"No rain today, so where did that water come from?"
She muttered to herself, shook her head, and put it out of her mind as she continued toward the Guest House.
In the Guest House's main hall, Mizuno Ichiro still sat where he had been. His tea had gone completely cold, and fine droplets clung to the rim of the cup.
Kurenai Yuhi stood in the doorway and briefly recounted what had happened. When she reached the part where Yamatsuki Yako had shut the door and refused her, her voice dropped a little.
Mizuno Ichiro's face darkened.
He did not look at Kurenai. His gaze rested on the cold tea. After a few moments of silence, he raised a hand and waved vaguely toward the door.
Kurenai bowed and withdrew. The door closed behind her, shutting the hall's light back inside its narrow paper frame.
Mizuno Ichiro turned toward the Uchiha Clan Compound and spoke slowly.
"It seems Princess Tsunade wasn't exaggerating. This Uchiha Yongye really is arrogant and overbearing, nothing like the Uchiha Fugaku we knew."
He paused, then turned to the four figures still standing nearby. His voice grew heavier.
"Fūma Kojirō, you four are coming with me tomorrow. I'll play the good cop; you play the bad cops. We must get our hands on those three immortal ninja."
Fūma Kojirō, the tallest of them, snorted.
He folded his arms and lifted his chin slightly. Torchlight cast a dark line across his cheek, and he could not keep the indignation out of his voice.
"He's just an Uchiha, and he dares push us around!"
"His Highness the Daimyo is too attached to old ties. He should cut off all funding to Konoha immediately. Let's see if they still dare act so arrogantly then."
Mizuno Ichiro's aged face went