“Let’s start with the questions.” Sasuke was unperturbed. “What’s your objective in coming to this country?”
Lily clucked her tongue before responding reluctantly. “I left my hometown because I wanted to be an idol. The islanders are forbidden from leaving Shigetsu, so I boarded a ship in secret and fled.”
“When was this?”
“Three years ago. Right around the time when more and more islanders were wanting to open up to the outside world, and the extremist Shigetsukyodan was starting to fight back.”
“What is your current connection with the extremist faction?”
“I don’t have one. I left them all a long time ago. About the only contact I’ve had with them is when they warned me about the assassination attempt.”
“So then you did realize the letter was from them,” Sasuke said.
“Well, you know. I figured they’d find out where I was once I got famous,” Lily replied smoothly.
Sasuke carefully searched her face. “What reason do they have to hate you?”
“I guess because I abandoned the group and came to the Land of Fire to become an idol. They hate this place, and they never forgive traitors. I know they’ll come for me again. But we can use that against them.” Lily looked up at Sasuke with her large, round eyes. “I’ll be the bait. The Shigetsukyodan extremists hate me for leaving the island and pandering to the Land of Fire. They’ll for sure try and kill me again. I can be the bait that lures them in.”
“An admirable proposal. But there’s still one important question remaining,” Sasuke said. “Where’s your father?”
Lily visibly paled. Obviously upset, she lowered her eyes.
“You’re very quiet all of a sudden. You said you had nothing to do with them. In that case, why didn’t you go to the Hokage for protection when you got the warning about the assassination attempt instead of reaching out to Boruto and his team?”
“That’s…” She bit her lip. “It’d be bad for my image if people found out I was connected with that group. And I hated the idea of the concert being cancelled.”
“Wasn’t that letter actually a fake? Weren’t you lying to Boruto and his team?”
“No!” Lily’s head bounced up and her voice shook. “No. I’ve got nothing to do with my father.”
“Then give me something on him.”
Confronted with Sasuke’s fathomless black eyes, Lily trembled and turned away.
“Do you have any idea where he might be?”
Lily pursed her lips together and looked down.
“Why won’t you tell me?” Sasuke asked quietly. “If you truly don’t get along with your father, why cover for him?”
Silence descended on the room. Lily held her tongue and swallowed back her words.
“If you’re not going to tell me voluntarily…I don’t want to do it, but my only choice is to force you to spit it out.” Sasuke was about to activate the Sharingan when a hand reached out to grab his wrist.
“Just stop already,” Sarada said. “Dad, Lily’s not going to tell you. No way.”
“Her father is trying to kill her because she rebelled against him and left their island. What reason could she possibly have to not tell me everything she knows about him?”
“She has a great reason,” she said impatiently. “They’re family.”
Family. The word was unexpected. Sasuke blinked, caught off guard.
“No matter how much of a criminal he might be, there’s no way a daughter’s gonna sell out her dad. If I was in Lily’s position, I wouldn’t tell anyone about you, Dad. We’re family,” She said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
The face of Sasuke’s brother flashed through his head. His brother, who had spared Sasuke even though Danzo had ordered him to eliminate the entire clan. His brother, who had made Sasuke kill him in the end. Itachi, the kindest man Sasuke had ever known, had sacrified himself so that his brother could live. The choice was so desperate Sasuke had a hard time believing his brother had even made it, given how smart he was, how loyal to the mission.
Because they were family. His older brother had once taught him this, and now his daughter was reinforcing the lesson.
Sasuke glanced over at Boruto. He looked to be on tenterhooks, anxious as he watched Sarada and Sasuke. Naruto always used to look the same way with Sasuke.
He let out a short sigh. “I’ll recognize your right to silence. But that doesn’t mean you’re cleared of suspicion. Until this is settled, you’ll be under house arrest.”
Lily clucked her tongue and looked away, annoyed. The gesture was rude, entirely at odds with her idol persona.
The newspaper headlines the following morning were bad.
Himeno Lily concert canceled. Audience in chaos.
Uchiha Sasuke cancels concert. Hokage’s orders?
The articles criticized Sasuke, and every single one insisted on the need for an explanation as to why the concert had been cancelled. The stress her fans felt from not knowing what had happened that night, combined with Himeno Lily’s disappearance after her abrupt announcement that she was stepping back from life in the public eye, turned into a burning anger that led to a week-long pile on.
Boruto could hardly stand it. He was outraged that the villagers would so quickly hang a ninja who had put his life on the line to keep them safe out to dry.
It had been three days since the start of the outrage machine. Their only word from Sasuke was a brief message: “Stand by until you hear from me.”
Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki wandered aimlessly around the new town, unable to focus on their training.
“Dad won’t tell me anything. I wanna talk to Old Man Sasuke.” Boruto raised a heavy head. Before his eyes was a large video screen in the side of a building looking down on the intersection. An afternoon talk show was playing, one Naruto and Boruto had both been on before.