21

Ignoring the yellow hazard signs on the access door that warned of electrical or high-pressurized death, the warden checked to make sure no one was looking his way before he ducked inside.

A narrow walkway wound through hefty pieces of machinery that occupied almost the entire floor space. The air was only slightly warmer than outside, reverberating with a low, mechanical hum. The access valves were covered in white frost, and the warden's nose stung from the searing humidity.

It smelled like burning electricity.

Despite the suppressive cold, the familiar chakra signature that permeated the room was crystalline, pelting across his shoulders like needles of cutting rain—a commanding, dispassionate presence that could not easily be ignored.

Closing his eyes, he could clearly distinguish the glow of a dark blue outline at the back of the control room. Feeling his face twitch, he moved towards it.

"You look like a dead Ghost"

Ghost, who was bounded in heavy chains all over. Carrying the heavy marks of torture on his body. He was bleeding from every pore of his body, yet offered the warden nothing.

In the meantime, Arui Gobetsu, the head captain of Anbu was making his way towards the lowest security prison cells where they keep the non-lethal civilian prisoners.

...

(7 Days before the arrest)

Raizel knew about his target called Arui Gobetsu. The S-rank Anbu leader of Kiri. His routines, habits, everything. He has been stalking and studying the man for almost a month now.

"I can not go to him, not without making some noise", Raizel said as he walked into the area. However, if you can not go to the man you look for. Simply bring him to you.

...

After accompanying Mizukage sama for a deal, Arui Gobetsu was just at the exit of the meeting hall, guarding the door, and waiting for Mizukage sama to finish the meeting and come out.

But suddenly, he felt chakra, causing him to turn his head to the side, "What was that...?!"

"Leader, what do we do?", One of the Anbu asked

"Whatever it is, it's close. We can not just leave anything uncertain, Mizukage sama and the elders are in the meeting...", The Anbu leader said as he immediately made a decision, "Stay here and if anything happens, go inside and protect Mizukage sama and the elders. I will look for the disturbance. You come with me"

"Hai"

As two anbus approaches the disturbance location, Arui Gobetsu could hear what appeared to be screams of agony as the chakra just vanished. Arui Gobetsu put the clues together and based on his experience, he could tell that someone was being killed.

At first, he was intent on letting it play through, but there was an alarming amount of chakra that just appeared and vanished once more.

The two Anbus covered much ground so fast that they managed to outrun their shadows, creating a blur behind them, as they finally stopped when they arrived in the area. The sight was nothing short of pretty. There were bodies lying on the ground, face down in small puddles of blood, coming out of their mouth. Others were bleeding profusely from what appeared to be the neck. Arui Gobetsu moved in for closer inspection and turned one of the bodies over, much to his surprise the person had a smile on their face.

'A smile?', He doesn't see how dying puts a smile on a dying person's face, but he can't say the victim didn't enjoy his last few moments.

Arui Gobetsu inspected the wrist and saw signs of an apparent suicide. Arui Gobetsu began to inspect all the bodies and while their action in death was different, they all had one eerie train in common. They each had a smile as they died.

"What do you think...", Arui Gobetsu said as he stood up, no longer crouching over the bodies only to notice that his subordinate is gone. Vanished out of sight.

Arui Gobetsu was instantly on guard. He cursed and wanted to leave here as fast as he could. But how could he escape now?

"Welcome to the Greatest Show on earth Arui Gobetsu, I saved you the best seats in the show, and you will find there are no exits here", Ghost's voice began to echo itself trailing off with a deeper darker voice behind it, sounding as if several people were speaking with him.

"Let the show begin!!!!", The invisible Ghost said as his voice boomed across the surroundings.

...

(The night before the arrest)

That night, while Ghost took the intel and had a talk with Mizukage in the Kage tower, Arui Gobetsu was stealing another piece of info, after reading the scroll he put the scroll in its original place. Once Ghost killed Mei Terumi's old friend, he met the head of the Anbu in a secret location.

"I have the intel you wanted", Arui Gobetsu said, as Ghost nodded, "Speak"

"A few years ago, a man was put to prison for defaming Mizukage sama", The Anbu said, "The rumors spread quite fast and became exaggerated in the end. As it's consequence, the real info got buried and the man responsible for it was captured and put to prison because the rumors were ridiculous as well as far too exaggerated, and that is also the reason he was just sent to prison and not killed for his crimes of defaming Mizukage sama"

"What was the original rumor?"

"I don't think there is anyone who is in the knowledge of it except the man himself"

"Is he still in the prison?", Ghost asked the man

"Yes. No one appealed for him, and the crime of defaming Mizukage was heavy enough. At least that's what documents say", The Anbu answered

Ghost nodded, "Where is this prison?"

"It's at the most secured location in the entire Kiri. Even Kage tower is not as secure, if you go in there it will surely raise the alarm. Escaping from it, is near impossible", The Anbu answered

"Can you go in there?"

"Yes. But even I can not go in without telling everyone my status and getting checked every step of the way"

"Very well. Listen..."

...

(The day of the arrest)

"Good Job", Mizukage came in smiling, as he stop by Mei's side.

She didn't listen to whatever he said, as her eyes only stared at the bloody Raizel whose skin was torn, his hair taken off, the lenses off. His clothes were torn.

