"Stop! Who goes there?"
At the dark, foreboding gates of the Abyss Prison, a guard raised his hand, blocking the path of three individuals.
The three figures, all wearing Sunagakure headbands and standard-issue combat uniforms, had their faces partially obscured by veils. They seed completely unfazed by the guard’s obstruction. The leader of the group reached into his tactical vest and retrieved a small booklet adorned with the symbol of an hourglass.
"Judiciary Departnt. We’re here to interrogate a prisoner," the leader said calmly.
The guard took the credentials and scrutinized them closely.
"Nishino Zhe, Nanbu Rong, Igarashi Atsushi," he muttered, carefully matching the photos and embossed seals on the docunts with the individuals before him.
"And the official summons?" the guard asked.
"Here," the leader—Nishino Zhe—replied, producing a sealed envelope.
The guard opened the envelope and examined the contents. The letterhead bore a striking red hourglass emblem—a "red-seal docunt," as it was known in official circles.
"Very well. Please wait here," the guard said, his tone softening. He stepped into the nearby guardhouse and picked up the red-line phone, speaking in hushed tones that were inaudible from outside.
After a long pause, the guard returned, his face now adorned with a fawning smile.
"The Warden has approved your request to interrogate the prisoner. However, as per protocol, you’ll need to complete the necessary paperwork in the Warden’s office first."
"Of course," Nishino Zhe responded with a nod.
"Open the gate!" the guard bellowed.
With a grating tallic screech that set teeth on edge, the heavy iron gate slowly creaked open.
As the trio prepared to step inside, the guard raised his hand once more to stop them.
"Hold on a mont!"
"What is it?" Nishino Zhe asked, his tone calm but wary.
"No offense, but entering the Abyss Prison requires you to relinquish all weapons. I’m afraid we’ll need to conduct a search."
As he spoke, three additional guards erged from the guardhouse, each assigned to search one of the visitors.
"You’re going to search us?" Nanbu Rong, one of the trio, asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.
"That’s correct," the guard replied with a firm nod.
The three ninjas offered no resistance, raising their arms to allow the guards to conduct their search.
The guards confiscated three standard-issue ninja blades, several kunai, and a handful of explosive tags. The trio had brought only the bare essentials.
"Rest assured, your equipnt will be securely stored. You’ll get everything back when you leave," the guard said.
"Understood," Nishino Zhe replied with a slight nod.
"One more thing," the guard added. "It’s currently the prisoners’ recreation ti. To avoid any unnecessary conflicts, please follow my colleague here."
He gestured to another guard, who stepped forward to lead the way.
The trio exchanged a brief glance before nodding in unison.
"Thank you for your assistance," Nishino Zhe said politely.
"Please, this way," the escorting guard said, motioning for them to follow.
As the trio disappeared into the labyrinthine corridors, the heavy iron gate slowly closed behind them with a resounding clang.
"This is going to be interesting," the gate guard muttered under his breath, a sly grin spreading across his face.
The Abyss Prison, after years of renovations, now resembled a military fortress. The outer gates alone consisted of three layers of reinforced iron, while the interior was a maze of winding corridors. Guard posts were strategically placed every five steps, with sentries stationed every ten. The entire layout was designed with ticulous precision, reflecting the defensive principles of the Central South Sea security system.
"First ti in the Abyss?" the escorting guard asked, attempting to make small talk.
"Yes," Nishino Zhe replied curtly.
"The lighting here isn’t great. I hope you don’t mind," the guard continued.
"It’s fine," Nishino Zhe said.
"Good to hear. The prison’s administrative and cell blocks are quite far apart, aren’t they?" Nishino Zhe asked, feigning casual curiosity.
"Not really," the guard replied with a chuckle. "It just feels that way because of all the twists and turns. In reality, the two areas are often just a wall apart."
"Ah, I see. Quite a clever design," Nishino Zhe comnted.
"Clever, sure. But it’s a pain to navigate," the guard said with a sigh.
