The gap was far too great!
Watching his two friends, both heaving sighs of relief, being led away by the guards, Chise Hibiki slowly sat down behind his desk and let out a long breath.
At this moment, he truly understood how frightening Konoha's youngest assistant—and the first assistant in its history to hold real power—was.
Before he knew it, all the initiative had fallen into that assistant's hands.
And he had seized control with only a few words. Within those few sentences, the course of the entire matter had already been manipulated by him. Chise Hibiki had even forgotten that, among everyone present just now, he had been the one with the greatest authority.
Before that boy, he had seemed like nothing more than an ordinary ninja who could only obey orders. Compared to the boy's thinking, his own was simply not worth mentioning.
In the end, the assistant had even spared him.
In that instant, he had nearly felt his own insignificance. That powerless feeling made him deeply realize that ever since he had begun to make a name for himself, he truly had become somewhat full of himself.
He had begun to look down on everyone else.
"That's fine. Although this was done out of necessity, it can also make Kosaku and Taisuke reflect on themselves properly. In the future, perhaps they will become better helpers. This month of confinement will surely give them time to reflect."
Slowly covering his trembling right hand, Chise Hibiki took a deep breath and forcibly calmed the lingering fear that accompanied his sincere conviction.
Yes, he was deeply afraid now.
If Chiba had not relented just now, he would probably have had to watch his good friends suffer severe punishment. To set an example, they might even have lost their lives.