A Lethal Observer - ALW Saga Book 2

Chapter 25

Three days were over rather quickly, and now it was time for the warriors to part. Madara had spent his time watching over Hanako and her summoning jutsu. After signing the contract, she had trouble gathering enough chakra to summon a fairly big falcon. She still hadn't succeeded, but she promised Madara she would be able to summon a falcon large enough to ride by the time they were back.

The Uchiha smiled slightly when he remembered the girl's words. Now, he stood next to his father and younger brother, with the entire Uchiha Clan before them. "Once again, we will march to battle. We don't know what fate has in store for us. We can't be certain who will come back, and who will stand proud like this for the last time," Tajima's words resonated. "But we agree on one thing, this isn't only a battle we were hired to fight. This is an opportunity to avenge our fallen kin, and defeat the Senju once and for all!" The ninja roared in unison, a war cry that freed their suppressed feelings.

"Is this what it feels like? War?" Hanako's voice was barely a whisper, but Amane could hear her perfectly.

"Yeah... I haven't been on the battlefield myself, but I get an idea. I can sense their emotions quite perfectly. Their sadness, sorrow, terror, excitement, crave for peace and freedom altogether... They are all tired of it, but continue fighting to honor all those who died. They don't want their deaths to be in vain."

Hanako huffed. "That's stupid, why would they care about the opinion of dead people? They're not even here to judge." Her words were interrupted by a sigh. "Stopping this war is as easy as making a truce."

"Every war needs a winner." Amane met Hanako's intent gaze. "The issue is that both clans want to be the winner." She had a point.

Tajima's speech was finished, but the Uchiha continued to chant as they prepared to head out. Izuna's gaze drifted towards Hanako one more time before his brother put a hand on his shoulder, urging him to pay attention to their father. Everything fell silent for a couple of minutes, and then they headed out in unison. Tajima took the lead, followed by his two sons, and the rest of the clan hurried behind them. Several lower ranks stayed to guard the compound, along with the females who refilled their stocks for when the injured arrived.

"Well, now that they're gone, I can finally speak to you freely." Hanako spared a glance towards Amane, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"What do you mean with that?"

Amane's lips had curved up into a knowing grin. "Now, we can check on that castle without interference."

Something gleamed behind Hanako's eyes, understanding Amane's intentions. Since Madara himself had ordered them to stay in the compound, there was no way the guards would let them out easily. They would have to sneak out late.

Utah and Kenji had left the compound days before, but after watching his memories, Hanako knew where his homeland was. With their current knowledge, Amane and Hanako could leave right away and come back before the rest of the clan. "Are you in?"

Hanako smiled. She didn't even need to reply to Amane's question. Anything was better than staying in that boring room for heaven knows how long. One of the things Hanako missed from her time was the entertainment. At least if she were bored they had TVs, radios, books and Kakashi to pester constantly. But in that world? They even had to light candles when the sun hid behind the horizon. There was no electricity. She understood Madara perfectly when he said that if he didn't take care of his birds, he would go crazy.

"Let's sneak out in the evening. We'll rest during the day on the nearest village. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get to come back." A brief nod was Amane's way of agreeing, and then she just disappeared. Since Hanako had spent all night training her summoning jutsu, she decided to sleep until it was departure time for them.