The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! - Chapter 156 - Heading to Kaer Morhen.

[Chapter Size: 2200 Words.]
Third Person POV

Northern kingdoms.

...

...

“What are you doing?” The older woman's voice spoke as she looked with interest at what the boy was doing.
Madara was creating some things on papers using a brush with his own blood, as he possessed chakra to create explosive tags. After all, he was running low on them after all the turmoil.
“Replenishing my stock... as if I were making my potions, if I were a wizard...” Madara used a simple metaphor, causing Geralt, who was cleaning an animal he had hunted for them to eat, to raise an eyebrow upon hearing it.

“That is made with your magic... or the energy you call chakra... is that why you use your blood?” Yennefer asked, clearly curious.

“Yes, it should be done with ink... but I use my blood due to the lack of it, which doesn’t exist in this world...” Madara replied calmly, not minding saying so while keeping his eyes on the kanji he was drawing. He didn’t look at Yennefer, who was evidently curious about him. No matter how Madara shared this information, even using his own blood, no one could exploit it.

Cirilla was still training for the rest of the day with Madara's clone, falling repeatedly against his kenjutsu. Her swordsmanship was inferior, and even Geralt had to admit it was a unique technique. He even offered Ciri some tips to try to counterattack.

“I see... You know these forms are unique...” Yennefer said something without knowing exactly what to say, especially with Madara being so straightforward.

“Ciri is Ciri, you are you, Geralt is Geralt. Each of you has a different type of knowledge and skills,” Madara said, as each person in the room was different from the others.

“I think you’re right,” Yennefer agreed.

“Are you going to keep staring at me, or are you going to ask?” Madara spoke again in a neutral tone, without looking at Geralt, who clearly had questions.

“That monster...” Geralt began, before glancing at Yennefer. “Yennefer said you showed her a picture of it and mentioned it being from another dimension...” he commented, and Madara nodded.

“Yes... I managed to get into the mind of that creature a few times. It comes from a dimension called Limbo... I must search for the rift between the two planes. After all, it said it would be reborn, and I can’t afford to be idle when it begins building an army of the dead as it planned during the war,” Madara replied.

“An army of the dead?!” Ciri stopped her training at that moment, unaware that Madara had faced a Lich. Yennefer and Geralt had discussed this privately when Geralt asked how Madara had fared in the mountains after he left, as the boy had declared he would face the creature alone at the time.

“Something I encountered, but let’s set that aside for now,” Madara said as his gaze finally fell on Geralt. “I don’t think I can scour the entire continent quickly enough. If you have any information—whether from witchers or sorcerers—let me know,” he said.

“If you’re saying there’s a rift between our world and that thing that can raise the dead... I’ll keep an eye out for it, but we can discuss this further at Kaer Morhen,” Geralt said, seemingly accepting the idea of Madara heading there.

“I’ll also report this. I’m sure Tissaia will be interested in hearing about it, but I need to warn you that if Vilgefortz is alive, he will try to turn all the realms against you. After all, there’s nothing worse than a vengeful sorcerer,” she said.

“I’ll hunt him down as soon as I can, if that’s the case. He’s too dangerous to remain alive,” Madara responded calmly.

“I understand. I’m just warning you that your presence won’t be well received in any of the kingdoms for years to come...” she said, already imagining how the kings would react to the news of the war’s outcome and how they would deal with Madara being the prime suspect behind the giant blue being that carried out a unilateral massacre.

“I understand. And do you know what’s happening in Cintra at the moment?” Madara asked, while Ciri also paid close attention with intense eyes, eager to hear.

“We don’t know yet, but they’ll surely discuss it at the meeting that’s coming up in three days,” Yennefer said as Madara nodded.

“If Nilfgaard has been defeated now... what will happen to Cintra?” Ciri asked, a bit nervous. He looked at her.

“We don’t know, but we’ll talk about it later,” he said, as it was a private conversation. Yennefer, who was there, merely looked at Geralt without saying anything. They were the adults in the room, and these children were discussing the future of a fallen kingdom. It was strange, but neither of them intervened, not even Yennefer, who was usually more inclined to do so.

While Ciri nodded at Madara’s words, he finished stocking more explosive tags in his arms and storage seals. He returned to Geralt, who was finishing roasting the deer he had hunted in the forest.

“You know, I fought a witcher from the School of the Cat a few years ago and took that sword with magical glyphs... The same one you saw when we fought that thing resurrected from the dead in the mountains. It broke when I used it against the Lich, which was quite dangerous with its own scythe... I’d like to get another sword like that, but I don’t know where to find one. Could you help me with that?” he asked, as no one in Cintra, not even Mousesack, could create something similar.

“Glyphs are rare on the Continent. Unless you find a master with the skill, which I think is unlikely. Not even my swords have glyphs,” Geralt said in a dry tone.

Madara nodded at this. He knew that in the game, Geralt had found a merchant northeast of Novigrad. Perhaps he’d be lucky to encounter the same. After all, swords had become quite resilient to symbols, and it would be difficult to find another like it made purely of metal. Perhaps he could craft one himself with Fūinjutsu; it was something to try in the future.

After speaking with Geralt—who only spoke when necessary, much like Madara—he returned to Cirilla, who was still practicing alone. She had trained all day, determined to grow stronger, and he helped her.

Later.

“Do you think we can’t reclaim Cintra?” Ciri asked.

