Root Office.
Shikamaru held a stack of documents in his hands and spoke at a rapid pace. "The alloy shipment from the Land of Whirlpools has been loaded—twelve heavy trucks in total. As requested, the first batch will be prioritized for repairing the reactor casing. The rest will all be sent to Workshop Three to produce armor-piercing bullet cores."
Naruto sat behind his desk, twirling a pen in his hand. He said nothing, merely nodding.
Just then, the communicator at Shikamaru's waist suddenly rang, its piercing static shattering the room's silence.
"Lord Shikamaru! Something happened!" the transport captain roared from the other end of the communicator. Noisy arguing could be heard in the background. "The convoy was stopped as soon as it reached the gate! It's the Administrative Department's direct ANBU—they say the supplies violate regulations and want to impound the trucks!"
The pen in Naruto's hand stopped. He lifted his eyelids, with not a trace of surprise on his face. He had clearly been waiting for this moment.
"Let them in," Naruto said flatly.
Shikamaru froze for a moment. "Who?"
"Who else could it be?" Naruto tossed the pen onto the desk. "Those old folks who think their coffin lids can't hold them down."
Before his words had even faded, the office door was shoved open with force.
Two aged figures strode in, followed by four masked ANBU. The old man on the left was covered in age spots, his gaze sinister behind his glasses. The old woman on the right leaned on a cane, her sharp face filled with indignation.
Konoha's advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
Mitokado Homura strode up to the desk and slammed a document bearing a bright red seal onto its surface. The force made the teacup on the desk jump twice.