"Terrible news, Lord Daimyo! Terrible news! Konoha drove our envoy out, then sealed off the village!"
An attendant rushed into the hall, only to trip over the threshold, fall flat on the floor, and roll twice.
"Lord Daimyo! Konoha has betrayed us!"
After rolling twice across the floor, the man crawled on his hands and knees to the Daimyo's feet, grabbed his ankle, and shook it incessantly.
"Let go of me!"
The Daimyo kicked the man away and paced anxiously back and forth across the hall.
Seeing this, an advisor offered a suggestion.
"Lord Daimyo, I believe we should evacuate at once!"
The moment he said that, someone chimed in.
"Lord Daimyo, I think he's right!"
"Yes, Lord Daimyo! As long as you're still alive, we'll always have a chance to start over!"
"Exactly, my lord..."
Everyone talked over one another, all urging the Daimyo to flee.
The Daimyo looked at the crowd before him, trembling with rage.
"Enough! Shut your mouths, you bastards!"
He slammed his hand on the table and roared.
"You want me to run? At this point, where could I possibly go?"
The officials bowed their heads, not daring to speak, but their trembling bodies betrayed how they felt.
"Hmph, a bunch of useless fools. The Federation has already united all the small nations. Our Land of Fire is surrounded!
You want me to run? Where could I possibly go? Well?
Answer me!"
The Daimyo stared wide-eyed at the people below him. They kept their heads lowered like a flock of frightened quails, not daring to utter a word.
"What a useless bunch. I am the Daimyo of the Land of Fire! This is my territory. I'm not going anywhere."
With that, he plopped back into his seat and swept out a hand.
"Listen to me!