Onest's question was deeply meaningful. How could Bude not discern it? In response, he calmly replied:
"My duty is to command the Imperial Palace Guards and protect the Emperor's safety. For anything beyond that, I am powerless."
"Oh, if that's the case, then it's truly a pity. This matter can only be resolved by me personally!"
The conversation between the two held profound meaning; delving deeper into it proved quite interesting.
The general gist was that Onest first probed Bude, asking if he had interfered in this matter and if he would in the future.
Bude's reply, as always, maintained his style of not meddling in political affairs. He straightforwardly told Onest, "Your affairs are of no interest to me, but you shouldn't overdo it either."
People involved in politics are truly bothersome; one sentence can hold countless meanings.
Having understood Bude's intention, Onest felt a slight reassurance. Standing atop the city wall, with his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed at the ruins and flames before him. His face appeared calm, but within his heart, tumultuous waves of shock had already surged.
He absolutely had to find this culprit. Once he found them, he would make sure they would wish for death but could not attain it!
Furthermore, besides that, he could also seize this opportunity, under the pretext of searching for rebels, to purge the last group of people in the Imperial Capital who opposed him.
The Imperial Minister and the Imperial Grand General, two individuals at the pinnacle of the Imperial Civil and Military officialdom, stood thus on high, each watching the scene before them expressionlessly, gazing upon the devastated Imperial Capital.
As the two stood in silence, the sound of a group of people ascending the city wall came from behind. It sounded like quite a number.
Onest and Bude simultaneously turned to look back. Following the retinue and guards who ascended, was the Little Emperor, merely ten years old.
Upon seeing the Little Emperor, Onest and Bude, out of formality—whether heartfelt or not—bowed in unison to the Little Emperor:
"Your Majesty!" ×2
Though the Little Emperor was young, he still possessed a certain imperial majesty. He raised his hand towards Onest and Bude:
"Minister and Grand General, pray rise!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" ×2
The two rose. The Little Emperor, amidst the throng of people, walked onto the Imperial Palace city wall, looked at the vast expanse of ruins and fiery sea outside, and asked in astonishment:
"Just now, while I was sleeping, I was shaken awake by a great commotion. I just came to see; what exactly is going on? Why is everything on fire? What happened here?"
Bude hadn't yet spoken. Onest fully displayed the acting prowess of an accomplished performer. With his imposing and robust physique, he directed a childish, tearful plea towards the delicate Little Emperor, even feigning tears that flowed bitterly:
"Your Majesty... I beg Your Majesty to be the judge! This area is my home, Your Majesty! Just now, tonight, some unknown person blew up my home like this; everything is destroyed!"
The Little Emperor's eyes widened, very surprised:
"So, it was the Minister's home that was destroyed? How truly grievous for the Minister!"
"That's right, Your Majesty. If I hadn't been attending to official duties in the Imperial Palace all night tonight, I fear that if I had returned home, I would have been blown up along with it tonight!"
"That serious!? So, Your Majesty almost lost a loyal subject like this!?"
"Indeed, Your Majesty!"
"Then, we must absolutely capture this fellow who destroyed the Minister's home. After capturing him, he must be executed!"
"Many thanks, Your Majesty. That is precisely what I was thinking. According to my judgment, this culprit must still be in the Imperial Capital. I beg Your Majesty to grant me the authority to mobilize the Imperial Capital's security forces and army, to seal off the Imperial Capital, and search for this villain throughout the entire Imperial Capital!"
"These matters, Minister, you can handle yourself. There's no need to ask me again!"
"Many thanks, Your Majesty! This subject will definitely capture him!"
The matter was thus settled. The Little Emperor granted Onest the authority to thoroughly search the entire Imperial Capital. Of course, it was estimated that even if the Little Emperor hadn't given Onest this authority, Onest could have done it himself.
Seeing that the two officials had finished speaking, Bude immediately stepped forward:
"Your Majesty, such a thing happened tonight; it is truly unsafe outside. Please, Your Majesty, return to the Palace. I will personally escort Your Majesty back to the Palace!"
Looking at the loyal Bude, the Little Emperor nodded in agreement:
"Alright, alright. Having been woken up in the middle of the night, I'm a bit sleepy now! Grand General Bude, let's go!"
"As Your Majesty commands! Imperial Palace Guards, protect His Majesty!"
Under the escort of Bude and his Imperial Palace Guards, the Little Emperor majestically descended the Imperial Palace city wall and returned to the Palace...
On the city wall, only Onest and his cronies remained.
Once the "troublemaker" had left, Onest instantly reverted to his tyrannical nature. His eyes turned bloodshot, filled with overwhelming malice and murderous intent. His face was distorted and twisted, and his voice was low and terrifying:
"Issue the order! Seal the Imperial Capital gates! Strictly forbid anyone from entering or leaving! Dispatch all security forces and city guards! Every single person in this entire Imperial Capital, every household, must be searched! That culprit must be found!"
"Yes!" ×n
This commotion on the city wall was clearly sensed by Uchiha Madara from afar, using his Divine Music Eye. Therefore, he was well aware of the Minister's order to seal and search the entire city.
She chuckled mockingly, then turned her head, looking at Sheele and Mine, who were still immobilized behind her. She said:
"Alright, I won't scare you two anymore. Onest has gone mad now. Soon, all the Imperial Capital's security forces and army will be frantically searching everywhere. It's not safe here. Let's go back to my place first."
Uchiha Madara's words left Sheele and Mine dumbfounded.
After a moment, they finally understood Uchiha Madara's meaning. Mine cried out excitedly:
"What?! All that rubbish you just said was just to scare us!?"
"That's right. Didn't I say so when I first came? My subordinates are busy with chores, so I need to capture you two and make you work for me."
"Work for you!?"
"Yes, work for me forever! Oh, and it's inconvenient to keep you immobilized with genjutsu. I'd better use sealing jutsu to restrain you instead!"
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