Naruto : Crimson wood

Amid the dozens of Burning Fire Clan members, a few had survived.

One of them—a bald man at Stage Three—was dragged in front of Haruki Tsukimura.

Haruki squatted down in front of him, a polite smile on his face.

"Well then, Baldy, tell me—why did your Burning Fire Clan target our students?"

Though the man hadn't suffered heavy injuries from the Executive Division's enforcers, Haruki had already broken one of his arms. Pale and soaked in sweat, blood still leaked from the wound.

Yet he clenched his jaw and spat coldly,

"No comment."

"Alright, let me rephrase. Recently, Azure City and Xiahai City both experienced abnormal beast tides. Your clan members were spotted among the chaos. Was the beast wave orchestrated by the Burning Fire Clan?"

"No comment."

"Tch. You're really trying my patience."

Haruki's smile faded. He reached out, gripped the man's uninjured hand—

Crack!

"AAAGHH!"

Without warning, Haruki broke one of the man's fingers. The scream echoed, and the man's face went ghostly white.

"You're alone now. No point in acting tough."

The man's lips trembled, but the pain left him speechless.

Haruki glanced behind him.

"Honoka."

Honoka, the Executive Division's skilled healer, stepped forward. She raised her palm over the injured arm, a soft aqua-blue glow enveloping it. The bleeding stopped, and some of the pain faded.

Haruki immediately grabbed the next finger.

"I'll give you one more chance. Speak up."

The man bit down, lips trembling, but remained silent.

Click!

Another finger broke.

"GAH! Hahaha…"

This time, he screamed and then gritted his teeth.

"If you have the guts… kill me now!"

"Oh? Brave, aren't you."

Haruki's tone stayed casual, even amused.

"They say pain in the fingers strikes straight to the heart. I'm curious how long you'll last. And don't forget—we've got Honoka. Her healing skills are top-tier. She can mend bones like snapping twigs."

He leaned in, voice warm and gentle like a whispering devil.

"I'll break every finger, toe, and limb—and she'll fix you right back up. Again and again. What do you think will happen to your mind?"

The man's eyes widened in terror.

"I-I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

His mental defenses shattered completely.

Standing nearby, Renji Takahashi watched the scene, uneasy.

Haruki always looked like the calm, elegant type.

But now—whether it was the brutal punch that broke the beastified man's arm earlier or the casual way he was torturing someone—it was terrifying.

No wonder people feared the Executive Division.

In this world… being too kind means death.

Haruki sat back and asked,

"Let's start with the obvious. Why attack our students?"

Renji and Yuna Hoshizaki leaned in. They were the targets, after all.

"I don't know the exact reason... Our leader only gave the order: kill them both. No explanation."

"You're sure?"

"I swear! I'm not lying!"

"Who is your leader? Where is he now?"

"No clue. He's always elusive. We don't even know his real name. He contacts us, not the other way around."

"Then were you involved in triggering the recent beast tides?"

"That was the leader's doing. He told us to use the chaos to take out those two. I don't know how he triggered the beasts."

The answers came pouring out, fast and frantic.

And yet… Renji's heart only grew heavier.

The enemy was willing to cause a large-scale beast wave—just to kill him and Yuna?

Who was this leader?

Haruki asked the final question.

"Are there any other Burning Fire Clan hideouts in the City of Sin or elsewhere?"

"I don't know. I'm just a low-level captain. Stuff like that's above my clearance."

Haruki stood with a smile.

"Thanks for your cooperation."

The bald man breathed a sigh of relief.

But—

Slice.

A dagger slid across his throat. He clutched his neck, choking on blood, and collapsed.

The Executive Division never leaves loose ends.

"Now we're sure," Haruki said, frowning. "The Burning Fire Clan was behind the beast tide. We'll need to launch a deep investigation."

That wasn't good news.

"It's all we can do for now. Let's head back," he added.

The group left the City of Sin and drove away in silence.

In the back seat, Renji and Yuna remained quiet.

Being the direct targets of such an attack… it was a heavy burden.

"You two don't need to worry too much," Haruki reassured them. "Azure Dragon Academy's instructors are here. We will find whoever's behind this."

"…Thank you, Captain," Yuna whispered with a forced smile.

Renji still couldn't guess who the mastermind might be.

He wasn't afraid—just deeply curious.

DING!

Mission Completed: Investigate the Cause of the Beast Tide

Reward: 500 Energy Points + 1 Lottery Spin

Renji's eyes lit up. The weight in his chest immediately lifted.

"System, open the lottery!"

A virtual spinning wheel appeared.

[Flying Thunder God (Already Owned), Sage Mode (Already Owned), Multi Shadow Clone, Eight Trigrams Seal, Shiki Fujin, Four Symbols Seal, Mangekyō Sharingan (Basic), Illusion - Jag-hang (Already Owned), Wood Style - Wood Clone (Owned), Wood Style - Cutting Technique]

"Eh… some of these aren't great. Can I refresh the rewards?"

Refreshing costs 100 Energy Points.

"…You greedy bastard."

Still, Renji clenched his jaw and tapped refresh.

The wheel flashed gold—

All rewards upgraded by one level!

New prizes appeared:

[Mangekyō Sharingan (Basic), Wood Style - Tree World Advent, Wood Style - Healing Unsealed, Mangekyō Sharingan: Amaterasu, Wood Style - Wood Golem Jutsu, Summon: Nine-Tails, Summon: Eight-Tails, Summon: Outer Path Demon Statue, Eight Trigrams Seal, Four Symbols Seal]

Renji's heart thumped.

Now this… was worth it.

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