The Meeting

The conference room in the Hokage Building was on the top floor, its windows facing Hokage Rock. The stone faces of the Hokage stood in sharp relief under the afternoon sun. A bird landed on the bridge of the First Hokage's nose, flapped its wings twice, and flew away.

By the time Baiye entered the conference room, everyone was already there.

The Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat at the head of the table, smoke curling from his pipe.

The two advisers, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, sat on either side, each with a cup of tea that had long since stopped steaming.

Danzo sat to the Third's left, bandages covering his right eye and his left hand resting on his cane. His exposed eye was half-closed, revealing no emotion.

Shikaku stood beside the Third, a scroll in his hand. Minato was there too, standing a little farther away with his arms crossed. He gave Baiye a slight nod as he entered.

"Gekkō Byakuya." The Third put down his pipe, his voice quiet but clear. "Minato and Tsume Inuzuka have already reported to me on the Rōran mission. When the Sand ninja ambushed you, you stayed behind to cover your comrades and successfully held off five elite Sand ninja, buying Tsume Inuzuka and the others crucial time to retreat. Afterward, you also rescued Shibi Aburame in the desert—you did very well."

"You flatter me, Lord Hokage."

"Flatter you?"

Utatane Koharu set down her teacup with a sharp clink. "A Chunin, and a medical-nin at that, escaped unscathed after being surrounded by Pakura of the Scorch Release and four Sand Chunin. Calling that praise excessive isn't the issue. It defies reason."

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses without speaking, but his gaze was equally scrutinizing.

"The Gekko Clan is an ancient ninja clan." The Third picked up his pipe again, his tone even. "Gekkō Byakuya inherited the Transparent Release Kekkei Genkai, which gives him a natural advantage in concealment and escape."

"Transparent Release?" Utatane Koharu frowned. "That Kekkei Genkai that can turn someone invisible and erase their presence?"

"The Sand ninja weren't familiar with his abilities, so it's reasonable that he found an opportunity to escape the battlefield."

The two advisers said no more, but one person was unwilling to let the matter go so easily.

"Invisibility can indeed provide an opportunity to escape on the battlefield. But Transparent Release alone isn't enough to escape unscathed from an attack by five elite Sand ninja. Pakura of the Scorch Release's Extremely Steaming Murder covers an enormous area. Once you're caught in it, invisibility is useless."

Baiye turned and looked calmly at Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, are you suggesting I'm hiding something?"

"Oh?"

Danzo hadn't expected the young ninja to dare speak to him that way.

"These are extraordinary times. If you don't have a plausible explanation, I wouldn't mind using a few methods to extract your memories."

"What if I told you I've gained a little insight into the Body Flicker Technique?"

The Body Flicker Technique? Danzo hardly knew whether to laugh or cry.

"In that case..."

Before he finished speaking, Danzo's left hand moved. Three shuriken flew from his sleeve, streaking across the table in a triangular formation straight toward Baiye's chest. They were so fast that Utatane Koharu's teacup froze in midair, and Minato took half a step forward.

The shuriken passed through Baiye's body and embedded themselves in the wall behind him, their tails humming and trembling.

Baiye was still standing where he had been. The shuriken had passed through an afterimage.

"Speed like that!"

Mitokado Homura shot to his feet, and Utatane Koharu put down her teacup. Danzo's expression darkened considerably.

Because Baiye, who had returned to his original position, held a pen in his hand.

A pen that had been on the table in front of Danzo.

"His speed really is impressive... but more importantly, there was almost no fluctuation in his chakra."

Utatane Koharu glanced at the Third and murmured, "Transparent Release?"

Baiye stepped forward and placed the pen in front of Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, does that count as a plausible explanation?"

Danzo narrowed his left eye, and his chakra began to stir.

"Danzo."

The Third's voice came at just the right moment. "This is a conference room."

"...You do have some skill."

Danzo withdrew his aura, his face expressionless.

The Third placed his pipe on the table.

"There's another reason I summoned you here. Minato reported that you encountered a missing-nin from Sunagakure during your retreat, and that he was carrying a puppet. You recognized its identity."

"Yes," Baiye said. "It was a puppet made from the Third Kazekage's body."

The air in the conference room suddenly froze.

