The death of Hashirama's grandson, although necessary to maintain full control, weighed heavily on the conscience of the aging shinobi who had initiated it. However, the benefits of this act far outweighed the resulting pangs of guilt. Uzumaki Mito and Senju Toka had been becoming increasingly active lately, gradually gaining more influence, and Tsunade had gone completely out of control.
They all needed to be reminded of who the true ruler of the village was. Nawaki's death would serve this purpose perfectly and might even lead to the removal of the Senju clan head from the political front — after all, her age made her too frail for severe emotional shocks. She might not die, but her health could deteriorate significantly. Before rejuvenating himself and regaining his full strength, it would have been possible to eliminate Mito in the same manner, but at the moment, even Hiruzen wouldn't dare to confront her on equal terms.
News of the grandson's death would hardly bring her down. In any case, the three powerful kunoichi would be subdued, allowing the Hokage to focus on the political maneuverings with the founders for a while. Of course, it might be worth trying to gain the support of the Uchiha as a counterbalance to the Senju, but the red-eyed clan was too engrossed in the ongoing war to be distracted by anything else, and relations with them were already strained due to Tobirama's restraining policies, which Hiruzen fully supported.
Hiruzen was interrupted from his thoughts by a small scroll tossed to him by Danzo.
— What's this? — The experienced shinobi caught it easily and looked questioningly at his guest.
— The cost of dealing with the Senju, — explained the head of Root. — Or did you think Orochimaru would put himself at such risk for nothing?
Of course, Hiruzen had expected something like this from his most favored student, well aware of the research tendencies of the snake sannin, which required substantial funding. However, providing a well-equipped laboratory, several dozen test subjects, and a large list of various substances and medicines, both medical and otherwise, would be a significant strain on Konoha's budget. This meant that funding for the Iryo-nin program would once again have to be deferred, despite the unpopularity of such a decision among the clans and ordinary shinobi.
— Fine, I'll send Orochimaru the summons, so you'll be responsible for providing the operation with personnel and a capable coordinator. You will report the results to me personally, — the Hokage gave the one-eyed shinobi a stern look. — And make sure that no one suspects that the village was involved in the death of Hashirama's grandson, rather than enemies who chose the timing well.
— All involved will not survive a day, — Danzo confirmed with a nod, showing no sign of discomfort at the thought of his subordinates' deaths. — However, with all the recent events, it will take me a long time to recover the losses.
— Don't worry, after the war ends, you can start recruiting for your "Root" again, — Hiruzen reassured him.
He forgot to mention that all orphans from the shelters would first go to the Shinobi Academy to replenish the village's losses, and only unsuitable or overloaded individuals would be sent to the second ANBU unit, significantly weakening the potential of the entire organization and sparing the Hokage from excessive headaches from such a problematic ally, who still looked greedily at the Konoha ruler's throne.
— In that case, I won't waste any more of our time. Until we meet again, Hiruzen, — the head of Root gave a brief nod and quickly left the room.
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