The windows of the Hokage's Office were tightly shut.
The draft document concerning the "Foreign Intelligence Operations Special Inspection Group" sent by Shikaku Nara lay quietly to Baishi's right, the ink still wet.
Baishi did not look at the draft. His gaze fell on a red Scroll ANBU had just delivered.
The Scroll had no seal. It was merely loosely tied with a black cord. This was the standard format for a Class-A secret report, meaning its contents required immediate handling but had not yet reached the level of an S-Rank alert.
He undid the black cord and unfolded the Scroll.
The writing was in ANBU's standard encrypted script—brief, without a single unnecessary word.
"Target 'Toad' contacted the commanders of the third, seventh, and eleventh outposts of the Southern Border Guard Forces this afternoon through an unofficial emergency channel."
"Contents of the contact unknown."
"All three were his former subordinates and had jointly been stationed along the border of the Land of Rain during the Third Shinobi World War."
Baishi's fingers gently rubbed the edge of the Scroll.
Jiraiya had moved even faster than he had expected. Before the document from the Foreign Intelligence Operations Special Inspection Group could be issued, Jiraiya had already bypassed the village's internal intelligence system and contacted the front lines directly.
That was within expectations.
A person's way of doing things was a habit cultivated over decades. It would not easily change just because he had hit a wall once.
Shikaku Nara stood to the side in front of the desk. After seeing the contents of the Scroll, his brows drew even tighter.
"Lord Hokage, Consultant Jiraiya has great prestige among the Southern Border troops. If he insists that those former subordinates cooperate, I fear a single official document will have little power to restrain