Removing all traces that would connect him to the murder of Yugao wasn't too hard. Professionalism kicked in and, for the time being, erased any feeling of remorse, or guilt. Neither Kakashi nore Pakkun said much, not until they had returned to the village, had walked past the guards outside the Hokage's Residence and Kakashi had locked the doors to his bedroom behind them.
Pakkun sat down at the foot of Kakashi's bed and looked up at his human, who still stood by the door, motionless, his eye transfixed on his hands.
"So?", Pakkun asked after a while.
"Hm?", Kakashi raised his head, then shuffled over to the dog and sat down next to him.
"You're sure it's him?", the dog asked.
Kakashi nodded, ever so slightly. He absentmindedly started to dig his fingers into Pakkun's fur, pulling him closer to his side.
"Then what's the plan?", the dog asked, but the only answer he got were short fingernails scratching behind his ears.
After a seeminlgy endless time of silence, during which Pakkun wondered if his master might have stopped talking althoghter, Kakashi finally said: "It's obvious, don't you think?"
Pakkun raised his head, his worried expression growing even more worried.
"If he needs me alive to-", but Kakashi was cut of, before he could finish that sentence.
"I really'd hoped I wouldn't have to talk you out of this", Pakkun growled. He slipped away from under Kakashi's finger.
"I mean, sure, it's a brilliant idea", the dog said
"Especially as you don't hold any kind of responsibilities. After all, it's not as if the alliance of peace was still very young and existed mostly because the five Kages are there to oppose the opposition, right? And even if that was the case, luckily in Konoha there are no shinobi at all who think, that a peacefull world will render them purposless. Who would gladly welcome any kind of international conflict."
There was no reaction, so Pakkun continiued.
"And knowing where the Elders stand in this discussion, they of course would never even think about suggesting someone of the opposition as your successor, right?"
"I wasn't planning to do this without preperation", Kakashi snapped back. He stared Pakkun in the eyes, but the dog did not so much as step back.
"Who?", he simply demanded to know.
"I was thinking of Sakura."
At this notion Pakkun started to laugh, he shook his head, ears flapping.
"Seriously? She's a sweet kid, but-"
"She's known as one of the best medics of our time among the Allied Nations, she's entrusted with Tsunade-Samas legacy-"
"-which she does not even know yet"
"And she spent the last four years assisting both Tsunade and me as the Hokage, so she'll know what to expect."
"She also tried to kill herself, not three month ago", Pakkun helpfully pointed out, but Kakashi did not seem to think of it as too relevant.
"She's past that", he stated.
Pakkun grumbled. He was getting tired of this conversation.
"I'm sure having you kill yourself won't change much about that", he mused, while jumping off Kakashi's bed, "It's not like you two are especially close, right?"
"She'll understand", Kakashi replied, although not quite as convinced as he had planned to "She's strong, she'll deal with it."
Pakkun gave dark laugh.
"Right, like I've never heard that line before", he muttered to himself, then turned back to Kakashi.
"You know what", he barked „Go ahead, do what ever you want. You probably know best what you're talking about."
And the next moment he disappeard.