{Hokage's Office, Konohagakure}
The golden rays of the setting sun made it easy to see the smoke coming out of the window. Inside the room, 4 people sat around, looking at the letter stamped with the Fire Daimyo's seal with interest.
"Is this real, Hiruzen?" Koharu Utatane asked. She was the last to read the letter as she questioned an old-looking man dressed in a red kimono covered by a white shawl.
"The seal has been verified," Hiruzen replied, still deep in thought. The leader of the shinobi village located in the Land of Fire turned his attention to the one-eyed man. Bandages were wrapped around his right hand and eye, covering an injury he had sustained at a prior time.
"What do we even know about the youngest son of Daimyo?" Hiruzen questioned, asking the leader of the Root for more targeted intel. While he focused on making sure the village was run well, Danzo had wide reach and many spies in the capital.
Danzo reached into his robes and pulled out a scroll, which he then handed to Hiruzen. Meanwhile, he explained the key points summarized from the report: "Shinjiro, the third and youngest son of the Daimyo, has always been willful and spoiled. Still, according to my spies in the capital, the boy's erratic behavior had changed since he turned 18. While earlier he would indulge in the services of geisha every so often, the frequency had changed to almost daily indulgence since that day."
Danzo paused as if trying to find a way to describe the boy. "He is a typical teenager born with a silver spoon who enjoys carnal delight and various pleasures of flesh on the surface, but also has a deep affection for power. It is rumored that the boy had maintained an instructor since he turned 14 to teach him how to fight and for basic body conditioning."
He decided to keep his concerns to himself for now. There was no need to try to dissuade Hiruzen or spoil relations with the boy, since his coming here was an opportunity anyway.
"This is a big opportunity, Hiruzen. The Daimyo's getting old, and given how reluctant he was to provide help during the Second Shinobi World War, we would likely get even less help during the Third. And since the old man has been ill, it is an opportunity, if the youngest is close to Konoha, we can pave the wa-" Homura Mitokado was stopped by Hiruzen's calm shout.
"No need to say something like that out loud, Homura, it's equivalent to treason..." Hiruzen cut him off even though he knew everyone was thinking along the same lines. Kumogakure had been the first to recover, which meant most of the nations were currently dealing with their attempts to poke and prod for any weaknesses.
"Still, the die has already been cast," Koharu steered the conversation back to the main topic. "Shinjiro is going to come to Konoha by this time tomorrow, with the expectation of being included in the academy year that starts next week."
"Yes, I think Minato's son and daughter are turning 18 this year as well, right, Danzo?" Hiruzen asked, though he clearly knew who among Konoha's more important assets would be part of this year. Danzo would most likely have deeper insight.
"Yes, along with the youngest son of the Uchiha clan head. The next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho, the heir to the Aburame clan, the heir to the Hyuga main branch, the younger son of the Inuzuka clan head, and many other small clan heads' children are included in this batch." Danzo explained. He had already slipped in a root agent before the boys' arrival, but according to his tendencies, it seemed like he would have to work hard to include one more kunoichi in the class.
"Quite a luxurious roster... are we sure that the daimyo is up to his usual tricks of trying to sway some of our talent?" Homura asked, pointing out that he had successfully lured Asuma away a couple of years ago because of the conflict between father and son.
"With his declining health, I don't think the Daimyo has time to plot against us." Danzo waved away his concern before turning to Hiruzen and asked, "Should I put plans in place to tackle the first and second fingers?"
...
The room fell silent for a moment before Hiruzen finally made his decision, his face etched with hard lines as he replied in a grave tone, "Just make sure that it doesn't come back to us."
Danzo stood up with a satisfied expression, tapped his cane against the floor in acknowledgment of his original team, and swiftly left the room, his walk shifting from spirited to that of an injured old man as soon as he did.
"Does he think he fools anyone with those tricks?" Koharu scoffed as she bowed slightly to Hiruzen as she and Homaru left together. Hiruzen also stood up and walked over to the window, his gentle gaze glided over the village bathing in orange light.
"Do you think it was the right decision, Minato?" He asked no one in particular, and a moment later a man in standard ANBU gear and a cloak stood beside him.
"It's not my place to comment on the decisions made by the leadership of the village, Hokage-sama." A distorted voice came from behind the fox mask. Minato Namikaze, the beacon of hope for Hiruzen, as he had finally found a worthy successor. Student of Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, inheritor of the Sage of Mount Myoboku, a genius unlike any other, and one of the strongest shinobi currently present in the village.
"Why do you think you are given such an uninteresting position as my bodyguard, Minato?" Hiruzen lit his pipe as he puffed out a cloud of smoke and watched it drift away out of the window.
"It was the correct decision in my opinion, Hokage-sama, though we aren't quite sure what Shinjiro's motive is in coming to Konoha, as long as he fights and grows with his fellow students. An unbreakable bond would be formed that would always be favorable to us." Minato replied after a moment, a bit chastised by Hiruzen's rhetorical question.
"Quite right, Minato-kun, quite right," Hiruzen muttered as he looked favorably at Minato, not ruthless like Danzo but having an innate cunning to twist most situations in his favor. A genius from a civilian background who had clawed his way to the top with sheer talent and mastery of the shinobi arts.
'The future is looking brighter than ever, but I can't help but feel this upcoming period will be filled with a lot of turbulence. Let's up our guard against Kumogakure...' Lost in his thoughts, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konohagakure, walked over and pulled the first document from the massive pile on top of his desk.
...
*Proposal to use the area in front of Morishita Weapons shop...*
...
"Sigh..." Hiruzen embraced the torture of dealing with civilians' requests aimed at lining their own pockets.
'I really need to deal with the Civillian coucil one of these days'
---
AN: If anyone is confused about the timeline, it will be explained in more detail in the next chapter. For now, the Elemental Nations finished the Second Shinobi World War 1 year ago, and every nation is preparing for the third. The timeline will be further explained in the next chapter. Fair warning: this is a smut story with a plot and a progression system enabled by lewd actions.