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses, his brows tightly furrowed. "The Third Kazekage—are you certain?"

"He admitted it himself, and the puppet used Magnet Release and Iron Sand."

"Iron Sand..." Shikaku raised his head. "A puppet made from a human body... can still retain its original abilities?"

Baiye replied, "I've seen descriptions of this kind of forbidden puppetry technique in intelligence left behind by my clan."

The Third nodded.

"Yesterday, I also had someone look through some ancient documents. There were indeed similar records..."

"I've already ordered the spies hidden in Sunagakure to use every means available to confirm whether the Kazekage is alive or dead... If this is true."

Danzo tapped his cane lightly against the floor.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." His gaze swept across the room. "Sunagakure is leaderless, and its defenses are weak. Konoha should take the initiative and strike, crushing the Sand ninja before they choose a new Kazekage. Even if we can't wipe them out completely, we can at least establish a defensive line in the Land of Wind and seize more oases and resource sites. If we miss this chance, the flames of war will reach the Land of Fire once they regain their footing."

"Attacking now would play right into the Sand ninja's hands." Utatane Koharu shook her head in opposition. "Precisely because they're leaderless, Sunagakure will do whatever it takes to preserve its status as a major power. If we attack now, we won't be facing a disorganized rabble, but a cornered beast. Fighting Sunagakure to occupy a vast stretch of desert isn't worth the cost."

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses.

"War is never one against one. The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning are also watching hungrily. If Konoha commits its main forces to the Land of Wind, our other borders will be left exposed. Fighting Sunagakure over a desert while exposing the heartland of the Land of Fire to more dangerous enemies is not a wise move."

"A cornered beast can only fight if it still has the strength to hold out." Danzo planted his cane firmly on the floor, his voice cold. "The Third Kazekage is already dead. With their leader gone, Sunagakure's elite cannot organize an effective defense. Once Sunagakure recovers and chooses a new Kazekage, that cornered beast will bite back much harder than it can now."

"And who's going to tell the Sand ninja that their Kazekage was killed by one of their own?" Utatane Koharu shot back coldly. "Coming from Konoha, it would sound like nothing but an excuse. The Sand ninja will simply conclude that Konoha was behind the Third Kazekage's death. The best way to maintain their status as a major power is to unite their people against an outside enemy—and Konoha is the perfect target."

"Once we've conquered Sunagakure, there'll be no need to explain anything."

"But can you guarantee you'll conquer Sunagakure before Iwagakure and Kumogakure make their moves?"

Utatane Koharu had struck at the heart of the matter. Mitokado Homura also turned to look at Danzo. "What guarantee can you give us, Danzo?"

Danzo said nothing. He stood there looking at Utatane Koharu, and she refused to back down. The two advisers, both past fifty, stared each other down from opposite sides of the conference table, neither willing to yield.

"Dry bones in a grave."

Danzo spoke very softly, but in the suddenly silent conference room, every word was perfectly clear. Utatane Koharu's expression changed. Mitokado Homura pushed back his chair and stood up.

"What did you say?"

"I said, caution that refuses to take risks isn't caution. It's cowardice."

"Danzo, you're too aggressive." Mitokado Homura slapped the table. "If Konoha sends all its main forces into the desert, other countries will take advantage of the opening—I shouldn't have to explain that to you. You want to fight Sunagakure, and so do I. But wanting to do it and doing it right now are two different things."

"Enough."

The Third's voice was quiet, but the conference room fell silent at once. He looked at no one, merely tapping his pipe lightly against the table. The sound of ash falling onto the tabletop was clearer than all the arguments that had come before.

"This is a conference room, not a battlefield. As for our response to Sunagakure, the intelligence division will continue gathering information, and the border defenses will be reinforced first. I'll issue a formal decision on the specific deployment before the next meeting."

He paused and turned to Baiye.

"Baiye, you can return to the hospital now. Thank you for your work with Tsunade."

Baiye nodded slightly and turned toward the door. Behind him, Utatane Koharu and Danzo were still staring at each other across the conference table, while Shikaku unrolled his scroll and began recording the meeting's formal resolution.

The door closed softly behind him. Through it, the voices in the conference room were reduced to a muffled hum.

He walked toward the stairs, his footsteps echoing softly through the empty corridor.