Tong still looked full of unease. "But..."
"Alright, Tong," Hiiragi Kagami gently interrupted her. After seeing that Uchiha Ryo wasn't offended, she heaved a sigh of relief and then began to explain. "When a Witch awakens her witch - power, she can see the past and the future. Tong has great potential to be a Witch, but she's too young to distinguish between them clearly. I'm really sorry if she offended you."
"It's okay. It's just something that has happened. There's no need to shy away from it," Uchiha Ryo shook his head and smiled. "Even if I get angry, the fact remains unchanged. It's better to face it calmly... I just hope Tong - dono isn't scared."
Tong still tightly grasped the hem of Hiiragi Kagami's clothes and was reluctant to leave with Hotaru.
However, Hotaru, a dead - man who had only been instilled with the order of protecting the Witch since childhood, didn't know how to coax a child gently. He just steadily held his hands out, waiting for Tong to come over so he could carry her away.
Tong pursed her lips and stubbornly held onto that small piece of cloth. She knew she should leave obediently at this time, but only when she was by her mother's side would that monster not appear and she wouldn't see those strange images.
Uzumaki Mokudatsu crossed his arms, looking at Hiiragi Kagami, who was gently persuading the child, and Tong, who still hung her head even though her mother was coaxing her. He felt a bit impatient. He could understand a child's attachment to her mother, but this situation in a mission was really annoying.
Precisely because she was young, the child didn't know how to consider others. She only focused on her own purpose and had no idea how much trouble her actions brought to others.
"Witch - Princess and Mr. Hotaru, if you don't mind, let me give it a try."
Hiiragi Kagami looked up at Uchiha Ryo with an apologetic look. "Well..."
"My younger brother sometimes clings to me like this when I'm on a mission. Being so dependent on by family members, it's really a sweet kind of trouble, isn't it?" Uchiha Ryo smiled faintly. "So I think I have some experience in this aspect. If you don't mind, please let me try."
Hiiragi Kagami glanced at the members of the Uzumaki clan and the Senju clan standing patiently aside, then sighed softly. "Please give it a try over there."
"Then I'll take the liberty," Uchiha Ryo took a few steps closer, crouched down, and reached into his ninja tool bag with his left hand. He took out a spare blindfold silk ribbon. "Hey, Tong - dono, look here. There's a little bird in my hand, look!"
Tong looked up at the white ribbon in Uchiha Ryo's hand. "That's a ribbon."
"Yes, it's just a ribbon for now. But, if you do some coiling around..." As Uchiha Ryo spoke, his left fingers deftly moved. The ribbon quickly coiled around following his movements and soon took shape. "Look, what's in my hand now?"
Tong slightly widened her eyes. "A white... bird?"
"Yes, it's a little bird, isn't it?"
Uchiha Ryo held the little bird made of coiled ribbon and offered it towards Tong-dono. His voice was gentle. "Birds are very resilient creatures. They know how vast and dangerous the sky is, and they also know how warm and comfortable their nests are. Yet, they never flinch because they know it's something they must face.
It's the same for the Witch. Sealing away dangerous evil spirits is her duty. Correspondingly, Tong-dono, you also have your own duties, don't you?"
Tong-dono lowered her head again, but soon looked up at Hiiragi Kagami. "Will Mommy come back soon?"
Seeing this, Hiiragi Kagami smiled faintly. "Yes, Mom will come back soon. We've made an agreement."
Tong-dono pursed her lips and let go. Her voice finally grew louder. "Please be safe."
Only then did Hiiragi Kagami stand up. After giving a few instructions to Hotaru, she led the ninjas of the Senju and Uzumaki clans and quickly left.
Listening to the fading footsteps of the Witches, Uchiha Ryo smiled and offered the folded object in his hand towards Tong-dono again. "Tong-dono did very well."
Tong-dono looked up at Uchiha Ryo with a gentle smile on his face and reached out to take the soft cloth bird. "Thank you."
"Alright, then shall we go?" Uchiha Ryo still maintained the posture of stretching out his arm. "May I carry you, dono?"
Tong-dono looked up at Hiiragi Kagami's back as she turned the corner and then nodded. Then she walked closer to Uchiha Ryo on her own initiative. "Please."
Uchiha Ryo wrapped his arm around the child, firmly holding her, and then slowly stood up. "Then I'll trouble Tong-dono to take care of me in the next few days. Please give me your guidance."
Tong-dono still had a serious little face. After sizing up Uchiha Ryo for a moment, she carefully wiped the tears from her face and said, "Yes, please take care of me. Hotaru, let's go to the library."
Hotaru, who had been as quiet as a decoration, nodded slightly upon hearing this and turned around to lead the way.
On the other side, Uzumaki Zhi couldn't help but turn back to look at the blind Uchiha who was smiling and coaxing the child softly as he left. "Hey, don't you guys think..."
"Don't tell me you're intimidated by that Uchiha's tricks that can only deceive kids?" Senju Bai Mo frowned slightly. "Although it's really a bit difficult to operate with one hand, it's something that can be easily achieved with a little practice."
"No, it's not that..." Uzumaki Zhi retracted his gaze. "Don't you guys think that Uchiha is a bit strange?"
"They're Uchihas. It's not strange for them to do anything," Senju She Lin's voice softened a lot after the Uchiha was out of sight. "Humph, they really got off easy this time."
"Not necessarily," Uzumaki Mokudatsu stroked his chin. "Since it's about sealing, we can't just keep piling up seals blindly. That will only destroy the stability of the spell. Therefore, we have to consider it from all aspects.
And to reinforce it like that, the previous seals have to be completely overturned. But that evil spirit named Wuliang has the strength to bewitch people's minds, and the Witch can have a spiritual connection with it... Heh, it's still hard to say who will have an easy time."
"Indeed, what this ninja sir says is right. I want to redeploy the seal so that posterity can have an easier time. But the evil spirits are very good at disturbing people's minds," Hiiragi Kagami said, slightly bowing her head, with an indescribable look of worry on her face. "We Witches are protected by witch - power and won't be affected. However, the people around us..."
"You don't need to worry about this," Senju She Lin seemed like a different person from before. "Although I don't get along well with the Uchiha clan, they are reliable in strength, and they take the mission seriously. You can trust them."
Seeing Hiiragi Kagami's somewhat stunned expression, Uzumaki Mokudatsu sighed. "Well, please don't mind. The two clans have always been like this..."
"Anyway, let's discuss the details of the seal. Although the types of Sealing Jutsu we use are different, there should be aspects we can learn from each other. Please tell me in detail about the characteristics of those evil spirits..."
Uzumaki Zhi watched as Uzumaki Mokudatsu quickened his pace and left. His expression was still troubled. "Hey, am I the only one who finds that Uchiha strange?"
As a result, Senju Bai Mo and Senju She Lin both turned their heads at the same time and said in unison, "Didn't we say that they are Uchiha? It's not strange for them to do anything. What on earth are you bothered about?"
"No... Isn't that Uchiha Ryo? The scourge of the battlefield?" Uzumaki Zhi looked a bit timid. "Don't you think he's unusually good at taking care of kids?"
Senju She Lin and Senju Bai Mo glanced at each other, and Senju She Lin spoke first. "What's so strange about that? That guy is an older brother, after all."
"Yeah, elder brothers or sisters in the Uchiha clan almost always take care of kids. There's nothing strange about it," Senju Bai Mo nodded in agreement. "I even wish I had elder brothers or sisters like that. My elder brother and sister only push all the blame on me when I make mistakes."
"Yeah, the Uchiha clan's attitude towards their family is really worth learning from."
Uzumaki Zhi: ...