Weighing the Wording of an Urgent Battle Report and the Hokage's Definitive Ruling

It was late at night.

The lights in the Hokage's Office marked the only sleepless nerve center of the vast machine that was Konoha.

The dry scent of document paper mixed with ink hung in the air.

A nearly invisible streak of white light tore through the night and shot precisely through the office's open window. It became a bird formed of chakra, landed silently on a corner of the desk, then dissipated.

Only a specially made message tube bearing an encryption formula remained.

Baishi put down his pen and picked up the tube.

His fingers tapped the formula three times in a specific rhythm. The seal released, and two scrolls slid out.

The first was Hyuga Hiashi's special report.

The handwriting was neat and exact, as though measured with a ruler, without a trace of personal emotion. The contents were equally objective, recounting the entire sequence of Namikaze Minato's defiance of an A-Rank written order and forcible intervention on the battlefield. Time, place, actions, regulations violated—each was clearly listed, like an autopsy report.

Baishi's gaze did not linger. He unfolded the second scroll at once.

This scroll came from the Chief of General Staff, Shikaku Nara.

It was not a formal battle report, but a draft submission for approval attached to Hiashi's special report. Clearly, Shikaku had prepared it immediately after receiving Hiashi's account, hoping to offer a professional opinion before the Hokage ruled on the matter.

Baishi's gaze settled on the draft's key wording.

"...Given the urgency of the situation and the imminent danger to our comrades in the Exploration Team, Commander-in-Chief Namikaze Minato 'exercised emergency discretion.' Although his actions violated regulations, his intention was to preserve the village's fighting strength. We respectfully ask the office to take these circumstances into consideration..."

Emergency discretion.

As Baishi looked at