Kazahana Dōtō was terrified.
His lips trembled as, at last, he blurted out in grief and despair,
"If there's anything you want to know, I'll tell you everything—everything!"
Kyoichi smiled faintly.
That was smooth.
Sure enough, Yin Release nature transformation was incredibly useful in situations like this. Against people who didn't truly understand it, it was nothing short of a trump card.
And this wasn't even its final form.
In Kyoichi's ultimate vision, Yin Release could be combined with genjutsu to achieve truly unexpected effects.
But for dealing with small fry like this, there was no need to use the full package.
"What does this armor do?" Kyoichi asked calmly.
"Th-this… it's just an ordinary suit of armor."
"Just as I thought. In that case, we'll send you to Konoha for interrogation. Let ANBU prepare all their methods."
Tsunade spoke coolly from the side.
In terms of sheer presence, Kyoichi couldn't compare to Tsunade. He was still young, his appearance relatively mild, and in most situations his intimidation relied on others knowing what he was capable of.
Tsunade, on the other hand, radiated pressure effortlessly.
Every word, every movement carried overwhelming authority.
Combined with Kyoichi's earlier display, Kazahana Dōtō was completely rattled now. He swallowed hard and hurriedly said,
"Th-this is chakra armor! It enhances one's strength and can also restrict an opponent's chakra!"
"Of course I know that. And?" Kyoichi pressed on.
Kazahana Dōtō looked confused.
Wasn't that everything?
He thought long and hard before saying,
"You mean the blueprints? They're in my base—"
"Think again."
"Really, that's all! There's nothing else!"
Kazahana Dōtō looked on the verge of tears.
He felt like the most pathetic rebel in history—his grand plan had collapsed before it even truly began, and he hadn't been able to resist at all.
Even now, he still couldn't understand how Kazahana Sōsetsu had known in advance what he was going to do—let alone how he had hired the former Hokage and Konoha's ex-ANBU commander.
Where did he even get that kind of money?
So the treasure really did exist after all.
But…
That had nothing to do with him anymore.
Treasure?
Right now, the only thing that mattered was whether he would survive. He had nearly killed Sōsetsu just moments ago, and he didn't look like someone inclined to beg for mercy.
If he had known anything truly crucial, he would have said it already.
Kyoichi said nothing.
But the shadow restraining Kazahana Dōtō began to creep upward, climbing over his body and forming the outline of a gigantic demonic figure.
Kazahana Dōtō's eyes widened as shadowy tendrils wrapped tightly around his limbs—
The next instant, searing pain erupted from his arms and legs.
"Mercy! Mercy! I really don't know what you're asking about!"
"Fine. I'll give you a hint," Kyoichi said indifferently.
"You answer every question honestly. If I find out you're lying, believe me—whether it's Tsunade or me, we're both medical specialists. For you, death would be a luxury."
Kyoichi's tone was calm, but the words were chilling.
People might not know Kyoichi's medical prowess, but Tsunade's name was universally feared. Kazahana Dōtō had no doubts at all and nodded frantically.
Tsunade stood to the side, watching coldly.
Kazahana Sōsetsu swallowed hard.
Just watching this made him uneasy. He was grateful it wasn't being done to him—otherwise, it would be worse than death.
"The chakra armor… did you invent it yourself?" Kyoichi asked.
"Y-yes… of course…"
"Hm?"
Tsunade shot him a sharp look.
You invented it yourself?
Who did he think he was fooling?
A man who barely understood chakra claiming to have created such a powerful device with long-term development potential—what kind of nonsense was that?
It was like saying a child who had just started school in Konoha had designed something like this.
Impossible.
She didn't believe it for a second.
Dōtō glanced at Tsunade, then at Kyoichi, and finally lowered his head.
"N-no… it wasn't my idea originally. I first found a similar piece of armor and studied it by wearing it."
"And the original?" Kyoichi asked.
"I dismantled it. It couldn't be restored, and it broke after being used once anyway," Kazahana Dōtō explained.
Kyoichi let out a soft sigh.
What a waste.
Generally speaking, the original prototype held the greatest research value. And now it was gone.
"What a shame," Tsunade said with a sigh.
"Forget it. The core structure is what matters. We can research the rest ourselves. Daimyō-sama, his fate is up to you."
Kazahana Dōtō's heart leapt.
He knew his brother well.
As a daimyō, Kazahana Sōsetsu was competent—but his greatest flaw was excessive kindness. As long as he—
"Hand him over to Konoha," Sōsetsu said quietly.
"You may extract his memories. If anything concerns Land of Snow, inform us. I… I don't want to see him again."
He closed his eyes in pain.
He could tell—his brother was still trying to manipulate him.
If it were just himself, he might have imprisoned him for life.
But now, he was no longer alone.
He had a daughter—Kazahana Koyuki.
With a child came something to protect.
He had never imagined Dōtō would betray him. Once he knew, how could he dare keep him around?
Even kindness had its limits.
Kyoichi nodded in approval.
This was not the decision of a foolish ruler.
"You—you found the treasure and didn't even share it with me, and you still have the nerve—"
"Treasure? What treasure?"
Kazahana Sōsetsu froze.
He had never heard of any treasure.
He stood there stunned for a long while before asking with a strange expression,
"Who told you there was a treasure?"
"Heh. You think I don't know?" Kazahana Dōtō sneered.
Since he was doomed anyway, there was no point hiding it. If he weren't restrained, he would have lunged at him—or at least spat in his face.
Kyoichi interjected calmly,
"He was busy building armor. Were you perhaps busy building something as well?"
"Ah—yes," Sōsetsu hesitated, then said,
"I was building a device. As you know, Land of Snow's climate is harsh—snow year-round, nothing but winter scenery. Heating has always been a problem for the people, so I was constructing a large heater."
"…What?"
Kazahana Dōtō was dumbfounded.
The treasure…
Was a heater?
He couldn't believe it.
Without another word, Kyoichi knocked him unconscious.
Not out of mercy—
but because if he lost his mind completely, extracting memories with the Yamanaka clan would only become more difficult.
After that, Kyoichi swiftly borrowed paper and ink, wrote up the situation, and sent it to ANBU via Flying Thunder God. Results wouldn't take long.
And as for the armor—
He had already made the necessary arrangements.
This kind of work…
Was naturally Orochimaru's responsibility.