III

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Arc III Chapter 3

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Asami watched the retreating Kiri-nin . The boy wasn’t the worst runner she had ever seen. Nothing surprising after the little show she had put on for him. He ran for his life.

Asami retrieved her kunai. They were still stuck into the oak and too precious to be wasted like this. Afterwards, she waited, and waited, and waited. Nobody came.

Would her actions ignite their desire for revenge, or would they listen to reason and give up? She didn't know.

Asami sheathed her blade. If intimidation didn’t work, if they ignored her warnings, she would persuade them with steel.

Her eyes swept across the battlefield, admiring her handiwork of death, blood and gore. Corpses littered the snowy ground.

The sight filled Asami with pride. Her performance had improved since her fateful encounter with Itachi.

That day, Itachi made her a gift. That day her sharingan changed, transformed. Her eyes evolved, further augmenting her style. The sharingan was a truly potent weapon, a weapon that was hers and hers alone. She was now in possession of the legendary mangekyo sharingan, but her eyes remained a weapon of last resort, only to be used wisely.

Her mangekyou exerted a degree of control over her chakra never experienced before. They granted her a mastery of chakra down to the most elemental level, down to the very fabric, the very essence of chakra. Close or far, her eyes allowed her to manipulate, to command, to shape, to rule it with near perfection. Form, density, cohesion, her chakra obeyed her.

Her chakra was the extension of her will, the manifestation of her desires, the weapon of her hopes and dreams. Asami was her chakra. Her chakra was her. Her control was absolute. Her new powers exhilarating.

Asami giggled with a certain sense of satisfaction. It took time and effort to even understand the true extent of her powers, not to mention master them. Despite her modest progress, much remained still unknown, shrouded in mystery.

The mangekyo sharingan proved to be an illusive piece of information, hard to come by with its existence being hardly know outside informed circles. Despite digging through the village archives, they didn't offer much information about the Uchiha clan and the secrets of the sharingan.

Documents and scrolls existed, but the vast majority ended up being strictly classified following the day of the Uchiha clan massacre. A drastic measures, taken by the village council.

Her ANBU background allowed her access to some less confidential material, but even her access was limited.

There was something fishy about the Uchiha clan and their sudden disappearance, and she wasn't the only one to believed so.

Asami crossed her arms and watched the falling snow. The blizzard intensified.

Fifteen delivered her message. The pursuing Kiri-nin halted and regrouped. Not only did they stop, but they also retreated. Their chakra signatures indicated such.

Eliminating their vanguard achieved the desired effect, the main force abandoned their suicidal pursuit.

Asami smirked satisfied and moved to the assembly point. Night was coming and temperatures fell. Despite multiple layers of warm clothing, she was freezing.

Asami rubbed her gloves. Her heart desired a fluffy bed and a hot chocolate.

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Asami reached the assembly point, an abandoned village near the border. The war devastated the entire region. All sides pillaged, plundered, murdered, razed, cleansed. The border areas were hit hard. They never truly recovered even after all these years.

Asami entered the abandoned village. ANBU patrolled the area, guarding their camp against undesired intruders.

Asami looked around. All three other ANBU squads returned, but their ranks were depleted. Casualties were high, losses significant. Many ANBU were missing. Many ANBU met their fate. They probably encountered heavy resistance like them.

The missions they carried out were dangerous, and risky. Failure had to be expected, yet the severity of their losses surprised Asami. Their missions led them deep into Kirigakure, deep into enemy territory without additional support.

Asami spotted Harumi among the abandoned ruins. She was an ANBU, a medic. The green glow of her medical ninjutsu illuminated the air.

Harumi tried to save Masayuki. He was wounded, a deep cut stretched across his abdomen. Blood stained his body.

Harumi healed her all, but her efforts were in vain. The cut didn’t close.

Asami doubted Masayuki would survive. He was close to the world of the dead. His life would end. Nothing could save him anymore.

Asami was right.

Bitter tears ran down Harumi's face. Her sobbing filled the cold heartless night. Masayuki wasn't anymore. They knew each other for so long, but today fate ripped them apart.

Asami had seen enough and continued her stroll through the village. The falling snow accompanied her on her way.

Asami scanned the streets. Many ANBU rested to recuperate. Their missions took a toll on them. Most suffered only minor injuries, nothing serious, which was good.

The dead were cheap. They required nothing. Wounded ninja, however, were troublesome. They were a burden, dead weights that dragged you down.

Asami met Konosuke and the rest of her squad. They were exhausted, their fatigue clearly visible.

