II

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Arc II Chapter 2

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Using the darkness of the night and cloaked by the heavy rain, the trio headed for the mansion, avoiding any potential patrols.

They overcame the exterior stone wall with ease, entering the garden. The mansion was quiet. No light could be seen.

Hagane gave a sign. The mission commenced. From here on, no return was possible. Only success or failure awaited them.

Ibuki and Akihiro nodded in silence. They dispersed, rushing toward their assigned objectives.

Ibuki's task was to secure her mother for the second stage, while Hagane cleared the rest of the mansion, eliminating unintended visitors, planting combustion tags everywhere.

They had to cover up the abduction. And what served better than a little fire? Nobody would miss a single body when they burn down the entire mansion She was just a little girl.

"Dammit, where is she? Where is the girl?" Akihiro grew increasingly erratic. He searched for her bedroom, but the girl was impossible to find. The mansion was just so fucking big. Too many rooms, too many floors, too many doors everywhere.

A certain room down the floor caught Akihiro's attention. Probably because the doorknob was made of pure gold. Conspicuous, wasn't it?

Akihiro was convinced he got the right room. He found the little princess.

He slid the door open, only to be surprised by a kunai.

The kunai , but highly accurate and aimed right for his head.

ducked, the attempt on his life. the kunai embedded itself in the wall behind him

"This was ... unexpected." Akihiro scanned the room for his mysterious attacker.

He found a little terrified girl standing before him. She held on to another kunai. Her nervous hands trembled in fear.

Akihiro focused his eyes. He wasn't deceived by her meek appearance. The girl was suspicious.

Not only was she awake, but she also expected him to enter the room. Her kunai was timed perfectly. Her attack wasn't a mere coincidence.

But judging by her still sleepy expression, the girl should be still slightly confused. He could use that to his advantage.

"Don't worry, stay calm. I mean you no harm. I am your friend. You can trust me." Akihiro placated her. He didn't have much success.

Asami narrowed her eyes. Her malice made Akihiro almost flinch. "My friend? I don't think so. Despite claiming to come in peace, you have nevertheless entered my room without permission.“

“So who are you, my friend, and what are doing here in?" Asami tightened the grip on her kunai.

The fuck still sleepy and confused. Akihiro hid his surprise. From one moment to the next, her personality completely changed. Gone was her insecurity, replaced by determination.

Akihiro relied on his acting skills. He cleared his throat. "I am part of the local ANBU surveillance stationed in this sector. My colleagues and I have detected a group of unidentified intruders entering this mansion. We decided to investigate this case and possibly apprehend them."

"An ANBU? Based on my knowledge, ANBU normally wear masks, don't they?" Asami tilted her head. She remained sceptical.

Akihiro laughed. "I know, I know. We hear that quite often. We are from the ANBU police branch. We usually don't wear masks. They aren't a good idea when you are supposed to operate undercover."

"I see, that makes kind of sense", Asami conceded.

"Then what should we do now?"Asami's open distrust disappeared.

Akihiro mused, "As far as I know, the rest of my squad should be somewhere around here. So let's go searching for them and your mother. Understood?"

Asami nodded happily. "Understood. Just wait a moment, ANBU-san. I have forgotten something."

Asami trotted back to her bed and procured a sword placed on a weapon stand.

It wasn't her only sword. The girl called a vast collection of blades her own, which made Akihiro wonder.

Why did a little girl possess an entire arsenal of swords? She spotted some dolls here and there, but what she had were swords, a lot of swords. Falchions, rapiers, sabres, nodachi, katana hang on the wall. Was this an armoury or a bedroom?

Akihiro stared confused at the sword she carried. The girl smiled. She definitely liked swords. She liked them a lot.

"In dangerous times like these, a girl needs to be armed, right?"Asami pressed her sword against her chest.

"True.“ Akihiro offered a weak laugh.

“Are you ready then?“

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Carrying her swords and clothed in her fluffy pyjama, Asami wandered through the dark house. She followed the unknown stranger.

His little ANBU story was quite believable. Sadly, she tracked their chakra signatures since the beginning.

One of them went after okaa-san, while the other the rest of the house. They captured Kurano and for the sake of their existence, Asami hoped they didn't lay a single finger on her beloved okaa-san. Otherwise, they would pay dearly.

Still sleepy, Asami yawned, rubbing her tired eyes. They ripped her out of her peaceful slumber. That wasn't nice. They woke her up at such an uncivilised hour.

