“Hisako Yuki will live, Lord Funato.” I said.

His cane struck but thanks to my carpeted floors my ears weren’t punished, “She perpetrated the act! She sent the threats! She should be-”

“Funato-dono!” Lady Megumi sighed and shook her head, “Hisako is a victim of manipulation, as many of the Yuki are. Any one of those kids could have been lured into the act, Hisako deserves leniency, a mere Genin doesn’t understand the-”

“Kids? A mere Genin? What are we talking about here truly?!” The old man’s usually shut eyes were wide open and strained with veiny fury as he looked at us incredulously. He snatched a file from a pile and waved it in our faces, “Here! Right there it says Hisako is over seventeen years, she is no child. If she is then shall I think the same of you, Mizukage-sama?”

I groaned, “Enough, Funato, if anyone it is you who is behaving like a child. It’s been decided, Hisako will live amongst your clansmen. If you’re averse to that as well let me know now that you cannot hold back your bloodlust for a simple, harmless Genin.”

He growled, eyes darted at his fellow councillors who did nothing to show support. Lady Megumi nodded at him, willing him to accept the fate that’s been written for him. Uncle Aoto looked bored but I could tell he was merely waiting for the more pressing topics to come up, still, he offered Lord Funato no support.

The old man sat back with a harrumphed, his cane suffering in his grip. I nodded and began again, “Now that that’s sorted, let’s move on to the rest of our newly acquired suspects.” Lord Funato scoffed and I felt the need to be specific, “Suspects because I&C hasn’t gotten through interrogating them all, the charges we’ve laid will not hold long as I am certain Hidaki will be gathering support to demand their freedom, if we do not find anything conclusively tying the Yūki to Sandaime’s death or the Kaguya attacks then we will have no choice but to set them free.”

It was one thing to execute Shizu Yūki who was mastermind of the death threats but imprisoning all the affiliated Yūki without proof of crimes is something else. I could afford to do it for a few weeks but likely no more, in that time either their innocence or guilt needs to be proven beyond a doubt.

Uncle shifted in his seat, “Whether they had something to do with either doesn’t matter as much as what we know they did.” My lips parted to contest but Uncle gestured to let him speak, “Shizu Yūki was a good catch but executing her will make her a martyr for the very lively anti-Kiri movement within the Yuki and if we’re not being obtuse…other clans, specifically the low caste.”

Lord Funato, Lady Megumi and I simultaneously inhaled at that. We shared a collectively disturbed look before Lord Funato’s angry voice broke the thoughtful silence, “This is exactly why that Hisako girl and her mentor should die together.”

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“Do you not understand what a martyr is?” I asked, baffled that he’d double down and bring the topic back to that.

“More than you know, Yondaime, their deaths should be made public. An execution on Bar Beach for everyone daring to even think of mutiny to their clan or to Kirigakure to witness.” He struck his cane, this time it sounded as he stubbornly shifted the edge of the rug over, “It will send a strong message to everyone that your reign is not the one to be challenged, it is not the one for rebellion and wishful freedoms.”

Had this been my first month here I wouldn’t believe the words coming out of Lord Funato’s mouth. But even though I’ve gotten used to the man’s daring to some extent this was a new level of unhinged he was revealing.

“A public execution of Shizu alone would be…it will serve to dissuade sympathizers, especially once her crime is revealed.” Uncle Aoto said, scratching his chin in thought.

His semi-approval surprised me even more but much like Lord Funato, I’d begun to understand that my Uncle was always going to be a shinobi of Kirigakure first, especially now that I am Mizukage— the clan and Kiri are nearly one and the same with me in power.

Lady Megumi laughed a hearty laugh, “That is a practical plan, yes, but it will not be enough. From Yagura-sama’s own reports I don’t believe the Yūki will disappear or even reduce in size from one public execution. We don’t have anything on the suspected Yūki either, their time in our cells will only incentivise them to rebel, only at a later time when our eyes are turned away.”

“Then the entire clan will be monitored.” Lord Funato declared.

She shook her head, “A waste of resources and these are Bloodline wielding shinobi, surveillance will not be easy to hide, an infiltration of their forces would be near impossible unless Reina Yuki herself assents, but we all know she loves her clan more than Kiri.”

Uncle nodded grimly, “What do you suggest?”

She leaned forward, her eyes found mine and held them, “I understand Mizukage-sama wishes for amicable relations with the Yuki, but the opportunity for that…well, it’s all but tarnished now. You can attempt but it’s my believe that nothing short of expulsion will cow their hearts.”

“Expulsion? You mean…”

“Yes, the Daimyo’s war against Bloodline killers, among others…” her lips suppressed a smile as she said, “I may be biased in saying this but the threat Bloodline users represents will never cease and thus there will always be those ready to exterminate them to the last.” Her eyes glanced at Lord Funato so fast I nearly missed it.

The Daimyo’s war was another topic waiting to be addressed but it seemed I might find solution to each within this meeting. I sat back and studied Lady Megumi, “You’re saying I should threaten the Yuki with expulsion from the village, the entire clan? Ha, you truly are biased.”

She shrugged but didn’t deny it, “I hear Reina Yuki has entangled our name in the war already, Lord Yakubi was it? Our stance is to accept Bloodline users, of course, the current Daimyo demands so, but that doesn’t dictate which Bloodline users we accept or for how long or even how we…apply them. Besides, we couldn’t possibly be condemned for it, Mizukage-sama is bringing in the Kaguya clan, isn’t he?”

Her choice of wording is very…deliberate. Yagura was picking up on an answer the old Lady was trying to communicate without spelling it out. I glanced at Uncle who was staring at me, he blinked but nodded, supporting the surface idea— I don’t know if he’s caught onto what Lady Megumi was dropping though. Lord Funato stared straight ahead, I think the only thing on his mind now was how he’d get to murder Hisako legally.

Finally, I said, “I will meditate on this matter. Let’s move on to the Daimyo’s war and this Lord Yakubi, what should I know?”