reborn as Sakumo Hatake

The cold stone walls of the interrogation chamber felt suffocating as Sakumo and Kakashi entered. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from a single lantern hanging above the table. At the far end of the room, Uchiha Tanaka lay unconscious, still bound by chakra chains, his once-pristine clothes now dirty and torn. The mask that had been his symbol of power now lay discarded on the table beside him, a silent reminder of the man he had once been.

Sakumo couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness as he looked at Tanaka. The man who had once fought by his side, shared his ideals, and trusted him as a comrade now lay in ruin. How had it all gone so wrong?

Kakashi stood by his side, his usual calm demeanor replaced with a more solemn expression. His son's Sharingan was active, his focus sharp as he studied the room, every detail seeming to be under scrutiny. The tension in the air was thick, and Sakumo knew that whatever happened next, the answers would change everything.

"We need to get to the bottom of this," Sakumo muttered. His hand gripped the edge of the table, his mind racing as he tried to piece together what they had learned so far. "This isn't just about Tanaka. This is bigger."

Kakashi glanced at his father. "I know. But… I have a feeling we won't like what we find out."

Before Sakumo could respond, the door to the interrogation room creaked open, and Danzo Shimura entered, flanked by several ANBU agents. His ever-cold expression seemed almost too fitting for the somber atmosphere. He didn't speak right away, but his presence loomed over the room, a reminder of the power and influence he held within Konoha.

"Is the prisoner awake?" Danzo asked, his voice low, probing.

Sakumo shook his head. "Not yet. We're waiting for him to regain consciousness before we proceed."

Danzo stepped closer to Tanaka, his gaze fixed on the unconscious man. "Good. The sooner we get the truth, the better."

There was something about Danzo's tone that unsettled Sakumo. It wasn't just the coldness in his voice—it was the way he seemed almost eager for the interrogation. As if the truth was something he had been expecting all along.

Sakumo frowned. "I don't like this, Danzo. This situation is… off. Too many questions remain unanswered, and I don't trust that Tanaka was acting alone."

Danzo's single visible eye flicked toward Sakumo. "I understand your concerns, but we need to be pragmatic. The safety of the village comes first. Whatever happened to Tanaka, whatever he's involved in, it's irrelevant until we can neutralize the threat."

Sakumo narrowed his eyes, sensing that Danzo wasn't being entirely forthcoming. There was a bigger plan at play here—one that Danzo had likely already set into motion. But now was not the time to confront him directly. They needed answers, and the only way to get them was through Tanaka.

Sakumo took a deep breath. "Fine. We'll do this your way. But if we're going to get anything useful out of him, we need to be careful. Tanaka's mind has been warped by something."

Danzo didn't respond immediately. Instead, he nodded toward the ANBU agents. "Prepare the room. Once he wakes, we'll begin."

With that, the agents moved to the back of the room, readying the tools of interrogation. Sakumo turned away, his thoughts still clouded with suspicion. He had always trusted Danzo's ability to act in the best interest of Konoha, but recent events made him wonder just how much of Danzo's actions were driven by his personal agenda. How much of Konoha's future did Danzo already have mapped out? And what role had Tanaka played in that vision?

Sakumo barely had time to reflect before Tanaka's body began to stir. The man's eyes fluttered open, revealing a haze of confusion that quickly shifted into something darker. He struggled against the chakra chains that bound him, but the chains held firm, glowing with a faint blue light.

"Konoha…" Tanaka muttered, his voice hoarse, like someone waking from a long nightmare. "Why… am I here?"

Kakashi stepped forward, his Sharingan active as he studied Tanaka with a piercing gaze. "Tanaka, do you remember what happened? Why you were attacking the village?"

Tanaka's eyes flickered with recognition as he looked up at them. His gaze was wild, unfocused at first, but as he registered their faces, a flicker of sorrow seemed to cross his features. "Kakashi… Sakumo… I…" He paused, struggling to form words. "I don't know what happened. I… I couldn't control it. It wasn't supposed to be like this."

Sakumo's heart sank. He could hear the desperation in Tanaka's voice—the same desperation he had once seen in his comrades when they were pushed to their limits, when the burden of the shinobi world became too much to bear. But Tanaka's actions had gone far beyond what could be explained by simple desperation.

"What do you mean?" Sakumo asked, his voice gentle but firm. "What happened to you, Tanaka? Why did you attack Konoha? Why did you betray us?"

Tanaka's breath hitched. "It wasn't my choice… I—I was forced. There was a force, a presence… It consumed me. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't—"

He choked on his words, his body trembling with the effort to stay calm. His hands, bound by the chakra chains, were shaking violently.

"You were manipulated," Kakashi said softly, his voice filled with both understanding and suspicion. "Who did this to you, Tanaka? Who's behind it?"

Tanaka's eyes filled with fear, and for a moment, he looked like a cornered animal. "The mask… the figure… it was him… He's the one who twisted my mind. He promised me power… control. But it was all lies. I'm not the only one. There are others."

Sakumo exchanged a look with Kakashi. The pieces were starting to fall into place, but there was more to this than Tanaka was letting on.

"Who else?" Sakumo demanded. "Who else is involved?"

Tanaka's face contorted in agony. "I don't know… They… They were all controlled. I couldn't stop it. The power—it was too strong."

Sakumo clenched his fists. "Who is he? The one who controls everything. Who is the mastermind behind all of this?"

Tanaka's eyes widened with fear, and he looked over his shoulder as if the answer might come from the shadows. "It's… It's the one who wears the mask. He's the key. The one who controls everything. The one who… who—"

Before Tanaka could finish, his body convulsed, and he let out a strangled scream. His chakra flared out of control, and the chains that held him shattered with a violent crack. In that instant, Sakumo felt the room grow cold.

Kakashi's eyes widened, and he took a step back. "Father, something's wrong."

Tanaka's body began to twist unnaturally, his form elongating, warping in ways that defied logic. The chakra in the room grew so dense that it was suffocating. The air felt thick, oppressive.

Then, with a final scream of agony, Tanaka's body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Sakumo's heart dropped into his stomach as he realized what had just happened. Tanaka had been used as a vessel—controlled, twisted into something else.

The true mastermind had made his move.