Once everyone had taken their seats, the Third drew a deep breath, cleared his throat, and said with a worried expression,
"Everyone, I'm sure you've already sensed the current state of the Shinobi World. The situation took a turn for the worse today. An entire team of our Konoha jōnin has gone missing inside the Land of Water."
The Third was already pressed for time and couldn't spare a thought for the Daimyo's sudden visit.
Otherwise, given his temperament, he probably would have let the Daimyo say a few polite opening words before getting down to business.
He'd skipped that step this time, so it seemed the situation really was serious.
"Gone missing?"
At those words, the clan heads and the many elite jōnin all grew solemn.
They could naturally tell that something was amiss.
Previously, there had been friction between the various shinobi villages, but it had mostly been minor.
At worst, small skirmishes would break out, and once both sides had made their identities clear, they would tacitly choose to stand down.
But this was different.
"Missing" meant more than its literal definition. It often carried another implication—the very outcome they least wanted to see.
That entire jōnin team had been wiped out!
Nara Shikaku, a member of the Hokage faction and one of the Hokage's staunchest supporters, furrowed his brow and spoke first.
"Lord Hokage, did that entire jōnin team simply go missing, or..."
He didn't finish, but everyone understood what he meant.
The Third's expression was grave. He silently shook his head.
He didn't know.
No word had come from the jōnin team. They had vanished without a trace after entering the Land of Water.
After learning what had happened, the Third had sent an Anbu team to investigate, but they had found nothing.
They hadn't