Kagami Uchiha had yet to arrive when there came another light knock at the office door.
The voice of the Anbu who had left earlier came from outside, clear and restrained. "Lord Hokage, Minister Torifu requests an audience."
"Come in."
Kumoi set aside the materials concerning Uchiha Sora and straightened in his chair.
The door opened, and Torifu Akimichi's tall figure entered the office.
Unlike his usual steady demeanor, though his brow bore the fatigue of days spent overseeing the work, a gleam of barely suppressed excitement danced deep in his eyes, and his steps were quicker than usual.
He had clearly come directly from the testing ground or the Research and Development Department, and he seemed to still carry the laboratory's distinctive scent of ozone and metal.
"Lord Hokage."
Torifu stopped before the desk, his voice loud and solemn:
"The first integrated live-fire test of the Thunder Halberd Alpha prototype was successfully completed this afternoon at No. 7 Underground Testing Ground!
All planned test items met their expected benchmarks. The prototype remained stable, and the safety systems proved reliable!"
Although he had already learned through top-secret channels that the project had reached its final stage, hearing this definitive report of success firsthand still caused a sharp, burning light to flare in Nangō Kumoi's eyes.
The hand resting on the desk tightened slightly as he leaned forward, as though he could see through Torifu's report and witness the brilliant white beam tearing through the target.
"Good! Very good!"
There was a weight to Kumoi's tone. It was more than praise for a technological success; it carried even greater expectations.
He took a deep breath, his gaze settling tangibly on Torifu's face as he spoke in a low, clear voice:
"This means that if our ninja can safely and effectively equip