Outside the Hokage's Office, the sky had gone completely dark.
The uproar and smoke brought by the Capital's Internal Guard seemed never to have existed. Under military control, Konoha had fallen into an unnatural stillness.
Baishi looked away from the map. The black arrow diverted toward the Land of Wind's border was no longer a priority.
His gaze finally returned to another real-time monitoring panel on his desk, its red warning light flashing incessantly.
The Special Care Unit.
Its energy readings resembled a dying heart, each beat more frantic than the last. The needle was perilously close to the critical red line marking an explosion.
The office door was shoved open without a knock.
Tsunade stormed in, bringing a chill with her. She clutched a report that had grown wrinkled with sweat.
"The energy backflow is faster than projected. Hairline cracks have already appeared in the underground storage tanks' outer walls. They could trigger a chain explosion at any moment."
Her voice was hoarse, trembling slightly beneath the strain of barely contained emotion.
"I'll take the Medical Team's first and third squads down there and use the Strength of a Hundred Technique to force the core to stabilize. We still have a chance to make emergency repairs."
It was a proposal, but it sounded more like a declaration of resolve.
Baishi did not look up at her. He merely reached out and turned the monitoring panel toward himself, carefully studying every fluctuating data curve.
The office was frighteningly quiet, save for the faint electrical hum of the equipment.
"What is the probability of the repairs succeeding?" Baishi asked.
His voice was calm, as though he were asking about the weather.
Tsunade froze. The question caught all the arguments she had prepared in her throat.
"Uncertain. But this is the only