Shibi Aburame never beat around the bush.
He was as clean and quick as a knife slicing tofu, as though his entire clan hated wasted words down to their bones.
His backside had barely touched the chair, and he had not even taken a sip of hot tea.
Yet Shibi Aburame had already laid out why he had come.
Put simply.
He was afraid the Aburame Clan would not weather this storm.
It made sense.
In all of Konoha, the Aburame had been the first to come running to ally with the Uchiha.
Who else would they go after?
Before, with Yan Uchiha standing firm in the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been beaten into fearing his methods.
Unless he was absolutely certain of success, the old man truly dared not make a rash move.
But things were different now.
Yan Uchiha was leaving. How could the Hokage's people possibly let such an opportunity slip away?
Without Yan, the Uchiha were nothing but a tiger that had lost nearly all its teeth in the eyes of the village leadership.
Nothing to fear.
Much less a smaller clan like the Aburame, who merely relied on the Uchiha.
Shibi Aburame claimed he was not afraid, but how could he not be?
They were only a mid-sized Shinobi Clans, hardly anything special in Konoha.
He was not arrogant enough to think he could withstand the village's wrath.
It was obvious without even thinking.
To stop other Shinobi Clans from drawing closer to the Uchiha, Konoha would surely make an example of them this time.
They would use the Aburame Clan's blood to frighten everyone else.
And while they were at it.
They would grind the Uchiha's dignity underfoot a few more times.
So.
There was no other way out.
Other clan members might die,