A Lethal Observer (Naruto) [ALW Series Book Two]

Chapter 13

Second day since the arrival in the Land of Fire.

I have learned that in this place there's people that could help me find a cure for mother's sudden sickness. The Hagoromo Clan has shinobi that excel in the clinical area. They will certainly know how to treat her.

Problem is, they must not know who we are. They must not know our lineage, or they will kill us without mercy. My mother wasn't a shinobi, but my father was. We belonged to the Uchiha Clan, but when I was born, my father refused to watch me grow in a clan showered with blood.

He did teach me stuff about being a ninja, but he shortly died after protecting my mother and I from some ninja of the Sarutobi Clan. It's been my mom and I since then. Until she became sick.

I am desperate to save her. Without her, I'd be alone. I would have no one.

"Amane?" The girl lifted her head upon hearing her mother's raspy voice. Forgetting the piece of paper on the table, she immediately went to gather some simple herbs for a tea.

"Hold on, mother. It'll be ready soon."

"Just leave me here and go."

Her voice was soft but the message was firm. Amane stopped what she was doing and looked at the woman lying down on the floor.

"I can't do that..."

They were hiding in a small abandoned cabin, and they only had a bunch of old covers they rolled up to use as pillows. At night, they would cuddle to avoid freezing to death.

"I'm only a burden to you," her mother's voice broke. "I can't stand looking at you like this, Amane. I can't stand knowing that I'm the reason you haven't been able to live your life. You're almost nineteen now, and you don't have a single friend... you have to live."

"I don't need friends as long as I have you." Amane kneeled next to her mother's body. She was too sick now. Probably, if she did manage to infiltrate into the Hagoromo Clan and find someone to help her, it would be too late. But Amane still had hope. "Mom, I love you."

Tears were gathering in Amane's eyes, but her mother smiled. "If you love me, then let me go. If you want what's best for me, then end my suffering right now and live. I'll be happy when I know you're happy."

"How can I be happy without you?"

"You'll find someone else to share your happiness."

Amane couldn't understand why her mother was making such a request. She couldn't conceive the possibility that she wanted to die to set her free.

I let her be. I thought that silly request of hers was just a manifestation of her dementia. Maybe she was just too sick and imagining things.

However, she kept asking me to kill her every day. For days, weeks and months. I failed to infiltrate into the Hagoromo Clan and the worst happened. I had to leave her behind. It wasn't possible for both of us to escape.

She asked me to leave her, and I did. I was the worst daughter. I couldn't do anything to protect her. In the end, I killed her.

"What kind of soap opera is this?" Hanako gave Hikari the scroll back after reading the first passages. "That's how her story begins? With the death of her mother?" Hanako rolled her eyes. "I want to hear about her abilities not about her life. I've got one of those too."

Hikari sighed and closed her eyes. "Why are you such an annoying little b***h? This is your ancestor, you should be excited just by getting to read her diary."

"I've got more important things to worry about right now."

Shisui watched the two sisters arguing before taking the scroll from Hikari and opening it completely. "Here's the explanation of Amane's Mangekyou." Hanako looked at him. "Like you just said, maybe we don't have enough time to dwell on her life, but we do have time to understand the origin of her abilities.

"Hikari probably already told you about Izanagi and Izanami." Hanako nodded. "You fit into the Izanami profile of an Uchiha, which means you have a certain affinity towards the Space-Time Ninjutsu. We are going to take advantage of that in order to go back in time and learn about her in the present. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Are you seriously suggesting we go back in time to meet someone who died almost a century ago?!" Hanako exclaimed in disbelief. "What do you think I am?! A damn sorcerer?! That's not possible! What's gotten into you two?"

Shisui and Hikari looked at each other before shrugging in unison. "Your sister told me about the ruins already. I know you met Amane in a memory. I just think we should exploit that."

Hanako glared at her sister. "Why would you tell him that? It's none of your concern!"

"It's not my fault you were taking too long!" Hikari defended herself.

"I was taking too long?! I've been working on a damn stone! I can't play around with you guys, searching for someone whose relationship to me is probably just a coincidence!"

"It's not a coincidence!" Shisui butted in, separating both girls from almost jumping onto each other. "Hanako, what's wrong with you? It's not like you to lose your temper this easily." His eyes softened for a bit. "What's bothering you?"

Hanako widened her eyes and downed on her sudden explosive emotions. "I'm sorry, I think I haven't been feeling well since my last assignment." She looked away once she felt the eyes of both Uchiha over her. "I might have also gotten into a fight with Itachi and that's bothering me as well."

"So, this is because of Itachi?" Shisui raised an eyebrow.

"Part of it."

Shisui huffed and shook his head. "Talk to him. You're probably being too harsh on him, and he's done nothing wrong."

Hanako sighed. "I know."

Shisui sat back on the couch, leaning onto a comfortable position. "I have another question." Hanako looked at him. "By any chance, have the senior police approached you?"

"Those three clowns?" Hanako raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, like a week ago. The same day Fugaku told us about Itachi's recommendation." A smile climbed into Hanako's face. "I left Inabi a parting gift, so he would remind himself not to mess with me."

"You attacked him?!" Hikari looked at her in disbelief.

"He called mom a whore." Hanako's tone made her understand that it had to be done. She lost her patience.

"Well, I guess you're lucky they can't arrest you. Anbu got their privileges." Shisui was calm, but he was still grasping Amane's scroll tightly. "So, should we give it a chance? Using your Mangekyou in this scroll?"

Hanako looked at her sister, who returned her grin with a smile. "I think if we join both our abilities we can open a portal and go into whatever memories are stored in there. The scroll Shisui was holding in his hands was basically their open door into finally figuring who Amane was and what happened in the past that stirred up the tension between Konoha and the Uchiha. 

With a loud sigh. "Fine, let's give it shot."

* * *

Amane protected her identity with a brown cloak that covered her entire body. She had walked into a bar. It had been several months since her mother died, and she had survived by completing several quests for random strangers. Her last assignment was standing right before her, pouring himself some liquor at the bar.

Amane moved the hood back, revealing her face as she sat beside the almost drunk man. "It's been such a long day... I would like a shot of the strongest thing you have." She gave the bar tender a smile, and he immediately went to pour a drink for her.

Her assignment looked at her in curiosity. "Such a fine looking lady in such a nasty place like this? What a weird combination..." He downed the rest of drink before clearing his throat. "Something must have really hit you hard for you to come here."

Amane observed him carefully as he turned his body completely towards her. He was an ordinary man at the eyes of all the drunk people inside the place. However, his background spoke different about him. With a smile she leaned against the bar and downed her drink without flinching.

This man was a member of the Hagoromo Clan. One of those who found out about her and her mother hiding in their territory and had ambushed them. After her mother's death. Amane had spent her time training and hunting down members of the Hagoromo Clan. Several Clans paid well for their heads, so Amane took opportunity on it.

"I just want to clear my head," she muttered to him in a husky voice. His eyes gleamed and his lips widened into a big smile. With a look at the bartender, he asked for doubles and paid for her drinks.

Amane was going to enjoy this hunt. Revenge had always had a bitter taste but this was rather sweet instead.

A strange feeling downed on her, like something was suddenly wrong. A sudden chakra had ripped through space and forced open the space-time. Amane narrowed her eyes, someone had opened a portal close to her, she could sense it.

Are there others with that ability?