Yongye kept his eyes on the page and answered offhandedly.
"He turned Danzo into a drooling idiot."
"That's a crime!"
"Of course we have to bring him in for questioning and deal with him!"
Uchiha Izumi's face tightened with anxiety. She rounded the desk and rushed to Yongye's side.
She bent down, wrapped both hands around his arm, and held it against her chest as she pleaded softly.
"Itachi only acted on impulse because his little brother was hurt."
"He didn't mean any harm. Please give him another chance."
"Lord Yongye."
"I'm begging you."
Her voice carried a softness that seemed to seep from her very bones. Her ponytail slipped over her shoulder and fell beside her face, hiding half of it. The eye still visible was faintly red.
Yongye turned toward her. His gaze traveled from her face to her shoulder, from her shoulder to her chest, then to the hands clasped around his arm.
With a chest that flat, she's trying the cleavage trap?
Yongye curled his lip in disdain, looked away from Izumi, and put on an air of lofty righteousness.
"The plaque I had you make for the hall."
"What did it say?"
"Do you remember?"
Izumi froze.
Of course she remembered!
Justice above, compassion below!
When she had seen those words, she had admired them so much that she had secretly vowed to live by them herself.
The faint flush drained from her face, leaving it deathly pale. Her lips trembled twice, but she said nothing. She released Yongye's arm, stepped back, and stood with her hands at her sides, visibly uneasy.
After those words, asking Lord Yongye to show favoritism would be like slapping him in the face myself!
Yongye watched her squirm, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"If you really want