Deflection at the Three-Way Briefing and the Seeds of Suspicion

Konoha's No. 3 Foreign Affairs Meeting Room.

On the long table, the tea had stopped steaming and gone cold.

Baishi sat at the head of the table, with only Mikoto Uchiha standing behind him. To his left sat the delegation from Amegakure, its chief envoy's face like a slab of rain-soaked iron. To his right sat Sunagakure's Inuzuka, a faint trace of concern at the corners of his mouth, though his eyes concealed a sting like a scorpion in the sand.

Shikaku Nara and Foreign Affairs Minister Morita sat just below Baishi, holding folders without saying a word.

The room was so quiet that every breath could be heard. That silence was itself a form of pressure.

The Amegakure envoy finally spoke first. He pushed a document forward, the movement light but his voice heavy.

"Lord Hokage, my deputy was stabbed by Konoha's ANBU in Konoha's guesthouse. Minister Yamanaka Inoichi has already verified the physical evidence at the scene. I need an explanation."

His words were blunt, without a hint of diplomatic courtesy.

Baishi did not look at the document. He met the envoy's gaze calmly.

Before Baishi could speak, Sunagakure's Inuzuka cleared his throat and took over.

"Lord Hokage, we in Sunagakure are deeply shocked by what happened to the Amegakure envoy in your village, and offer our heartfelt sympathy."

He first established his position, then shifted his tone, adding just the right measure of concern.

"Konoha leads the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and its security forces are renowned throughout the world. Yet such a vicious incident has occurred, with suspicion pointing directly at the ANBU under your command... inevitably, this gives us some concerns about our own safety."

Inuzuka looked at the Amegakure envoy, his eyes brimming with apparent shared concern.

"After all, our two delegations are staying