40 Chapter 39: Journey to War

As the forces were being assembled, I sent out a final message to Sasuke via Haitaka. He had sent one to me a few weeks ago, saying he was getting Itachi's eyes implanted to replace his own. It's still such an odd concept that eyes can be swapped out so easily here in this world, but apparently he would be recovered in time for the war when it starts. Obito has left him in the care of a White Zetsu for now.'Sasuke, use the black scroll only AFTER Kabuto has released the reanimation jutsu. You will have only a short moment to save Itachi, use that window before his soul leaves. Give him a second chance at life, I have already gotten him cleared of all charges in Konoha. He will return a hero, just like you. Stay safe, Sasuke. Ami.' I write down in a scroll, attaching it to Haitaka's leg."Haitaka..." I start to say softly to the hawk before he leaves. "I may not see you again. There is a war starting tomorrow. Please, just make sure Sasuke gets this, and that he doesn't try to use the black scroll before Itachi confronts Kabuto. Peck him hard if he tries to use it before if you have to, just do what is takes to make him delay and use the scroll after the reanimation is released. Thank you for being our messenger all this time, you have done a great job.""I'm sure we will see each other again, Miss Ami. Stay safe in this war, for Master Sasuke. And leave the message to me, it will be delivered to Master Sasuke." He tells me with a solemn nod, and disappears out the window, off to deliver the message.All possible preparations have been made for the start of the war by now. We leave out tomorrow in the morning for the Land of Lightning, where the war will take place along its border. Originally, the Kage were only going to evacuate the immediate 50 kilometers of the war zone, but after my warnings to Tsunade about the tailed beast bombs, they changed it to the nearest 200 kilometers. All the civilians were evacuated south to the Land of Fire. Unfortunately, headquarters for the war needed to be in a location that was closer in order to relay messages. However, Tsunade helped put in a fail safe for a quick departure of those there. A team of specialists in sealing jutsu's will create a barrier perimeter around the headquarters and will be able to transport everyone away in an instant. It's similar to a summoning jutsu, but because of the volume of how many need to be transported, it will take a whole team of twelve shinobi to send them all off, themselves included.The specialists coordinating the different platoons created passwords for each platoon division, that way they can help identify if an enemy is within our ranks. It might work for a bit when the White Zetsu try to impersonate us, it might not, but at least it's a plan. We couldn't think of a way to mark everyone, and since only a Hyuga would be able to spot them, it didn't serve much purpose since there were so few of us.After the message was sent, I went to the Nara compound. I greet Shikaku at the door as he is on his way out."Hello, Shikaku. Is Shikamaru in?" I ask him as he gives me a curious expression."He's in his usual spot, head on in." He says, moving aside to allow me entrance. "And Ami... Don't hold back this time." He gives me a knowing look, and walks away. I smirk at him, then I walk into Shikamaru's room, finding him on his porch, playing shogi."Have time for a match?" I ask by way of greeting as I walk up to him. He looks up at me lazily, a small smirk forming on his face."At least you aren't my dad, so I can win. I still can't beat him." He says lazily to me."You saying your victory is guaranteed against me? I could still surprise you." I say with mock offense as I take my seat across from him. He resets the board to start a new game against me."I've slowly learned that you will always surprise me, Ami. It's a drag, but sometimes you're too unpredictable." He lazily says as we start the game."Took you long enough to learn." I sneer arrogantly at him as I set up a trap, just like I usually do."Then again, sometimes maybe you are predictable." He says confidently as he counters the trap I set up. I set up another one after a moment of playing defensively."You never know, maybe one day it will work." I say in my own defense as he once again counters my trap. I set up a third trap, and watch as he frowns, once again countering it. I can tell he is getting confused on why I keep using traps he can counter easily.I don't know if he can see what I've actually set up yet though, I'm playing a strategy I've never used with him before. I then take my Bishop and set it up to be sacrificed. If he takes my Bishop, I win by giving my Rook access to take his king. If he doesn't take my Bishop, it will kill