That night. Hiruzen's gaze on Raftra did not change—still sharp, still full of suspicion.
After several seconds of choking silence, he finally spoke. "You… are very suspicious. I cannot let you wander freely in this village. You will be interrogated."
The moment those words left his mouth, Hiruzen made a small gesture with his hand. A single brief motion—and the two ANBU moved as swiftly as shadows.
In an instant, Raftra's shoulders were forced down; his body was slammed hard onto the floor. The breath seemed to leave his chest from the violent impact. Both of his arms were twisted behind him and bound with cold, coarse rope.
Raftra winced—not from the pain so much as from the situation. He knew resisting would be suicide.
Hiruzen looked at his subordinates and spoke in a firm tone. "Don't be overly rough. He's still a teenager."
The ANBU nodded, though their grip remained tight, ensuring the strange boy could not escape.
Raftra was forced back to his feet. His legs wavered for a moment, then steadied. He drew a deep breath, trying to control the tremor spreading through his body.
'So... this is it,' he thought. 'I knew sooner or later I would be brought like this. I have no strength to fight. Even if I try... I will die in seconds.'
He bowed his head slightly, masking his expression. On the outside he looked resigned. Inside his mind, however, gears spun frantically.
'Interrogation... they'll try to tear all my secrets apart. I can't tell the truth, but I mustn't make a weak lie either.'
'I have to... find words that can save me, or at least buy me time.'
The rope around his hands felt tighter. The night, which had been quiet moments before, now became a march toward an uncertain, dark room. Raftra straightened his back as much as he could.
'Calm... I must stay calm. This is only the beginning.'
...
Night deepened; the streets that were usually busy grew quiet. The ANBU led Raftra along desolate routes—clearly chosen to avoid public attention.
Raftra walked with his head bowed, each step heavy from the restraints. Yet his thoughts weighed even more than his body.
'All right... now's the time. If I don't prepare everything now, I will be broken in that interrogation room.'
He inhaled, trying to steady his chaotic heartbeat.
'If Hiruzen asks where I came from... I should answer that I'm from another village. A faraway place that doesn't leave a clear mark on their maps. That's believable. They cannot immediately disprove my lie.'
His steps halted briefly as an ANBU pushed his back to keep him moving. Raftra bowed his head again but his thoughts raced.
'If Hiruzen asks why I'm here... I must tell the truth: I don't know. I have to say I was pulled here, transported, maybe... teleported without understanding how.'
'That's strange enough to be indisputable, but honest enough to make me seem harmless.'
He bit his lower lip.
'The contents of my bag... I must be careful. Books, clothes, stationery, UNO cards, food—I can be honest about those.'
'But the phone and laptop... no. Those two are too foreign, too dangerous if they fall into their hands. I can't let them learn more.'
'If they question them, I must craft a consistent lie. Say... the items are toys, or special tools from my village that won't function outside their homeland.'
His eyes narrowed with focus.
'I also need a fake backstory. About my village, my life, and... why I don't have chakra.'
'I'm not even sure if I have chakra, but just in case I must fabricate that story.'
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to remain composed.
'The safest answer is... I don't have it. Born different. That will make me appear weak, harmless. Better to seem without potential than mysterious and threatening.'
Cold sweat ran down his temples despite the night's chill.
'I must be ready. This interrogation is not merely a conversation. It's a life-or-death test. If I waver, if I misspeak, I could be detained forever... or worse, eradicated without a trace.'
Raftra bowed his head deeper—not out of surrender but to hide eyes filled with calculation.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen walked a few paces ahead, glancing now and then at the foreign boy. Raftra's face looked so resigned, as if he understood fighting would be foolish.
Yet the experienced Hokage knew all too well—sometimes resignation itself was the most dangerous mask.
'But,' Raftra thought. 'All this will be for nothing if they see my memories.'
...
Before long they arrived at their destination.
The interrogation room was cold and dimly lit, warmed only by the faint flicker of an oil lamp above the wooden table. The air felt heavy, as if even the walls pressed inward.
Raftra was seated on a wooden chair; his hands were roped tightly with ninja bind. The bindings were tight enough to make his wrists sting, but he tried not to show it.
His black bag was placed on the table.
Opposite him, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat composedly. His usual pipe was absent this time—a sign he was utterly serious.
