steady daisies
At some point, Kakashi became cold. Distant.
Hanako noticed it in the way he spoke less, how his eyes—always veiled behind his mask and forehead protector—seemed even harder to read. He wasn't around Naruto as much anymore, no longer lingering in the shadows as he used to. But then again, ANBU agents had their own missions, their own ghosts to chase. And Kakashi… well, he was one of the most capable shinobi of his generation. A genius, they called him.
But to her, he was just Bakashi.
She sighed, shaking her head. Maybe she was just paranoid. Her training with Shikaku-san was intense, after all. So damn troublesome.
She snorted, amused by the irony of her own thoughts. The Nara clan’s famous phrase was rubbing off on her.
"Oi, focus," Shikaku’s lazy drawl snapped her out of her musings. He stood with his arms crossed, expression unreadable, though his sharp eyes betrayed his perpetual calculations. "Spacing out in the middle of training? That’s not like you, Hanako."
"Ah, sorry, sorry," she said sheepishly, adjusting her stance. The field around them was quiet, save for the rustling of leaves in the afternoon breeze. Training grounds rarely held peace, but here, beneath the dappled sunlight, it was almost serene.
Shikaku exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Let’s go over the basics again. Chakra is life energy, but it's also a double-edged sword. If you don’t regulate it properly, it can exhaust you or, worse, kill you. Your control is decent, but it can be better. You rely on instinct more than precision—an admirable trait in battle but a liability when you need finesse."
Hanako frowned. "I thought instinct was supposed to be a good thing?"
"It is," Shikaku conceded, "but even instincts need a foundation. You wouldn't charge into battle without a strategy, right?"
She hesitated before nodding. She may not be a Nara, but she’d learned enough from watching Shikaku to know he never moved without thinking five steps ahead. She’s glad that someone like him was once his brother’s right hand man. He is the jonin commander after all.
"Good," he said, crouching down to pick up a stray twig. He twirled it between his fingers lazily. "Now, show me again. Channel your chakra into your palm, steady, slow. Make it yours, not just an extension of your emotions."
Hanako exhaled, spreading her fingers and concentrating. The familiar warmth of chakra pulsed beneath her skin, rising, forming a small, flickering glow. She could feel it, but it wasn’t steady yet—it wavered like a candle in the wind.
Shikaku watched her with his usual half-lidded gaze. "Good start. Now, hold it."
Easier said than done.
Seconds passed, her arms beginning to tremble slightly as she tried to keep the energy from dispersing. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple.
Shikaku clicked his tongue. "You’re trying too hard."
Hanako shot him a glare. "Excuse me?"
"Chakra isn’t just brute force—it’s flow. You’re clenching it like you’re trying to choke it into obedience." He demonstrated by rolling the twig between his fingers, effortless, smooth. "You need to guide it, not control it. Let it move with you, not against you."
Hanako huffed but adjusted her approach, loosening the tension in her shoulders. Slowly, the wavering chakra steadied, its glow becoming more consistent.
Shikaku smirked slightly. "There you go. Not so troublesome after all."
Hanako grinned, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"Yeah, yeah. Maybe I’ll start calling you troublesome instead."
Shikaku chuckled, shaking his head. "Good luck with that, kid."
Hanako exhaled deeply, letting the last remnants of chakra fade from her palm. The afternoon sun was lower now, casting golden hues across the training ground. Her arms felt a little sore, her fingers tingling from exertion, but the steady pulse of her chakra told her she was improving.
Shikaku stretched, letting out a long, lazy sigh. “That’s enough for today.”
Hanako blinked, brushing stray strands of hair from her face. “Huh? That’s it?”
He gave her a knowing smirk. “You’re disappointed? That’s a first.”
She crossed her arms. “I was expecting you to push me harder.”
“You say that now, but by tomorrow morning, you’ll be thanking me when your muscles aren’t screaming at you.” Shikaku tucked his hands into his sleeves, his posture relaxed but his gaze sharp. “It’s not about how much you train. It’s about how you train. You need time to process and refine.”
Hanako huffed but smiled. "Troublesome."
"You're learning," he mused.
With that, Shikaku turned to leave, giving her a small wave over his shoulder.
And for a moment, Hanako let herself forget about her worries—about Kakashi, about ANBU, about the weight of the world that always seemed just a step behind her.
Hanako took a deep breath and stretched her arms before checking the time. 4 PM.
She had just enough time to head home, pick up some groceries, and test out the new recipe she had been thinking about for days.
