Sarutobi looked as if he might fall asleep where he sat if they just left him alone a few minutes longer. No chance of that with Hyuuga Iori here, of course. She stole just a moment to run a sinkful of warm water and find an armful of expensively soft towels, and then she was easing Sarutobi's charred and bloody leather jacket off and frowning at what she found.

Minato caught the palace guard's eye and jerked his head at the door. The man was certainly trained for discretion; he bowed low and slipped away, closing the door behind him.

"Give me an area genjutsu, Yuuhi," Minato said quietly. "I don't want anyone hearing what happens in here."

Yuuhi Kurenai nodded, crimson eyes half-shuttering, and set her hands together. Chakra molded in her hands, following the shape of her seals, and then melted away. Minato eased his tight hold on his own chakra. His people would need to find him eventually, and they all knew the flavor of his chakra as well as they knew their own.

Sarutobi Asuma had been one of his people, once. Was he still?

"Report," Minato said. "You said the leader of the Guardian Twelve is dead. Who else? Why did Kazuma attempt a coup?"

Asuma's breath sucked in between his teeth as Hyuuga sponged smoke and char and blood away from his bared arm. There was an ugly cut on the forearm, with a lumpiness beneath the torn skin that suggested broken bones. Seeping burns blistered from elbow to biceps. He winced away from the wreckage and looked up. His shoulders squared; his back straightened, as if he were giving a formal report.

"Kazuma requested a meeting with the Daimyou and all of the Twelve." Asuma's voice was raw with smoke and pain, but steady. "We met earlier today at 1830 hours. Kazuma...suggested that Fire Country would be better off if the Daimyou had direct control of Konoha's army."

Yuuhi had been taking notes in a clear, flowing Intel shorthand, her notebook braced on one arm as she leaned against the sink. Her pen stopped abruptly, and she glanced toward the door.

Hyuuga Iori had activated her Byakugan.