"Father, look!"
His slightly impatient voice echoed through the wooden corridor of Tenshukaku, accompanied by hurried footsteps.
The attendants standing beside the throne like puppets quickly lowered their eyes to the floorboards, avoiding the sight of Lord Sai hurrying along with a newspaper held high, utterly lacking in noble decorum.
???
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire raised his gaze. A hint of confusion crossed his increasingly aged face, and he asked hesitantly, "Was that explosion earlier an attack by Konoha's ninjas?"
"Phew—"
Standing below the throne, Sai braced his hands on his knees and panted heavily. He handed the newspaper, crumpled from his tight grip, to an attendant hurrying toward him.
"Uchiha Madara has returned!"
"But it's only Uchiha Madara. What's there to be nervous about?"
The Daimyo took the paper and forced himself to look calm. He waved for an attendant to prepare a cushion, so his youngest son could sit down and catch his breath.
The newspaper was divided into orderly sections, packed with a dense scattering of words.
The Daimyo's cloudy eyes shifted as he leaned closer, studying the characters until they gradually came into focus.
"Uchiha Madara became a Sage?"
His aged, low voice seemed to still the air throughout the great hall, leaving only his solitary murmur.
"That enormous tree we can see beyond the palace isn't Hashirama's Wood Release, but the God Tree!"
"How did something as mythical as the Ten-Tails appear in the world?"
The Daimyo slowly lowered the newspaper. At last, he understood why Sai had rushed in so nervously.
"Father, there's more." Sai, sitting quietly on the cushion, pointed to the rest of the open newspaper. "Uchiha Madara is going to become the next Hokage."
The elderly Daimyo shook his head and gave a soft laugh. Then, his fingers,