Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned as he studied the contents of the recently received scroll and chewed nervously on the tip of his favorite pipe, which had been discreetly extinguished some time ago. Not that being the head of a village of thousands of assassins was such an easy job, but this time the cause for concern was a report delivered by one of Shimura's subordinates.
It didn't seem like a big deal, just the Nara clan taking in a few orphans from one of the orphanages, but the experienced shinobi could feel a catch in his heel. And Hiruzen didn't like tricks, even if they came from his own side. Especially if they came from his own! After running his eyes over the text once more, the elderly hokage sighed and put the scroll aside to think.
The very fact that a rather important clan had decided to take a few orphans into their care didn't seem to inspire much concern at first glance. But only at first glance, and if one didn't know the politics of Konoha's clans.
No clan would simply take on the upbringing of a complete stranger's children when there were enough needy ones of their own. After all, the past war had strained the available forces of all the clans, leaving a large number of children without the care of their parents, and yet taking in a few more...
This suggests either the dire straits of Nara, or some sort of plan by the village's chief brains. And while the former could be believed, given the losses in the war, although it would have a significant impact on the influence of both Nara and the Triple Alliance in the political arena of Konoha, the latter would not be so easy to get to the truth. Both options were troubling and equally disliked.
Rubbing his temple and putting aside his pipe, Sarutobi began to calculate the consequences of the first option.
A decrease in the influence of one of the clans and, as a consequence, the entire alliance. It seemed like great news and a weakening of their influence, but such a show of weakness also cast an obvious shadow on the ruler who had brought Nara to such a state during the war.
One clan had done it, so why couldn't he do it to others? Of course, most shinobi wouldn't reach such a conclusion, but there would certainly be those willing to enlighten others. Given the Hokage's low popularity since the end of the Second Shinobi World War, it's another stone on the scales of changing the ruler.
On the other hand, if it weren't for the report of the retired fighter Ne, who worked at the orphanage, he wouldn't have known about it. There was too little data to draw any definite conclusions. It would be worth getting Danzo, who had reliable contacts in the alliance, to find out more.
Taking a blank sheet of paper from the small stack on the table, Sarutobi scribbled a few lines and folded it up, sealing it with a small burst of chakra.
- 'Danzo,' he ordered, throwing it towards a seemingly empty spot on the wall.
Anbu, who had silently dropped his disguise, caught the message and disappeared in a silent shunshin, while Hiruzen went back to work - the mountain of documents demanding the Hokage's attention wasn't going to disappear on its own.
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