In a spacious hall in Konoha's most important building, an elderly man is fighting a terrible battle against his greatest enemy: paperwork. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current Hokage, can't help but sigh from time to time and turn to his pipe to help him get through the grueling days of work.
"And some people think this job is glamorous" the man comments to himself in a low voice.
Minutes pass, and only the sound of paper and a fountain pen can be heard inside the room, until a soft knock on the door indicates a visitor, someone with information, or worse, more paperwork. Hiruzen raises his hand, and with a simple gesture, the door opens wide, allowing a ninja in ambu attire to appear kneeling in front of his desk, almost as if teleported. Hiruzen raises an eyebrow, showing a hint of surprise, before closing the door with another gesture.
"Important Information?" the Hokage asks.
"The investigation into the Kusagakure case has been completed. Investigators have found no clues as to who was responsible for the fog, nor for the explosions. The energy traces don't reflect anything seen so far" the ninja replies, his face covered by a fox mask.
"Senjutsu?"
"It has all the hallmarks. According to some witnesses, the fog had all the hallmarks of natural energy, though it lacked intent or emotion. The debris from the explosions showed similar characteristics"
"Very strange, that only makes sense in natural disasters. What do you think, Eagle?" the Hokage asks, causing another ninja to appear out of nowhere, this time dressed in a long khaki raincoat and an eagle mask.
"The interrogations didn't reveal anything unusual, except that people couldn't see anything in the fog, not even their feet. Furthermore, the explosions were so large that the vibrations traveled several kilometers" the eagle-masked ninja said.
"According to investigators, the explosions were equivalent to hundreds of explosive tags, but the largest was equivalent to thousands of them, leaving a crater twenty meters in diameter and five meters deep, nothing was left standing for a hundred meters around, with remnants of lightning and fire energy" adds the fox-masked ninja.
Hiruzen gets up from his chair and walks to the window, where he continues smoking his pipe, while observing the village.
"Explosions are one thing, but the bigger problem is the fog. If the information is correct and it can't be stopped or fought, it poses a threat to any hidden village, no matter how strong. Furthermore, if natural energy is involved, anyone who tries to absorb that fog in any way will end up completely poisoned" the Hokage concludes.
"If we can't find the source of the fog, we should at least find a way to prevent it from spreading, in case we are the victims of something similar," Eagle says.
"Keep this information classified. I'm going to contact Jiraiya, he's the only one who can obtain information through Mount Myoboku, perhaps they can know if there is a beast or force capable of this... Isobu may come to mind as a possibility, but none of the background matches his nature, much less the presence of Yagura so far from his village currently in civil war" Says Hiruzen.
After the Hokage's words and a gesture from Eagle, the fox-masked Anbu leaves the room, leaving only two people inside.
"How is the situation with the Uchiha?" the Hokage asks.
"The situation is worsening. Rumors of discontent with the village are growing louder. Time is running out"
Hiruzen closes his eyes for a moment, clearly contemplating. "I'm aware of everything, and we still have time to make a diplomatic agreement. Our village can't afford a civil conflict, especially after so little time has passed since the last war. I still have a few cards left to play, so continue to be vigilant, but keep your distance and don't make any foolish mistakes"
"As you command" Eagle replies, then disappears from the room.
"This job is going to kill me" Hiruzen mutters as he stretches his back, then sits down and continues with the paperwork.
…
[Karin]
It's almost dusk in the village of Konoha when Karin leaves her house with a rather relaxed attitude. After walking a little over a block, she stops at a place that has become quite familiar to her, even though she usually comes here at noon.
"Welcome, Karin" greets young Ayame, seeing Karin enter the shop.
"Hello Ayame-san, give me a miso ramen please, with extra meat" says the girl as she sits down with a smile, and greets Teuchi, who is cooking in the back.
"You look happy Karin chan, you don't usually come this late"
"Today is a good day because I completed my special training and Touki gave me prize money to buy whatever I want, and now I want to eat some victory ramen. Tomorrow I'll get something sweet"
Karin's words are spoken with great pride and Ayame can't help but smile at the girl's adorable attitude.
"It seems your brother treats you quite well. I forgot to ask him last time what he does. Are they opening a business in your house?" Ayame asks.
"Touki was a businessman in the capital. I think he has something to do with transportation. My siblings are still debating what to do on the first floor"
"So your brother must be someone important. By the way, I love your hairstyle" Ayame comments, as she places the already prepared ramen in front of Karin.
The little girl begins to play with her hair while smiling. The style is a double braid on the sides, with blue ribbons as decoration. "It's my sister who doesn't stop experimenting with my hair, she really likes styling it"
Ayame laughs again at Karin's comment, who begins to eat with pleasure. It was then that the girl noticed a boy her age at the other end of the counter, with short blond hair and eating ramen quite quickly.
"By the way, Ayame-san, who's that guy who looks like he's never eaten in his life?" the girl comments in a low voice.
"I'm not starving!" The child responds immediately, standing up indignantly and with his mouth full of food remains.
Karin is surprised by the boy's explosiveness, who glares at her so fiercely so suddenly, and she can only force a smile "But you eat too fast"
"It's... it's just that... I really like ramen" The boy says, embarrassed to realize that he acted too rudely.
"Don't worry, Karin. This is Naruto, one of our most important clients. You haven't met him before because he always comes in the afternoon, after leaving the academy" Ayame comments, handing Naruto a napkin to wipe his mouth.
"Wow, so you're going to the ninja academy?" Karin asks.
Hearing the question, Naruto's demeanor changes completely, and he raises his head in pride. "Of course. I'm going to become Konoha's strongest ninja and the future Hokage"
Karin senses something's off about the boy, but she tries to play along, so she can learn more about the academy, since Touki has already told her he'll enroll her next year. Part of the training she's doing is to be able to enter the second year and join classmates her own age. "Really? So what's life like inside?"
Naruto first acts somewhat surprised, but then begins to talk with great enthusiasm about his life at the academy, emphasizing his incredible abilities and his great future.
The two children chat for nearly an hour, during which Naruto does his best to entertain Karin with a variety of stories from the academy, as well as describing his classmates in great detail. At the end of the conversation, the boy even tries to convince the girl to meet up another time to continue talking or even just to play, to which Karin can only clarify that it's up to her brother whether he lets her have free time like today.
"Be nice to Naruto, Karin-chan" Ayame says as she watches the boy walk away from the store. "He's an orphan and doesn't have many friends"
'Orphan' echoed in Karin's mind, causing her to reminisce about her terrible time in Kusagakure and feeling a little more empathy for the boy.
In the end, the girl found the afternoon pleasant and that the days had become more interesting since she began her new life in Konoha.