pushed forward, forcing Goro to follow as they led him into an alley.
'This is bad. They're treating me fairly rough and won't even stop to answer my questions. This must be really serious... Did someone see me during my fight with Kabuto? No! I made certain no one was around! What could it be then?'
"Don't resist," the leader of the Anbu team said.
'Resist? I've been cooperating... I'm still unsure as to what I missed. Why is this—'
The Anbu to the left of Goro chopped Goro's neck with the flat edge of his hand, knocking him unconscious. Confirming he was out cold, the Anbu took him to a new location.
Goro sat unconscious, propped up by a chair, with men in black trench coats surrounding him. Unable to ignore the glaring light that dangled above him, Goro was forced back to consciousness.
The obnoxious beaming of the light above him continued non-stop. In an attempt to assess the faces of the men who stood in front of him, Goro raised his hand, using it to get a better look at the men in the room.
'I was knocked out by the Anbu, huh? No doubt... This is Konoha's Torture and Interrogation room... To have brought me here, they must have a good reason to suspect me. But, since I'm not tied up, they must not have any concrete evidence. Bringing me here is to get more information, so there's still a way out if I play my cards right.'
"Goro Obachi, isn't it? You're that brat that failed with Kabuto and Misumi," the man standing before Goro said.
'Ibiki...'
Blocking the light and looking Ibiki in the eyes, Goro answered, "Yeah, that's me. Why am I being held here?"
Placing a hand on Goro's shoulder, Ibiki continued, "You're under suspicion for conspiring with Orochimaru to destroy the Leaf!"
'What?! How did they reach that conclusion?'
Barely holding back laughter, Goro responded, "Yeah? And what's your evidence?"
Ibiki turned to another man in the same uniform and asked for the clipboard he was holding. The man handed the clipboard over to Ibiki, who began looking through the papers, finally stopping at the second-to-last one.
Looking back into Goro's eyes, his gaze sharp, Ibiki replied, "It says here that the teams for the Chunin exams have been tampered with. The Hokage never intended for you to be put in that team, but somehow it's been changed."
'What is he even talking about? The Hokage knew that I was put on Team Kabuto.'
Goro leaned forward slightly, fixing Ibiki with a firm stare. "That's not possible. The Hokage knew I was placed on Kabuto's team and even set up precautions in case I failed because of him. This was all part of his plan."
Ibiki's jaw tightened for a moment before he let out a sigh. "Yeah, well, the papers say the Hokage didn't know anything about that. These are official documents, kid."
Goro felt his frustration begin to boil over. "You're claiming the files had been tampered with, but are then forgoing the possibility that these new files have also been tampered with! Who is even giving these reports?" Goro asked, trying his best to remain collected.
Ibiki ignored Goro's question, instead answering with another. "Is that so?" Ibiki asked, not buying Goro's excuse. "Because right now, we have you tied to the same team as Kabuto, one of Orochimaru's most trusted subordinates. You failed the first exam, right alongside them. You think that looks good on you?"
'Great. He's not listening to a word I'm saying. In his mind, I'm already guilty. Who would do something like this?'
Goro's mind began to wander about all the possible culprits of this act.
'It could be Kabuto that did this due to our small fight outside the exam, but does he even have the clearance to get to files like that and change them? It has to be someone within the village with power...'
The more Goro thought, the more obvious it became. The culprit had to have been Danzo.
'That mission... It wasn't to test my usefulness... It was to test my level of skill... If I was too skilled, he'd see me as a threat and get rid of me. That mission wasn't ever meant to be completed. It was far too hard to assign a chunin a mission like that, I should've known!'
Goro's fingers twitched as the frustration slowly changed to fury.
Doing his best to maintain his composure, Goro argued, "Of course it doesn't look good, but you're not even making an effort to view the situation from the perspective of it being a setup!"
"Setup?" Ibiki interrupted, his tone mocking. "Who would try and set up a chunin? Your reasoning doesn't make sense."
Trying to think of someone who could vouch for him, Goro remembered his sensei. "Ask Sensei Asuma, he knows! He knows that the Hokage was aware of the situation!" Goro exclaimed.
Ibiki's eyes finally changed from being cold to ones of contemplation. Taking a blank paper from the desk in the corner of the room, Ibiki clipped it on the clipboard and began writing down some notes.
'He's finally listening.'
"We'll call him here and have a word with him. In the meantime, we've got to ask you about the situation with the masked man and your disappearance while chasing Kabuto," Ibiki said, his eyes returning to their usual stern state.
------------------
Reminder: Our target is to reach 500 powerstones by next Sunday for another Double Release. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Goal: 500 Powerstones!
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực