Chapter 112: The Seizure

Nana finished her milk before strolling out with unhurried grace.

Seeing this, the bald Uchiha’s face darkened. He glanced behind her and barked, "Where is Ada?"

Ada was likely the name of his underling who had just headed toward the dining hall, but while Nana stood here, there was no sign of him.

At that moment, the Weavile, which had appeared idle, suddenly lashed out with its claws, striking at Abra without warning. Dark-type energy surged along its blades, forming an elongated energy edge—it was clearly the Dark-type move "Night Slash"! This technique was known for its explosive speed and lack of telegraphing, making it perfect for catching an opponent off guard.

However, just before the blow could connect, Abra’s silhouette distorted and vanished instantly. The Weavile’s claws merely sliced through the banister where the Pokémon had been sitting.

Abra had already returned to Nana’s side, handing her the black tomoe.

"The treasure of Madara Uchiha... is it?" Nana held the tomoe up to her eyes, examining it closely.

Am noticed that this tomoe was significantly smaller than the one found on the deceased Hyuga.

"Who are you?" the bald Uchiha demanded.

"Where is it?" Nana ignored the old man, countering with her own question.

The bald Uchiha was incensed by her dismissiveness, but...

"This used to be the ancestral shrine of the Uchiha clan, didn't it? So, where is the entrance to the treasure?" Nana asked calmly.

"You damn woman! Are you looking down on—" The bald Uchiha was boiling with rage.

Am could sense that Nana was already coiled and ready to strike, when suddenly another underling rushed in from outside, whispering to the bald Uchiha, "Boss, he has arrived!"

Am could see the man forcefully suppressing his anger.

"I don't know who you are, but the person who knows the location is here. If you don't want your efforts to be in vain, you’d better behave!" the bald Uchiha said in a low voice.

With a wave of his hand, his minions drove everyone from the orphanage toward the backyard.

Just then, Nana glanced at Am. Then—perhaps it was an illusion—Am felt that her usually expressionless face seemed to curl slightly at the corners.

"There is also this orphan," Nana pointed at Am.

Am: "..."

"Oh? Bring him along too! Don't resist... otherwise, with so many little things held captive, it won't matter if one or two go missing!" The bald Uchiha looked at Am and Nana with a strange expression, then gave a wicked grin.

He had originally assumed Am and this strange woman were working together and were only here for the treasure, so threatening the orphanage staff wouldn't be very effective. Am had intentionally maintained that facade; after all, if the man truly intended to threaten them, it would be difficult for Am to resist. If he were facing a criminal who definitely intended to silence everyone, Am would fight back regardless, but in this world, even "vicious" criminals wouldn't harm the others in the orphanage without cause—provided Am accepted the threat and offered no resistance. In such situations, the threat was often the most effective tool.

Who would have thought that Nana would actually point him out...

Am glared at Nana, but she didn't pay him any mind.

"Hurry up! Recall your Pokémon first, then hand over your Poké Balls!" the bald Uchiha urged.

"Woof-woof!"

Nearby, a Houndoom, under its trainer's command, made a show of snapping its jaws. The kidnapped children began to cry even louder.

Seeing this, Am had no choice but to comply—he recalled the Bulbasaur and the others he had just released and handed over six Poké Balls.

Of course, they didn't know that two of them were empty! Clefairy had vanished somewhere, and Gengar was still hiding in Am's shadow.

Nana glanced at him, but to Am's relief, she did not expose the ruse.

...

Meanwhile, Conan and Heiji, who had been tracking the supposedly kind-hearted Senju, arrived near the orphanage.

The man, who appeared to be a gentle soul, met with several thugs by the side of the road before being allowed to pass. Conan and Heiji used ninja-like stealth to tail them.

"That's right, the distress signal Am sent earlier was also in this vicinity..." Conan said after adjusting his glasses.

"He actually found it?" Heiji muttered, sounding somewhat unconvinced.

The two followed them to a graveyard, where they saw the bald Uchiha and a woman they hadn't seen before.

"Brother Shigehiko, you've finally arrived," the bald Uchiha said, using Senju's real name.

"You haven't forgotten what I want, have you, Mr. Ahiro?" Shigehiko stood there with a stern face, completely devoid of his "honest man" persona.

The bald Uchiha—Ahiro—pulled a scroll from his coat and said, "Once we have the treasure, you shall have it..."

He then looked at Nana and added, "Let’s find the treasure first, then we can decide how to split it, shall we? There is definitely more than just the 'Undying Flame' inside!"

Senju—or rather, Shigehiko—looked at Nana with some confusion but said nothing. Nominally, his conditions had been agreed upon by Ahiro; who the man chose to share the treasure with was none of his concern. In reality, however, the treasure was not his true goal.

Shigehiko led Nana and Ahiro to a corner of the graveyard, where an ancient-looking, nameless tombstone stood.

"This is it," Ahiro said, pushing the tombstone aside to reveal a hidden mechanism.

It was a relief carving featuring a black sphere at the center, surrounded by three tomoe arranged in a triangular pattern. Two were raised, while one was recessed.

Ahiro looked at Nana. Without hesitation, she reached out, and the ink-black tomoe she had obtained earlier floated toward the tomb and clicked into the recess.

Shigehiko looked at Nana with slight surprise—first, because she was a psychic, and second, because he wondered how the "key" had ended up in her possession.

"Now... all that's left is to activate the mechanism," Shigehiko said, eyeing Nana with hesitation. "Since it requires psychic power to start, could you assist?"

"No need," Nana shook her head.

"Eh?" Shigehiko was stunned. What did "no need" mean? Was she refusing? If so, then he would have no choice but to...

...

Meanwhile, Am, who was being held in the backyard of the orphanage, watched as his shadow slowly began to stretch toward the guarding thugs...