"There will be a 24-hour security to be provided inside the hotel where the princess will be staying. A team of four will be employed per shift: three genins and one chūnin as the captain of the team."
That was Shikamaru discussing the security detail for the daughter of the daimyō when she comes to visit the village. They are now talking to the daimyō's personal assistant, discussing the arrangements to be made for the princess's stay in the Hidden Leaf.
Also present in the meeting room is Shizune and Tonton, and of course, Kakashi.
"You see, the princess's safety should be given very high regard," the daimyō's assistant said. "The daimyō does not want just any shinobi guarding her while she stays in the village."
"Ma'am, the chūnin's that we are employing are all capable to assure the safety of the daimyō's daughter," Shikamaru insisted. "Besides, the village is now very peaceful, as with the whole world in general. You can be assured that no threat will ever come near the princess."
"Still, the daimyō does not want to take his chances," the assistant said.
"So what do you want?" Kakashi asked.
That is the first time he had spoken since they started the meeting. He had entrusted the discussion about the princess's visit to Shikamaru. This is a good training for him because when he becomes the full-time right-hand man of the Hokage, he needs to deal with these diplomatic situations a lot of times.
Also, Kakashi is not in the mood to discuss work as of the moment. He has not been in the mood for the past three days, ever since that confrontation he had with Hanare about who she really is happened.
Truth is, up until now he still could not believe what she had told him.
"He specifically requested the hero of the last world war to personally guard the princess during her stay here in Konoha," the daimyō's assistant answered.
Shikamaru and Shizune are both surprised at what the daimyō's assistant said. Kakashi, on the other hand, did not even flinch as he was kind of expecting she would say that.
Or maybe, he is just too preoccupied to be blown away by such superfluity.
"I think that might be too much," Shikamaru said. "You see, as I've mentioned, the village, and the whole world in general, is at peace now. There is no need to–"
"It should be Naruto Uzumaki only. You can assign other shinobis that will accompany him, but he should be there in the team."
Shikamaru is obviously starting to get frustrated. Ever since that meeting started, all that they hear from this assistant of the daimyō are superfluous demands.
"Miss, I hope you understand," Shizune said. "There might be more important missions that Naruto Uzumaki needs to attend to. We might need to pull him out of the security detail when that time comes."
"Then as long as there are no important mission, he is available to go, right?" the assistant said. "And besides, isn't the life of the princess also that important? She is, after all, the daughter of this country's owner."
The assistant smiled at them smugly, making Shikamaru and Shizune vex a little. But there is also one person on the room who is getting annoyed by this petty indulgences of the daimyō's assistant, or make that the daimyō himself.
"About your question on what's more important, the life of the princess, or the fate of the entire village? Then, it's the village's people that will prevail," Kakashi told the assistant.
"Really? Those peasants compared to the princess? I think you might be mistaken." The assistant laughed mockingly.
"Those peasants do everything they can to earn money, to continue living and pay the appropriate taxes that you, the daimyō's office impose to them. If your source of income will die and disappear, how do you think the princess who does nothing all day but indulge in her caprices will live?"
Now, that made Shizune and Shikamaru more stunned. The daimyō's assistant, on the other hand, seemed like she has been slapped in the face.
"In the first place, why would the princess even want to go here in the village? There's not much to see here in Konoha. The people are still recovering from the last world war. She might just get bored here."
Kakashi is obviously not in the mood to accommodate such petty assignments. There are a lot of things he needs to take care of that are more important than babysitting a spoiled-brat princess.
"Mr. Hokage, have you forgotten about that budget you were asking for the children's clinic you wanted to build in the village?" the daimyō's assistant suddenly asked. "I hope you did not, with all those rude comments you made with the daughter of the person who might help you with your request."
"I am expecting you'd say that." Kakashi sighed. "As of now, Naruto Uzumaki is not deployed to any mission, so I can ask him to take care of the princess's security detail. But as Shizune mentioned a while ago, if there is a need for a strong shinobi to be deployed on a certain mission, he needs to be pulled out to take care of that mission instead."
Kakashi and the daimyō's assistant stared at each other, not one of them wanting to surrender to the other's resolve. In the end, the daimyō's assistant was the one who pulled out first.
"I will tell that to my master. He is the one to decide about that."
The meeting ended after some more discussion about the princess's visit. Kakashi, Shizune and Shikamaru continued their discussion in the Hokage Office.
"Are you really going to deploy Naruto to be the princess's security escort?" Shikamaru asked.
Kakashi sighed before answering. "If only I can do something about it. It seems like the daimyō will not allow us to deploy just any shinobi for the princess's security."
"But the ones we will be assigning are capable of taking care of the princess," Shikamaru said.
"But that's not how these rich people think," Shizune said. "To them they only go with the popular one. And since Naruto is now famous for what he has done during the war, they think he is the only one capable of keeping the princess safe."
"Cancel the security plan you have for the princess's visit. Assign Naruto and make this a mission so that we don't have to problem about shifting of guards. Let's just make sure that the hotel where she will be staying is secured," Kakashi ordered. "Assign a sensory type ninja to accompany him. It will be better if he will be morel level-headed than Naruto."
"All the sensory type ninjas have been deployed, except for Hinata Hyūga," Shikamaru said.
"Well, that would be good, I guess," Kakashi said. "She and Naruto get along quite well lately."
"I think it's more than that," Shizune said.
The two men looked at her innocently.
"Oh, men! You really are quite slow when it comes to these matters, huh? Anyway... Lord Hokage, you were exceptionally blunt earlier. I mean, I have known you to be quite the straightforward type, but it seems you're not really having it with the daimyō's assistant during the meeting."
Kakashi took a deep breath. "I guess I'm just... I just don't like the way the assistant pamper the whims of the daimyō and the princess."
"Is that so?" Shizune asked. "By the way, I haven't seen your new assistant lately. Hanare? Where is she?"
Kakashi suddenly felt uncomfortable. "She's helping Naruto with his lessons," he said.
"I see..." Shizune just said.
Kakashi suddenly stood up. "I guess I'll just go tell Naruto about the mission."
"Is that really the reason why you will go to him?" Shizune asked.
Kakashi realized that she is teasing him. He just ignored it and said, "Of course. See you later."
He went out of his office and left the two. But no, he did not go to the Academy where Naruto is doing his special classes. Because even if he said that, he did not really plan on going to Naruto and do what he reasoned out to them.
Because until now, he still does not know how he would face Hanare again.