Dinner was ready, and the table was set.
"Come on, everyone, the food is served! Sakumo, Shinku, Naoto—you all haven't come home for a meal in a long time. Your master's wife has been practicing her cooking for months just to give you a surprise. Give it a try Dan, make yourself at home and eat without hesitation."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Kato Dan replied politely.
"Alright, let's dig in!"
As everyone began eating, Sakumo took a careful bite of each dish, a faint smile forming on his lips. He clearly hadn't forgotten Biwako's disastrous first attempt at cooking. Back then when Hiruzen had just gotten married, she had prepared a meal just for them—but after just a few bites, all of the children had suddenly remembered "urgent missions" and made a swift exit.
For the past few months, it's either Hiruzen had done the cooking, or they had eaten out. Occasionally, they had sampled a few of Biwako's meals which shows the improvement in her cooking skills. This time, the food was genuinely enjoyable, and the meal was filled with warmth and laughter.
Once dinner was over, Biwako cleaned up while the younger students escorted their classmate Dan out. Meanwhile, the three older ones followed Hiruzen into his study.
Hiruzen got straight to the point, "Shinku, what's really going on with the Fire Trade Company? The village hasn't received any share of the profits for years now."
Shinku hesitated. "Master, I'm just a low-ranking member there, only taking orders from Lord Danzo..."
Hiruzen frowned, his voice firm, "Are you hiding something? Your master is the Hokage or have you been involved in something you shouldn't be?"
Shinku panicked and quickly reassured him. "No, Master! I haven't done anything wrong! But I have been kept at a distance. I don't know everything, but I can tell you what I've observed."
"Then tell me everything, without holding back."
After thinking for a moment, Shinku began explaining. "I was assigned to the Fire Trade Company's security division, where Konoha's ninjas were responsible for escorting merchant caravans. At first, everyone was welcoming—almost too welcoming, as if they were trying to get on my good side but as time passed, I started noticing something odd. The number of missions didn't match what I had expected. Many were abruptly canceled at the last minute, and no one seemed to have a clear explanation why."
"For instance, a mission might be assigned to escort a caravan to the Land of Rain. Everything would follow the usual process—the security team would approve the mission, a squad would be deployed, and the customs department would be notified of the caravan's details. But then, a few days later, an unexpected 'emergency' would suddenly come up, leading to the mission's cancellation. The merchants would then compensate the ninja squad based on the time they had spent on duty, but the payouts were unusually high, raising suspicions."
"The result? Fewer completed missions, yet a lot of money being exchanged. Some ninja teams have developed close relationships with the merchants... and from what I can tell, the Fire Trade Company's finances are in bad shape."
Hiruzen listened carefully, combining things together. It was clear that something was wrong with how the company and Konoha's security forces were coordinating. Frequent mission cancellations were a glaring red flag. If someone as junior as Shinku could notice this pattern, then surely the experienced ninjas in the security division had to be aware.
This suggested that people within Konoha had already been compromised. The nobles were subtly pulling strings, corrupting individuals without drawing too much attention. Hiruzen suspected that Danzo too had caught a wind of this, but he wasn't certain whether his old friend was involved or simply trying to handle the situation quietly.
If Danzo was a part of this corruption, Hiruzen would have to remove him.
Walking over to his desk, Hiruzen pulled out two blank scrolls and quickly wrote down instructions before sealing them. He handed one to Sakumo.
"Take this to Shikaru," he instructed. "He'll be heading to the Fire Trade Company tomorrow."
Turning to Shinku, he continued, "You won't be going back there for now. Instead, I want you and Naoto to assist the Security Department. Speaking of which—Naoto, as a newly appointed special jōnin in the Security Department, how's your situation?"
Naoto grinned, "Master, I've been leading a team under the Fifth Patrol Squadron. My squadron leader, Uchiha Ryosuke , has been very supportive. He even gave me permission to take time off today."
"That's good," Hiruzen said. "But remember, follow the rules. Don't throw your weight around just because you're my student."
"Of course, Master."
With the discussion settled, Hiruzen leaned back, deep in thought. There was a corruption festering in the Fire Trade Company, and it had already reached Konoha. It was time to act.
Hiruzen handed over another scroll.
"This one is for the head of the Security Department, Kagami," he instructed.
Just then, Biwako entered the room, noticing that Hiruzen was once again lecturing his students.
"Do you really have to lecture them every time they come home? And does everything always have to be about work?" Biwako sighed, crossing her arms. "Leave the Hokage business at the door, will you?"
Then, turning to the children, she softened. "Alright, go on and play. If you need help with any ninjutsu, just ask your master or me."