Two ANBU stood behind him, rigid, faces hidden by masks.
Silence reigned. Seconds stretched long. Raftra strove to keep his face neutral even as his heart pounded.
Finally, Hiruzen spoke. His tone was calm, but each word carried weight.
"Young man... what is your purpose in coming to this village?"
Raftra swallowed and met the Hokage's gaze, though his eyes felt heavy. "I... have no purpose."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow; his expression didn't change but his stare sharpened. "No purpose? You appeared suddenly in one of the greatest shinobi villages, and you expect me to believe you just... happened to be here?"
Raftra exhaled, attempting to sound honest. "I don't even know how I got here. I was asleep... then suddenly, when I opened my eyes, I was in this village. Among the trees."
"I don't know... what truly occurred."
He bowed his head for a moment, then continued cautiously. "If I could choose, I wouldn't be here. I have a family where I'm from. A father, a mother, and an older sibling. I want to return to them. But I don't know how."
Silence settled again. Hiruzen didn't respond immediately; he simply watched Raftra closely, as if trying to pierce through to his core.
One ANBU stepped forward half a pace, his voice cold. "Hokage-sama, this guy could be lying. He could be an infiltrator using a ruse to penetrate the village."
Hiruzen raised a hand, signaling the ANBU to be silent. His gaze remained fixed on Raftra.
"Then explain to me... where exactly are you from? Which village do you call home?"
Raftra drew a long breath. This was one of the parts he had rehearsed during the walk. He glanced down briefly, then met Hiruzen's eyes again.
"I'm from a village... a distant one, fairly large, and different from here. The name of my village... is Bandung."
Hiruzen's brows knitted slightly; the name was unfamiliar. "Bandung?" he repeated, as if clarifying.
Raftra nodded. "Yes. The village of Bandung."
Hiruzen tapped his finger on the wooden table in a slow, tense rhythm. "If that's the case, how can a guy without chakra be here? And why does he carry items unknown to us?"
His gaze flicked toward the black bag. Raftra knew the line of questioning would move to the phone and laptop. He controlled his breathing.
'Here it comes... the hardest part. I must not falter. The moment I appear unsure they will sniff out my lie.'
He exhaled and answered, "Those items... are just things from my village. Harmless."
"Nothing more than toys or tools. And... most of them don't function outside my village. They merely look strange, but none could be used as weapons."
Hiruzen did not look away. His eyes were sharp, evaluative. He let Raftra's words hang in the air, applying psychological pressure.
With Hiruzen's signal, an ANBU stepped forward, took Raftra's bag, and unzipped it slowly. He removed its contents and arranged them on the table: writing tools, some books, UNO cards, a change of clothes, instant noodles, a phone, and a black laptop unfamiliar to them.
Tension thickened. Raftra kept his eyes on the spread, his heart racing.
Hiruzen looked over the pile, then pointed to the writing instruments—pencils, a pen, an eraser, and a sharpener.
"What is this?" he asked flatly, scanning each small item as if seeking hidden secrets.
Raftra was momentarily taken aback, slightly puzzled. 'Seriously? In this world they don't know pens or pencils? I'm sure they exist in the manga—but why do such simple tools seem foreign to them?'
He breathed slowly, then replied, "Those are writing tools. Pencil, pen, eraser, sharpener. All used for writing."
"Writing?" Hiruzen took a pen, twirled it between his fingers, then took a sheet of paper.
"More practical than ink and brush... less prone to spills, no dipping required. The writing is smoother," he mused softly, almost to himself.
Raftra grew more confused. 'What? Why is he reacting like that? Writing tools should already exist in this world, I'm sure.'
'Is he just testing me?'
Hiruzen's attention shifted to a stack of colorful cards bearing numbers. He lifted them, glanced, and asked, "These cards? What are they for?"
Raftra forced a faint smile, trying to seem relaxed. "They're just playing cards."
An ANBU took them, inspecting the numbers and colors. "Just a game?" he asked suspiciously.
"Yes. Just a game," Raftra replied quickly, looking straight at Hiruzen to appear confident.
Hiruzen then opened a thick, plain-covered book and leafed through pages dense with complicated symbols: integrals, derivatives, algebra, advanced geometry.
