Even though Hanako liked dango, this was just not a time she would enjoy them. The man in front of her had just claimed he was her father, and had asked her to join him for a cup of tea.
"I did not accept your invite because I believed you. I was just hungry." Hanako huffed right before the owner of the shop walked towards their table with a huge smile on her face and her note pad in hand.
"It's an honor to have you here, Kenzou-sama. What could I get you?"
Hanako narrowed her eyes at the way the owner acted towards the man. Why did she call him "sama"?
Kenzou smiled. Hanako could feel his eyes on her briefly before turning to the woman. "Can you get me two orders of Hanami Dango, please? Add to that a cup of green tea, and..." after asking for his order, his eyes glanced back to the girl.
"Lemonade."
Closing her notes, the woman smiled. "Coming right up."
Once she had walked back into the kitchen, Hanako's attention was drawn to the man in front of her. "Are you someone important?"
Kenzou grinned. "Is that really the first thing you should be asking me? How about, what's your name? Who are you? Why do you claim you are my father?"
"Sassy." Hanako smirked. "We may be related, but I still refuse to think so."
"You cannot refuse genetics, dear."
With a roll of her eyes, Hanako leaned against her chair. "Okay, fine. Who are you? Why did you claim to be my father?"
Kenzou's stare fell as he mimicked her stance. "I am someone important. My name is Kenzou Senju. I'm currently the leader of the Senju Clan...or what's left of it, anyway."
"Leader?" Speechless, Hanako straightened up in her chair. "You're the leader of Hyori's clan?!"
Kenzou smiled. "Oh, so you know my niece?"
Hanako almost choked. "NIECE?!"
"You're warming up to the idea of being my daughter?"
"DEFINITELY NOT." Hanako stood abruptly. "I don't care if you're my biological father or whatever bullshit you suggest. My dad is Yusuke Uchiha. He's the one who raised me, and no matter what anyone says, he's my dad." Tears brimmed her sockets. "And he's dead. I won't let you or anyone else take his place. You were gone for twelve years, let's just keep it that way."
Hanako walked towards the exit of the shop. The moment she crossed the door, vines emerged from the ground and wrapped around her feet and arms. Surprise and fear consumed the girl as she fought to free herself.
"What the hell man?!" Another customer inside the shop yelled at Kenzou, but he only chuckled.
"Don't worry about it. I'm just educating my daughter a little since she lacks some manners." Even if the vines were holding her painfully tightly, Hanako found enough strength to glare at the man who was still calmly seated inside the store. People around them only stared. They knew who Kenzou Senju was, and what type of man he could be. As much as they admired him for his feats during the Third Ninja War, it was also known he had a temper. Reason why, he was sent to Kumogakure to watch out for the fraction of the Senju Clan that had been mediating any possible peace relations between the two villages. He returned to Konoha upon being appointed as the new clan leader.
When the food arrived, Kenzou placed a bill on the table and looked at the waiter. "Can you pack this to go, please?"
The waiter nodded nervously. "Yes sir."
Kenzou grinned and stood. His movements were elegant, despite he was constantly feeding chakra into his vines to keep the Uchiha in her place. "You know, Hanako, you didn't seem a bit surprised to find out about your dad. Did you know already? Akira said she never told you."
"She didn't have to," she growled. Her feet were not even touching the ground anymore. "I mean, you just have to sense my chakra to notice I'm not entirely like the Uchiha."
Kenzou chuckled. "Well, that just makes things easier. Still, that's not something you just assume. Who told you?"
Hanako glared at him. "The senior police."
As if they had been called, the police arrived. "Hey! Ninjutsu is not allowed within the village! Stop right this instant!"
Kenzou narrowed his eyes. The Konoha Police consisted of mainly Uchiha members. They were shinobi, however, not precisely Jounin level. Even a Chunin could get away against a member of the police. "Stand back. This is not a matter that would require police intervention."
"Anything that happens within these walls that would concern civilians does require police intervention, Senju scum." Hanako recognized that arrogant voice. She looked at the huffing man and glared even more. "I'll be taking you two to headquarters for the interrogation."
