Hiruzen nodded. “In the morning. She would not thank me for disturbing her at this hour.” He suspected she would not thank him anyway, given that he was returning her grandson to her in shards again. But Sakamoto Chihiro was the widow to one shinobi and the matriarch of more, and she knew the cost of service.

"No, she wouldn’t,” Arakaki said. “The last time we had to send an agent to her house in the small hours, I'm afraid we frightened her half to death. Although it was justified, given Ginta's condition." He glanced at the stack of folders, a handful of young lives tacked down in kanji and mission reports. "At least this time we're not waiting to hear whether either of them will survive."

“This time,” Hiruzen agreed quietly.

"And the next time?” Arakaki said. “I don't doubt Ginta intends to come back from every mission he takes, even when he assigns himself his own, but…" He sucked his lips against his teeth and exhaled sharply, making punctuation out of breath. "But I suppose that's why we are putting Kakashi through mandatory psych evaluation."

“Yes,” Hiruzen said. “And I wish them the best of luck with it.”

Kakashi was difficult to speak to on a normal day, favouring silence and noncommittal yes, Hokage-samas over anything more revealing, as a dutiful shinobi should. And even though Hiruzen had known his parents, taught his sensei's sensei, and watched him grow from a knee-high assassin into a masked and cloaked ANBU veteran, he knew very little of what went on inside the head of the White Fang's only son.

Arakaki snorted wryly, then changed posture, back straightening as he sat up. “Speaking of our illustrious psychiatric department, I received their fitness report for Morioka Kaito. I can't say I'm surprised, but I am disappointed.”

“Oh, that boy,” Hiruzen said, and shook his head. He held up a hand. “That can wait for the morning, Hisoka. You should go home before your wife sends out a hunting party for us.”

Arakaki yawned, which stood alone as an indictment against how tired he was. “I’m sure she’s been asleep for hours.”

Despite his many years as a ninja, Arakaki was very much a novice when it came to married life, Hiruzen reflected.

“As you should have been,” he said firmly. “As I should have been. I’m not as young as I used to be, you know.”

Arakaki eyed him. “If you’re fishing for compliments, Hiruzen, it won’t work.”

“I feel older by the minute,” Hiruzen complained, allowing a little creak to enter his voice. “Very soon I will crumble to dust. In this chair. Wearing this hat. It will be extremely upsetting for the cleaners.”

"Will that be your legacy to your successor? 'This stain on the floor is what remains of our illustrious Third.'" Arakaki chuckled. "Perhaps you should get some sleep, then, since I don't believe there is anyone the Council would agree upon to appoint as Godaime."