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The only light in the Hokage's office came from a single lantern on the desk, casting long, dancing shadows across the room. It was two in the morning, and the world outside was silent, but here, the war against paperwork raged on.
Sigh. "Why is there so much to do..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's shadow clone murmured to the empty room, the sound a weary sigh. He rubbed his temples, the endless columns of text on the mission reports blurring together. For some reason, today had been particularly brutal.
The stack of documents still waiting for his seal seemed to have grown, a monstrous beast of bureaucracy. The topics ranged from highly classified ANBU intelligence reports to a bafflingly detailed proposal from the civilian council to regulate the price of ink.
"The original's surely having a good time right now," the clone grumbled, setting down his brush and leaning back in the chair, the wood groaning in protest. He looked at the mountain of paper still waiting on his desk and sighed again. "How I wish I could just burn these..."
"That's not really fitting for a kage, y'know..."
"Ugh!" The clone's eyes shot up, his body instantly tensing, his hand reflexively dropping to a kunai pouch hidden beneath his robes.
Standing in the middle of the office, as if he had been there all along, was a towering figure in a crimson coat, an unfinished cigar held loosely between his fingers.
"Sup!"
The clone's alarm quickly gave way to a profound sense of exasperation as two more figures behind the man crumpled to the floor, retching violently onto the Hokage's pristine wooden floorboards. He let out a long-suffering sigh. "What's happening right now? I thought you were at Wave Country?"
The ANBU guards, hidden in the shadows of the ceiling, remained perfectly still, their presence a silent, watchful perimeter. Alaric took a casual drag from his cigar, seemingly unconcerned.
"The ANBU aren't even coming down? Disappointing." He looked back at the clone. "Anyways... I'm finished with my business at Wave."
"..." Hiruzen's clone stared at Alaric, then at the two men who were now staggering to their feet, their faces pale. He nodded slowly. "You have some way of getting here, I see. Have you ever heard of knocking?"
Alaric just nodded, taking another puff before changing the subject. "Anyways, I'm here for a favor."
"A favor?" The clone's gaze shifted to the two newcomers, his old, sharp eyes instantly identifying one of them. "I assume it's related to those two. Momochi Zabuza, an A-rank missing-nin from Kirigakure, and a child."
Zabuza remained silent, his own mind still reeling. He had agreed to this asylum, yes, but the journey had been… instantaneous. One moment, he was in a damp forest, the next, in the heart of his enemy's stronghold. The sheer, casual power of it was a cold weight in his gut.
"Yes, take them in," Alaric smiled. The clone's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "In return, I'll help supervise the Chunin Exams."
"Huh? Supervising the Chunin Exams?" The clone shot him a look, then let out another long sigh. "Wait for a moment. You'd better talk to the original about this..."
With that, the clone dispelled in a puff of smoke, the memories and the headache of the past few hours transferring instantly to the real Hiruzen Sarutobi. Alaric, Zabuza, and Haku were left alone in the office, under the silent, watchful gaze of the hidden ANBU.
"..."
"By the way," Alaric turned to his two companions, "are you guys gonna rent a house or finance?"
"..." Zabuza and Haku just stared at him. The older shinobi blinked, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Wait wait... woah, this is too fast for me."
Alaric looked at him, then nodded. "Sure, I mean... I think I was too hasty with that."
Before Zabuza could fully process the rare admission, the office door slid open. A sleepy, disheveled Hiruzen Sarutobi walked in, his Hokage robes slightly askew, the dark bags under his eyes more pronounced than usual. He ignored Alaric for the moment, his sharp gaze settling on the two newcomers as he walked to his desk.
"Let's get to it," Hiruzen said, his voice a low grumble as he sat down and lit his pipe. "What's the name of the child?"
"Yuki Haku," Haku answered immediately, offering a small, respectful bow. "It's an honor to meet the Sandaime Hokage."
"Oh? Yuki?" Hiruzen's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise as he took in the boy's delicate features. An Ice Release user. In his office. The Yuki clan was supposed to have been wiped out. "Now that's a surprise."
Haku wasn't a shy person, but it was understandable that he didn't know how to respond to Hiruzen's comment. He flushed slightly but held his composure. "I would like to become a Genin of Konoha!"
