—"Go to hell, Ichi! I'll deal with you after three days without sleep and a couple of light chakra depletions," I snapped. "We could have allocated extra funds long ago for streaming education for non-shinobi or preparatory courses for those who want to acquire field skills, but no, 'there's no money!' Yeah, but investing in new trading posts is okay!? Damn greedy bastards! When can we finally get rid of them and do something right!"
—"Considering that part of the council currently ruling the village is made up of ordinary townspeople and not military affairs, what did you expect? Most clan heads are on the front lines, so we have to put up with problematic idiots until the Hokage and advisors return," my brother shrugged. "Rumors are circulating that the hermits are being pressured and Suna will declare surrender in the coming months, which will ease our situation a bit, especially after Iwa's recent losses. The end of the war is near."
—"Except you forgot about Ame and the other two hidden villages—there have been reports of significant movements near our borders by large numbers of Kumo shinobi, and suspicious activities in the Land of Water," I replied. "They should have recovered from their devastating defeats in recent years."
—"Hardly—Kiri and Kumo will take at least another five years to recover before they can stand on equal footing with us and Iwagakure even after the war," Inoichi shook his head. "They were severely shattered by the Uzumaki. At most, they might test us a couple of times, but that's about it. None of the Big Five will be able to afford a new war anytime soon."
—"That's true, no one expected that," I agreed, swelling with pride at being involved in this event.
—Well, you can only be glad about the coolness of your father's relatives. At least now this clan, which I like so much, won't fade into obscurity. And soon, with chakra chains and jinchuriki, they won't be scary at all.
—"They haven't sent you to the front yet?" I casually asked the trio.
—"Sensei says it won't be until at least six months from now," Chouza spoke up, "so we'll only participate towards the very end of the war."
—"Just make sure you don't get yourselves killed out there, because burying you guys would be too much of a hassle," I sighed, playfully poking each of them.
—"More like you just don't want to become the next clan head, you workaholic troublemaker," Shikaku chuckled, eliciting laughs from his teammates.
—"Who's talking? You're just as eager to avoid that title and pass it on to me," I retorted with a grin, "troublesome lazybones!"
—"Ryo, Shikaku, it's time," my brother cut in before the banter could go further, as we were called.
Turning around, we noticed the crowd gradually dispersing, and the distraught, teary-eyed Saya and Setsura were making their way towards us.
—"Oh, sorry Ka-chan, but we still have training to do today," my brother informed after quickly exchanging glances with his comrades.
—"What kind of training? Didn't Sarutobi-sensei release you?" Aunt suspiciously asked, sniffing.
—"Only for the first half of the day, so we're off," and without waiting for a response, the trio used Shunshin, leaving the distraught women behind.
Damn it!
Feeling a shiver down my spine, I turned my head and met the tear-filled gaze of two pairs of eyes. Damn. Letting out a resigned sigh, I smiled reassuringly and comfortingly embraced both of them by the shoulders.
—"Let's go home, and I'll brew a strong tea with a few spoons of sugar, and you can rest from everything in peace and quiet."
—"Thank you, Ryo-chan, if only Shikaku were as understanding and caring as you," Setsura murmured through her tears.
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