Naruto : The System Files

Chapter no.114 Otogakure

"You called for me, Hokage-sama?" A tall, slim, ninja with his black hair done in a high, pineapple-like ponytail and a scarred, seemingly peevish face asked his commander-in-chief.

"I did, Shikaku," answered Hiruzen Sarutobi, nonplussed by the apparent annoyance displayed by the man at being here. Shikaku Nara was always annoyed to be anywhere anyway. It was a certainty, much like a law of Nature. "Have a seat please."

The ninja sighed but sat, sprawling his body in the chair without regard for etiquette. As the head of the Nara clan, he had the duty to preserve the legendary facade of laziness all his clansmen were proud of. It was a not so subtle game of deception that the Hokage accepted; it was the price for exploiting his intelligence. Plus, the chair was really comfortable.

Shikaku sent a look the Hokage's way, waiting for the older man to speak. He stifled a growl when the Sarutobi simply took his pipe and prepared it with slow, measured movements, careful not to lose any speck of tobacco. The Nara watched with equal part vague annoyance and mild curiosity the manner in which the Hokage prepared his smoke.

He could be playing shoji right now, what a bother. Or drinking some sake with his friends. Or watch clouds go by. At least he was nowhere near his bothersome wife.

Eventually, the Hokage looked at his handy work with a satisfied grin and lit it with sheer elemental manipulation: by converting a burst of chakra erupting from his finger into a fire. A blueish smoke rose from the furnace and the embers sizzled when the Sarutobi took a drag from his pipe. With a long, slow exhale, the Hokage blew a plume of smoke that twirled in a spiral above his head before sending a pointedly questioning glance at the jonin commander.

"So, how are you today, Shikaku?"

Shikaku allowed one single eyebrow to rise and straightened from his spread position to an upright one. The Nara shrugged, joined his palms, and twisted both of his wrists once to the left, once to the right.

"Fine Hokage-sama," grunted the jonin in a deep, dry cut voice.

The Hokage blew a perfectly round circle of smoke. "Good, good. I would like your opinion on the chunin exam that'll be held in Kusa in a month."

Shikaku sighed before he brought his right hand to his chin in order to give his goatee nine solid scratches. "What exactly is your concern, Hokage-sama?"

The older man waved slightly in a circular motion. "Oh, you know… The usual questions. Should we send anyone and if yes, how many and who?"

The jonin propped his right elbow up on the chair's armrest and supported his head with his thumb and three fingers, before he abruptly folded two of them against his palm, leaving only his index pressed against his cheek, his thumb playing once with his goatee.

"Kusa being our ally, I think it'd be good to send one team strong enough to make a good showing but not enough to actually win the tournament. To show respect, five teams top should suffice." Shikaku answered while looking straight at the Hokage, one of his eyebrow raised.

The old Sarutobi nodded twice. "I see. We wouldn't want to offend them after all. But are you certain we do not need more?"

"Our roster of chunin is currently sufficient for us to handle all our missions," explained the Nara with his left-hand palm open and up, his index finger pointing surreptitiously toward the left wall. "There is no immediate need to send too many of our genin, especially when our own turn to organize the exams is coming soon."

"Home field advantage, huh?" The Hokage said more than asked while slowly nodding again. "Speaking of our exam, a new village has expressed interest in joining in."

"Oh?"

"Indeed, Otogakure I believe it is called. It would be a good thing to," taking a long drag of his pipe, the Hokage once again exhaled spiraling smoke. "Increase the standing between them and the village. Unfortunately, we already had some incidents and there is some bad blood." Hiruzen sent the same pointed look at the Nara. "How would you go about it?"

Shikaku nodded and coughed once. "Well, we should extend a friendly hand to them and if they agree, maybe try to show them in a positive light to our ninjas." The Nara coughed again. "We need to keep a close look on them first of course. How much do we know about them already?"

The Hokage sighed. "Not much, I'm afraid." He answered while shrugging slightly before puffing out a long, thin, slithering plume of smoke while the embers in his pipe hissed.

Shikaku refused to outwardly react and slowly sagged back in his chair, the picture perfect of laziness given flesh. "Then we observe until we know more. I would not accept them in our exam for now."

"That would be an opportunity to learn more."

"It would but it would also be inviting a potential snake in the hen house. What does Jiraiya-sama have on this village?"

"I fear Jiraiya has nine other problems to take care of nowadays and Otogakure isn't part of them."

This time, Shikaku's eyebrows rose in an almost imperceptible wince that was beyond his control.

"What could be so important that a new village in the vicinity of Fire Country does not hold his attention?"

The Hokage sighed at his subordinate's sudden bluntness. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you that."

The older man chose this moment to blow a plume of smoke without distinct shape, momentarily masking himself from the Nara's view. Shikaku simply nodded.

"Should we warn them?"

"Jiraiya's leads are thin and revealing too much too soon would hold the risk of making them go to ground."

"Does the threat at least have a name?"

"It comes with the dawn. That is all we know for now." The Hokage sighed and more smoke flew in long strands from his mouth, like rain clouds above earth.

"I see. If that is all, Hokage-sama?"

"May I trust you to come up with something regarding our little discussion?"

"I'll do my best Hokage-sama but I see no short term solution anyway. It will take time."

"I know. You have my thanks Shikaku. I wish you a good day."

"Good day."