Blame-Shifting After the Fact and an Impeccable Liability Waiver

The air froze.

Sand, the stench of blood, and ozone mixed together, rushing in through the forcibly breached door and tightening everyone's throats.

Inuzuka stood amid the twisted metal and backlight. His ANBU uniform was in tatters, blood streaming down his arms, gathering at his fingertips before falling silently into the sand.

His gaze, like two ice-tempered blades, pierced through the wreckage of the equipment and the lingering Chakra aftershocks, pinning the figure seated against the wall in the corner.

Baishi did not move.

He did not even raise his head to meet Inuzuka's gaze. He merely maintained that weakened posture, as if he no longer had the strength to lift his neck. The Fox Mask concealed his face and blocked that gaze that seemed capable of flaying someone alive.

In the silence, only the occasional crackle of electrical arcs from broken wires inside the cabin reminded them of the terrifying loss of control that had just occurred.

Inuzuka finally moved. He walked in step by step, his Military Boots striking the metal floor with dull, rhythmic thuds. He did not look at Jinchuriki Bunpuku, who was still twitching faintly in the central seat, nor did he pay any attention to the completely ruined instruments.

From beginning to end, he had only one target.

He stopped three paces before Baishi, looking down at him. His voice seemed to squeeze out from beneath cold stone.

"Konoha's."

He spoke without using a title or a name.

"The Sealing Barrier has suffered severe damage. The Jinchuriki's Chakra went berserk and nearly caused an irreparable disaster."

Inuzuka's voice was flat, devoid of anger, containing only a deathly still statement. He paused, as if giving Baishi a chance to explain himself—or as if merely reading out the final verdict.

"At the time of the incident,