I do not own Naruto.
She walks down a trail of light, and he can do little but follow.
.
king
.
She's a very peculiar child; is Nara Shikaku's first real impression of her.
He's met her once before, back when she was two years old and barely left her brothers' side. The Hokage's youngest child hadn't struck at him in any particular way, but he had taken note of the way Biwako-sama seemed to favour her, and kept that information to himself.
They meet properly right after the Third War blows out, and no matter how much he's heard from Choza, he'd rather meet his students himself and see if all the rumours around her are true.
(Most aren't, he knows how the gossip grapevine works. Then again, he's been taught to expect the unexpected from people.)
Sarutobi Chiyuki looks at him as if he'd hung the stars in the sky and he feels uncomfortable about it for a total of five seconds.
Shikaku goes home that day after the barbecue and talks to Yoshino. His wife's first reaction is to sass him ("why would anyone admire you so much?") but then she gets serious and her gaze chills him to the bone.
"The child who's most likely to be the Godaime Hokage looks up to you. What are you going to do with that piece of information?"
It's a heavy load on his shoulders, and for a while he's content to lie back and watch from the sidelines. He understands where Yoshino is coming from, Chiyuki being a young and impressionable child and all, but the Nara clan head has always been very adamant about not accepting the hat and all the troubles that come with it.
The last thing Shikaku wants is an excuse to be thrown into the Hokage candidacy list again.
Until one day Choza decides to dump her on his lap for a week, and he can't pretend to look the other way anymore.
The Sarutobi Princess is certainly intelligent, he's not afraid to admit it. She has the habit of analysing every single thing that comes her way and how she's going to deal with it, and that's a very Nara thing to do, if he says so himself. However, the girl wears her heart on her sleeve, and her chakra with it. It's not surprising the whole Kakashi incident happened.
Sarutobi Chiyuki arrives early on her first day and still looks at him like he's a direct descendant of Amaterasu herself, so Shikaku decides it's time to buckle up for the long journey ahead of him.
He teaches her to not show her emotions on her face too much at the same time he instructs her on how to file reports efficiently. He takes her along on inspections while quizzing her on important names and dates. He shows her war strategies and guides her along on how to plan her own.
In a week, she's soaked up everything like a sponge, and he's less weary about letting her out into the world.
And see, the thing is that Shikaku was prepared for her to become a permanent figure in his life. In the short time they've worked with each other, she's mostly figured him out - which not many people have done even after years of knowing him. Chiyuki still looks at him as if he has the answers to all the questions she'll ever have, but she also knows when she's teasing her, when he's pushing her to think outside the box, and when he just wants to take his naps in peace.
Shikaku thinks that might be the scariest thing about her so far.
He's met his fair share of prodigies, and even though they're not all alike, they do share some similarities. The nine year old, however, speaks eloquently and calmly, even about things she's not sure of. She knows how to read the atmosphere and go from there. She knows when to push forward and when to let things go. She has what the others don't: social awareness - and most of all, knows exactly when and how to use it.
Chiyuki thinks, acts, and speaks like an adult, and sometimes her all-knowing gaze makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
When she comes back from her mission with determination in every single step, he knows his afternoon naps will be cut short. His suspicions are proved correct when she leaves his mind reeling with conspiracy theories and revolutionary ideas, but then she asks if he'll help her-
-and how could Shikaku not?
Not only because this kind of information could be fatal if it fell in the wrong hands, but most importantly because he can't leave Chiyuki alone.
Nara Shikaku is many things, but he's not a fool. He's known something hasn't been right, but he's never had any solid clues to follow. Now, though? Now he's got the whole trail figured out and it's just a matter of time before he gets to the end of it. That was in no small part thanks to the Sarutobi Princess, and doesn't it say something about their village that a nine year old could do that much investigating without anyone noticing?
More importantly, what other things would she amaze him with as she grows?
Later that night, long after she's gone, he goes to the deer and tells them of his decision. They support him, as always, and he's thankful for it. He whispers to them about the Konoha they might live in, in a not so distant future. He murmurs to them about brilliant chocolate eyes that shine like stars every time their owner talks about crazy plans and even crazier theories. He speaks about love that burns bright in a tiny body, a will that protects those who are precious so fiercely it blazes like fire.
She offers him her hand and he shakes it firmly in his own.
He'll look for every single piece of dark, rotten root in the foundation of their village and he'll show it to her. He'll give the shears to her and show her how to cut it swiftly and efficiently, so that it never grows back. He'll pat her head for a job well done and leave the shears in her hands.
Chiyuki wants to become Hokage, and Shikaku will see that it happens.