Red Nara

Anbu's entire life experience told her that the likelihood of such an event tended toward zero, even despite the fact that it was being suggested by one of the candidates for the next clan head. No, the kunoichi didn't think Ryo was lying or understating things, but this was the first time this had happened in the history of Konoha.

Usually, strong fighters were gladly taken under their wing by the clans and even bonded through marriage to their kunoichi, but to do the same for children, albeit the most promising ones? Hardly. But if such a desire was indeed backed up by guardianship papers, she would gladly give the wards children to the Nara clan. They would be much better off even under the care of sloths than in an orphanage.

Of course, there was still the problem of the village - the funding of orphanages from the treasury of Konohagakure no Sato was on the condition of promoting the life of shinobi among the pupils and subsequent enrollment in the Academy - but considering only an eighth of the total donations (where the lion's share was Ryo), even the termination of this funding will not hit the budget of the orphanage. And given the dwindling number of wards, it might not be felt at all.

Sighing, the former Anbu pulled out a few folders of orphans' files, divided by age, and began to sort through them - it was necessary not only to find children who fit the requirements, but also to take into account their desires to choose the path of a future iryo-nin rather than a fighter. However, with Ryo-ni's enormous influence on the orphanage children, it was more to be feared that there would be a large number of applicants.

  ***

Cemetery. I hate the cemetery - if I have to appear here, it means the death of someone from my clan or an allied clan. Given the fact that, in the absence of a Shenesu heir in the village, the next in line has been the representative, I've been to the cemetery a fair number of times over the years.

On this one, the body of a fellow clan member was being buried in the ground. Tovah Nara. He was a young man who had just recently celebrated the beginning of his third decade of life and had just gotten married a couple months ago.

An unexpected encounter with the nukenin, a successful kunai throw, and a promising shinobi turns into a corpse. Another reminder that death can come unexpectedly and even at the hands of a lousy genin. The saddest thing is that Towa didn't even have time to leave any children behind - I checked his wife first.

And he had not sliced up anyone on the side, even in a brothel, as it often happens among clans that do not have a pronounced kekkei genkai. Considering the high mortality rate of young fighters, this is not a rare situation. The fact that he himself has only a young daughter and a decent reward for his head, even by the standards of the elite, brings to mind unpleasant thoughts.

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