After a long silence, a senior administrator spoke with a grim expression. "How did this happen? Just a few days ago, we agreed to pick the most gifted youngster in our clan and visit Naruto to ask him to take them as his personal disciple!"
"Once one of our Sarutobi becomes the Hokage's disciple, the next Hokage position will be ours for sure!"
Someone hastily suggested, "Why don't we go see Naruto right now? The apprenticeship banquet hasn't happened yet. There's still time!"
"Too late." The grand elder gripped his cane tightly, his expression utterly dark, and rejected the idea outright.
"It's far too late. No one in the entire shinobi world can rival the bond between Naruto and Sasuke."
"Since the two of them have already agreed, we can't even bring up taking another disciple for at least the next few years. Mentioning it would only turn Naruto against us."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" The elder beside him grew anxious, panic creeping into his voice. "The Hokage's line has no direct heir right now! His disciple is the only candidate to succeed him!"
"If the Uchiha take that spot, all the Sarutobi Clan's years of planning will come to nothing!"
Another elder added gravely, "Don't forget our old grudge. Our former clan head was one of the main forces behind the Uchiha Clan's destruction."
"Relations between our clans were already delicate. Now that a younger Uchiha has secured the succession, I'm afraid our Sarutobi Clan will be the first they suppress once they take power!"
The grand elder's eyes turned fierce, and he nodded firmly.
"I admit that our Sarutobi Clan profited greatly from the Uchiha's decline back then."
"But I will never allow the Sarutobi Clan to fall into decline because of the Uchiha Clan!"