The life of a prisoner was nothing short of torment. The terrible food, poor living conditions, and constant interrogations made it unbearable. The physical torture, while brutal, wasn't the worst part. The most terrifying was the memory extraction—everything in their minds could be laid bare for others to see.
Many tried to end their suffering by committing suicide, but few succeeded. In the end, it only brought more pain. Chapters first released on ɴovelfire.net
Darui had considered suicide at first, but quickly dismissed the thought. He realized that death wouldn't protect the secrets in his mind. In front of the prisoners, a Jonin from the Yamanaka clan of Konoha demonstrated how they could extract information from corpses, making the Kumogakure shinobi realize that death wasn't the end.
Darui knew there were limitations to reading memories from the dead—it wasn't as powerful as the demonstration suggested. But seeing his fallen comrades' bodies, he understood that death was merely an escape. Staying alive, no matter how slim the chance, offered hope. After all, living was better than the void of death.
As for keeping information secret? The moment they were captured, their memories were probably searched while they were unconscious.
However, what truly crushed Darui was overhearing the guards say that even Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, had been captured. This news devastated him—how could it be? That was Killer B, the perfect Jinchuriki!
No matter how much he wanted to deny it, the facts were clear.
So, Darui abandoned the thought of suicide and started focusing on survival. He wanted to find a way to escape and rescue Killer B. But he couldn't find any opportunity. Hyuga clan shinobi were guarding them, and planning an escape under the watch of their Byakugan was futile.
His chakra was suppressed by the shackles on his wrists and ankles, and each day they were forced to take drugs that further inhibited their chakra. Now, they were little more than strong civilians—not even capable of taking on a Chunin from Konoha.
As time passed, more and more Kumogakure shinobi were captured. The once-empty temporary prison became crowded, and Konoha had to expand it to accommodate the increasing number of prisoners. Every day, guards boasted about how many more Kumogakure shinobi were captured.
The guards were clearly exaggerating, claiming they killed or captured a thousand shinobi a day. But even with the embellishments, Darui knew the situation on the battlefield wasn't good.
It was obvious from the expanded prison and the attitude of the guards.
"Darui, still not giving up?"
The voice came from the cell next to Darui's. It was another dark-skinned, white-haired man, a former Jonin like Darui. They had once completed missions together when Darui was just a Chunin, and now they were neighbors in this hellhole.
The man had lost his right arm and leg in battle. Leaning against the bars, he watched Darui doing squats despite the chains on his wrists and ankles. "What's the point of all this? Our lives are over. If we're lucky, maybe we'll get a bigger cell. If not… we won't even live long enough to eat prison food."
"At least I have hope. Without it, I don't think I could survive."
Darui continued his squats, then switched to push-ups after finishing a thousand squats. He didn't get angry or frustrated with his comrade's pessimism, because he had seen the man at night, staring blankly at the stumps of his arm and leg.
Even if he returned to Kumogakure, there was no future for a shinobi missing an arm and a leg.
The man mumbled, his hand instinctively rubbing the still-painful stump where his arm had been. He glanced at his right leg, which ended at the knee. His foot had been lost on the bloody battlefield.
A nameless anger welled up in his chest.
"Hope? What hope? Didn't you hear the others who were brought in recently? We've already lost!"
Darui didn't respond. He just continued his training. He couldn't claim to understand his comrade's despair, but he had his own resolve. And in a dark, hopeless place , one had to hold onto something, or the constant despair would drown them.
The truth was, Darui wasn't surprised by the news of their defeat. He had expected it ever since learning that Killer B had been captured. As a defeated soldier, he had seen firsthand the overwhelming power of Konoha, especially the Uchiha clan.
Unlike the others who were crushed by the news of defeat, Darui saw an opportunity.
He wondered what Konoha intended to do with the prisoners. Their minds had likely already been scoured for information, yet they hadn't been killed. This puzzled him.
Perhaps they weren't completely useless? Maybe they still had value? A small flicker of hope burned in Darui's heart. Maybe, just maybe, they had a chance to see the outside world again.
The heavy iron door of the temporary prison opened.
A series of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Many Kumogakure shinobi looked up, sensing something unusual. The footsteps were heavier and more numerous than the usual patrol. It sounded like more than ten people.
Even though their chakra was suppressed, the prisoners were still seasoned warriors. They could tell something was different from the unusual footsteps.
Soon, a group of Konoha shinobi appeared in front of the Kumogakure prisoners. Many recognized the one leading them: the son of Konoha's White Fang, Kakashi Hatake, known for his Sharingan. His cold, single eye swept over the prisoners before stopping on Darui, who was still doing push-ups.
The group stopped outside Darui's cell.
One of the guards hurried forward to unlock the door. Kakashi stared at Darui and said in a cold voice, "Darui, come out."