his king, and I'll win.2"Checkmate." I say confidently to him, though there's the hint of sadness in my voice."A sacrifice play?" Shikamaru stares hard at the board in surprise. "You never play those. You always work to keep your units all safe as much as possible." He stares straight at me, trying to see through me.2"Some pieces are worth saving more than others." I say quietly, touching the Rook piece briefly before standing up. I know that Shika will see through the metaphor for this game at some point. "Thank you for the game, Shikamaru. I will leave you to get some rest before tomorrow." I leave him before he can comment on what I said, and head home for the night. I made a hearty dinner for myself and Neji, cooking all of our favorites. We ate in near silence, both of us too nervous for the battle to come. I took a bath before bed, and changed into my pajama's and walked to my door. I just stared at the door for a minute, knowing I wouldn't get any sleep due to fear and nerves tonight. I turned on my heal and walked to Neji's door, knocking and opening it before getting a reply."Nii-san?" I as softly, seeing my brother already in bed."Ami? What is it?" He asks me quietly in concern."Can I stay here tonight?" I ask him in a whisper."Of course." He says with a surprised smile, moving over and making room for me on his futon. I crawl in next to him, turning to face him and on reflex, grabbing his hand just like I used to when we were little. "We haven't done this since we were kids." He chuckles slightly."We fit better in the beds back then." I joke out quietly, noticing both of us take up the entire bed with no wiggle room."Yeah. I think the beds shrunk." He teases in a whisper. He sounds calm, but I can feel the slight tremble in his hand as I hold it. "Get some sleep, Ami. We will need it before tomorrow." He gently kisses the top of my head."Good night, nii-san. Thank you." I reach up and kiss his cheek softly, then burrow my head into the pillow and close my eyes, willing myself to sleep. Eventually, as I lay there listening to his breaths even out as he falls asleep, I'm reminded vividly of this same scenario of when I crawled into our father's bed the night he was killed. I clutch Neji's hand tighter, and I vow with my entire being I will not allow this to be the last night of sleep my brother ever gets. He will come home, alive, from this war. No matter the cost. I fall asleep that night, dreaming of every moment I have had with my brother since I came to this world 18 years ago.1Neji and I, along with Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Lee, all head out together in the morning, walking as our teams. Kurenai was almost due to have her baby, so Kiba's whole team was walking with our Team Guy. Team 10, Asuma's team, were walking with their parents, going over battle prep before the battle. Our Sensei was still with Naruto, and we received word from Ningame he defeated Kisame in battle while defending Naruto. I had summoned Ningame privately to say thank you to him, as part of my... preparations for the war, and he told me about the fight a few days before we left. I did the same for Akino, saying thank you to him for being my summoning. "Ami." Someone says behind me while we walk, and I turn and see Kakashi approaching me."Yes, Kakashi?" I ask curiously, and he indicates for me to follow him. He must want a private talk. I excuse myself from my friends and follow him a short distance away into the trees, far enough that no one could overhear us or see us as we spoke."I am going to try and get through to Obito. If there's a chance my friend Is still in there, and not completely lost, then I'll take that chance." Kakashi says quietly to me with conviction."That's a good plan. Just remember, Black Zetsu is waiting inside of him. Zetsu will try to either take over his body, or steal his eye if he senses a change in Obito. Naruto will be able to help, in getting through to Obito I mean. He has a way with convincing people to be better." I say with a chuckle, and Kakashi joins in."I know you have your own goals and missions during this war, but keep yourself safe as well, ya hear? I think a lot of people would be sad if anything happened to you." He says with a smile on his masked face, but I can hear the concern."Aww, are you one of them, Kakashi Sensei?" I say his name with a sing song tune, smiling coyly at him."Maa, perhaps. You are a little annoying, but how else I could keep my reflexes up if it weren't for you and your knives?" He asks me innocently."You know, I don't even think I've thrown one at you yet." I say, thinking back and realizing I never have thrown a blade at him before. I then grab a hidden kunai and aim it at his face. "How about a bet? I manage to hit