Chapter 41: The Sacrificial Pawn
"Captain, that's the situation."
"I understand."
After receiving the chunin's report, the Patrol Corps Captain, Aoyama Hideomi, had rushed to the scene. He was a man in his late thirties who had served on the battlefield during the Third Great War. He had no parents, no wife, and no children. He was an upright and incorruptible man who answered directly to the Fourth Raikage. It was for this reason that he had been appointed to his current position, jointly responsible for the village's security along with the Barrier Team.
After hearing the full story from the patrol team, he walked over to Neji.
"Neji-kun, you say you were attacked by a mysterious cloaked man while you were training on Mount Kumokumo?"
"That's right."
"You cut off his left arm and followed the blood trail, meeting up with three patrol members along the way, and then tracked him to the izakaya?"
"Correct."
"Is there anything else you wish to add?"
"No."
Aoyama shook his head, a complicated expression on his face. "The patrol team has searched all of Mount Kumokumo. We found no signs of a struggle, nor did we find the blood trail you mentioned."
"Heh," Neji scoffed. "The signs of the struggle have all vanished, and the bodies are gone as well. It seems there are quite a few ghosts in the Hidden Cloud."
Aoyama considered for a moment. "Let's assume the mysterious man had accomplices who cleaned up all the evidence before the patrol team arrived."
"However," he continued, his tone turning serious and cold, "we have an eyewitness who saw you kill three patrol members and then flee the izakaya. You claim you were pursuing an enemy, but when the patrol team caught up to you at the corner, there was no one else in sight."
"Personally, I am willing to believe you are innocent. But until the truth is uncovered, you'll have to come with me."
Neji glanced at the man's black-gloved left hand. "Can I see this eyewitness who saw me kill someone and then run away?"
Aoyama nodded and murmured something to the chunin beside him.
A few moments later, a nondescript street vendor was brought forward.
"According to our investigation, this man has been selling crepes near the izakaya for the past two years. His family has lived in the Hidden Cloud for generations. His background is clean."
"May I ask him a few questions?"
"Ask whatever you like."
Neji walked over to the vendor and studied him. There was no trace of chakra. He was an ordinary civilian.
"Open your mouth and stick out your tongue."
The vendor did as he was told. There was no Tongue-Cursing Seal. He was not from Root.
"Where do you usually set up your stall?" Neji asked.
"Right over there, Ninja-sama." The vendor pointed to a small crepe cart.
The izakaya was on a long street. The vendor's stall was to the west of the entrance, but Neji had chased the insect clone to the east.
Neji's expression hardened. "You're lying."
The vendor froze, then shouted, "No, I'm telling the truth!"
Neji took a step forward, looming over him. "You saw me kill someone? You saw me run away? You saw my face?"
"..."
The vendor went pale under Neji's intense gaze. But he quickly recovered, his voice stubborn. "When the explosion happened, I hid under my cart. I saw you kill them and then run away. Then the patrol team chased after you."
Neji turned to look at the patrol team, then at Aoyama. "You all heard him, didn't you?"
"We heard him, Neji-kun," Aoyama said, his eyes narrowed. "Loud and clear. Is there anything else you'd like to say?"
"Gentlemen," Neji said, "stand here by the cart. I'll walk out of the izakaya at a slow pace, just as I did before, and we'll see what you can see."
"Alright," Aoyama agreed after a moment's thought.
Neji slowly walked out of the izakaya, headed east, turned the corner, and then came back.
From the vendor's position, it was impossible to see inside the izakaya. And as Neji had walked out, he had been heading east the entire time. Due to the angle, they had only been able to catch a fleeting glimpse of the side of his face for a second or two.
Everyone realized the vendor had been lying. This was a frame-up.
"Did any of you get a clear look at my face?" Neji asked the patrol team. "Please raise your hand if you did."
No one raised their hand.
The vendor, however, frantically waved his hand in the air. "I... I saw him!"
"You, be quiet!" Aoyama roared.
Neji walked toward the vendor. "None of these men could see my face, and they were standing. But you, in the middle of an explosion, terrified and hiding under your cart with your vision obstructed... how could you possibly have seen me kill anyone? How could you have seen my face?"
"I... I didn't see him clearly... no, I did!" the vendor stammered, his body trembling.
"You bastard!" Aoyama slapped him hard across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. "There's someone behind this. Take him away and interrogate him."
He waved his hand, and two patrol members dragged the vendor away.
He then turned to Neji, a strained smile on his face. "Neji-kun, that was my oversight. I almost made a terrible mistake. You were very clever."
Neji just waved his hand dismissively. "This isn't the time for that, Aoyama-senpai. There are enemy ninja hiding in our village. As long as they remain, none of us are safe."
"You're right," Aoyama said, nodding grimly. "I'll have my men conduct a thorough investigation. We'll find those bastards if we have to tear this village apart."
He was a man of action. He and his team immediately departed.
Neji watched him go, a deep, dark look in his pale eyes.
After a moment, he turned and went back into the izakaya, heading straight for the second floor.
As he had expected, Yakushi Nōno was still there. She looked as if she had suffered a devastating blow, slumped against the wall, her body limp.
Neji lifted her in his arms, carried her to a clean private room, and placed her on the bed.
He poured himself a glass of water and took a sip.
"If that witness hadn't been so incompetent, your identity would have been exposed by now."
"But they were too naive. They thought they could destroy me with such a simple trick."
"They have no idea how much trust the Fourth Raikage has in me."
"Even if they had concrete proof that I was in contact with a Root spy, he wouldn't believe it."
"But if it had come to that, there would have been no way for you to survive."