Hiashi stood in place with his eyelids drooping, not saying a single word from beginning to end.
Yet in the gaze he cast toward that youthful figure behind the desk, awe and submission deepened by several more degrees.
"This letter from Granny Chiyo is truly well written."
Uchiha En slowly folded the sheet of paper and placed it back on the desk.
"Throughout a thousand-plus words, the phrasing is earnest and the posture humble, without a single mention of the word 'reinforcement' from start to finish, leaving plenty of backbone and dignity for Sunagakure."
He raised his hand to pick up a teacup, gently blowing away the floating fine tea debris.
"It is only a pity."
"Backbone cannot fill stomachs, cannot support military pay, and even less can it block a fatal crisis."
The teacup was set back onto the desk with a very soft clink.
"As for the lips and the teeth..."
Uchiha En glanced at the old Jonin.
He did not continue; it went without saying that whether Sunagakure perished or not had no impact on Konoha.
The old Jonin's lips kept trembling, his throat dry and tight, unable to spit out half a word.
Only at this moment did he truly wake up.
From the very first sentence he spoke upon stepping through the door, all his arguments, all his probes, and all his wishful thinking had long since been fully anticipated by the person before him.
"Enough."
Uchiha En raised his hand, ending this suffocating silence.
"Shikaku, record the reply."
"Yes."
Shikaku took out paper and brush from his sleeve, spreading them across his knees.
"The reply has three items."
Uchiha En raised his first finger, his tone as flat as if he were merely arranging daily chores, yet every single word nailed down the dynamic