Return My Love || (Hashirama x OC) [ABANDONED]

Chapter 23

Kirai's POV

Of course, even if I continue to hope or wish, it will never come true in the end. The desire to leave is overwhelming, but what's stopping me from committing such temptation is because the council isn't over yet!

For goodness' sake! What more do they want? Aren't Hashirama's combined with mine's statement enough?

"Many times you deemed yourself as weak, yet you still participate in battles?" They questioned, looking a bit amused and smug, as if what they've heard was funny. "Weaklings are unnecessary in war."

I nearly scowled, wanting to bark at them, yet I forced my expression to remain aloof. Not wanting to give them the satisfaction. So, instead, I replied with logic. "And so I've heard, but I shall say this to you again; against Madara, then yes, I am considered weak under his gaze. However, against other forces such as Madara's unyielding soldiers, I can handle them myself well enough..."

Are you blind enough to not see the dead Uchiha bodies lying under my feet because of my doing, or do you care less that I contributed much more than the rest of the Senju soldiers? I nearly questioned that when I mused. However, even if it was unspoken, I believe the latter is the case.

The impact of my words brought a visible expression from them. I could see the lines forming on their forehead, a sign that I frustrated them with my answer... which I took the satisfaction of being the one who got such a reaction from them.

Still, they are relentless, shooting another question in hopes to somehow catch me off guard. "If that is the case, then you must already notice that Madara is in fact the one who is after you. Meaning, no matter what, you'll still face that stubborn man regardless, bringing you into danger once more. That alone is obvious enough, an obvious signal in which it should trigger some warning bells in your brain, telling you to pause in attending more battles for a moment because fighting him is like facing death, is it not?"

Oh, I see how it is...

"Have you not considered your safety? Madara may be a man, but he acts like a beast. Untamable like the wild creatures in a forest. It is like he scented you quite immediately, hungry for blood, because you are its prey roaming around aimlessly and without much awareness that the beast is coming to you." The man said, "And if you are aware enough, shouldn't you just simply stay in the safest place, hiding from that beast?"

I can understand what he is implying. Though, I did not like being compared to a little animal as a reference to the situation. However, I did not let that get to me.

"What you are saying is right," I nodded at them, they simply looked at me with another self-satisfied expression. But I quickly diminish that expression I seemed to hate the most if they were the ones who wore that, "However, Lord Hashirama is there with me all the time while I am fighting against powerful Uchiha opponents aside from Madara and his brother. I may possess no equivalent power as the clan head of Senju, but I can confront head on and with much fierceness against powerful foes as well."

I continued, "Though it is true that continuing to enter the battlefield knowing the fact it is the Uchiha we will still face is absurdly frightening, most especially when Madara is after me in the first place, I do not doubt the power Lord Hashirama holds as well as his capabilities as he relentlessly fight off Madara for me and for the rest of the clan."

I nearly showed a small smile while I briefly glanced at the mentioned Senju, "After all, I trust him the most out of everyone in the clan."

It seemed my words somehow caused a reaction to Hashirama... because he smiled widely even though I wear no expression on my face, and even though we are in the middle of a serious meeting at the moment. That smile! Oh, that smile! It burns and weighs down my heart. I almost looked away in a hurried pace, not wanting to flame my cheeks in front of serious and old men.