- Saya-oba-san, why?! - My brother jumped at the prospect.
- Wait a minute, Saya-chan, if he's going to have a second wife, it's going to be a normal clan girl," Setsura frowned, standing up and turning to Ma, "just like Ryo-kun can have both of them.
- Setsura-chan, I don't want to bring a strange girl into the house any more than you do, especially two...," Saya started to say to her friend, but was suddenly interrupted.
- Enough! - Shenesu suddenly growled, pounding his fist on the table and said in a tone that did not tolerate any objections: "We are here to discuss the future of the family and the clan, not to listen to your quarrels! I have made my decision, and you will follow it!
Well, Nara's man could be driven mad-I couldn't remember a time when my uncle had lost his temper like that. Judging by the dumbfounded faces of the women, they didn't expect this either.
Except for Linley, who didn't know him well enough to realize the rarity of the moment. She tried not to enter the discussion at all, not being a Nara-born woman.
- So, Ryo's children will be the insurance in case a replacement heir is urgently needed," the older shinobi continued, calming down a bit.
He didn't say that we live in a dangerous world, and the ninja profession is not a peaceful one, and death can befall anyone, but everyone present understood it perfectly well.
Even with the unification into villages, the risks of total destruction of the clan had not gone away - only a couple of days ago, Hatake could have been completely slaughtered by the Kiri-nin who had infiltrated.
- Linley-chan, as Ryo's wife, will be the most affected by my decision, and I'd like to hear your opinion," he said to the former Senju, ignoring Ma's indignant sniffle and his wife's promising look.
- It depends on the person," she shrugged, "If it's not a bitch, my answer is yes rather than no. I'm well aware of the ruling family's responsibility to the clan, unlike some individuals.
I grinned at the small quip about the Senju princess living her life to her heart's content. It was a shame Kanade had already married and dropped off the list of possible candidates - it would be harder to establish a relationship with a new person.
And the reaction of my little jealousy to the appearance of another woman I do not want to imagine - here you do not know how to mention the presence of a mistress, as well as the imminent birth of her little sister, not that the appearance of a second wife.
The only good thing is that Lynley's always been sympathetic to my trips, and she'll help me smooth things over.
- Fine," Shenesu sighed, leaning back in his chair with satisfaction, 'then, as soon as the candidates are approved, I'll introduce you, and you can decide who will marry whom,' he nodded to Shikaku and me, summarizing the meeting.
But judging by the looks on the Nara women's faces, he was going to be reminded of that.
- Koharu? - Elder Mitokado was surprised to find his colleague knocking on his door late in the evening. - What are you doing here?
A colleague that suspiciously monitored the surrounding space - for so many years of acquaintance and joint fighting, shinobi studied all the small habits and signs of his friend to assert it for sure.
- We need to talk, Homura," the older kunoichi turned to him, "are you alone?
- Alone," the aforementioned nodded and stepped aside to let the late guest into the house, "you know the children have long since moved to their own homes and rarely visit me.
After getting rid of her shoes and confidently walking along the familiar route to the master's office, Elder Utatane lowered herself into the visitor's chair and only then allowed herself to relax a little, knowing perfectly well how well protected this room was from surveillance and eavesdropping by any means.
An old comrade had once paid a considerable sum of money to Master Uzumaki for the installation of a complex of seals.
- So, what's up? - The shinobi who had followed her took a seat at the table and automatically adjusted his glasses, which always helped him to concentrate, and looked at Koharu questioningly.
- Shimura's dead," the visitor didn't beat around the bush, "I found out through my informants that the commission has already dug up two death sentences for Anbu Ne, and that's just the tip of the iceberg, and they haven't gotten to his connection to Orochimaru yet! - It was obvious that this was throwing the woman, who was used to feeling invulnerable behind Sarutobi's back, off balance.
It was too easy to draw parallels between the three elders.
- That's his problem," Homura replied coldly, glinting his glasses, "We've always been very careful, unlike Orochimaru-kun, being involved in some of Danzo's affairs and there shouldn't be any clues leading back to us in Root's documentation.
Like most people who have been in power for a very long time and are used to enjoying a high position, all the elders had their own secrets, sometimes unsightly ones, the bringing of which out into the light of day could negatively affect not only their reputation and well-being, but also ensure the imprisonment of a cell next door to the current occupant of the torture and interrogation department.
- I know that, except that Danzo's sentence will not only result in the guaranteed removal of Saru, it will also cast a shadow over us! - Koharu exclaimed nervously. - It's urgent that we smooth out all the rough edges and mend loose ends while we still can!
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