It was nighttime, and Madara was outside the hideout with Ciri. Both were gazing at the sky. At that moment, the topic of Cintra came up, now that Nilfgaard had toppled the kingdom. No one knew its true fate.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Ciri,” he said. “I believe you need to grow stronger and older first... The kingdom is devastated, full of Nilfgaardians. There will be people who will judge and blame the royal family for the disaster that happened in Cintra. There will be people who will try to manipulate or even kill you to take the kingdom for themselves, both inside and outside of Cintra...” he explained.

“But I’d have you by my side, wouldn’t I?” she asked, her eyes almost pleading for him not to leave.

He didn’t respond at first but sighed. “I want to travel and explore the lands of the Continent. You’ve always known that. I can’t do everything from a court... There are things in this world we need to face. As you’ve already seen, I don’t even know if I could be the king of Cintra as your grandmother wanted,” he said.

Ciri listened to Madara and looked up at the sky, pondering his words.

“You know, I think you’re completely right. Maybe you’re more needed traveling the world and fighting as you’re doing now... Exactly that,” she said. “It would make me very upset, but I can understand. But even so, you wouldn’t fight forever, right? You’d come back, wouldn’t you?” she asked, taking her eyes off the sky to look at him.

She spoke these words with rare maturity, which even caused Madara’s expression to change. He looked at her, slightly surprised. Before he could respond, she smiled and continued.

“But this could also be interesting. After all, we’ll do it together, right?” she asked.

“As long as you become strong enough,” Madara replied in a neutral tone.

“Then that’s great! I’ll become stronger, and we’ll fight together. But if one day we can reclaim Cintra, you’ll help me, won’t you?” she asked again. It was still her home, after all.

“Obviously,” he replied, falling silent beside her afterward as they both continued to look at the sky.

Meanwhile, Geralt and Yennefer were still eating their meal inside, without much conversation.

“You know... it’s strange...” Geralt tried to break the silence. “Why are you so interested in the boy?” he asked, as Yennefer seemed unusually intrigued, especially after what she had heard.

“You can’t seriously think I’m in love with a brat, can you?” she raised an eyebrow, as if such a notion were impossible.

"..." Geralt didn’t respond, while she sighed and continued.
"He saved my life, but that’s not why. He’s not as bad as you think, Geralt. He has abilities that defy all the logic of this world, abilities that shouldn’t even exist here... but at the same time... the beings he fought... he’s necessary... it’s strange... I wanted to observe him first... but somehow, I like him...” Yennefer murmured.

"He killed 100,000 people, didn’t he?” Geralt said, still somewhat skeptical. Despite everyone who knew Madara claiming he was trustworthy, hearing about his feats made it difficult to believe he was still human—perhaps worse than a monster.

"Yes, that’s true. However, doesn’t Nilfgaard also kill thousands of people? Were they not going to invade, destroy, and kill other innocents, with rapes, murders, perhaps even slavery? Just because one side suffers doesn’t mean the other is good. What do you think would have happened to the North if Nilfgaard had invaded?” she countered.

Geralt said nothing and returned to eating, aware that Ciri and Madara were outside, sitting together.

The silence was broken when a loud noise came from the room. Yennefer and Geralt looked at the griffin lying there, releasing gas while it slept.

"Vesemir certainly won’t be thrilled to see a griffin inside Kaer Morhen,” Geralt murmured, while Yennefer smiled lightly and began to laugh discreetly.

"Certainly not,” she said amusedly, looking at him for a moment. An odd silence fell between them, creating a certain atmosphere as they stared at each other.

"How about freshening up a bit? I’ve heard the waterfall here is quite nice at night,” Geralt said, breaking the silence.

"Geralt, this is my laboratory. I know it better than anyone. You need to improve your flirting,” she said, still smiling, while the witcher grew slightly awkward at her teasing.

"But I’ll accept. Let’s make the most of it while the kids are outside for a while,” Yennefer concluded, heading toward the small waterfall within the hideout. Geralt followed her.

The next morning, Ciri was securing a small pouch at her waist while dressed in a flexible leather armor for the journey north. Madara wore armor covered by a dark cloak and handed a similar one to Ciri, so both would be protected during their journey. Yennefer was finishing packing her belongings while waiting for them to depart.

Geralt was ready too. Madara had brought him a horse after purchasing it in a village 20 kilometers away. Despite the distance, it had been easy for Madara to carry the horse on his back, running all the way to the hideout.

Finally, they were prepared to leave the hideout. Yennefer would meet with the sorcerers before the upcoming meeting of the Continent’s major powers, while Geralt would travel alone. Madara and Ciri would head north at a much faster and safer pace, aiming for Kaer Morhen with a letter from Geralt for Vesemir. After all, the old witcher would find it odd for two young people to simply appear claiming Geralt was on his way. The letter would explain the situation.

"See you at Kaer Morhen then,” Yennefer said, as Geralt nodded.

"Good luck. I hope to see you soon. Stay safe,” Yennefer said, bidding them farewell with a worried look directed at Ciri and Madara.

“Take care, Yen,” Geralt said.

"Goodbye, Yennefer. Take care of yourself,” Ciri replied.

Madara remained silent, merely nodding as a farewell.

The next moment, Madara picked up Ciri, holding her in his arms, and ran off, leaping as they disappeared into the forest treetops. Yennefer opened a portal and vanished, while Geralt mounted his horse and rode off.

The griffin would remain in the hideout, but Madara planned to summon it as soon as they reached Kaer Morhen. Before leaving, Madara had left enough food to sustain the griffin for several weeks, ensuring it wouldn’t be a problem.