you, you show me your face, without any masks or genjutsus or disguises.""You said you already saw it in the show, so what's the point?" He asks defensively, clearly not wanting to take it off. I just shake the kunai at him tauntingly, and he sighs. "Fine, deal."I smirk, a devious plot in my mind. I throw the kunai at his face, but also send an invisible tiny wind chakra blade above it. He catches the kunai and looks relieved, until he spots my triumphant look. In front of his eyes, a few strands of his hair falls down from where the wind blade sliced them off."I believe that is a victory, Kakashi Hatake. Strip." I say ominously to him with a grin."Maa, what if I just took off everything but the mask?" He tries to half-heartedly be suave, but it's not going to work on me, no matter how hot he is. I just keep grinning viciously at him. "Fine. I really hate that Asuma taught you that trick with the hidden wind blade."He then pulls up his forehead protector, looking around to make sure no one can see us, then pulls down his mask fully. I smile at him softly, it was less about seeing his face, and more about him trusting me enough to show me his most guarded secret. Though it doesn't hurt getting to see his very handsome face."Thank you for everything, Kakashi." I say genuinely to him and he just stares at me hard for a moment, probably expecting something sarcastic from me. "It was well worth the wait getting to see that handsome face in real life. I'm glad I earned your trust by now." I step forward and give him a friendly kiss on his cheek in heartfelt thanks for all he's done to help me over the years.He smiles softly at me for a moment before pulling his mask back up and his forehead protector back down. "I couldn't imagine a better person to show that to. I know you know how to keep a secret." He jokes to me, and we turn to head back to the others."I hope you are able to get your friend back, Kakashi. Even if it's only for a moment, I hope you get through to him." I whisper back to him before we part, and he sticks his hands in his pocket and looks to the sky before walking away."What are you grinning about?" Kiba asks me when I walk back to my group of friends I was with."I won a bet." I grin at him and don't elaborate. We continue chatting and walking on our way, until I'm alerted of someone's presence near me again.I feel the damn bug crawling on my hand, and I activate my Byakugan to see where my target is. I then throw my kunai at Shirotsu, who's about 50 meters to my left."We should probably find a less destructive way to greet each other. Maybe." I smirk at Shirotsu as he caught the knife with his bugs, but we terrified the 20 or so shinobi in between us who thought we were under attack from my sudden knife."Never. Why? Because then it wouldn't be us." Shirotsu says with a smirk as he walks up to me. I grin at him in agreement. We talk for a while, Shino joining in a little more often with his fellow clansman with us now."I'm putting a female beetle on you now. Please don't kill her." Shirotsu says before he goes back to his clan."Do you have to?" I ask with a grimace, looking at the beetle on his finger."Yes. She can be found from any distance by one of the males. That way I can always find you." He says to me seriously.I smile warmly at him at this, "Thank you, Shirotsu. You're already marked with my Shinigami mark, so I can spot you, though I am limited on distance. I'll keep my eyes out for you as well." I say with genuine emotion, then shiver as the beetle goes to hide under my kimono top. "Does it have to hide inside my clothes?" I ask with a higher pitched voice, trying not to sound as disgusted as I feel."No." He smirks at me and then walks away. I yell after him to get back here, but he just laughs loudly and walks further away."Shino, can you make it come out of my clothes?" I ask my friend desperately for aid."No. Why? Because she is not my beetle. Also, because she is safest there, and Shirotsu would not have put her there if he did not care about you." Shino says in his mysterious tone, but I can hear the sincerity in his voice."I am not fighting him off as well. Even if I could beat him." Neji comes over and says to me in a grumpy tone."You wouldn't fight a hoard of insects for my honor?" I ask him in mock offense. "I mean so little to you!" I joke to him."I will fight for your honor, Ami!" Lee joins in the conversation loudly. "Why are we fighting for your honor?" He adds in quietly in confusion, not having heard any of the context."Never mind, Lee. I can handle it myself." Neji grumbles out while I poke him obnoxiously in the face, teasing him as he blushes slightly from embarrassment. When Lee joined, he joined loudly and got us a lot of stares and Neji got embarrassed.