"Mm, yes. I know all about you and plans."

"I'll let you know if they change. Probably."

"I appreciate that. Anyone else have any startlingly ambitious life projects they'd like to share while we're out and about in the great wilderness away from prying ears? Chihiro?"

"My ambition is to serve the village."

He shrugs. He already shared the whole end death thing.

"Raise twelve kids," he says dryly. Including Naruto and Sasuke (who Ishara has certainly adopted), he's almost entirely positive that's the number they're up to. (He also is helping with his niblings but that doesn't count quite as heavily.)

"That's an impressive number of offspring."

"You said startlingly ambitious." Of course most of them are already adults...

"That's true, I did. This is a teaching moment, children. Be careful what you say, because you might just get what you asked for."

Naruto snickers.

"Clearly."

Nothing like really annoying siblings to teach you that...

"If the answer you get is surprising, your reconnaissance was lacking."

Naruto's snickers turn into full blown laughter.

"Hmph. You three are lucky you're my favorite genin team."

"Pretty sure we're your only genin team."

"I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"If there's one of a thing it's gotta be both your favorite and least favorite of that thing."

"That's a good point. In that case, you're lucky there's a lot of paperwork if I come back without you."

"Paperwork is the worst."

"Put a paperwork-reduction plan on your thinking list."

"Probably contributes to inefficiencies, yeah. Has to balance against needing to know and keep track of what's going on, though."

"Anything's fine as long as it ends up with less work for field operatives."

"Yeah definitely." He starts mumbling ideas to himself, both ones that're specific to him - like abusing clones to get and record verbal reports from everyone - and that'll be more of systemic reforms. Of course he needs to know more about the current paperwork structure, but the old man probably won't mind telling him... And he hates paperwork too so if Naruto comes up with anything now might implement things early...

"I am fairly sure that might be counted as abuse of power," Chihiro says to Kakashi.

"Now, now," he says. "It's not as though he's in a position to do anything yet. And didn't I just give you a legendary blade? It's give and take."

"...Bribery is also corruption."