Chương 69: First Round (2)

The examination room was surprisingly simple. Instead, the room contained only a wooden table, four chairs, and a single lamp hanging from the ceiling. The walls were plain and there were no windows to let in natural light or fresh air. The space felt small and closed off, which added to the pressure of the test. Yet Shunsui knew the room was not as empty as it appeared. Somewhere behind those walls, jonin examiners were watching their every word, every reaction, and every mistake.

He could almost feel their eyes on the team through hidden observation points. This setup was designed to test how well the genin could handle real pressure while gathering information from someone who did not want to give it. The prisoner sat on the opposite side of the table. He was a man in his early forties with slightly messy hair and expensive looking clothes.

Even though he was currently restrained to the chair with light chains, he carried himself like someone who was used to being important and in control of situations.

'A merchant huh,' Shunsui thought as he studied the man carefully.

'At least, that was what the file outside had said. The problem is that the file did not mention his crime. That might be the purpose of the examination. To find out what he did. And since the examiners took someone who is already a prisoner they must know what his crime is and thus could test us. That is if he is actually a criminal.' He thought about this deeply while taking his seat with his team. The teams were supposed to uncover the truth through conversation alone.

The man smiled pleasantly as Team Shunsui entered the room. It was not the smile of a dangerous criminal. It was the smile of a friendly businessman who wanted to make a good first impression. That alone made Shunsui suspicious.

'Too normal.' The thought crossed his mind immediately.

'Most people who are criminals do not look dangerous. They looked trustworthy.' He thought. People who committed serious crimes often learned how to hide their true nature behind kind faces and calm voices. They knew that looking scary would make others careful around them. Instead, they acted normal and friendly so that no one would suspect them until it was too late. This merchant had clearly practiced that skill for many years. His relaxed posture and warm smile were tools he used to control how others saw him.

Shunsui decided to stay extra alert because of this. The merchant leaned back comfortably in his chair despite the restraints.

"I must admit, I am relieved," he said in a smooth voice. Guy blinked in confusion at the unexpected words.

"Relieved about what?" the energetic genin asked with curiosity. The merchant smiled again, showing perfect teeth.

"I was expecting older shinobi to interrogate me. Instead, they sent children." Guy immediately pointed at himself with pride.

"I am no ordinary child. I am Might Guy, a future legend of Konoha whose youthful flames shall illuminate the entire world." The merchant stared for a second, clearly taken aback by the bold declaration. Then he laughed heartily as if Guy had told a good joke. Genma covered his face with one hand in embarrassment. Shunsui sighed softly under his breath at his teammate's introduction. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The merchant looked amused by the whole team.

"Well then, Future Legend of Konoha, perhaps you can prove my innocence." Guy immediately sat down at the table with determination.

"Excellent. We shall begin." The merchant folded his arms and waited.

"Please do." Guy leaned forward and asked the first direct question.

"What crime did you commit?" The merchant smiled pleasantly once more.

"None." Guy frowned deeply at the simple answer.

"That answer was suspicious." The merchant nodded as if agreeing.

"Your question was too." Genma snorted quietly at the exchange while Shunsui simply watched without speaking right away. Unlike Guy, he paid very little attention to the actual words at first. Instead, he watched the man closely. His eyes, his posture, his reactions to every question. The merchant looked calm. Too calm. A truly innocent man would probably be frustrated or angry about being accused wrongly. Which meant he had prepared himself very well for this kind of questioning.

Orochimaru's words returned to Shunsui's mind.

'The prisoner may lie. The prisoner may tell partial truths. The prisoner may attempt to manipulate you.'

'Interesting,' Shunsui thought as he continued observing. Guy continued asking questions with his usual energy.

"If you are innocent, why were you arrested?" The merchant immediately answered without any pause.

"Because people needed someone to blame." The merchant was prepared for that question. Which meant he had probably repeated that answer many times before to other people. The merchant continued speaking in a sad tone.

"I spent twenty years building my business. I employed dozens of workers. I fed their families. Then one day everything was taken from me." He sighed sadly and looked down for a moment.

"It is unfortunate." Guy's expression softened a little at the emotional story. The merchant noticed immediately and seemed pleased. Shunsui noticed that too.

'He is trying to gain sympathy.' The man was not really defending himself with facts. He was shaping their perception of him as a poor victim. That was different from a normal innocent person who would focus on clear proof. The merchant continued speaking smoothly.

"I was accused after a caravan incident." Shunsui's eyes narrowed slightly. There. A useful detail. A caravan incident. The first actual information they had received that could lead somewhere.

"What happened during the incident?" Genma asked quickly, picking up on the opening. The merchant sighed again and shook his head.

"It was a tragedy. One of my guards died during a bandit attack." Shunsui remained silent and thoughtful. The merchant had introduced the dead guard himself. Nobody had asked about a guard. Nobody had asked about a death. Yet he brought it up anyway.

'Why?' The question immediately appeared in Shunsui's mind. Why mention the guard so early? The merchant could have spoken about his arrest or his business or his workers. Instead he chose to talk about the dead guard. The conversation continued for some time with Guy asking more questions.

"So bandits attacked your caravan?"

"Yes."

"How many bandits were there?" The answer came instantly.

"Seven." The merchant froze for only a moment. But Shunsui saw it clearly. Genma saw it too. The merchant smiled quickly to cover it.

"At least, I believe there were seven." Guy nodded without noticing the small slip.

"I see." But Shunsui did not accept it so easily. A normal person would estimate the number during a chaotic attack. Maybe six. Maybe seven. Maybe eight. Bandit attacks happened quickly and victims rarely knew exact numbers in the panic. Yet the merchant answered immediately without hesitation or uncertainty. As if he knew exactly how many attackers were present. The merchant realized his mistake and quickly changed the subject.

"The attack was very chaotic. People were screaming. Horses were panicking." But the damage had already been done. A small crack had appeared in his story. Genma leaned forward and asked another question.

"What was stolen?" The merchant began listing items while raising his fingers one by one.

"Silk." He raised one finger.

"Jewelry." A second finger.

"Medicine." A third finger.

"Food." Then he stopped. The pause was brief. Very brief. But it existed. Shunsui immediately noticed the hesitation. The merchant had been speaking smoothly until that point. Then suddenly he hesitated for the first time. Almost as if he was deciding whether to mention something or hide something important. Genma noticed it too. His eyes met Shunsui's briefly. Neither spoke out loud. Neither needed to. The same thought had crossed both their minds. The merchant was hiding part of the cargo list from them.

The interrogation continued for another twenty minutes. But the more the merchant spoke, the more Shunsui became convinced of something important. The man was not trying to prove he was innocent. He was answering in such a way that he was a criminal but he was trying to hide his actual crime.

'Maybe he is convicted for a crime that is less punishable than what he actually committed.' Shunsui thought Finally Shunsui decided to act.

"The bandits probably attacked because they wanted food?" The merchant relaxed slightly.

"No." Shunsui nodded calmly.

"They wanted jewelry then?" The merchant relaxed again.

"No."

"Medicine?" Again the merchant looked comfortable.

"No." Shunsui watched carefully for every small reaction. Then he spoke the key assumption.

"They wanted military supplies?" The merchant's body stiffened.