"Ying Yue, you came." Sakumo's voice was low, and he sounded utterly exhausted.
Ying Yue walked into the room and looked around. It was sparse and cold. Sakumo's White Fang blade hung on the wall, its edge still sharp, yet it seemed as though its owner had forgotten it in a corner.
Ying Yue's heart tightened. He sat across from Sakumo and said gravely, "Senior Sakumo, public opinion in the village is becoming increasingly unfavorable. I'm worried that you... that you'll suffer a blow you don't deserve because of this."
Sakumo did not respond immediately. He merely gazed silently at the night outside the window.
After a long while, he finally said in a low voice, "Ying Yue, now that things have come to this, I know what's going on. It wasn't as though I failed to notice the suspicious parts of that mission. I know that this was most likely a conspiracy—a conspiracy from within the village."
Ying Yue nodded. "That's right. It isn't hard to guess who's behind this manipulation of public opinion. I've uncovered some clues. Root is pushing all of this forward. This is clearly Shimura Danzō's scheme. He wants to use this method to suppress you and stop you from becoming an important figure in the village."
The corner of Sakumo's mouth twitched into a faint smile, but it was exceedingly bitter.
"I guessed as much long ago. Danzō has always been ruthless. This mission was probably a trap he set from the very beginning. I don't care about him. I've seen far too many schemes and intrigues over the years."
Ying Yue looked at Sakumo and keenly caught the profound weariness in his tone. It was as though Danzō's scheme was not what had driven him to despair, but something deeper.
He could not