Still...
Let Lord Chiba and the Third Hokage make the decision.
At this thought, Watanabe Kensei took a slight breath, barely suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart. He gently extended a hand and made a beckoning gesture.
Flutter, flutter!
As he completed the gesture, a white pigeon seemed to answer his summons. It flew down from the trees above his head and landed on his raised finger, cooing twice with what seemed like a hint of impatience.
It was the very pigeon that had delivered the letter.
However, Watanabe Kensei chose to ignore the pigeon's attitude. No—rather, preoccupied as he was, he had not noticed the bird's attitude at all. He merely formed a hand seal. With a bang, the scroll in his hand burst into a cloud of white smoke. Before the smoke could disperse, it erupted again with a poof, and a finger-thick scroll dropped from within. Watanabe Kensei caught it in one motion and tied it to the pigeon's leg.
Flutter, flutter!
Then came another flap of wings. The white pigeon shot into the sky, circled once as if getting its bearings, and finally flew off in a certain direction.
This is for Lord Chiba.
And the Third Hokage!
After watching the pigeon fly away, Watanabe Kensei took another shrunken scroll from his clothes and beckoned again.
Flutter, flutter!
Amid the sound of flapping wings, a half-grown eagle flew down from the branches above and landed on his raised finger.
After landing, its still-youthful little head tilted to one side, its face full of confusion. Clearly, it had no idea why its master had summoned it.
"Deliver this to the Third Hokage."
Watanabe Kensei paid no attention to the half-grown eagle's reaction. He merely tied the shrunken scroll in his hand to its talon and spoke