A Lethal Observer - ALW Saga Book 2

Chapter 45

"I was hoping to see you, Hanako."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your privacy, Lord Fugaku," she muttered quietly.

The man remained silent for a moment before turning towards her. "Is there anything you wanted to speak to me about?" he asked in a stiff voice.

Hanako flinched only a little. For someone who wasn't adept in nonverbal communication, it would just appear as if she had simply fixed her position. But Fugaku noticed she was nervous about something. Was he making her feel uncomfortable?

"I..."

Before Hanako could even speak, Fugaku retorted. "Are you in a relationship with my son?"

Her mouth dried. She met his eyes and expected from him disappointment, but his factions utterly surprised her. He appeared rather curious. As if asking himself, how do you understand my son better than I can? How do you get him to open up to you?

Hanako could see the distress behind his stern façade. He felt distanced from Itachi, and built up a wall around him to not appear weak before his clansmen, but he was secretly sad about it.

"Are you okay, Lord Fugaku?"

Fugaku did not say anything at first. He was resolving an internal battle in his mind. In the meantime, Hanako looked around. She couldn't release her chakra to comb the surroundings without arising suspicion in the Leader. Shisui was nowhere around.

"Do you happen to know what's going on in Itachi's head?"

Hanako glanced back at him. "What do you mean?"

Fugaku's face did not convey his true emotions. He had trained himself so well to keep a poker face in every situation to avoid showing weakness. "I am his father, and yet, I have no idea what he's always thinking about." For the first time, he looked at her. "You had a good relationship with your father, Yusuke. You always followed him around, asked him to train you, you looked up to him, right?"

Hanako looked away. "Yeah... I admired him very much."

"Why doesn't my son look up to me?"

She heard the silent plea, although it was such a quiet mutter that she had to fill in some of the words. Fugaku wanted Itachi to behave like his son and not simply the leader's son. Hanako pressed her lips into a thin line. It must be hard to care for a family when you also have the whole clan to look after. It seemed almost impossible to pay attention to everything around him, was Fugaku truly aware of what was going on?

"Do you know why I came looking for you?" she asked.

Fugaku closed his eyes and pursed his lips. He knew. "There has to be a reason why my son willingly refused to attend a meeting for the first time. Are you three plotting something?"

Hanako decided to be bold, assuming she would regret it in the future if Shisui didn't show up. "Are you truly in favor of the coup, Fugaku-sama?"

Fugaku opened his eyes and stared at her. "I am."

There was no hesitance in his voice. Hanako felt disappointed in him. That's the reason Itachi is distancing himself from you, Lord Fugaku.

"I'm assuming there is no other way to negotiate with the village elders?"

Fugaku rummaged among his clothes and handled her a letter. With a crease forming between her eyebrows, Hanako opened it and skimmed through it. Her eyes widened when she read the second line.

As per the councils' agreement, it has been decided that the budget of the Military Police Force will be reduced in a thirty percent (30%), effective from the moment of delivery of this notice. Please, take the necessary precautions and make the effective cuts to keep the organization afloat.