The four of them continued their conversation in this stilted manner as they wound their way through the prison’s labyrinthine corridors. After what felt like an eternity of walking, they finally arrived at a row of administrative offices built into what resembled "dugouts."
"This is the reception room. Please wait here while I fetch the Warden," the guard said, gesturing toward the simple room.
"Thank you," Nishino Zhe replied.
The reception room was sparsely furnished, containing only a few sofas and a coffee table. The trio sat on the sofas, their posture straight and formal, exuding a disciplined, military air.
They certainly looked the part.
As the guard exited the room, he casually pressed an inconspicuous button near the door.
"Clang!"
In an instant, a heavy iron grille slamd down over the entrance, sealing it shut. At the sa ti, restraints sprang out from the sofas, clamping down on the trio’s wrists and ankles with unyielding force.
The three ninjas struggled against their bonds, but it was futile.
"Don’t bother," a voice said, cold and authoritative.
The speaker stepped into view—Zhenshan Bao, the Warden of the Abyss Prison.
"Our prison may lack many things, but we certainly don’t lack top-quality restraints," Zhenshan Bao said with a smirk.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Nishino Zhe demanded, his voice tinged with both anger and desperation.
"You were looking for , weren’t you? I am Zhenshan Bao, the Warden of this prison," he replied, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Warden, this isn’t funny! You’re delaying a critical mission!" Nishino Zhe protested.
"Funny? I never joke," Zhenshan Bao said, his smirk fading into a cold glare. "Now, tell —who sent you here to deceive ?"
"Warden, you’ve got it all wrong! We’re here on official orders from the Judiciary Departnt! You can check our credentials and summons!" Nishino Zhe pleaded.
"Oh, I checked them. Now tell , which prisoner are you here for?" Zhenshan Bao asked, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"Prisoner 004046—Yamada Shuji," Nishino Zhe replied hesitantly.
"Ah, I see. The Yamada Gang from Dragonfly City. A bunch of lowlife thugs," Zhenshan Bao sneered.
Nishino Zhe’s face stiffened, his composure faltering.
"You can verify our docunts..." Nishino Zhe began, but Zhenshan Bao cut him off.
"There’s no need. I know all about Dragonfly City’s forgers. Five hundred ryo can get you docunts so authentic they’d fool most people. But not ," Zhenshan Bao said, his patience clearly wearing thin.
"Warden, there must be so misunderstanding!" Nishino Zhe insisted, his voice growing desperate.
"There’s no misunderstanding," Zhenshan Bao said coldly. "The mont you showed those credentials, you gave yourselves away."
The trio stared at him in disbelief.
"Honestly, you did a decent job. You almost had convinced. But you overlooked one crucial detail," Zhenshan Bao said, his tone almost pitying.
"What detail?" Nishino Zhe demanded, his voice trembling with frustration.
"You clearly have no experience dealing with administrative protocols. Let educate you. The Abyss Prison may be nominally under the Judiciary Departnt, but it’s a direct subsidiary. I, as the Warden, also hold the position of Deputy Minister of the Judiciary Departnt. If the Judiciary truly wanted to extract a prisoner, Minister Kato himself would have called . Do you think our judicial system is so child’s play?" Zhenshan Bao’s voice dripped with disdain.
The trio was left speechless, their faces pale with realization.
"An inside man working with you thugs on the outside? Typical Yamada Gang tactics. But I’m sure you didn’t just send one team. Is that right?" Zhenshan Bao asked, his tone venomous. "Guards! Initiate Level One Lockdown imdiately! No one approaches the prison without my explicit approval. Any suspicious individuals are to be killed on sight!"
"Yes, sir!" several guards responded, rushing off to carry out his orders.
"Ah Bian! Ah Gun!" Zhenshan Bao barked.
"Present!" two guards responded.
"I’m heading to oversee the defenses. Deal with these fools. You have three hours to extract every last bit of information from them," Zhenshan Bao commanded.
"Yes, sir!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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