What came in front, shocked everyone, a body, and a face covered in marks all around.

"The marks are fresh", An Anbu said

Mizukage smirked, "You disfigured your face, and body to this extend? I must say I am quite impressed by your tenacity", Mizukage turned around, "Kill him"

Arui Gobetsu, stares at the man, "Why? He can give us a lot of information. It's our luck that such a character with so much information is in our hand"

"What if he escapes? We are talking about him after all"

"From our prison?", Arui Gobetsu smirked, "Is that even possible"

"Very well. Get him to the prison then. Interrogate him. Do not, I repeat, do not get that chain off his body at any cost; increase the protection around the prison", Mizukage said

"Hai"

...

As Arui Gobetsu went towards the upper levels where criminals with lesser crimes were put in. He was shocked to see that there was barely any guard, and the criminals were almost free to roam their cell without torture or anything.

Going up, he recognized the chakra signature almost immediately. It belonged to the warden of the prison, "Sir", The warden bowed towards Arui Gobetsu, he nodded and left the warden's presence for fear of him detecting something.

If this old warden detects even a hint of treachery in the water, there would be no turning off the warpath. Fighting 5 Kages is easier than escaping this place. This place is nothing more than a tenuous hell.

...

Ghost vomited blood as he was whipped...!!

"Why we are just starting our fun of the day, aren't we?", The prisoner laughed and brought a drill to make a hole in his body.

AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

...

Takanami, the civilian who was put here for the defamation of Mizukage sama was sleeping peacefully in his cage, his expression was utterly calm.

"He's drooling. How can someone drool and sleep so peacefully in jail", Arui Gobetsu muttered with no small amount of disgust.

In a sudden moment of inspiration, he reached for the glass of water sitting on the table next to the bed, pouring it carefully into Takanami's face.

"Takanami-san, wake up!" He said urgently, shaking the man's shoulders.

The civilian groaned, sputtering as some of the water went up to his nose. "Oi what the hell?", he grumbled. Peeling his eyes open, he glared at Arui Gobetsu who was disguising himself as another inmate.

"Don't go to sleep again. The dinner time will be missed if you sleep through it", Arui Gobetsu said tiredly, feeling sudden exhaustion as the events of the day caught up to him.

"Lay down all you want, but don't go to sleep."

Takanami grumbled, folding his arms across his chest as he glared up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes. "I'm not sleeping," he said before his new inmate could nag him again.

"And besides, it looks like you're the one who could use some sleep; anyway who are you?", opening one eye to peer at the inmate, he asked

Arui Gobetsu sighed and leaned on the wall, "Your new inmate, Mizukage sama sent me here for a 10-year imprisonment for defamation"

"Damn, that's crazy," Takanami shook his head, then grimaced.

Arui Gobetsu nodded and tiredly looked outside.

"You know. I think we will get along well", Takanami said softly, "I am here for so many years already"

"How did you end up here, Takanami-san?", Arui Gobetsu asked, "You don't seem like someone who deserves to rot in a place like this"

"It's a long story," Takanami said with a chuckle.

"We have all the time in the world you know", Arui Gobetsu shrugged

"Well. I had a friend you know, a friend I used to tell everything about. And idiotically I told her something that shouldn't have, and then she told it to her boyfriend, and he forward the message, and from there the rumors started, and I am here", Takanami sighed, his friend didn't even try to appeal to get him out all these years. What an idiot he was to trust her.

"So... what was the rumor about?"

Takanami groaned, "Why do you even care, it's been many years already. And I put everything behind me"

'Use Genjutsu and get out of there. We don't have time to coax him', Ghost's voice sounded in Arui Gobetsu's head. And so he did.

Arui Gobetsu smiled and made hand signs, "Hey, Takanami-san. Can you please look at me?"

Takanami looked at him with confusion and suddenly fell into a state of hypnotism.

"Now. When I count to 3. You will go back to that time and tell me what you see and hear alright", Arui Gobetsu's voice sounded like a boom in the civilian's head.

"Yes"

"Slowly. 3... 2... 1", He snapped his finger, "Now what do you see"

Takanami's eyes blanked out, "I see. Mizukage sama"

"What is he doing?"

"He is with another man"

"Yes. What are they doing"

"Mizukage sama... he is giving the hooded man something... It's a scroll with the village's symbol on it"

'Leave it. We will interrogate later. I sense the guards coming towards the cell. Do not engage them yet', Ghost's voice resounded in Arui Gobetsu's head, and his voice became deeper again, "When I count...

"The hooded man is wearing something on his face...

'Stop', Ghost's voice sounded again, 'Let him continue'

"Continue. What is he wearing on his face?", Arui Gobetsu's became softer.

"An orange spiral mask...!!!"

'Get out. You have 5 seconds, Get out now'

"Red clouds...."

"Takanami san that's enough. When I snap my finger you will get out of it. And you will forget everything that happened. You will forget that I was here in this cell with you. You don't remember me and you never saw me. Got it?"

"Got it"

He snapped his fingers and vanished out there just in time, for the guard to come and see Takanmi bobbling and wake up like waking from a dream.

Ghost in his cell frowned heavily. Red clouds? What does that mean?