After coming out of the hospital room, Mamoru casually tossed the apple, standing at the door for a while.
The two Anbu standing silently on both sides of the corridor watched him, seemingly somewhat puzzled by his actions.
Mamoru lowered his eyes as if thinking about something, until at a certain moment he looked up and asked casually, "Do you know where Orochimaru's confidant is being held now?"
"First-floor special ward, guarded jointly by the Interrogation Force and the Anbu."
"Thanks." Mamoru gave a slight nod and turned toward the stairs.
Arriving outside the ward at the end of the first floor, as expected, two Anbu were also guarding the door.
Before he even pushed the door, he heard a burst of irritable cursing from inside—
"Are your ears just for show? I said I don't know, so I don't know. Why keep asking? Is your brain full of shit? You're as stupid as your stinking face..."
The corner of Mamoru's eye twitched slightly—this cursing vigor and crude vocabulary were still so sharp, not changed at all.
Inside the ward.
Ibiki, standing at the foot of the bed, was pressing his temples, his brow furrowed with a headache.
A young ninja from the Interrogation Force stood by the bed, pen in one hand and a notebook in the other, his face turning a bit pale.
"You're a girl, how can you speak so crudely?"
The young man endured it and endured it, but finally couldn't help but grit his teeth and snap, his pen stopping heavily on the paper.
"None of your business! You meddling bastard!"
Tayuya sat at the head of the bed, her long red hair disheveled, the loose hospital gown making her figure look even thinner. One wrist was locked to the bed rail with a special metal cuff, and the chain rattled with her agitated movements.
Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and a figure walked in slowly.
Mamoru's appearance immediately drew all the gazes in the room.
"You bastard, what are you doing here!"
As soon as Tayuya saw him, her eyes went wide, and she shouted at the top of her lungs.
Mamoru didn't respond immediately but swept his gaze toward the window—two Anbu were standing quietly outside the ward window.
Such strict guarding was enough to show the importance Konoha placed on Tayuya.
Mamoru didn't get angry, his gaze moving to the girl on the bed, his tone flat. "You really are still so unrefined. I was wondering if your personality had changed at all. It seems Konoha is still too gentle with prisoners."
After he finished, his gaze turned to Ibiki.
Ibiki gave a bitter smile and explained in a low voice, "The Medical Team said her internal organs haven't healed yet. Forced interrogation might endanger her life, so for now, this is all we can do..."
"How very humane." Mamoru curled his lip, his tone ambiguous as to whether it was praise or mockery.
Tayuya should perhaps be glad that the one currently in power was someone like Hiruzen, who valued principles and rules—interrogation without excessive torture, imprisonment without abuse.
If it were someone like Danzo in charge, regardless of whether you were seriously injured or not, as long as you had a breath left, torture and mental control would have been used in turns, not stopping until every bit of information was squeezed dry.
"That's enough for today." Ibiki gestured to the young assistant.
"Yes." The young man took a deep breath and closed the notebook.
The two nodded to Mamoru and left the ward silently, one after the other.
Mamoru walked to the head of the bed, pulled over a wooden chair, and sat down as if no one else were there.
"Why haven't you gotten lost yet, you bastard?" Tayuya glared at him fiercely.
"I'm bored." Mamoru leaned back and leisurely crossed his legs. "I just happened to find you to pass the time."
"You're playing with me, aren't you!?"
"If you want to think that, fine."
Mamoru pulled the apple from his pocket and looked around the room, his gaze passing over the bedside table and the windowsill, seemingly looking for something.
"Damn it... go to hell!" Tayuya gritted her teeth, and the chain clattered as she pulled at it again.
Mamoru's gaze fell back on her face, his tone indifferent. "Be a good girl and confess everything you know. Don't wait until you're actually on the interrogation table to regret it."
He didn't find a tool for peeling but that didn't stump him. Chakra flowed at his fingertips, condensing into a thin, sharp Chakra Scalpel.
Under Tayuya's stunned gaze, he leisurely began to peel the apple. The blade pressed close to the skin and rotated evenly, making a very light rustling sound.
Tayuya sneered, her mouth curling into a mocking arc. "You think I'll be afraid?"
Mamoru's blade moved evenly across the skin. "Many prisoners and spies start out as stubborn as you. By the time you're actually taken to the interrogation table, it'll be too late. Don't think of Konoha's interrogation as simple physical torture—it's a process that will completely dissect you from body to consciousness, from memory to instinct, all to squeeze out information."
Tayuya raised her voice, her chest heaving. "Stop trying to scare me! Compared to the life I used to live, these methods are nothing!"
The movement of Mamoru's hand paused almost imperceptibly, then he continued peeling, as if the pause just now had been an illusion.
The apple skin gradually fell, even in width, forming a perfect spiral that swayed slightly in the air.
His expression was calm, his tone tranquil. "Oh right, I almost forgot, you're one of Orochimaru's test subjects. Cursed Seal implantation, half-human, half-monster—you've lived quite a pitiful life."
"Shut up! You bastard, did you come here just to... mmpf!"
Before Tayuya could finish, Mamoru suddenly stood up and stuffed the entire peeled apple into her mouth.
"All those things I said last time were for nothing, weren't they?" He leaned in close, his gaze darkening, invisible pressure condensing in his blue pupils.
"Mmm mmm..."
Tayuya reached out with her unchained hand, trying to push him away, but her hand was easily caught by his other hand and pinned to the edge of the bed, making her unable to move.
"I don't like eating apples, so I'm giving it to you." Mamoru pressed closer, his breath almost brushing her forehead, his voice low and clear, each word nailing into her ears.
"If you dare to throw away something I've given..."
He paused, his tone gentle but enough to make one's spine chill. "I'll force it down your throat. Understand?"
Tayuya's gaze crashed into that blue expanse, her pupils suddenly shrinking, her breathing becoming rapid.
Memories of pain, of suppression, of being absolutely unable to resist surged up like a tide. Her struggling movements unconsciously stopped, leaving only a slightly trembling body.
Seeing that she was no longer resisting, Mamoru slowly straightened up and released her hand.
"I'm leaving. I'll come see you again in a couple of days."
He turned and walked toward the door, his voice returning to a light and warm tone. "I hope the next time I see you, you'll behave a bit better."
"Don't come back! You ugly man!"
A white pillow was suddenly thrown from behind. Without even looking back, Mamoru casually caught it with one hand, holding it deftly.
He turned around, threw the pillow back onto the bed, a half-smiling expression appearing on his face, and then pushed the door and left.
After walking out of the ward, Mamoru thoughtfully raised his hand and lightly pinched his chin with his fingertips, a glint of keen interest flashing in his eyes as he muttered to himself, "Perhaps, keeping a pet... might not be so bad."
Outside the door, the gazes of the two Anbu met under their masks, their faces simultaneously showing unconcealable confusion.
He just saw one of Orochimaru's subordinates, so how did it suddenly... turn into talking about keeping a pet?