—
The village streets were bustling as she made her way to the market. Vendors called out their deals, children weaved through the crowd, and the scent of fresh food filled the air. Hanako scanned the stalls, gathering the ingredients she needed—fresh dough, beef, broccoli, cheese, and various spices. The concept of a beef and broccoli pizza had popped into her mind on a whim, but she had a good feeling about it.
By the time she got home, she was already mentally mapping out the baking process. The outdoor brick oven she built herself in the backyard was her pride and joy, perfect for testing unconventional recipes.
She kneaded the dough with practiced hands, humming softly as she worked. Once the toppings were arranged, she slid the pizza into the oven and set the timer.
With a satisfied sigh, she wiped her hands and grabbed the book on flowers she got from the shelf earlier, flipping through its pages as she waited her mini alfresco dining. She barely got through a few paragraphs before she felt a familiar presence—steady, yet fleeting, like a shadow moving with the wind.
Then—
A tap on her shoulder.
Hanako turned sharply, her heartbeat quickening as she met the sight of a familiar ANBU mask and black hair. But what truly caught her attention was the unmistakable emerald-forest glow of his chakra. She may have not fully mastered controlling chakra yet but she was a damn good sensor.
Both Shikaku and Inoichi were having a field day when it was the day for sensor training, apparently it was quite rare to even tell the color of people’s chakra, let alone what it felt like. So Inoichi especially really trains her that hard. She shivered at that thought.
A tap on her shoulder again.
Eh? Raven?
She hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Raven?”
The masked figure tilted his head slightly before reaching up and removing his mask.
“Wait wait! What are you doing?! You aren’t supposed to—“
The moment his face was revealed, Hanako’s breath hitched. He had sharp yet boyish features, a strong jawline, and expressive dark eyes that held a mischievous glint. His smile was disarming—warm, teasing, effortlessly confident.
Hanako’s first thought slipped out before she could stop it. Damn, well isn’t he pretty?
“…pretty boy”
A beat of silence.
Then—
A burst of laughter.
Hanako felt her entire body heat up in mortification as he grinned at her, eyes crinkling in amusement. “You actually said that out loud,” he chuckled.
She groaned, covering her face with one hand. Great. Just great.
Still laughing, the man extended a hand toward her.
“Shisui Uchiha. Nice to finally introduce myself properly.”
Still flustered, Hanako slowly lowered her hand and took his in a firm handshake. “Hanako Namikaze.”
His expression flickered with recognition. “It’s great to see you, you’re quite infamous Namikaze-san.”
She arched a brow. “And why would I be infamous?”
Well technically, her brother was the Yondaime. He has a lot of enemies for sure. Minato was a brilliant shinobi. But ever since that day, she’s quite well aware of the rumors surrounding her regarding her abilities.
After all, up to this day the field of blue forget me nots were still fiercely blooming and burning. The corpses of her brother and Kushina were 6ft under that field, but there were two small mountains of vines and bachelor flowers that were formed like tombstones, guarding their bodies.
(The vines were alive and won’t hesitate to pierce someone if it felt bad intentions.)
Ah well, perhaps that.
Shisui smirked. “The one who’s been making waves with her chakra control training and unique jutsu. I’ve heard about you.”
Hanako scoffed lightly. “Is that so?”
This wasn’t really their first interaction, she did try to approach him while he was on jinchuuriki/babysitting duties, and asked to give a meal she made for Naruto about twice already.
He nodded. “Yup. ANBU tends to notice things.”
Hanako tilted her head. “Speaking of ANBU… aren’t you supposed to be on duty?”
Shisui grinned. “Just got back from a mission. Figured I’d stop by before heading home.”
Hanako sighed, crossing her arms. “You should be resting.”
“I could be,” he admitted, “but I also could be here, chatting with you instead. Which, I have to say, is way more fun.”
Hanako rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips. “Fine, since you’re already here—if you can wait, you can be the taste tester for my new food invention.”
Shisui perked up. “Oh? A food invention?”
Hanako nodded. “Beef and broccoli pizza. Thought I’d try something new.”
The moment she said it, Shisui’s eyes practically sparkled. As if on cue, his stomach let out a loud grumble.
Hanako blinked before bursting into laughter.
Shisui rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly.
“Okay, that was not supposed to happen. But pizza?
That some crazy new word. First time I’ve heard of it”
She shook her head and smirked. “I know right? Made it up. New words are fun ya know?” She huffed with pride.
“Well, I guess that settles it. You’re staying.”
They moved to the dining area, and as they waited for the pizza to finish baking, the conversation flowed naturally. They talked about mundane things—favorite foods, favorite places in Konoha, childhood stories. Hanako found herself enjoying his company more than she expected.
Shisui had a way of making everything feel lighthearted, even when he was teasing her about calling him pretty.