"...This knowledge is... complex," he said quietly. "Even I, with all my reading, understand only a part. From where did a guy like you learn such things?"
Raftra swallowed. 'If I honestly say it's knowledge from another world, that could be bad. They might see me as a weapon or dangerous tool.'
He answered calmly, "Those are my own notes. I like to calculate and develop theories."
"Some are formulas I developed out of curiosity. They may look complex, but there's nothing fundamentally important—just... a hobby."
Hiruzen closed the book slowly, his face still grave. He offered no further comment, but the suspicion lingered.
The ANBU pushed the book aside. Now Hiruzen's gaze shifted to the two remaining items—the ones that made Raftra most nervous: the black laptop and a phone.
"This..." Hiruzen pointed at the laptop, "explain."
Raftra felt cold sweat at his temples. He forced his voice steady.
"That is... called a laptop. Its function... is for leisure. It's simple to use. We type words on that board, then... the device helps us write faster. Like a pen, but more... practical."
Hiruzen tapped the laptop's surface and pressed a few keys. Nothing happened. His eyes narrowed. "This black glass... what is it for?"
Raftra tensed. 'Calm... don't panic.'
"It's... a sort of reflective surface. What we type on the board appears on that glass. Like a mirror that records letters."
Hiruzen tried typing again; still there was no response. "Why doesn't it work?"
Raftra lowered his head slightly, feigning embarrassment. "Because... it's not finished. Just a prototype. Partially built. It can't be used properly."
Silence returned. Hiruzen stared at the object for a long time, then shifted his gaze to the phone. "And this?"
Raftra closed his eyes briefly before answering in the same tone. "It's also incomplete. Like the laptop. Just a design. No real function yet."
Hiruzen picked up the phone, pressed its side button. No light, no sound. He regarded it a long moment before placing it back on the table.
An ANBU stepped forward, his voice cold and suspicious. "Hokage-sama, these items could be weapons in forms we don't understand. This youth could be lying. We should detain him more strictly—perhaps use special methods."
Hiruzen raised a hand to stop him. His gaze remained fixed on Raftra—neither soft nor angry, but calculating.
He tapped his fingers on the table and murmured to himself, though loud enough for the room to hear.
"In this world... there is not a single human born without chakra. Even newborns have chakra, though weak and undeveloped."
"Civilians who never train still possess a trace. But you..."
Hiruzen leaned forward, his stare piercing. "Your body... is empty. Like an unfilled barrel. I feel no chakra at all. That is impossible—even byakugan cannot sense such absence."
"I was astonished when I learned this; even the ANBU who can detect chakra said your body is extremely strange."
Raftra felt goosebumps. He bowed his head, shaping his expression into sorrow as if old wounds had been reopened. He let out a long breath and pretended to be fragile.
"...I know," he replied softly. "I've known since I was young that I was strange. Back in my home... I was always seen as defective. Other children avoided me. Teachers didn't truly care. They said... I was a burden."
He lowered his head further, his voice hoarse. "Even among villagers I was ridiculed. But... my family cared. My father, mother, and sibling always tried to make me feel normal."
"Still... in the end, people's words stuck. They always said... I was a stain on my family."
An ANBU murmured behind his mask, a sound like disbelief. "Impossible... even the weakest person still has chakra."
Hiruzen raised a hand, signaling silence. His gaze stayed fixed on Raftra.
"And you accepted that so easily?" Hiruzen asked, testing.
Raftra shook his head slowly, then lifted his chin a little.
"No. I never accepted it. Since childhood, I tried everything... training, praying, searching for answers. I spent years trying to understand why my body was different."
"But everything... was in vain. Until I was fifteen, I remained empty. No chakra at all."
"And now... I've given up."
He closed his eyes and whispered, "I never wanted to be born like this. I only wanted... to be normal."
The room was still. Hiruzen studied him long, attempting to see through the layers of lies to find the truth inside Raftra.
Inside, Raftra felt immense tension. 'I must make him believe. If Hiruzen is convinced I am just a poor kid without chakra, he may not see me as a threat...'
Hiruzen finally leaned back in his chair and exhaled. He regarded Raftra with doubt—sharp, but tempered by the wisdom of a Hokage.
