Patter, patter~
Hasty footsteps rang out through the pitch-black corridor, one after another.
"You came too?"
"The leader summoned us."
"What urgent matter could require gathering all of us?"
"Not sure, but it definitely isn't anything small."
"Ah, right. Have you seen Maeda and Ryuichi?"
"The two of them should still be at the Flower of Grass and Grass Seed bases."
"And what about you, Mui? Why are you neither at the Fruit of Grass base nor Hozuki Castle?"
An elder of Kusagakure wearing a sheep-head mask, his true face obscured, stopped in his tracks. There was a faint note of accusation in his voice.
"The leader summoned us."
Mui repeated his initial explanation, then passed by him and continued onward.
"Hmph."
Watching his retreating back, the Sheep-Headed Elder snorted coldly. He said no more and followed after him.
The meeting room was lined with towering stone pillars and covered by an immensely high dome. Intricate patterns could vaguely be seen carved across it, seemingly decorative, yet as though they concealed some secret.
Beneath the dome, in the reach of the dim lighting, stood an ancient stone table. Five high-backed chairs stood on each side, with identical seats at either end. In the faint light, beastly designs could vaguely be seen etched into the backs of the chairs.
By the time the four elders and Mui entered, the leader was already seated at the head of the table. His arms rested on the chair's armrests, his fingers lightly tapping one after another. His expression could not be seen.
Following the symbols carved into the chair backs, the four Kusagakure elders wearing sheep, ox, dog, and monkey masks respectively took their corresponding seats.
Mui, meanwhile, walked to the leader's opposite side and sat facing him from the other end of