Baishi did not take the scroll.
Shikaku Nara held it in both hands, suspended in midair, his posture somewhat stiff.
The office was brightly lit, yet the scroll from the Advisors' Office seemed like a black stone that absorbed light, making the air around it feel several degrees heavier.
"A self-inspection report?"
Baishi repeated the words, his tone betraying no emotion.
"Yes." Shikaku Nara answered in a low voice. "Advisor Mitokado Homura signed it personally. One hour ago, it was delivered by his confidant, who specifically requested that you open it yourself."
Baishi's gaze shifted from the scroll to Shikaku Nara's face.
"He moved quickly."
The words were soft, like he was speaking to himself.
Shikaku Nara did not respond. He knew this was not the time for him to voice an opinion.
At last, Baishi reached out and took the scroll. He did not untie it immediately, instead running his fingers over the wax seals at both ends. The seals were the Advisors' Office's distinctive dark red, stamped with the Mitokado Clan's Family Crest.
They were intact.
He untied the cord and slowly unrolled the scroll.
The handwriting was Mitokado Homura's own—vigorous and meticulous, with no hint that it had been written by an old man who had been awake all night.
The report was brief, its wording extremely concise.
Nowhere did it mention military supply smuggling or the overseas Underground Black Market.
It merely acknowledged that the Konoha Oceanic Trading Company had committed "serious negligence" in its internal management, and that its supervisor, Mitokado Tokumitsu, had been "blinded by profit and betrayed the trust placed in him," using his position to engage in "irregular accounting practices" that had caused "adverse effects."
In the report, Mitokado Homura expressed deep remorse, declaring that, as the one who had recommended him,