The Panic of the Liaison Officer and the Flying Eagle Outside the Hokage's Window

It was already deep into the night.

Inside the residence of Yoshikawa Shin, the Daimyo Residence's liaison officer stationed in Konoha, the air had thickened like a swamp. In the study, the expensive dragon's-blood incense had long since burned out, leaving only the faintest trace of ash mingled with the musty smell of old paper. The oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.

Yoshikawa Shin irritably tugged at the costly silk casual robe he wore, the collar making his neck itch. He paced back and forth without stopping, each step making the wooden floor creak softly. In the dead silence of the night, the sound was especially grating.

How long is that woman Keiko going to take? She only went to a tea party for a Uchiha widow.

A nameless anger rose within him. Women from ninja villages were such a nuisance, with no sense of time whatsoever.

Just then, the study door was suddenly thrown open, bringing with it a gust of chaotic wind.

Yoshikawa Keiko stumbled inside. Her face, usually covered in exquisite makeup, was as pale as paper. Her hair was disheveled, and the hem of her elegant Kimono was stained with a conspicuous splash of tea.

"You..." The anger Yoshikawa Shin had been about to unleash caught in his throat the instant he saw his wife's dazed, terrified appearance. His heart lurched, and an ominous premonition surged through him.

"Husband... Husband..." Yoshikawa Keiko's voice trembled as if she had just been pulled from icy water, her teeth chattering. "Something... something terrible has happened!"

"What are you panicking about? Did the sky fall?" Yoshikawa Shin shouted, forcing down the fear in his heart as he hurried forward to support her. "Speak! What happened?!"

"The tea party... It was Mikoto Uchiha's tea party..." Yoshikawa Keiko spoke incoherently, clutching