The absentminded Daimyo was startled by the sudden sound. Clutching a fan, he vigorously patted his racing heart. That gesture, that tone of voice—it brought one word to mind... sissy!
"How do you do your job?"
"You can't even hold onto a scroll properly!!"
Startled for no reason, the Daimyo complained irritably.
"Daimyo, this is terrible!! The Temple of Fire has been wiped out by Konoha!!!"
The Daimyo's subordinate had no mind for anything else. He dropped to his knees and shouted.
"Wiped out, then wiped out. What's the big—"
Holding his fan, the Daimyo spoke displeasedly, then suddenly realized what he had heard. Though several beats late, he had finally reacted:
"What did you say?"
The Daimyo's eyes widened, and his expression froze. Thinking he had misheard, he grabbed a towel and vigorously rubbed his ears.
"You said the Temple of Fire was wiped out by Konoha?"
"Y-Yes."
This subordinate, normally quite favored by the Daimyo, said in a panic:
"Because Lord Kazuma led people in an attack on Konoha's Hokage, and the Temple of Fire was involved as well. They intended to rebel, so Konoha's Hokage sent people to wipe them out."
"That's impossible!!!"
The Daimyo sprang up from his lounge chair and cried out in alarm:
"The Temple of Fire supports me. How could they do something like that? And Kazuma wasn't sent by me, uh..."
Realizing his words were wrong, the Daimyo hurriedly stopped himself and said frantically:
"Get me the scroll!! Quickly!!"
Kazuma had been sent by him. If he continued what he had just said, wouldn't that amount to admitting that he had wanted to get rid of Konoha's Hokage, which was why Ronglin had deliberately done this?
Though he was the Daimyo, he absolutely could not say such things. Otherwise, if word got