It was Sai's first time reporting to that office since Danzō occupied it. It worried him a bit to see how little remodeling had taken place in there. Kido had changed the décor a bit, placing travel posters for other villages up to brighten the room and promote a more "international" presence.

Those were gone, once again replaced with the all-too-familiar traditional paintings Sai remembered from his old ANBU days. The room was brighter, though. Danzō used to leave the curtains shut, but Mikuro left them wide open so his two potted plants—his only contribution to the room—could get enough sunlight. Sai recognized them by their smells: rosemary and some kind of mint.

"I didn't know you enjoyed gardening," Sai remarked. He bent over to pull a leaf off each plant and rub its fragrant oil between his fingertips. It was a soothing scent.

"I'm indifferent to it," Mikuro remarked without so much as lifting his head. He was in the middle of reviewing a report in a thick binder. By thickness alone, Sai estimated that report was approximately eighty to a hundred pages long. "My best friend gave me those as a Rinne Festival gift."

"That was nice of you to keep them."

"Supposedly, rosemary's good for pain relief and peppermint makes it easier to concentrate. I figured it couldn't hurt to put them in here, seeing as it's where I spend most of my time." Mikuro put the report down and looked at Sai. "Besides, my friend asks about the plants every time he sees me. I'd have to be a total ass to throw them out."

'Instead of a partial one.' Sai kept that comment to himself. "Did you know Councilor Homura put one of his relatives in charge of our therapy sessions? He's been reporting back to Homura-sama and thinks we're planning something." Mikuro didn't seem surprised. He had that same poker face Sai was so used to seeing, and that worried him. "This doesn't surprise you?"

Mikuro shook his head. "It did the first time I heard it, but had this exact same conversation with Hinoto two days ago. You know that she and Hyō still report directly to me, right?"

"Yes, sir. Kinoto too." Most of the former Foundation still held positions in ANBU, and had been in there for so long that they lived and breathed the culture. It made sense to put them directly under the new head. It's where they'd been for past heads, too.

"Homura's under investigation," Mikuro remarked. "Kakashi sanctioned it, but Konoha Intelligence doesn't need to know."

Just as they didn't need to know that every single victim of this serial killer thus far had been former Foundation. Sai knew the drill. "Of course, Mikuro-sama. May I ask what ANBU is investigating him for?"

Mikuro removed his glasses so he could rub his fingers over his hands. His cheeks had turned hollow with age and the crow's feet by his eyes were the most pronounced. They seemed even more so without his glasses there to hide them. "Corruption," he answered. "Truth be told, it's long overdue. Some of the older regimes turned a blind eye to it, but…"

He leaned forward, craning his neck to make sure that the door was shut. "Could you crank up the air conditioning for me, Sai?" Sai did as instructed, noting how much extra noise it put into the room. Mikuro also turned on a radio. Anything to drown out the conversation.

"Mitokado Leiji isn't even the first relative he's given a cushy job to. He's done the same thing with Archives, Konoha General Hospital administration, and other municipal positions. It's nepotism: not necessarily illegal, but not exactly smiled upon. We can't do anything about that.

"However, we're combing through the books. A lot of our taxpayer money, and the budget money we receive from the Daimyo each year, is earmarked for specific programs meant to benefit the Hidden Leaf. Some of those projects end up being completed under budget. We haven't found any discrepancies with the major projects, but some of the minor ones that received less funding and attention—things like our parks restoration budget—never see that surplus put back into the pool.

"This thing I have on my desk is a monthly budget report from twelve years ago. Hinoto says it's where she first started finding discrepancies. Conveniently, that's around the time Tsumiki Kido became the Foundation's finance controller and worked as a consultant for the Hokage and Konoha Council. It's also around the time Councilor Homura started performing a series of very expensive renovations to his townhouse."

It was clear what Mikuro suspected, and Sai couldn't really argue with what he'd heard so far. Power had a way of corrupting people, and Homura had held onto that seat since he was twenty-five years old. That was a very, very long time to hold a position.

"I authorized this investigation shortly after Kido was arrested because I wanted to clear the other Foundation members from any involvement. That and it was the first time anyone ever dared to drag a Councilor's name through the muck. Sure, Homura played it off as Kido playing to his fears, but he's no weakling. He's been a Councilor since I was born."

Mikuro wasn't exactly a young man. Sai had to ask, though. "Just how old are you, sir?"

"Over fifty," he answered. "Not that it's really any of your business."

"Is this though? About Homura-sama, I mean?"

"You opened this can of worms, Sai. You're in connivance with us now. I'm really only briefing you on this because I think Homura—or at least that shit-weasel nephew of his—may be involved with the disappearances. Think about it. Foundation members started dying shortly after we launched the investigation. Homura used his authority to put his nephew in charge of the Foundation therapy group, and—"

"Mikuro-sama, you need to know. Leiji suspects we're banding together to do something."

"Yes, well, now you know what it is. We're investigating his uncle. In the old days, the people who attempted that had a tendency to disappear. But we don't live in the old days anymore, do we?"

"Sometimes it feels like we do. There's still a member of the Shimura Clan leading ANBU, and the office looks the same as it did when I was on active duty. It's like you're going out of your way to maintain the façade, like nothing changed." Sure, Kakashi explained to him why Mikuro was doing that, but it still felt a little wrong. "You're doing this to make it easier for them to adapt, aren't you?"

Mikuro slowly nodded his head and reopened the binder. "I am. Can you do me a favor the next time a session rolls around?"

"What do you need, Mikuro-sama?" The Foundation was gone. There was no reason to blindly say "yes" anymore. If he disagreed with Mikuro, he had the right to refuse.

"I know Yamanaka Ino is helping you with the serial killer investigation." It was the first time Sai had ever seen Mikuro smile. He didn't like it one bit. "The next time a session rolls around, can you convince her to book an appointment in an adjacent room and, well, pick a few brains? I want to know if the wolf's among our flock or if Leiji's helping Dear Uncle Homura screw you guys over."

"That's…really not my call, sir." It was Ino's. This meant he'd have to talk to Ino. "I'll try, though…"