"So," he said softly, "you are a fifteen-year-old born without chakra... somehow you suddenly appeared in this village, with no purpose or reason, carrying strange items we have never seen."
The words hung heavy in the air, intensifying the room's pressure. The two ANBU behind him remained silent, but Raftra could sense them weighing each of the Hokage's words.
Hiruzen tapped the table's edge. "Your story sounds... too perfect to be coincidence."
"You claim ignorance about how you ended up here. You claim to have no chakra, something impossible in this world. And you brought foreign items none of us can explain."
He leaned in, staring sharply. "Raftra... how do you expect me to simply believe that?"
Raftra swallowed; his hands still trembled behind the binds. He drew a long breath and nodded slowly. "I... understand."
Hiruzen lifted an eyebrow slightly.
"I understand why you wouldn't believe," Raftra continued in a heavy voice.
"Anyone who hears my story... would doubt it. Even if I were in your position, I might think it's a lie."
"All I've told does sound absurd. But..." he paused, struggling to suppress the turmoil in his chest, "...that's the reality I have."
Silence fell once more. Hiruzen watched his movements, searching for a gap that would reveal whether the boy was an excellent actor or truly honest.
At last one ANBU muttered quietly, "Hokage-sama, he could be a spy trained to fabricate a pitiful tale. Those items could be espionage tools in shapes we do not comprehend."
Hiruzen didn't immediately reply. He remained fixed on Raftra, then spoke in a tone of authority.
"Listen... I have lived long enough to hear all manner of lies—some grotesque, some terribly convincing."
"Your story... for some reason, is hard to believe. Yet..." he sighed, "...I also see something in your eyes. Either very practiced falsehood, or... a cursed honesty."
Those words made Raftra bow his head slightly. Inwardly he murmured, 'He doesn't believe me, but he can't be sure I'm lying. This is... bad.'
Suddenly the interrogation door slammed open. The wooden thud echoed, making the room even more tense. From the doorway emerged an old man with part of his face wrapped in bandages; his stare was cold and sharp.
Raftra recognized him instantly—Danzo Shimura. The dark shadow of Konoha. Raftra's body stiffened and his breath caught.
"Enough pleasantries, Hiruzen," Danzo said flatly, without greeting the Hokage.
His voice was icy, devoid of warmth. "If he truly hides something, the quickest way is to force a confession."
He strode forward, his cane thudding against the stone floor with a heavy sound. "If necessary... we should delve into his memories directly. That way, there will be no more lies to hide."
Raftra's eyes widened. 'So that's it... all this was pointless. From the start there was no way out.'
'If I had run away at the beginning? It would have been futile; ANBU would have captured me immediately.'
'If I hadn't met Naruto? That would have made no difference; it's not discussed at all in this interrogation.'
His chest pounded; his bound hands felt like iron. His whole body trembled though his face remained composed. But inside, he had descended into an abyss of despair.
'This... is my end. If they force my memories, all the lies I constructed will shatter.'
'They will know I'm not from this world. They will know everything... even things no one in this world should know. After that? I will be considered a threat that must be eliminated.'
'Or... used for experiments.'
Hiruzen frowned, fixing Danzo with a sharp glare. "Danzo, you're being hasty. The boy can still be spoken to. We don't yet know if he is truly a threat or merely a victim of circumstance."
"Victim?" Danzo snorted. "Hiruzen, your kindness is not appropriate for situations like this. How many times must I remind you? Look at this young man!"
"No chakra, carrying foreign items, appearing from nowhere—these are clear signs of danger. Or do you want Konoha to be destroyed before acting?"
Danzo's words stabbed Raftra like a knife. He wanted to speak, to defend himself, but his tongue felt paralyzed.
Inside he thought, 'I'm not a threat! I just want to go home! I don't care about your politics, I don't care about your wars! I just... I just want to go back home...'
'...this is maddening.'
But all of this remained trapped in his mind.
Raftra's body went limp and his eyes dropped. For the first time since arriving in this world, he truly surrendered. Whatever Hiruzen and Danzo would do to him now, he felt he had no escape left.
'If this is the end... perhaps I'm fated to die in this world. Never to return to my family... never to go home.'
'It's so unfair. What sin did I commit to be isekai'd into such a dark world? I just wanted to go to school.'