But why? They weren't simple burglars. They were experienced shinobi considering how he dodge her kunai.

They weren't sent to kill her, otherwise, they would have already tried to do so. Instead, they wanted her alive. But for what?

Asami tugged on Akihiro's sleeves. "ANBU-san, ANBU-san, ANBU-san, ANBU-san, ANBU-san, ANBU-san …"

"What is?" Akihiro clicked his tongue. He looked annoyed.

"ANBU-san, ANBU-san, ANBU-san, do you know why these men are here? Do they want to hurt okaa-san?" Asami was worried.

She could defend herself, but okaa-san couldn't. They held okaa-san hostage, which was the only reason she didn't murder them all. As long as they had okaa-san in their possession, she had to act carefully.

"Maybe, maybe not, who knows", Akihiro deflected.

"ANBU-san, ANBU-san, ANBU-san, are you sure they don't want to hurt okaa-san?"

"I said, I don't know."

Asami feigned sadness. Her eyes became watery. "ANBU-san, ANBU-san, ANBU-san, can you promise then you will protect okaa-san?"

"I promise." Akihiro sighed, hoping the girl would finally stop bothering him. She was annoying, extremely annoying.

"ANBU-san, thank you for protecting okaa-san." Asami beamed. She had him, she almost had him. If he lowered his guard just a little bit more.

"No problem." Akihiro smiled back, ignoring the feeling that something about this girl was ... strange.

Asami tilted her head, curious. "ANBU-san, can you really protect okaa-san?“

"Yes, I can."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Really, really?"

"Yes."

"Really, really, really?"

"For the last time, yes, I will protect her and now shut the fuck up!" Akihiro exploded. Enough was enough! The girl seriously got on her nerves.

Asami rolled her eyes and complied. No sense of humour. This was going to a long night.

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Akihiro ignored Asami and kept walking.

Something was wrong with the girl, very wrong. Her presence, her aura, her eyes, everything about her unsettled Akihiro, making him feel uneasy. His instincts warned him, the girl was dangerous, more dangerous than she might look.

Akihiro glanced back. Wearing her warm pyjama, a sleepy girl tagged along, following him. She carried a sword in her arms, visibly struggling not to trip over her tiny feet.

Asami seemed harmless, harmless and innocuous. A normal little girl, and nothing more.

Akihiro relaxed. His uneasiness was just the product of his imagination, a phantom of his rampant paranoia.

Asami tripped and fell, landing hard on the wooden floor. She dropped her sword. "Ouchie.“

Akihiro blinked. Asami was completely harmless. And he thought she was dangerous just a moment ago.

“Can you help me up, ANBU-san?" Asami asked

"Sure." Akihiro leaned down, but he froze. His whole body refused to move.

There it was again. This strange sensation. This uneasy feeling he felt before. A cold shiver ran down his spine. His senses sharpened and his instincts screamed danger.

Akihiro didn't notice the shimmering kunai hidden within the sleeves of Asami's pyjama, a kunai on which was written his name.

Unbeknownst to him, Akihiro eluded death. He didn't lean close enough for Asami to stab his neck. He stopped before Asami ever got the chance to ram her kunai down his collar.

"ANBU-san, is something wrong?" Asami freed Akihiro from his sudden stupor.

"Nothing, it was nothing." Akihiro shook his head. He helped Asami up and together they resumed walking. Soon they reached their destination.

“We have arrived. Your okaa-san is inside there, waiting for you ...“

"What are you doing with the kunai?" Akihiro blinked. Where did she get them from? He didn't see her carry any kunai before.

Asami gripped the kunai. "There are three people inside the room. Okaa-san and two other unidentified people."

Akihiro's eyes widened for an instant. Unidentified what? How did she know? Was she a sensor type or what? Quite unrealistic considering her age.

"Put the kunai away. You won't need them.“ Akihiro reassured her.

“Don't worry, they are part of my team."

“Are they?“ Asami raised an eyebrow.

Akihiro nodded. “They are. And now put your kunai away. We don't want to hurt anybody, do we?“

Asami followed his advice and stowed her kunai away.

Akihiro sighed in relief after averting an unmitigated disaster. This was a close call. A nice little firework in the middle of the night was the last thing they needed. Causing a large commotion was not in their interest.

Explosive tags were wrapped around her kunai and Akihiro didn't doubt they were real.

Akihiro opened the door. They entered.

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