"..."
Yamanaka Yuta was utterly speechless after hearing Qingyu's response. This newcomer was too dull! He lacked any spark, any intuition. Had he really probed so many memories without finding a single thing out of the ordinary? Was he not even curious about how those people died?
Yuta stared blankly at Qingyu. Talking to this boy felt like punching a wall of cotton—no matter what he said, Qingyu showed zero interest.
"The work here is finished," Yuta sighed helplessly, gesturing for Qingyu to follow. "Come with me."
"Yes, sir," Qingyu replied, trailing quietly behind Yuta.
On the surface, he was calm, but internally, questions were swirling. What happened during the lunch break? Why did the investigation end so abruptly? Did they solve the mystery, or was there some other complication?
It was too sudden. After two days of intense investigation, the case had seemingly vanished into thin air. Of course, Qingyu kept these doubts to himself, maintaining his persona of a detached, uncurious shadow.
Yuta led Qingyu to a small side-chamber near the main interrogation rooms. It was cramped, barely large enough for three or four people, dimly lit, and decorated with a few blood-stained torture implements in the corner.
"Qingyu, this cubicle is yours now," Yuta announced. "When there are no memory-probing tasks for the deceased, you will interrogate the prisoners brought to Konoha Prison here."
Events had moved faster than Yuta anticipated. The search for clues in the dead had been halted, at least for now.
"Understood," Qingyu nodded instantly. No extra words, no objections, just pure obedience to orders.
"I know your skills aren't fully developed yet. Use this time to practice your interrogation techniques. You'll need them later," Yuta said before turning to leave.
As Yuta walked away, a shadow of disappointment crossed his face. Things hadn't gone according to plan. After consulting with Captain Eaton, they had decided to move some of the sensory ninjas, including Qingyu, to the active interrogation unit. The Torture Force had limited personnel; they had to shift roles as needed.
Moreover, Yuta wanted Qingyu to become more well-rounded. Constant memory probing was physically draining. Among his subordinates, Qingyu lacked specialized flair, but he was certainly the least ambitious—which made him reliable in his own way.
Qingyu watched Yuta leave, his confusion deepening. Something is definitely wrong.
Two days ago, Morino Eaton looked ready for a major operation. This sudden shift was definitely not pre-planned. If Eaton wanted him in interrogation, he wouldn't have paired him with Yuta for memory probes first. It felt like a piece of the puzzle was missing.
Twenty minutes later, the door creaked open. Guards dragged a man in and expertly bound him to a wooden post.
"He was caught stealing at the market. Refuses to admit it. Make him talk," the lead guard said coldly before leaving with his team. It was just another routine day for them.
"Stealing?"
Through the eyeholes of his cat mask, Qingyu focused on the prisoner. The man looked to be in his early forties, dressed in coarse hemp clothes—a civilian, not a ninja. The man remained silent, not even acknowledging Qingyu's presence.
Interesting. Qingyu smirked behind his mask. He never expected to be the one doing the actual "interrogating." He realized that after a few years here, he might actually become an all-around expert of the Torture Force.
"It doesn't matter if you stay silent," Qingyu said calmly. He didn't use threats; his tone was almost conversational.
To the prisoner, this calm tone confirmed his suspicion: the masked ninja was a rookie. Probably barely old enough to grow a beard. The man felt a surge of confidence, no longer fearing the masked boy in front of him.
"I don't know if being assigned here is your luck or your misfortune..." Qingyu stepped closer, his dark eyes shimmering. "You won't suffer physical pain. But you can't hide anything you've done. Because... memories never lie!"
Qingyu reached out and pressed his hand onto the man's head.
Hum!
[Ding! Memory Reading Successful! Reward: Chakra Boost!]
A warm current flowed through Qingyu's body, expanding his accessible chakra pool.
"Kenichi Matsuda," Qingyu began slowly. "Male. Forty-two years old. Unmarried. Residing at 109 Shin沢 Road, Konoha. This morning, you stole two boiled eggs from an elderly woman at the market. Then, when no one was looking, you swiped a stick of candied haws from a stall. Finally, you were caught trying to steal money from the butcher's shop. A habitual offender, aren't you?"
The man's face went pale. His eyes bulged with shock. "You... how...?"
"Don't 'you' me. Let's get you moved; a prison cell suits you much better," Qingyu said casually.