Dedicated to Spotty, here spotty! Come get the nice juicy story scene!
Sarutobi sighed as he inspected the report on the Uchiha massacre; it was disturbing how easily the once great clan of the Uchiha was wiped out in a single night. He knew that Itachi had good reasons to, but he had created quite the issue with only leaving Sasuke alive. The council was convinced that leaving him in the Uchiha clan housing was best for the boy, but Sarutobi knew that if he allowed that, the boy would only focus on his hatred and revenge, not on the future he had, nor the possibility of rebuilding his clan.
Frowning, Sarutobi set the report aside and shook his head, there wasn't anything he could do right now. Pulling his pipe out from the drawer he kept it, and his secret stash of Icha Icha, hidden in he didn't notice a manga page flutter out. Lighting the special leaf blend in the bowl of the pipe he took a few deep puffs, letting the smoke out in rings floating lazily through the air. One ring caught his attention as it didn't break up, but instead was caught on a light breeze and drifted languidly towards another stack of infamous paperwork to fill out. It was the Orphans Funds report, mostly telling that the allotted orphans had received their payments, and that those living on their own, mostly ninja or future ninja, had adequate and acceptable living quarters.
He'd have to add Sasuke to that list for the next month's dispersal and housing checks. Letting out a sigh he dreaded having to fill out all of that paperwork. But since he allowed the shinobi oriented orphans to live on their own, he couldn't rightly complain... much.
And then an idea struck him that had him wanting to beat his head over how stupid he was being. He could grant the shinobi orphans their independence, while still putting them into a controlled housing situation. Naruto was living alone in one apartment of an entire building full of apartments, currently vacant apartments. The people who had lived there moved because of their feelings towards the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. In fact, if he wasn't too much mistaken, he had the deed for that building because the old owner refused to do anything for the building so long as Naruto lived there.
He could get some gennin teams to patch up the place, an older chuunin to watch over the place, and then move a few of the more troublesome orphans in. He had a few key ones in mind. First would be Sasuke Uchiha, he'd probably like the apartment next to Naruto's since it would limit the access the fangirls to him.
Next would be Kakashi Hatake, who was once again on medical leave after a near mental and nervous breakdown on his latest ANBU mission. He would probably be in to quit ANBU within the next few days. The boy was way too tightly wound, especially at 21; he needed something to focus on instead of just drifting between missions. Maybe he could even work with the youngers on ninja training, and maybe even talk with Sasuke from a similar viewpoint.
Then there was Anko Mitarashi, who hadn't been the same sweet girl she was before Orochimaru betrayed her. Now she was more raw, savage, and in many ways like Naruto. He'd have to make sure those two had apartments as far from each other as possible. The headache those two would make was enough for him to want to retire again. Sighing he nodded, figuring that she'd attach to some of the youngers, train them, and be a somewhat better role model for the younger girls than a lot of the other kunoichi out there.
After her came her friend Iruka Umino, a young gennin who had been a lot like Naruto and Anko in his younger years, but was settling down and seemed to have the makings of a very excellent academy instructor. That boy Mizuki he hung out with seemed to be a very good stabilizing influence, but something about him troubled Sarutobi, and hopefully getting the two of them away from each other will keep Iruka stabilized while still lessening the influence Mizuki held on him. Iruka might be the anchor that held the group through rough weather, or he might be a lit explosive tag in a powder barrel, but he was still a good man, and who knows, maybe being around kids would help him become a better teacher.
Nodding at the list of older shinobi orphans to move in, he looked at the remaining list of academy grade students that had moved out on their own. Two names he was very familiar with, as he had to deal with more reports about them that was normal. First was poor Rock Lee, a boy whose chakra pathways were so poorly developed it was amazing that he was able to draw chakra at all. Instead, he seemed to be determined to pass on Taijutsu alone. It wasn't that he didn't try to keep accessing the chakra, but he focused heavily on Taijutsu over the other chakra dependant skills. Hopefully, Naruto might take a page from the boy's book and increase his already strenuous exercise routine. Lee could even help the poor boy with his rather underdeveloped taijutsu. Sasuke could also stand to spar with the boy a few times.
This brought up another person of interest, Tenten Lang, a young girl who seemed utterly devoted to weapons of all shapes and sizes. In fact, she seemed to put as much time in practicing with the various weapons she bought with her stipend as Rock Lee and Naruto Uzumaki did in their own training. However, she often spent more on weapons than she should, leaving her diet with much to be desired. She needed someone else to keep an eye on her, maybe invite her in for a meal now and then.
Writing up the summons for the various people, he sighed as he tried to remember where he'd put that deed, and which of the older chuunins would be a good fit as the den mother for that pack of misfits. When his mind picked the perfect one, he let out a deep chuckle. After all, not only was this one a chuunin that had primarily retired, but they used to head up the academy. Beyond all that, this chuunin had given Naruto more meals of ramen than even the Hokage could remember. Smiling he penned out a note to one Shi Ichiraku, hoping that the double named family wouldn't enact their more aggressive name meanings on him for what he was about to do.
The council would throw a fit, but as all involved were shinobi, and given the option to continue living alone (under the threat of missions worse than D-rank, he'd invent a damn E-rank mission just for this) they couldn't do anything about it, since as Hokage he had the final say in how to manage the ninjas in his command. Savoring the flavor of his smoke, he leaned back in his seat, awaiting the arrival of the chuunin that was helping him today. He felt that this would be the last time in a long time he'll be able to just relax like this.