Hiruzen studied him for a moment, his gaze analytical. From what he sensed from the boy, he even had the Chakra higher than your average Chunin. "But from your Hita-ate, aren't you a shinobi of Kiri? You're not a missing-nin, judging from how the symbol's not crossed-out."
"Ah," Haku raised a hand to his forehead protector, a look of realization crossing his face. "This is just a Hitai-ate of a dead Kiri shinobi. It's not really mine... it's just for disguise."
Without an ounce of hesitation, Haku untied the headband. Without the metal plate obscuring his brow, his features softened even further. He truly was beautiful, almost ethereal.
Hiruzen chuckled, a warm, genuine sound. He reached under his desk and pulled out a fresh Konoha forehead protector, tossing it across the room. Haku caught it deftly. "From now on, you're an official Genin of Konoha. Wear that tomorrow... I still need to officialize your status."
Alaric was satisfied with how it turned out, these two didn't have a good ending in the Anime, so he helped a little. He didn't really know if this would cause any butterfly effects, but didn't really care. He turned to Zabuza, who had been a silent, brooding presence throughout the exchange. "Yo, say something, will ya?"
Everyone looked at the Demon of the Hidden Mist. He grunted, the sound a low rumble in his chest. "I need an assurance," he said, his voice a gravelly rasp, "that I won't just be used as a bargaining chip for the Hokage and Mizukage."
Hiruzen raised a brow before chuckling, he was about to answer before everything turned white. A silent, opaque barrier had once again enclosed the office, muffling the sounds of the night, sealing them in their own private world. Zabuza and Haku startled, but Hiruzen just sighed, recognizing the strange jutsu. "You have something to say?"
"Yup, This is my payment for granting their asylum," Alaric smiled at the Hokage while Zabuza and Haku finally found out that the strange barrier was Alaric's doing. "Karatachi Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage... I don't know when, but he's going to die soon."
He paused, letting the bombshell land. "The new Mizukage will be Mei Terumi, the leader of the largest rebellion in Kiri. She has two Kekkei Genkai... Boil and Lava Release." He took a long drag from his cigar. "She's pretty competent as a Kage. You should send her a letter once the new Mizukage is officially announced."
"..." Hiruzen was silent, his mind racing, processing the incredible strategic value of such information. But Zabuza exploded.
"How the fuck would you know about that!?" he roared, his fist balling at his side. "Mei Terumi!? That bitch!? I don't believe it!"
"Oh? It seems you have a grudge against her?" Alaric's brow rose. 'This is new to me... I mean of course, it's not like it was stated in the Anime or anything...'
"Do you think she can kill a Kage like Yagura? My ass!" Zabuza fumed. "He's a Kage for a reason, that bitch wants to fight Yagura with water? Him, the Jinchuriki of the Sanbi!? And what do you mean Boil and Lava Release? She doesn't have those!"
"Well, she does have those, but I never said she's going to be the one to defeat Yagura," Alaric replied calmly, a smirk playing on his lips. "I said she's going to take the mantle as the Mizukage... Yagura's death is caused by something else."
"..." Zabuza stared, a storm of emotions warring on his face. He wanted to know more, to understand how the tyrant who had destroyed his homeland would fall, but his pride held him back. He knew better than to get more angry and haughty with the blonde. He just grunted and looked away.
Hiruzen couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. He didn't know Alaric that much, they only talked about information and stuff like that so it was kind of refreshing to see that an enigma like Alaric had some funny side to him. "Alright, alright... moving on. Momochi Zabuza, you will be monitored 24/7 within the village walls for six months. If you decide to go out of Konoha within that time period, you will be treated as a spy, and ANBU will be… well, you know."
Zabuza just grunted, nodding his head in grudging acceptance. "I've had enough running anyway..."
"Alright," Hiruzen nodded. "You can go for now. Rent a room or something. You and Yuki Haku's papers will be officialized by tomorrow. Come back here by lunch time during my break."
"Good!" Alaric clapped his hands once to immediately end the conversation, turning to Zabuza and Haku. "It's midnight, but let's grab something to eat if there's anything open!"
They paused for a bit, but nodded and followed him towards the barrier, which dissolved as they approached.
"Before that," Hiruzen called out, making them stop. "I need to have a conversation with you, Alaric-san."
Alaric's eyebrows rose, but he inwardly winced at the "-san."
'It reminds me of Ararikku... the heck.'
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