II

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Arc II Chapter 1

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Rain fell from the sky, enveloping Konoha in a veil of thick fog. Lightning split the clouds apart, enlightening the night with their brilliance.

Surrounded by the forces of nature, three men walked down the road on the way to Konoha. Heavy trench coats covered them, but even they little protection against the elements.

" Have I ever told you I hate rain, Ibuki?" Akihiro grumbled, complaining as usual.

Ibuki seemed annoyed. "You did. 27th times already to be exact.“

Akihiro countered, "Ibuki, clam down. Don't be..."

"Silence, both of you. Do you idiots want to blow our cover, or what? " Hagane glared. They were good friends, but enough was enough.

Ibuki protested," Hagane, you are exaggerating. This was just a civilised discussion among friends.“

“And I doubt Konoha will get us. Based on our sources, their internal security is weak right now. Their security forces are understaffed and overstretched“

“They lost the Uchiha clan three weeks ago, and together with them the entirety of the military police. Most posts are still vacant as they don't have the manpower to replace the lost Uchiha.“

“But we should be careful. Kumo doesn't need another Hyuga incident."

Akihiro agreed," I remember, the mission was a disaster of abysmal proportions. We were lucky that the mission didn't compromise the peace treaty. "

Hagane nodded. "True, we can't afford a repetition of three years ago. This time, failure is not an option. Under no circumstances, we can allow Kumo's involvement in this mission to be revealed."

"We will meet our informant in Konoha. He will provide us with all the necessary intel for this operation. He informed Kumo that he had got his hands on valuable information."

"Valuable information? How valuable?" Akihiro furrowed his eyebrow.

Hagane grinned. “How many great dojutsu does Konoha have?“

“Two, but we didn't come for the Byakugan. We are here for the Sharingan.“

“Our contact has information on how to get them. They say the Uchiha clan was wiped out, but that's not true. Itachi didn't get them all."

Ibuki's interest was piqued. "What do you mean?"

Hagane smiled. "Two Uchiha survived. His little brother, and a girl."

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"We have two options“, Akihiro summarised.

“Option one is to get the boy, but I don't consider it a viable option. They protect him all day. Konoha dispatched multiple ANBU squads just to guard him. He is the last Sharingan user Konoha has and he is an important asset to the village."

"Any move against him would be extremely difficult, if not outright suicidal.

Hagane and Ibuki agreed. They shared Akihiro's analysis.

"Option two is to get the girl. The question is only whether we should take the gamble or just cancel the entire operation. We have no confirmation that she is indeed an Uchiha."

Ibuki mused, "The girl is undefended. We shouldn't encounter any resistance if we decide to abduct her.“

“But the main question is whether she is the real deal or not. Can we rely on our intel?"

“Because I don't consider overhearing a random stranger saying something a reliable source of information. Especially, if said stranger has not only fallen into alcoholism, but is also known as notorious liar.“

“Can we really trust this man to tell the truth? Is Asami really his daughter? Or did our drunken Uchiha lie as usual? I think the latter was the case."

"And even if she is an Uchiha, it's far from sure she can awaken the Sharingan."

Akihiro disagreed, "Ibuki, you are looking at this from the wrong perspective."

"What do you mean, Akihiro?"

"Ibuki, targeting the girl has a relatively low risk profile. Failure is unlikely. The risk negligible. We can only gain.“

“ If we achieve our objectives or not, it doesn't matter. In the best case, we get a pair of Sharingan. In the worst case, we just kill her and leave. So why so pessimistic, Ibuki?"

Ibuki fell silent. He gave up his resistance. "Right. Still, Akihiro, you shouldn't forget; getting an Uchiha doesn't mean getting the Sharingan.“

“Not every Uchiha awakens the Sharingan. Some awaken them early. Some never. But without the eyes, the girl is worthless.“

“How do we verify that she possesses them?"

"Akihiro, Ibuki, I think I have a possible solution for our problem.“ Hagane interrupted.

“Have you ever heard about the curse of hatred?"

Akihiro and Ibuki exchanged looks. Both shook their heads. Curse of hatred what?

Hagane sighed. "I have only heard some rumours here and there, but from what I understood, Uchiha suffer from the so-called curse of hatred.“

“The Sharingan awakens when the user is subjected to emotional stress or trauma."

"So we need to expose her to immense emotional stress?" Akihiro sounded sceptical.

Hagane confirmed," Exactly."

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"Why does it always rain ?" Akihiro grumbled.

"Always? That's just an assumption on your part, Akihiro. We had plenty of missions without rain", Ibuki objected.

"True enough", Akihiro caught a few raindrops with his hands. The raindrops were heavy. The rain wouldn't cease soon.

Hagane checked his gear. "We get in and out quickly. No interruptions. No diversions. Time is precious. Secure both targets. Eliminate everyone else. Afterward, we will proceed with the second stage of our plan. Understood?"

Akihiro and Ibuki nodded.

Under the cover of the pitch black night, the fateful trio moved out.

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