Chapter 3: Sakura's New Assistant

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Cuddled up with blankets, Hanabi lay there for hours. Tears streamed down to her cheeks, ears, and pillow as she sobbed quietly. A picture frame with Neji's photo laid next to her. He died believing she would lead the clan to greatness, and here she was, running away from the responsibilities. Hanabi realized she was left with nothing to do, and with too much time in her hands.

The same hands reached for something but eventually gave up. It was easier to be sad and tired than to reach for a glass of water.

Her bed offered physical comfort and warmth, but it wasn't enough. She moved, only to alleviate her arms which had been going numb. She finally glanced towards the window when she noticed it was nighttime.

Another day went by again.

Hanabi slowly climbed out of bed and winced in pain. Her whole body hurt just from laying in bed all day. She dragged herself to the bathroom to get the bath ready; that much was still expected of her.

She was well aware of how childish she was being. While everyone else seemed to be working hard, she was being a waste of space.

Hanabi discarded everything she was wearing and left it on the floor. She tied her hair in a messy bun and avoided looking at the mirror while she did so. She slipped inside the warm bath and hugged herself.

She closed her eyes and sank a little bit more into the water. Only a few things in life brought her comfort.

Her eyes came alive when she sensed someone entered her room. She scanned the area and realized she had forgotten her towel back in her room.

The doorknob turned, Hanabi had no choice but to hope it was one of the maids. She hid her body under the bubbles, only her head was exposed.

The steam began to slowly disappear.

"Hanabi-chan, sorry to bother you-oh my god you're a mess!"

From Neji's picture frame on the bed to Hanabi's puffy red eyes and dark circles. Wait, was that a pimple too?

"Onee-chan! Don't you know how to knock?"

"Is that really what matters right now? I didn't become the clan leader so I could see you decline into depression,"

"Sorry…It's the cemetery and the ceremony, and then seeing everyone together again, it brought it all back,"

"I'll get you a towel. Where is it?"

Hanabi pointed back to her room.

Hinata reappeared with a towel in hand and exited the bathroom to give her some privacy. When Hanabi emerged from the bathroom, she had her pajamas on.

Hinata gently placed Neji's picture back to its original place and waited for Hanabi to join her side. When she did, Hinata reached and held her hand. She had been willing to give Hanabi her space, but when the maids complained Hanabi had skipped her regular routines, it didn't seem like a good idea anymore to leave her alone.

"Whenever you feel like this again, just come and get me. I don't care how busy I am, but I swear I'll drop everything in a second,"

"I'm sorry for making you worry. I'll come to you next time,"

Hanabi pulled away from her hand.

"You should get some rest," Hinata said. "Good night, Hanabi,"

"Good night…"

Hanabi's eyes had been glued to the door for a few moments after Hinata's departure. While in deep thought, she berated herself for being too careless in letting people find her in such a state.

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The next day, Hinata canceled all her engagements, including the meeting with a potential suitor.

She sat in front of a vanity mirror as a maid braided her hair. She waited in anticipation, knowing her father wasn't going to let her do as she pleased quietly.

As a cue, her father knocked before entering her room.

"I know what you're going to say, but Hanabi is in pain, and I need to do something about it." After all, it had been her sister that had saved her from depression.

"Aren't you at least a bit curious of what I'm about to say?"

Hinata motioned the maid to stop, as she turned around to face Hiashi.

"I apologize, I was actually way out of line, father. I-I just don't know what to do about Hanabi..."

Hiashi silently accepted her apology, before voicing his thoughts. He suggested she visits the Hokage and ask to put Hanabi to work. Something with long hours that will keep her out of the house for a long time was preferable.

Hinata blinked, before smiling fondly.

"Thank you,"

"Today's your only day off for the entire year. Make sure to make it count as you can't afford to take any more personal days off, Hinata,"

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Shikamaru let out a long yawn, in front of him was a shogi board, and his only opponent was himself. He was hanging around inside the Hokage's office while waiting for a task to be given to him. He knew he was supposed to be proactive and chase after the work, but he was still lazy deep down.

The only sound in the room came from Kakashi's paper, he flipped through mountains of documents, signing them before putting them to the side. Then came the noise from Shikamaru's pieces as he absentmindedly slapped them down on the board.

"Why aren't you with Naruto?" Kakashi finally asked, there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You already know why,"

Shikamaru and Sasuke did not get along at all. The last Uchiha was at the office he shared with Naruto, having a private conversation with the blond.

"Ah, and here I thought you just missed me," Kakashi placed the document down and raised his headband to reveal his active Sharingan. He studied the shogi board from all the way across the room before jumping into the game. "Move pawn to 1f,"

There was a glint in Shikamaru's eyes at the prospect of beating Kakashi in a game.

"Are you sure?"

"Completely sure, I can't ignore the poor pawn, can I?"

