The Daimyo snapped his fan shut, nodded slightly, and said, "Good. In that case, I'll leave this to Tobi, young Asuna, and young Mizuki. Everyone else will remain in the Capital."
Asuna had already stated that they would accept if the Daimyo gave the order, so she naturally nodded in agreement. She also felt she had to investigate this matter personally. She had a hunch that the Local Lords was indeed innocent, and leaving others to handle it could spell trouble for the village.
As Tobi had just said, this Local Lords maintained close ties with Konoha Ninja Village. If the incident was used as a pretext, the Daimyo would have legitimate grounds to impose restrictions on Konoha Ninja Village. Unless the village intended to rebel immediately, it could only contest his moves within the rules.
To prevent that, Asuna felt she needed to pay close attention. Still, she suspected Tobi had another plot in mind, one aimed not at the Local Lords but at her and Mizuki.
Over the years, Asuna had long since noticed that Tobi showed greater hostility toward her and Mizuki than toward the other Konoha Ninja. His insistence on specifically naming them for this assignment made it impossible not to suspect the worst.
But even if Tobi laid a trap in plain sight, they could only step into it. The time for open confrontation had not yet come, so the Daimyo's orders still carried considerable weight. They could not refuse and risk alienating him completely.
The Daimyo understood perfectly well that the Konoha Shinobi had come to serve as Guardian Ninja both as hostages and as Konoha Ninja Village's eyes and ears, discreetly relaying his intentions back to the village. Both sides understood this without saying it aloud, maintaining a delicate balance.
If they broke