The air in the meeting room seemed to have frozen, making even the faint sound of the night wind brushing past the eaves outside unusually clear.
Jiraiya sat at the head of the table, frowning in thought.
Everyone else wore much the same expression.
The intelligence Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had brought back was too shocking. They needed time to digest it.
"Momoshiki Otsutsuki... Kinshiki Otsutsuki... Ōtsutsuki Isshiki..."
"Three Ōtsutsuki showed up at once. Just how many of these guys are there?"
Kakashi leaned back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. His exposed right eye was half closed, but deep within it lingered an unshakable gravity.
Rather than speak immediately, he turned to glance at Sasuke beside him.
Sasuke's clothes were torn in several places, and his left shoulder was bandaged. He clearly had yet to fully recover from the battle.
Naruto was in somewhat better shape.
"You two."
Jiraiya looked up at Naruto and Sasuke. "Go back and rest."
"Pervy Sage, I..."
"That's an order."
Jiraiya's voice was quiet, but left no room for negotiation. "Leave the rest to us. In your current condition, you won't be any help even if you stay here."
Naruto's lips moved as though he still wanted to say something, but Sasuke stood first, letting his gaze linger on Naruto for a moment.
"Let's go," Sasuke said.
Naruto glanced at him, then at Jiraiya. Finally, he nodded and pushed himself up against the edge of the table.
The two left the meeting room one after the other, and the door closed behind them with a soft click.
Their footsteps faded into the distance, and silence returned to the meeting room.
"Well?" Jiraiya broke the silence, turning toward Shikaku.
Shikaku had been silent for quite some time, but everyone knew