A commotion was heard outside, down the hall. Pausing the game before it even began, Shikamaru let out a sigh of disappointment. What now? Who dared disturbed his peaceful and favorite pastime?

A Chunin, clad in his ninja uniform, rushed inside the office with an excited look in his eyes.

"Hyuga-sama is here!"

Kakashi and Shikamaru raised a brow, seemingly unaware the young woman had a hardcore dedicated fan club.

"Send her in," In a practiced motion Kakashi quickly threw his Hokage cloak around his shoulder, and reached for his hat in time for Hinata to walk in. "Hinata-chan, I didn't think you'd grace us with your presence so soon,"

Kakashi hoped her presence did not mean there was already trouble within her clan. He was well aware of her beliefs, Naruto had mentioned that she wanted to abolish a lot of things within her clan. He only hoped he wasn't in power when anything like that happens.

"Lord Kakashi-san," She bowed. "Nara-san,"

After greeting her, Shikamaru moved to close the door behind her, assuming she came here for private business affairs.

He hung back and leaned against the wall, their last interaction came to the forefront of his thoughts.

Looking at her now, he couldn't believe that she used to be a bundle of nerves. Gone was the shy little girl, she was replaced by a stranger. He wondered how much of her was really Hinata. Everything from the way she dressed, to the way she smiled, her hand gestures, expression, and eye movements began to look like it had been a secret art that came with her new position of power.

"May we speak in private?" She asked, hinting at the third person in the room. Outwardly, she knew she looked calm and collected. But inside, her nerves were going haywire as her heart began to beat faster. She held her hand forward to stop herself from raising her hand to her chest. It was overwhelming sometimes since most of her duties involved public speaking. She wondered if the feeling would ever go away.

"I thought you received my letter, Hinata-chan," Kakashi motioned to Shikamaru. "I decided to promote Shikamaru as my personal advisor. Don't worry, anything you say here isn't going to leave this room. But don't speak too freely, as you're aware you and I have a mutual person we can't speak of,"

Shikamaru glared from his spot, leave it to Kakashi to still keep secrets from him.

Without revealing too much, Hinata hinted at Hanabi's condition. She requested that her sister be given a long-term mission, inside the village. Kakashi stared at Shikamaru, who had been leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.

"Shikamaru, off the top of your head," Kakashi called out. "What do we have available that requires immediate attention?"

Without skipping a beat, he already had the perfect answer.

"Lady Tsunade is indisposed right now, leaving Sakura-san to run the hospital by herself,"

Kakashi nodded. It was decided that Hanabi can help Sakura at the hospital. Who knows, maybe she might find a calling to the healing arts.

Hinata's eyes lit up at the mention of Hanabi working close to someone her sister deeply admired.

"Thank you," She bowed once more, but this time with gratitude. "Since I'm already here, do you mind if I take a seat? There's something we need to discuss. After all, it's almost that time of the year,"

Kakashi and Shikamaru shared a look as if dreading what she was going to say next.

"The budget for the annual clan meeting,"

Shikamaru let out a long sigh. Anything with the word budget meant more work for him.

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As she was leaving the building, she crossed paths with Naruto and Sasuke. Rushed greetings were exchanged, but the look in Sasuke's mismatched eyes reminded her of the deal she had with the last Uchiha. Hinata made a mental note to reach out to Kakashi the next time she gets a chance, so she may set up a day to go look at the Uchiha property.

That same day, Hinata visited Kurenai and spent the whole afternoon with her sensei. Mirai was just a bundle of energy and had attracted Hinata's attention throughout the whole visit. The little girl had just turned three, but already she looked like a copy of the late sensei, Asuma. Kurenai and Hinata spent their time catching up while being entertained by Mirai. Before Hinata left, she promised to come back and visit her more often when she had the chance.

That night, when Hinata returned home, she went straight to her sister's room. Again, without knocking, she entered inside.

Hanabi had been laying in bed, on her stomach, swinging her legs while reading a novel.

"Hi Onee-chan, I heard you skipped your duties today," She said absentmindedly as she flipped a page.

"There was something urgent I had to take care of." Hinata sat next to her and rested her hand on her shoulder. "Lord Kakashi asked to see you tomorrow." No matter how secretive Hinata was being, Hanabi could tell right away that she was hiding something.

"So what did you do today, Onee-chan?" She asked suspiciously.

"A big favor," Hinata tucked a strand of hair behind her younger sister's ear. "It involves you working under Sakura-chan,"

"At what time?" Hinata smiled, she could hear Hanabi's voice coming back to life.

"You're supposed to be there by 9 am,"

"Okay, can you come to wake me early?"

"Mhm. Good night, Hanabi,"

With one last look at her sister, Hinata closed the door behind her.

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Edited: 4-15-21 The dialogue was missing a word. Lol.

Editited: 9-24-21 Grammar.

Edited: 8-30-22 Always the grammar

Edited: 9-6-22 Going around adding titles to these chapters