Shinobi Isekai!

Allies

Shikamaru looked at the shogi board, waiting for his opponent to make the move he knew she would. There were only a handful of options available to her, after all, and he knew her well enough to know her preferred method of attack. She was a defensive player, normally, but sometimes she thought she could trip him up by going for the kill. It hadn't worked in years, and even then she still hadn't won the game, but it served as an insight into her state of mind.

"Something's bothering you," he said as she finally moved her lance right into the trap he'd laid for it. "Just tell me."

She sighed through the mask on her face, the black fabric bringing out the red rings under her equally black eyes. She brought up her one hand—"don't you dare mention it, Shikamaru" his mother's nagging voice resounded in his mind—to brush her brown hair out of her face. It was longer than she usually let it get and he filed away the possibility that she was growing it out. She placed her hand on Momiji's head, the dog accepting the affection stoically, brown eyes locked on Shikamaru's face like she was searching for something. It was always harder to tell with non-human faces, but he'd gotten pretty good with dogs.

"I have something to show you," she said quietly, gaze averted in an uncharacteristic display of nerves. "But I'm not sure if I should."

He leaned back, pulling his legs out of seiza and into a more comfortable crossed position. His mother would yell if she saw him like that, but Hanako didn't mind. "Then why bring it up? You're not the kind of person to do things without thinking about it first. Unless," he pressed his fingers together as he looked up at the sky, watching a fluffy white cloud drift past. "You're on a schedule of some kind. Whatever it is, it's obviously important, but you don't have the time to properly weight the pros and cons of getting other people involved. That you'd choose me, specifically, when my dad's your sensei means it's something he already knows about and you're defying orders to tell me or it's something he can't know about and I'm the next best thing. Going by your expression, I'm gonna say it's the latter. You told me you weren't sure," he said over her amused huff about him not even looking at her. "Which means it's something that will affect me beyond just showing whatever it is to me, maybe even negatively. But, you still need my help. So," he lowered his gaze, meeting her round eyes head on. "Here's what we're going to do. You're going to tell me the pros and cons of showing me whatever it is, and of not showing me. Then we'll decide how to proceed. Deal?"

She shared a glance with her dog, telling him that the summons knew about whatever was going on. There was a reason she'd brought Momiji with her when she usually didn't, after all. In fact, she'd timed this visit almost too perfectly. His father was at the Hokage's office, working with her father to try and keep the village in one piece(ish) after the invasion. His mother was out working with other women in the clan to feed those who'd lost their homes to the violence, leaving Shikamaru alone with his father's student with a stern warning not to upset her in any way as she was 'sensitive' and to help her however he could since she was 'injured'. So far, however, their day had gone exactly as any other might have, with the one exception of her using only her right hand.

And this weird conversation, of course.

She sighed, the sound laden with emotions he could probably name if given enough time. "That's the problem, Shikamaru. If I tell you, there's no going back."

"Just tell me," he insisted. "You've come this far, already."

"Yeah," she huffed a small, humorless laugh. "But if I stop now you'll be bothered by what it might have been, but you'll get over it. If I keep going, you won't."

She really wasn't helping her cause there. Honestly, he really wanted to know, now. His curiosity was piqued. It was too late to go back, no matter what he might say. She could leave right now and never speak to him again and he'd still dig up whatever it was on his own. It was just better to get it from her.