In the conference hall of the Prime Minister's Residence in Tokyo, Japan, the officials seated on either side of the mahogany table had long lost their usual composure. The hems of their kimonos were trampled into wrinkles, and spittle from their shouting splashed across the gilded teacups.
"Those useless trash from the Intelligence Department! The one hundred and thirty-seven sleeper agents planted in Zhonghua Nation didn't even last three months before they were uprooted! How are you going to compensate our military for its losses?!"
The Army Minister, dressed in a dark navy uniform, slammed his palm onto the table. The teacups rattled sharply, and his knuckles turned white from the force.
"It was clearly your operations team that exposed its tracks!"
The Intelligence Minister's round glasses slipped to the tip of his nose. Pointing at the medals on the other man's chest, he sneered, "Last week, you arrested Zhonghua Nation researchers without authorization. That put them on alert, and they followed the trail straight to our strongholds. We're not taking the blame for this!"
The quarrel was like a powder keg set alight. It spread from departmental responsibility to misappropriated funds, and some even dragged out old cases from three years ago to attack one another, until Prime Minister Sato Yujusann's cane smashed heavily against the floor.
"Enough!"
The hall fell silent at once, Sato Yujusann's wrinkles filled with sinister gloom.
"Now is not the time to assign blame. Hua Qiang carries a heaven-shaking secret. If we obtain it, our combat strength will instantly reach the ceiling.
In the future, who else could be our opponent?
We must bring him back!"
He paused, raising his voice several degrees. "Pass down my order. Invite the Holy Shinobi Tokugawa Ieyasu out of retirement. Have him lead the Twelve Heavenly Shinobi Guards