"Lady Koharu..."
The Hokage's Anbu attendant, who had delivered word of the emergency meeting ten minutes ago, finally could not hold back any longer. Looking at Utatane Koharu, seated behind her desk and intently writing something while surrounded by three or four Intelligence Division ninja, he cautiously spoke up.
"Lady Koharu, this is the damage report on the buildings."
But before he could finish, an Intelligence Division ninja handing Utatane Koharu an information scroll cut him off.
"Mm."
Utatane Koharu merely accepted the information scroll. Seemingly not noticing the attendant Anbu's embarrassment and urgency at all, she glanced over it once and resumed writing.
W-what should I do? Seeing Utatane Koharu immerse herself in another task, the attendant Anbu's mouth twitched slightly. The awkward look on his face—where reminding her felt wrong, yet not reminding her felt wrong too—only deepened.
He was even beginning to feel at a loss.
"Wait for me a moment."
At that moment, Utatane Koharu finally spoke. Perhaps she had only just noticed the Hokage's Anbu attendant, or perhaps she had been aware of him all along but only now had the time to speak, after he had begun to truly lose his composure.
"Yes!"
Hearing Utatane Koharu's acknowledgment, the Hokage's Anbu attendant hurriedly answered, the awkwardness on his face easing somewhat.
At the same time, the intelligence ninja surrounding Utatane Koharu—constantly organizing detailed information on the losses, all other relevant intelligence, and even the exact course of the battle—also gave the Hokage's Anbu attendant apologetic looks.
They understood his predicament. Lady Koharu was one of Konoha's advisers; her status and importance went without saying. Moreover, what she was busy with fell within her duties and was all extremely important. Yet the Third Hokage had called an emergency meeting just as the news of the Fourth