Chapter 116: Commander

To read up to 15 chapters ahead: https://www.patréon.com/SlyOW

-------------

The meeting went on for a while after Danzo and Fugaku made their report of the situation, but I spent it conversing with Jashin.

But by the time the meeting ended and I was getting ready to leave, Fugaku called out, "Owl, stay behind."

Urgh, no one calls me Spider anymore. Still, I stayed behind, and once we were alone, Fugaku said, "First off, thank you for everything you did on this battlefield."

I asked, surprised, "I'm moving away?"

Fugaku nodded slowly, and explained, "Most of Iwa's forces were killed with the last battles, so we don't have to fear any large scale attack, from now on most of the fights probably will be small skirmishes. The same goes for Kumo."

Understanding where he was going, I asked, "I am to go face Suna or Kiri?"

Fugaku nodded slowly, so I added, "Suna aren't very dangerous for now… so I'm to head for Kiri, aren't I?"

Fugaku sighed and said, "Not necessarily. The order came from Lord Hokage, but you may refuse. You have already done more for this war than anyone else. By the way, I never got to thank you for Itachi…"

I smiled and interrupted him, "There's nothing to thank me for, he is one of my best friends. As for Kiri, I'll go. I heard they have been working with Kumo and landed in the East of the Land of Hot Water?"

Fugaku nodded and replied, "They took over the Paradise Isles with Kumo's help, which is where the majority of their troops are resting. They arrived quite suddenly in the Land of Hot Water, and using a pincer attack along with Kumo they managed to take over the Arehateta Fortress."

I frowned and asked, alarmed, "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday evening. Now, although Kumo has chosen to stay behind and slowly move forward as they rebuild their army, Kiri do not share their… cautiousness. A part of our army is currently moving to stop them at the border of the Land of Fire. And although there are officers in this army, they still need a commander."

Finding the idea ludicrous, I questioned, "Me? A commander? I'm a good killer, that doesn't make me a good leader."

Fugaku replied, "You aren't born a leader, you become one. It's only a matter of starting points."

Grimacing, I said, "Well, I don't think wartime is exactly the best time to test my capabilities as a leader, especially when the situation is this critical."

Fugaku said, "You wouldn't be going alone. General Tsubasa isn't getting any younger, so he has been searching for a worthy successor for a while now, and he has found one. Lieutenant Hideto will head there."

I clapped my hands and said, "Good, have him be the commander then! He has experience, is decently strong from what I heard, and…"

Fugaku cut me off, "And he has no reputation. None of our men heading to fight against Kiri know him, and in our line of work, to be unknown, you either have to be bad at your job, or new. Do you think it would be a wise idea to have our men rally under a nobody?"

A little frustrated, I said, "That would be problematic."

Fugaku approached the tent's exit, and looking outside he said, "If you really hate the job, or are that bad at it, then you may as well act as a front figure and let Lieutenant Hideto handle everything, and slowly pass over the torch to him as he proves himself to the men."

He started walking out, but before that he added, "While a lot has been asked of you for this war already, your presence is vital to protect our home. My home. So allow me to be selfish, and tell you one last thing."

He turned to look at me, his Sharingan activated as he said, "If any of the things I heard about you are true, then you will take your responsibilities and finish the job with Kiri."

And with that, he left, leaving me alone in the tent, a little pissed.

After a few seconds, I walked out of the tent, and stopped as Shisui was in front of me, clearly about to enter the tent. Looking into my eyes, he asked, "Are you alright?"

I grumbled, "I was asked to go."

Shisui tilted his head, before realizing, "To Kiri?"

I nodded, and he asked, "And you don't want to go? I'm sure they could send someone else if you are bothered by it."

I shook my head and said, "They're not forcing it on me, and I don't have anything against changing battlefields, it's just that…"

I stopped, for some reason, and Shisui pressed on, "That what?"

I sighed and revealed, "They want me to lead that battlefield."

Shisui's head tilted even more as he uttered, unsure, "That sounds… like a promotion?"

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "It is, and that's the problem!"

Shisui turned toward his nearby tent, and beckoned me to follow him as we got in, where no one could hear us. Sitting down, I heard Shisui say, "I must admit, I am not following. How is this bad if you were ready to head there in any case?"

Frustrated, I replied, "How could they put me in charge? I have no experience! I kill, I don't lead! What if I do a bad job, and we lose because of me? What if they all die because of my faulty commands?"

Shisui grew silent, staring into my eyes unnervingly. He stared for several seconds, so feeling uncomfortable I said, "What, fell in love?"

Shisui finally revealed a small smile, and said, "I think I understand the problem. And deep down, so do you."

"What are you, a Yamanaka? Since when can you be in my head?"

I used a harsh tone, but Shisui's smile only got bigger as he said, "You never get on the defensive, except for when you don't feel right. When you are scared."

"That's preposterous! I have killed thousands of men in the span of a couple of months, I can fight against the strongest people on the planet!"

Shisui shook his head as his smile turned sad, and he said, "You aren't scared about your own well being. You are scared for others. And you know why."

I shut my mouth close, refusing to humour him. But that didn't stop him from uttering, "You don't want to admit it because you think it would make you look weak. That you aren't allowed to show weakness, to show flaws."

"And what makes you say that mind reader?"

Shisui chuckled, "You are much better than I am at this, but I'm not exactly garbage either, Sukaina. You are finally experiencing what it's like to speak to you."

Looking away, I said in a smaller voice than before, "Then tell me, how am I what you say I am?"

Shisui replied, "To start off, you won't even say the word weak. But Itachi also told me about your fight before he left."

Hearing this, I froze. But after a moment, I said, "If you are going to say I am feeling guilty and bottling up my emotions, then let me stop you…"

Shisui shook his head, "It's about what you told him. That you had to be strong. That you always had to perfect to reach the point you are at today, that you always had to carry every problem on your back."

"… I didn't say that."

"But that was what you meant, wasn't it? Moreover, you didn't mean that as a complaint. You don't want to show weakness, and so you don't want to admit that you still bear a trauma from your first mission, in the Land of Tea, where you had to save your team."