NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 11: Chapter 11
"That was terrible," Danzo muttered quietly and tiredly.
"Yes, we shouldn't have given in to the whims of our old friends back then, " replied the Third Hokage, putting down his report and covering his crystal ball with cloth in a similarly weary tone.
"And we're no better ourselves. No need to blame everything on those two overly cautious fools,"Shimura added, causing his friend to momentarily choke on air.
"I didn't expect to hear that from you, " Hiruzen admitted honestly.
"Heh, I'm quite the paranoid myself and often overdo things, but that doesn't mean I can't admit my mistakes, " - Danzo's usually cold mask cracked slightly, revealing a hint of irony.
"Well, especially since everyone else thinks of you as an old…
...bastard. And what's worse, for some of my actions, even though they were for the village, I actually deserve that label. But mistakes should stay in the past. What do you plan to do about the village's so-called weapon... though honestly, calling him a weapon is an overstatement. I wouldn't even call him a fledgling shinobi. Judging by the test, all he knows about shinobi is that we exist," - Shimura grumbled discontentedly.
"Yes, it turned out poorly. We spent too long dividing things. And the clans... If only we could understand why he wasn't taught anything at the orphanage. It seems your agents went overboard with turning the population against him. And my observers are too lax in their duties, "- Hiruzen sighed.
"Our own fault. We created a ring of isolation around him; now we're the ones who have to fix it. At least the boy takes after his father. It's a pity he didn't end up in the Foundation. He's managed to learn a lot from books on his own. But the right books were out of his reach, as the test revealed. He's well-read, but in the wrong areas. We'll need to boost his knowledge and skills. Lately, even on the training grounds, he looks more like some kind of brawler. Something the Daimyo would like... What do they call it again? Boxing?" - Danzo furrowed his brow.
"That's not important right now. What do you propose we do about Naruto? " The Hokage began filling his pipe with tobacco.
"Assign him two helpers, one from your side and one from mine. Let them train, guide, and develop him. And perhaps even give him some warmth, "Danzo smirked dangerously. Or maybe it was just a crooked smile—it was hard to read his face.
"Are you suggesting someone from the Foundation? With your seals, that would be a mistake, " - his companion replied disapprovingly.
"I have someone in mind. You know my "honey" kunoichi have more lenient emotional blocks..."
"I will not allow prostitutes near the son of the Fourth!" - the Third declared sternly.
"Hear me out first, or is your youth acting up? So, as I was saying, their seals are weaker to avoid client complaints about excessive restraint. But there's one in particular... Her seals were applied poorly. Honestly, she's damaged goods—if not for her talents, she'd have been discarded already. Their interaction might benefit the village: if she provides him with maternal warmth, he might become her anchor in return," - Danzo chuckled.
"Always for the good of the village, huh? Well then, I'll match you. I'll find a lonely woman or girl from my ranks. One mother is good, but two are better!"
"Youth really is acting up, " the "scourge of Konoha" muttered, placing his hand on his face. Still, both men knew they could only relax around each other. They were old friends with shared secrets, though to everyone else, they were rivals—not just politically. One of them was seen as a near-tyrant and monster. These candid conversations were their only solace.
"Speaking of which, I think we should "throw a bone" to the clans. For example, we could turn a blind eye to those brave enough to approach him. Except for the Uchiha, of course, and the Hyuga, " - the Hokage added.
"That's on you. If it were up to me, I'd place loyalty seals on every clan leader," - Danzo replied, still bristling from the last Council meeting.
"The Uchiha certainly gave us trouble. But they're not entirely wrong, especially if even Tsume supported them. By the way, considering the fantastically bad luck of our future charge, we really should assign someone to him. Two encounters with enemy shinobi in less than a month! And that incident with the drunkards... It might've been amusing, but they could've killed him. What then? No last Uzumaki, no Fourth's legacy, nothing. Not even our friends could argue against those points, " - the Hokage said seriously.
"Agreed. By the way, did you read the report about his morning exercises in the hospital?" - Danzo asked with a hint of interest.
"I watched. I'll need to ask him about that style. It doesn't seem like he's copying or "remembering" anyone. Hopefully, he really is a genius on his father's level, just untrained. But we shouldn't rule out internal influences. Though it's too soon to worry about that. I'll probably talk to him tomorrow, " - Hiruzen decided.
"That's reasonable. If I were you, I wouldn't wait until tomorrow," - Shimura replied in a different tone, signaling the serious conversation was over.
If the young jinchuriki knew what awaited him, he'd probably prefer to hang himself and restart the world rather than deal with the "fun" tasks the system already had lined up for him in light of these new developments.