Damn him and the pretty Uchiha genes.
Finally, the timer went off.
Hanako pulled the pizza out of the oven, the rich aroma of melted cheese, seasoned beef, and roasted broccoli filling the air. She set it down on the table and cut a slice for each of them.
Shisui took one bite—and immediately groaned in satisfaction. “Okay. This? This is amazing.”
Hanako grinned. “Told you.”
“Seriously, if you ever decide to open a restaurant, I’ll be first in line.”
She chuckled. “Well jokes on you, I do plan to open up a cafe and that is duly noted.”
Shisui laughed “Really? No wonder. Cat has been saying you’ve been cooking like crazy. She thinks you’ve gone insane with the amount of food you apparently make every week. But what’s crazier is that you nearly consume all your food.”
She pouted a bit “Hey! I’ll have you know that chakra training is damn exhausting! Especially since I have no prior training and I started late.”
ANBU’s are really gossips, is it because they’re trained for intel gathering? But fuck that, they shouldn’t be gossiping at a lady’s eating habits!
“Gah, damn that, you lot are gossips.” She huffed and that made Shisui laugh again. Wow, they’ve been talking for quite a while now and Shisui’s really been laughing and smiling. So different from his clansmen who’s broody and all that emo dark haired personality they seem to embody.
But then again, the Uchihas per se weren’t really a friendly bunch. They were one of the founding clans of the Hidden Leaf after all and are powerful, those dojutsu of theirs is unique. Their superiority complex has something to back up, but… she sighed.
She too is quite well aware of the backlash of the clan ever since the Kyuubi attack. The people are hushing and whispering about some nasty things about the Uchiha clan.
“I’ve been meaning to ask Namikaze-san—“
“I told you, Hanako is fine.” She grumbled in her breath as she was chewing her pizza. Heh this was a success, she’ll have to make this again later. And to the final list of food she’ll sell next week at a food stand. Baby steps, baby steps.
Shisui coughed “Ah well, Hanako, uh your eyes, right eye I mean—that pattern and vine tattoo err markings ? Quite unique. Really pretty too”
She nearly choked on her pizza. She immediately drank the glass of fruit juice on the table, feeling the rush of blood to her ears, hearing a compliment of her markings and pattern . The very first time someone complimented actually.
What she hears usually is that she’s cursed or weird or something.
“Ah thanks I guess? It did quite shock me at first, especially the vine markings. But I can live with it. It is really pretty, not to be vain or something.” She scrunched her nose as a habit when she’s embarrassed.
“Do you have visual prowess too? Like us or the Hyuga?”
“No, even when I use my abilities, like making or summoning vines or flowers, besides from my mark glowing, there’s no enhancement of sight or whatever.”
And on cue, she demonstrated it to him, she stood up from her chair and crouched down to the ground, hands glowing in a mix of green and gold, her pink markings glowed. Shisui noticed it, her whole demeanor somehow changed to something ethereal than she already was,
‘and she says I’m the pretty one?’
He was abruptly cut off from his thoughts when he saw 3 green vines rose from the earth and wrapped around his ankles and a couple of daisies started to sprout from the earth of her backyard.
What the heck.
“Holy shit! Wait! You didn’t weave signs!” Shisui exclaimed in surprise. An understatement really because what the hell.
It felt like the earth was alive. The surrounding plants and trees in the Namikaze backyard were brimming with energy. Almost as if he can feel the happiness of the flora around them.
“Uh huh, and about that, I really don’t need to for some reason—sometimes it answers whatever my emotions are. But I still weave signs or atleast learn to. The closest element to my abilities are the Senju wood style, which is rare.”
“That’s amazing. I reckon it’s hard to master such raw power if you don’t weave signs that often.”
Hanako laughs. Yeah well her chakra control is still shit.
“Oh absolutely. Shikaku-san doesn’t hold back in training. How troublesome.”
They both laughed at the statement. Classic Nara tagline.
The night deepend ,the moon shining brightly. The evening breeze was refreshing and light. She really like Shisui’s company. She can tell that he had no ill intention when he asked that question.
Just fascination and pure curiosity. A comfortable silence enveloped them for a while. Both just gazing at the dark sky, littered with stars— the crescent moon shone brightly tonight.
“Well I think it’s getting late. I really had fun meeting you today Hana, and your food is super duper mega yummy, will come back again.” Shisui stood up from the chair and looked at her, grinning.
“It was nice meeting you too Shisui, you're welcome to come back anytime, out of duty. Guard Naruto for me won’t you?” Hanako smiled softly.
Shisui’s breath hitched. She really looks beautiful under the moonlight.
“Always.”