When the emergency communications formula panel in the council chamber lit up before the night watch officer, the line of text had just finished transmitting. A faint golden afterglow still lingered at the ends of the formula's markings, fading at a visible rate. The officer leaned closer and read the message, then turned and hurried out of the communications room. His footsteps struck the stone corridor for several breaths before gradually fading away.
Within less than a quarter of an hour, three copies of the message had been made and delivered to Hashirama, Madara, and Tobirama. When Hashirama received his, his eyes moved from the first line to the last, then returned to linger briefly on the phrases "moon attacked" and "severe chakra depletion." Madara read his copy once, folded it twice, and tucked it into the inner layer of his robes. Tobirama read his twice. On the third reading, he pulled out a blank scroll from the table and began recording details that had caught his attention. The scratch of his pen against the paper continued for roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea before stopping.
An hour later, seven people sat around the small conference table in the council chamber. Hashirama and Madara occupied one end of the long table, while Tobirama had spread an entire wall of formula-projected data charts along the side. Tsunade sat opposite Hashirama, a cup of tea that had gone completely cold before her. Gaara, having arrived from the Land of Wind, sat midway along the table, a thin layer of sand spread across the floor at his feet. Darui took the Land of Lightning seat, while an extra chair had been squeezed in behind the Land of Water seat for Kurotsuchi. Two people remained in Konoha's communications room,