"Fuck off, Inabi." Hanako felt her insides burn. "Why don't you just run back to your house with your tail between your legs like you did last time?"
Blood filled Inabi's eyes, turning his irises red. "Yeah, I think we still have some pending business. Don't we, half-blood?"
Kenzou smirked. "As much as I find this entertaining, I'm quite a busy man, you know?"
Vines emerged from the ground, trapping the two members of the police force. His eyes glanced towards the girl, who continued to stare in awe at how the vines swiftly wrapped around them. "Are you going to flee again? Or can we have a civilized father-daughter chat?"
Hanako stared at the man. "Is there a chance I could ever do something like this?"
He grinned. "If it hasn't shown yet, I highly doubt it."
The girl was placed back on the ground before she was freed from the vines. He also released the other two Uchihas, but left their arms tied with some vine-like ropes around their torsos. "Shall we escort them back to their headquarters?"
Most of the customers in the shop had gathered outside and watched in awe the man with vine-making abilities. The waiter gave him his packed order and two beverages. Kenzou smiled at him.
"The chief will not like this." Inabi threatened.
"What he will not like is knowing you guys gang up on every single shinobi out here. Most fights do not require jail time, just some peaceful mediation, which you guys could have some guidance in." Kenzou spoke with seriousness. Everyone muttered and nodded in agreement to his words.
Rumors had already spread about the Uchiha Police Force becoming more strict about their work, to the point people didn't feel safe in their presence anymore.
"Now get up, I did not tie your feet. You can perfectly walk."
Hanako looked at the man and smiled slightly. The thought of him not being as bad as she believed he was crossed her mind.
* * *
On the way to the Uchiha Compound, Hanako would often cast side glances at Inabi, who wouldn't stop glaring at Kenzou. Fugaku was right outside the building, reminding some of his members about an urgent meeting to be held that afternoon.
He didn't seem surprised at all when he caught sight of the Senju leader with one of the senior policemen and his subordinate tied up. "Kenzou. Are you sure you're not here to cause trouble?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow.
Kenzou chuckled. "Well, I'm not, but these two interrupted an important meeting with my daughter by trying to arrest us without motive."
"There was a motive! You were using ninjutsu within the village's perimeter and close to civilians!"
Kenzou shushed Inabi, by placing a finger over his mouth. "No one got hurt."
"Their ego did." Hanako muttered, earning a chuckle from the man who claimed to be her father and a glare from the Uchiha.
Fugaku stared at the man. "You're not allowed to use Ninjutsu near civilians. Please let's not allow this to repeat itself."
Kenzou continued to smile. "Of course not." He freed Inabi and the other Uchiha, they both continued to glare as they muttered curses under their breath.
The Uchiha's leader then focused his attention on the girl. "I see you've returned. Everyone was worried about you."
Hanako pressed her lips.
"There's an urgent meeting this afternoon. You need to be there. If you happen to see my son, let him know as well."
"Yes sir."
Fugaku had left before anyone could say anything else, followed by his two minions. Kenzou took a deep breath and muttered in a low voice. "He's always been so hard to deal with."
Hanako remained silent. Her mind was thinking about the dreaded meeting. It felt like it had been a long time, despite her gaps in her memory. Kenzou noticed the tension and his glance softened. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."
"I have to." Hanako looked up at him. "If I don't go, I'll just make it worse. I'll be treated like an outcast."
"According to your mother, you already are."
Hanako widened her eyes. Her mother knew about it?
"A mother knows everything about her child. You can't hide anything from her."
She lowered her head. "If she does, why didn't she tell me about my lineage? Why did I have to find out about it on my own? Why did she lie?"
Kenzou placed a hand on her shoulder. "I was told you admired your father quite a lot." He smiled. "What kind of mother would she be, if she had destroyed that vision you had of him?" Kenzou lowered himself on one knee to make sure he could see the girl eye to eye. "Besides, she didn't know anything about me, either. Until recently, I was not in her life. How could she tell you about me?"
Hanako frowned. "Why did you come back?"
Kenzou sighed. "I was transferred here. Well, they're slowly getting everyone out of Kumogakure. Peace has gotten unfeasible because of a recent event. Hyori was part of the first group to part."
