Shinobi Isekai!

What's Gonna Work?

If you haven't read the third chapter An Extra Scene in Shinobi Isekai 1 Year Anniversary Special, do so now. It's canon, lol.

Hanako stood with her father and her sensei as they saw the Raikage and his people out of the village. Though there were a lot of glares exchanged, it went off without much issue. She was glad to see them go. Having too many variables running around was entirely too stressful, even if they were technically her allies, now.

"Mah, that's a relief," Kakashi said as he fell into a slouch, the hem of his new 'comfy Hokage cloak' brushing against the ground. "Those guys were so annoying."

Shikaku mirrored her father's body language, looking very much like his son as he scratched at the back of his neck. "You weren't even the one dealing with them."

"That's how annoying they were."

They went back and forth like that as they walked through the village, Hanako trailing behind them. Her father becoming Hokage had its uses, but it was also completely unexpected. She'd finally had the time to sit down and process everything that had happened since losing her arm, and she wasn't sure she liked the way things were going. Kakashi would have become Hokage eventually, but now, without Tsunade in office, she wasn't sure how to move forward.

Plus, going to all these events as 'the Hokage's daughter' was really annoying. She had other, more important things to do with her time. Like conspire with Shikamaru and Sakura. It was hard to meet with them or her other friends even after leaving the hospital. Kakashi wasn't letting her out of his sight and, while the affection was endearing, it was starting to smother her. She needed to speak with the others who shared her, now largely questionable, knowledge of the future. The whole point of letting them in on her secret was having more minds looking at the same problem. Smart minds. Not like hers.

Shame rolled through her as she thought about the way she behaved during the fight with Kimimaro—along with no small amount of fear. Once again, she had to face the chilling possibility that she was a parasite in Yachiru's body and the original was coming back. What would happen to her, then? If her mind was compromised—as her near death experience proved it clearly was—then maybe she shouldn't be trusted with the planning process. Especially now that she knew—.

Wait. This wasn't the way back to the Hokage's office.

She stopped in her tracks, wheels turning audibly in her head as she tried to find a reason for Kakashi and Shikaku to bring her to a training field.

"What's going on?" She finally asked.

Neither man answered her and the ever present knot of frustration in her belly grew.

"I don't know why everyone thinks it's a good idea to keep secrets from me," she growled out, patience at an end. "But I would think it obvious by now that it doesn't have the best results."

That got their attention. Kakashi looked almost guilty, but Shikaku glared down at his student with a force that almost had her apologizing on reflex.

"Jiraiya may have dropped the issue of your little stunt in T&I, but I haven't. Not to mention how you knew about top secret information regarding S class missing nin."

"You gave it to me, though?"

He raised one thin brow. "Did I?"

"You gave me the dossiers of all Konoha missing nin, remember?" She was very glad to have this excuse. "You wanted me to analyze them and their last known locations to try and predict where they might show up next."

"I did," he admitted, the corners of his lips curling up into a smug smile that was way too much like Shikamaru for her taste. "But I deliberately removed Itachi Uchiha from that pile. Given your relationship with his brother, it would have been improper to have you looking over his file."