Sandalwood burned intensely in the council hall of the Land of Iron's capital.
Mifune sat kneeling at the head seat, both hands pressed against his knees, his knuckles faintly whitening from the force. On the long table before him lay an official document sealed with the Raikage's stamp from Kumogakure, its ink not yet fully dry.
"General Mifune."
The speaker was the leader of the Hidden Cloud delegation, a burly ninja with short brown hair. He wore the dark vest of a Hidden Cloud Elite Ninja, his right arm wrapped in bandages, his gaze as sharp as a poisoned kunai.
"Hyuga Xiao, Leaf Village's S-Rank Rogue Ninja, murdered three of our Hidden Cloud Elite Ninjas at the Land of Lightning border and stole classified intelligence. Under the joint fugitive statutes of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Iron is obligated to assist in his capture." The burly ninja's booming voice struck the beams and pillars of the council hall with every word. "This is the arrest warrant personally signed by Lord Raikage."
Mifune did not answer immediately.
He lifted the teacup before him and took a sip of tea that had already gone cold. It was bitter as it slid down his throat, like swallowing a piece of ice.
"Elite Ninja Mabui." Mifune set down his teacup, his voice calm. "Do you have evidence for this so-called 'murder'?"
"The bodies of three Elite Ninjas were found in a border canyon. Their fatal injuries were internal organ ruptures caused by the Gentle Fist." Mabui took three photographs from her robes and pushed them before Mifune. "This is the autopsy report. The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist is unique in the entire Shinobi World."
The photographs showed three corpses with collapsed chests. There were no obvious external wounds, but the X-rays revealed