Ch.61 Bitterness

Anbu Headquarters.

Interrogation Room.

An Anbu member stared at Uchiha Shinji and slowly asked, "Is that the full story?"

"Yeah."

Shinji nodded honestly.

He told them everything, except for the things he shouldn't mention.

The Anbu questioned further, "Based on your description, the mysterious person's strength should far surpass yours. How did you manage to escape so easily?"

Shinji shook his head. "I don't know."

This was the truth. If the mysterious person had kept chasing them, none of them would have escaped.

The Anbu didn't dwell on the issue and continued, "Is that ninja cat your summoning beast?"

"Yes, I made the contract with it when I visited Cat Fortress not too long ago. My travel permit was issued by Iruka-sensei. He can vouch for me."

The Anbu glanced at Shinji. "We'll verify that."

After a brief pause, the Anbu asked, "Did you notice any strange behavior from Uchiha Sasuke?"

"What do you mean by strange?"

The Anbu carefully chose his words before asking, "For instance, during the time you were taken to the Root base, do you think his panic might have been an act? Or when you two escaped together, did he use you as a shield against the Root shinobi?"

Shinji frowned.

He realized that the Anbu was suspicious of Sasuke.

This wasn't good news for him. Even if Sasuke had done something questionable, it would eventually be cleared up during the investigation. If Shinji leaned into the Anbu's suspicions and blamed Sasuke, it would only come back to haunt him in the future.

So, he answered, "I was the one covering the rear. That was part of our plan from the start. He didn't use me."

The Anbu pressed, "He didn't manipulate you?"

"No!" Shinji shook his head firmly, then asked, "Why are you asking this?"

Since Shinji was also a key person involved, the Anbu didn't hide the truth. "The place where you were detained is a secret facility in the village. While you two were escaping, there was a theft. We found Sasuke near the scene."

Shinji asked, "What was stolen?"

"It was..."

Mid-sentence, the Anbu hesitated.

Everyone in the Anbu knew that the stolen items from the Root base were Sharingan eyes, and Danzo was furious about it. However, it was awkward to reveal to a Uchiha like Shinji that the stolen items were Sharingan.

Sensing the uncomfortable silence, Shinji quickly interjected, "Could it have been the mysterious person who attacked us in the Forest of Death?"

"Huh?"

The Anbu was caught off guard.

Shinji continued, "After he attacked us, he suddenly disappeared. Maybe he followed us to the facility."

"That's a possibility." After a brief pause, the Anbu added, "Alright, you can go now."

Shinji nodded and asked as he was leaving the interrogation room, "What about Sasuke?"

The Anbu waved him off. "Don't worry about him; he's at the Hokage Building."

After finishing Shinji's questioning, the Anbu left the room as well.

Another Anbu, standing outside the door, asked, "How did it go?"

The one who questioned Shinji smiled. "The kid doesn't know anything. He seems to have been completely in the dark."

"I heard his performance this time was impressive?"

The interrogating Anbu shook his head. "It's a shame he hasn't awakened his Sharingan yet. In terms of potential, he can't compare to Uchiha Sasuke."

Meanwhile, Shinji, on his way downstairs, encountered Neji, who had also just finished his questioning.

The two nodded at each other and walked out in silence.

Shinji remained quiet, reviewing the entire operation in his mind, ensuring that he hadn't left any loose ends.

Neji, on the other hand, was silent because the events of the day had been a heavy blow to him.

He hadn't expected his proud Gentle Fist to be so ineffective, reduced to a joke in front of the mysterious man.

At the same time, he had to admit that when faced with a strong opponent, Shinji had handled the situation better than he had.

Together, they walked out of the Anbu headquarters.

"They're out!"

A shout came from outside, and their classmates rushed up to greet Shinji and Neji.

Seeing Haku, Karin, Tenten, Lee, and from Sasuke's class, Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata, and many others, Shinji was puzzled. "What are you all doing here?"

Tenten said, "If it weren't for the three of you, we might've been in serious trouble."

Shikamaru added, "You guys saved our lives today."

Naruto, peering into the Anbu building, asked, "What about Sasuke?"

"Sasuke is still in the Hokage Building." After a brief pause, Shinji said, "We're all fine. Don't worry."

Out of nowhere, Shion appeared and suggested, "Let's go celebrate with some barbecue!"

Shinji and Neji, unable to refuse their classmates' gratitude, were dragged along to a barbecue restaurant.

As they ate, the conversation inevitably turned to the mysterious person they had encountered in the Forest of Death.

The terror of that mysterious figure was still fresh in everyone's minds.

Many of them, who came from clans with bloodline limits or secret techniques, had seen powerful shinobi before, but none could compare to the person they faced today.

That person could paralyze everyone with sheer killing intent alone.

Because of how terrifying the mysterious person was, those who stood up to him—Shinji, Neji, and Sasuke—had become idols in the eyes of their classmates.

Shion boasted to the group, "See? I was right! Shinji is stronger than all of you!"

Shinji, embarrassed, protested, "Hey, you weren't even there today. Don't say things like that!"

At his words, Shion dramatically lamented, "I can't believe I missed all the fun at the shinobi academy! I'm definitely enrolling!"

On the other side, Hinata approached Neji, saying softly, "Neji-niisan, thank you for saving me today!"

Neji, his face cold, replied, "I don't need thanks from the main family. Besides, I wasn't trying to save you."

"Neji-niisan..."

Hinata seemed lost for words.

Seeing the interaction, their classmates began whispering among themselves.

"What's going on? Aren't Neji and Hinata from the same family?"

"Shh, don't talk about it. Hinata is from the main family of the Hyuga clan, and Neji is from the branch family..."

"Is there really a difference? I mean, Hinata still calls him 'brother'."

"Just keep in mind that Neji doesn't like talking about his family."

Hearing the others whisper, Neji instinctively raised a hand to touch his forehead, but halfway, he clenched his fist and put it down.

Main family, branch family...

To outsiders, it might seem like just a title.

But for those living within it, only they could understand the bitterness of being in the branch family.

Even though Neji was still young, he had already tasted that bitterness far too many times.

"I have something to do. I'll be going now."

Without waiting for a response, he stood up and left.

Watching Neji's retreating figure, Shinji thought deeply and murmured to himself: Caged Bird Seal... Tenseigan...