Hiruzen chuckled. "Alright, alright, my fault." Then, with a playful smirk, he added, "Give me the scrolls—I'll send them off myself."
Forming a hand seal, he tossed the scrolls into the air. They flew off in different directions, guided by a small magnetic field technique. It was a minor trick, but with his chakra control, he could sense all of places in Konoha, making it easy to deliver messages this way.
After that, he quickly changed the subject. "Where did the three little ones run off to? Let's have them share their experience of signing up for early graduation."
Stepping out of the study, he spotted Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya returning after seeing Kato Dan off.
Hiruzen patted a chair in the yard and smiled. "Come, Orochimaru, have a seat. I heard you're the top student. So, tell me—how does it feel? Are there a lot of girls chasing after you?"
Orochimaru, caught off guard, blushed. "I ignore them," he muttered. "Besides, I have no interest in such things. My focus is on mastering the natural way."
Tsunade smirked, "Oh? So you mean 'there's no man in my heart, so I follow the way of nature'?"
Hiruzen winced—he had once made a similar joke, and it seemed his students hadn't forgotten it. To make it worse, the person who originally said it had been married at the time.
"That's not what it means," he explained quickly. "It's about staying focused. When you train, you shouldn't be distracted. That way, you will improve faster."
Shifting topics again he asked, "So, you three signed up for early graduation. Are you confident about passing?"
"Of course!" Jiraiya declared. "I'll show them just how strong I am!"
Orochimaru and Tsunade nodded in agreement.
"Good. Just know that I've assigned your eldest brother as the examiner. Don't expect any special treatment. If you pass, it'll prove your skills. If not, you'll have to wait another two years."
He continued, "The exam has two parts: team assessment and individual performance. You're aware of the details, right? Make sure you're well-prepared."
Although Hiruzen didn't like the idea of them leaving school too early, he still gave them proper guidance.
At that moment, Biwako and the others emerged from the study, overhearing the conversation.
"Listen, all three of you—don't push yourselves too hard. If it's too much, there's no shame in taking the exam later. Remember to always stay safe. Sakumo, keep an eye on them."
Sakumo nodded. "Understood."
Hiruzen didn't object this time. He simply waved his hand and said, "Alright, off you go." Then, he returned to his study—there were still many matters in Konoha that required the Hokage's attention.
From behind, his students called out, "Master, don't underestimate us—we're strong!"
Meanwhile, in the Nara Clan residence, Shikaru had just finished a discussion with his father about his upcoming assignment at the Fire Trade Company.
As he stepped outside, a scroll suddenly hit him on the head.
He sighed. It wasn't the first time this had happened—sometimes, the Hokage preferred to send work this way rather than delivering it in person.
Shikaru picked up the scroll and unrolled it. If Hiruzen had sent it this way, it had to be important.
After reading for a moment, he turned back and re-entered his father Shikatsu's study.
Shikatsu glanced up, "You're back already?"
"The Hokage tossed me some more work," Shikaru grumbled, tossing the scroll onto the desk. "This is going to cause a lot of trouble with the higher-ups. Why doesn't he handle it himself?"
Shikatsu took the scroll, read it carefully, and thought for a moment.
"You need to gather all the facts first," he advised. "Then, let the Hokage make the final call. There's no point worrying about offending people. The Fire Trade Company is clearly being influenced by some of the major clans. Small-time shinobi aren't a concern—it's the big names that matter. It all depends on how the Hokage chooses to deal with it."
He continued, "The Security Department has obviously been negligent, or they're just pretending not to see the problem. Danzo is already involved in this. Your job is to assist, and let the Hokage take the blame for any backlash. Trust me—he won't mind."
Shikaru smirked, "Father, do you think the Security Department was fooled?"
"Not a chance," Shikatsu replied. "The head of security is the Hokage's assistant and the Uchiha clan is the biggest in Konoha—they don't need money that badly. Even if they did, they wouldn't stoop to something like this. The Uchiha are too proud for that."
With a sigh, he added, "Alright, go on I'll inform the Ino-Shika-Chō trio tomorrow. Tell them to be cautious—no one should be covering up for anyone. You have to stay neutral. Remember, you're the Hokage's secretary now and really, you shouldn't have shown me this scroll. You always struggle with separating clan loyalty from duty... No wonder the Hokage is trying to limit the power of the old clans."
Shikaru waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, fine, I'll head back. I need to prepare for tomorrow."
As he walked away, he murmured to himself, "I was raised by my own clan—I owe them everything. Letting go of that loyalty isn't so simple… and I doubt the other clans feel any differently.
We'll just have to wait and see if the Hokage's vision of unity ever truly takes hold.
After all, can a village be strong without strong clans? Sigh, this won't be easy..."