All was well within the world.
Everything was going swimmingly with Konoha.
Except for the damned paperwork.
The bane of my existence.
I smoked my pipe, pushing away the regret and the pain. It wouldn't do for the Hokage to seem like a paper-pushing bureaucrat.
I saw the piles of books and documents, trade agreement, permission to fix a wall, mission scrolls and bury their dead grandfather in the graveyard.....seriously? Sometimes I believe that everyone does this on purpose to just spite me.
I dragged in. I breathed out some smoke.
Then I felt the border seals go off alerting me to an intruder.
Little did I expect ANBU to come back reporting that it was a young boy.
A young boy claiming to be an Uzumaki.
An Uzumaki who was orphaned recently.
I asked for him to be let in.
I could definitely see the resemblance. An Uzumaki alright. Bright red hair, check. Large Chakra reserves, check. Now onto the interrogation.
I put a genial smile on my face to look welcoming.
He looked around and spotted the hidden ANBU guarding the Hokage.
A sensor capable of detecting ANBU? Not shocking really, he does claim to be an Uzumaki.
"Hello, Ruy-kun. I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage of Konoha. I am pleased to meet you"
He was polite enough to bow.
"Greetings, Hokage-sama. The pleasure is all mine." He looked a bit tired. Hungry as well.
I asked him to sit down.
"I heard of your situation. Can you tell me more about yourself?"
I needed to know more about this mysterious Uzumaki. I often felt guilty that Konoha couldn't help Uzushiogakure sooner. For all that we claimed to be friends, we were really bad at being allies.
I was aware of the Kazekage's grumblings. I could not do anything about it if the Wind Daimyo himself sent missions towards Konoha.
"My name is Ryu Uzumaki. I'm from the Hidden Mist."
I know that, give me something more!
"My parents were Momochi and Kazume." Momochi? Momochi Zabuza? Maybe not.
"We lived in hiding from the ninja that wanted us dead. My parents trained me and we were supposed to escape to Konoha....my parents.....they died protecting me from the bad ninja who were after Bloodline-users. I was asked to go towards here."
So sad. But not surprising. Bloodline users were heavily persecuted. 'What has gotten into Yagura?' I absently thought.
"They told me that Konoha would give me as-asy..."
"Asylum" I helped him.
"Ryu-kun. Did you come all the way from Kirigakure?" I had to ask. If he did that, then there was probably a lot of things that could be wrong with his story's credibility. How did he come here? Who led him? Why didn't anyone else find him? How did he evade so many Kiri ninja who were no doubt sent after him?
"No, Hokage-sama. We were found near Keishi when the ninja killed my parents and escaped. They thought I was dead and....and burned my parents' bodies....before my eyes."
That was probably traumatising. Not rare, just....not common either during peacetime.
He cried for a moment. My heart melted. It had always been one of my soft spots. I was too kind for my own good according to Danzo.
"I will let you stay in Konoha. You must promise to serve Konoha to the best of your abilities. You will be joining the Academy tomorrow. You will be given an apartment and a monthly stripend of 300 Ryo to provide for yourself"
I couldn't help but add, "Ryu-kun, I am sorry about your parents."
He was surprised at that statement
"Thank you, thank you very much Hokage-sama."
"Rise now, Ryu-kun. Konoha helps its own." I found myself saying as I gestured for him to rise.
All was well within the world. Probably.