By the window of the Hokage Office, Nangō Kumoi stood with his hands behind his back.
In the plaza below, four figures were passing through the main gate, heading toward Konoha Gate.
At the front was Hiruzen Sarutobi's steady back, followed by three still-youthful silhouettes—
The one who walked with the wind at his heels was surely Jiraiya, the one moving with calm poise was Tsunade, and the one always trailing half a step behind was Orochimaru.
Kumoi watched them disappear around the street corner.
A moment later, an Anbu silently emerged from the shadows.
"Lord Hokage, Team 7 has completed its departure registration. They are expected to leave the village in fifteen minutes."
Kumoi did not turn around.
"Proceed according to plan."
"Yes."
The Anbu vanished as though melting into the air.
Silence returned to the office.
Kumoi remained by the window, his gaze passing over Konoha's layered rooftops and settling on the unseen distance.
The Land of Hot Water lay to the northeast. It should be sunny there as well.
He recalled his hesitation while drafting the mission order last night, his deliberation when issuing instructions to Hiruzen that morning, and the decisiveness with which the Anbu had just accepted the assignment.
Three children who had only recently graduated.
A gentle escort mission.
And an elite force lurking in the shadows.
...Was that cautious enough?
Kumoi sighed softly and turned back toward his desk.
New documents had already piled up on the tabletop. Konoha would not stop functioning just because Team 7 had left the village.
He sat down, picked up his brush, and dipped it in ink.
Hopefully, he was overthinking it.
The brush touched the page, writing the first character on the report. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm golden glow over his shoulder.