(After Kaida left the office)
"Should we even consider this? I can think of a hundred different ways this would backfire on us. It is still a better idea to send him to a clan like Hyuga or Akimichi. They will do a much better job in keeping him away from prying eyes," Shikaku said, while massaging his forehead.
"I think his idea was not completely baseless," Hiruzen said, releasing a puff from his smoke pipe. A smell of dense chakra-saturated weed filled the room, which rather than clogging the mind did completely the opposite.
"How can you even say that, Lord Third? Kaida was thinking through his heart, not mind. I agree that the boy has already gone through so much in his life and deserves something better, but for that reason, we can't risk getting Kirigakure on our back at this time, when we have already ruffled the feathers of both Kumo and Iwa."
Puff
"Do you really think I would consider it a good reason because I want that child to have a good life, at the price of suffering of hundreds of thousands of villagers?" Hiruzen's face got a dark tint for a second, which vanished as soon as it came.
"It would be great if that child could have a good life, but I am not going to do that at the risk of my village. My point was, a Kaguya ninja WITH their clan kekkei genkai, trained by someone like Might Guy—even I would not dare to face that boy lightly, even in my prime."
"Hah, I understand where you are going with this, Lord Third, but we already have enough S-rank potentials. The only thing we need now is time to nurture them. If Kiri found out about Kimimaro, they will accuse us of sheltering a rebel who had all of the motives to hate their village since they had exterminated his clan. Not to mention, the image of Kaguya ninja is not that great either; even getting support from our elders will be hard in that case.
Also, if Kumo and Iwa decide to take advantage of this situation, then we will have to face three ninja villages' direct assault just after the civil war of Kiri ends. Heck, maybe those two will lend some help to end the war early," Shikaku had a dark expression on his face, already thinking about the worst possible situation.
Obviously, the chances of something like that happening were very low, as if Kumo or Iwa decides to help the Mizukage faction, Konoha could just help the rebel faction and draw out the war.
But still, it will be nothing but a full-blown shadow war, which will threaten the world every second until it escalates to a full-blown Fourth Great Ninja War. Even though it was true that no village was ready for a war yet, this doesn't change the fact that an opportunity like this will be too tempting for other villages to resist, especially after Konoha's latest stunt.
"Do you think other clans will be able to hide him for eternity? They will be itching to show off their new weapon as soon as he reaches elite Jonin rank, which with his kekkei genkai will not take much time. And honestly, I don't want to give any clan any more power. Uchiha is already becoming a headache, like a bamboo waiting to grow for years; now given a chance, they are defying any logic," Hiruzen said.
Since the condition in Konoha was already looking bad, the only reason other clans are silent is because they know they can't compete against Uchihas at this moment, but the only thing they lack is a strong figure to represent them. Hyuga have enough jonin and elite jonin to match Uchiha with the combined strength of other clans; even handling an S-rank will not be difficult. But Uchiha have two S-ranks and two on the way to become that; that's why other clans are silent. If they got someone like Kimimaro, who had potential to reach the same level, the child would go through hell to reach that potential, and the clans will lose the reason to stay silent. But they don't know the actual power of the Uchiha clan at the current time.
"Yes, having three S-rank ninja, they alone have enough power to take on any major ninja village alone. Even after all of the talk about loyalty to the village, it is difficult to be at ease knowing a single clan has this much power," Shikaku said.
"Sometimes I think maybe Danzo was not all bad," Hiruzen said, a sentence that not even the ANBU ninja should be able to hear. It was like admitting that killing the ninja of one's own village and experimenting on their body was not a thing that should be loathed upon, that suppressing a clan and planning for their extinction is not dreadful at all.
"Lord Third, maybe that stuff is affecting your mind. Please don't say stuff like that," Shikaku had to look around out of instinct, even though he knew no one was around, feeling a little apprehensive about where the talk was going.
"Hahaha, don't worry. Most of the council now thinks like this as well, though there is literally nothing we could do about it now. Uchiha have become the backbone of our forces; if we do anything about them now, it will be the same as paralyzing the whole village," Hiruzen said. A sense of defeat was evident in his voice. He had always tried to maintain the balance in the village; for years, he had done things which were both morally questionable and disgusting for this, and suddenly, within a year, everything is going haywire in this village.
"I understand, Lord Third, but I don't think there is going to be much problem in the future from this. We know about Kaida and Shisui; both of them are good kids. Itachi is also in the same rank. Left Fugaku... he just wants the best for his clan, to integrate it with the village. I don't see much of a problem with that."
"Other than making an Uchiha a Hokage, I can't think of any reason how I will be able to deny them if the need arises in the future. Maybe now the village will get its first ever Uchiha Hokage." There was a complex mix of emotions in Hiruzen's voice—a bit of longing, sadness, mockery, happiness, and much more.
He released one more puff, looking toward the Hokage monument out of his office, especially toward his sensei, the man who had lived his life to fight against Uchiha, had left a deep impact on both him and the village, so seeing them as a Hokage candidate has always been a little hard for Hiruzen.
But now that was becoming reality through and through.
"That topic is still for the future, Lord Third. For now, we have to focus on what we should do with Kimimaro."
"Leave him with Kaida for six months. Release a gag order to not talk about the boy to all who know about him. After six months, we will do something about him."
"Are we really going to leave him with them? With his mental condition, Kimimaro will develop too deep a bond with that family, indirectly increasing Uchiha powers," Shikaku said.
"Shisui is in ANBU, and Kaida is half Senju. If the boy develops feelings toward that family, it is not a loss for the village. Also, the boy deserves a little bit of happiness. Also, ask Kaida and Shisui not to report about this to Fugaku. I don't want anyone to make the first move against that boy," Hiruzen said, and the talk was dismissed.
Shikaku understood that Hiruzen had given up on controlling the Uchiha clan... for now. If they can't bring their power down, then it is best to utilize it the best they can.
"I understand, Lord Third. With Kiri still on search for Kimimaro, it is best that he stays hidden. We can think about what we have to do with him later," Shikaku said and then left the office.