"Why were you sent there?"
He huffed slightly. "Long story short. The Second Hokage was meeting with the Raikage before the first war and those negotiations were never completed. The previous leader wanted us to continue with his original plan, but like I said it's not feasible." He stood back up. "Anyway, I doubt your mother would approve of our meeting, so please don't tell her. I'll be going now."
He turned but suddenly stopped. "Oh, Hanako." The girl looked up. "If you ever feel uncomfortable here, you could always just come and find me. You might not see me as your father, but if you let me into your life, I'd be glad to try and be one." He smiled slightly before turning back around and walking towards the exit of the district.
* * *
The air in the Naka Shrine was heavier than any other day. Shisui and Itachi were already late for the meeting, and Fugaku was beginning to lose his patience. Hanako was standing at the back with her family. Izumi and her mother decided to stay close to them.
"I heard you were gone for more than 3 months. Was it like a secret mission?"
Hanako barely glanced at Izumi. "If it were, I wouldn't discuss it with you." Izumi flinched at her words and lowly cursed at herself for asking such a dumb question. Hanako continued, "It wasn't a mission, but I don't remember what happened."
"Why not?" Izumi's eyes were those of a curious puppy. "Did you hit your head? Do you have amnesia?"
"My head hurts whenever I try to remember." Hanako closed her eyes, remembering the red, threatening, eyes of Samara. "It's like I'm not supposed to remember."
"What if it is something important?" Izumi pressed. "Like something life-changing."
"It's definitely life-changing."
"You work with Ibiki-san, right? Why not ask him if a member of the Yamanaka Clan can check in there?"
The thought of having someone from the Yamanaka Clan invading her head was frightening. "There are also private things I'd like to keep private."
Izumi's cheeks became red. "What kind of private things?"
Hanako and Izumi were clearly not in the same line of thought. "You know, like... things...with other people..."
The red in Izumi's cheeks darkened. "I never thought you would be that kind of girl."
Hanako frowned. "Huh?"
"We're only twelve. I thought you would be more self-conscious." Izumi was trying so hard to stop the flush in her face.
"The f- are you talking about." Hanako looked around, but no one seemed to be minding them.
"I find it more insulting that you never told me. I thought we were friends. If I had given my first kiss already, I would have told you as soon as it happened."
Hanako finally understood Izumi's mutters. "I wasn't talking about that. I haven't given my first kiss, either."
Izumi turned to her. "You haven't?! Are you sure?"
"I would remember." Hanako's glare deepened.
"Fair point." Izumi took a deep breath. "I just thought... you know, since you seem to have gotten close with Itachi-kun.... Maybe you two had, you know..."
"I don't know." Hanako sighed. "We're not going out. We're just friends."
"But you like him."
"Huh?!" Hanako almost yelled, getting everyone to shush them. "Sorry." She spoke at them before turning to Izumi and lowering her voice. "Why does everyone just assume I like him?"
"Because it's obvious." Izumi shrugged. "You two are always together, at least whenever he's not on missions or training with Shisui-san."
"Being with him does not equal to—"
"When you first disappeared, Itachi-kun was the one most affected." Izumi muttered. "He even shortened his missions to look for you. He even skipped going on missions the last two weeks only to find you."
"I'm pretty sure Shisui just dragged him along."
"No." Izumi smiled. "He wasn't there because he was asked to. I think he would have been there even if no one asked." Hanako looked at Izumi, there was sadness hidden behind that smile. "If those aren't feelings, I don't know what they are."
Silence spread around them. Soon, Fugaku opened his eyes and stared at the entrance of the meeting room. "You're late."
His voice made the whole room reverberate, forcing everyone to stand up. Itachi and Shisui entered the room in unison. For the first time, Hanako could see defiance in Itachi's look. "We had something to take care of before the meeting."
"What's that?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing you should be concerned about."
The senior police men all stood in between Itachi and his father, openly glaring at the leader's son. "What did you just say?"
Itachi smirked. "I said, it's none of your business."
"You little..."
"Inabi." Fugaku's voice resounded again. "That's enough, stand back."
"But chief!" Inabi was infuriated.
"Let's begin the meeting."