Konosuke debated with the other squad leaders. They discussed something important.

Asami entered the scene.

Konosuke noticed her. His eyes widened in shock. He gaped as if she had returned from the dead. “Asami ...“

“Surprised, aren't we?” Asami giggled. His stare amused her. She enjoyed moments like these.

“You are alive.” Konosuke regained his composure. “I thought you already dead, but it seems ... I was wrong.”

Asami crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks. “You disappoint me, Konosuke. I didn't think you have so little faith in my abilities. Do you really think a few harmless Kiri-nin can even scratch me?”

Konosuke mustered a weak laugh. "Aren't we a bit overconfident, Asami? You overestimate yourself, as usual.”

“I disagree, you underestimate me.”

“I doubt so.“

“How did you make it back?” Konosuke studied her coat. A conspicuous crimson touch coloured her fur coat red.

Asami flashed an innocent smile.“I made contact with their vanguard and eradicated them. Fifteen Kiri ANBU were eliminated. The main force gave up and retreated.”

Konosuke blinked. Fifteen? She eliminated fifteen Kiri ANBU?

“Fifteen? You are kidding, aren't you?“ Akahito, captain of the second squad, didn't believe her.

“Two, maybe three, but fifteen of these fuckers? No way.“

“Konoha would have informed us that we can call on a little girl capable of demolishing small armies.”

“You don’t believe me?”

Akahito clicked his tongue. “Not in a thousand years.“

“What do you think, Ino?” Akahito turned to Ino. She was the captain of the fourth squad.

“Based on my information, she is talented, but who knows? The youth these days is strong and we are old. Don't you remember Itachi? He was stronger than all of us combined.”

“And what's your opinion, Koichi, Konosuke?” Akahito searched for support.

Koichi didn't answer. His eyes were focused on the enigmatic girl called Asami.

Koichi was a veteran. He served during the war and he survived. His instincts saved him countless times, and they warned him, the girl was exceedingly dangerous. Behind her childishness, hid more than met the eye.

Konosuke scratched his head.

“You too, Konosuke? Why don’t you give me the benefit of the doubt?” Asami reacted dismayed.

“Well, you are quite skillful and powerful for your age, but …”

“I understand.”Asami sighed,

They doubted her abilities, for understandable reasons. Nobody in the village had even the faintest idea about the true extent of her powers.

She rarely displayed her powers openly. If she made use of them, witnesses tended to be rare.

The world shouldn't know about her heritage and its implications. Her Sharingan remained a secret shrouded in mystery.

“I give up, I swear I didn't fight off fifteen angry ANBU, but only three guys.“

“Are you satisfied now?”

Akahito nodded. ”I am.”

Asami rolled her eyes. Idiot.

Asami looked around. “Is it just my imagination, or have our ranks thinned?”

“So you noticed?” Konosuke grew serious.

“Noticed, you say? It's quite obvious. Barely half of us have returned …”

“Not even half.” Koichi sighed in resignation.

“We suffered heavy losses. Ten ANBU were killed in action. Seven went missing. Five were heavily wounded. Our tactical situation is ... precarious.“

“Four.” Asami corrected.

“Masayuki died a few moments ago. You can reduce the number of wounded by one.”

“I see.“ Koichi fell silent.

“What happened?” Asami asked. She demanded an explanation for this disaster.

Ino voiced her opinion, “No idea, but I suspect our missions were compromised.

“My squad got ambushed. We were nearly wiped out. The same happened to Akahito and Koichi.”

Akahito agreed. ”It was as if they were waiting for us …”

An ANBU guard appeared, kneeling on the ground. He addressed Koichi, “Captain.”

“What's the matter, Norinaga?”

Norinaga raised his head. “The enemy has sent a messenger. He wants to negotiate our surrender.”

“Three companies of Kiri ANBU have surrounded our position. They demand our capitulation to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Otherwise, they will be forced to annihilate us.”

Konosuke, Ino, Akahito and even Koichi grew silent.

Seconds turned into minutes. A feeling of hopelessness and despair infected their minds as realisation struck.

Three whole companies ... That was an extraordinary number. Three companies were not a force they could ever hope to fight.

They were done for.

Asami clenched her fists. “Listen, there are no desperate situations, there are only desperate people. No matter how inevitable defeat might seem, the battle isn't lost yet.”

“Tell our messenger to fuck off before I decide to send his head back to their lines. If they want our capitulation, they have to claim it by force. If we die, we will go down with honour.”

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