V

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Arc V Chapter 1

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Once again, a treacherous hangover plagued Shikaku, Konoha’s famed Jonin Commander.

He was supposed to work together with a kunoichi and supervise her actions, but a terrible headache made his life difficult. His head hurt.

What a drag, he was now a tutor for A ... What was her name again? He forgot.

Shikaku didn’t remember her name, but he didn’t worry. He would remember it soon, probably.

Shikaku rested on his office desk, his head turned away from the window. The morning sun annoyed him. The aggressive sunlight only worsened his migraine.

Sleepiness overcame Shikaku, clouding his mind. Staying awake proved challenging as his body demanded some well-earned sleep. Yesterday was a long night.

His eyelids closed as he was taken away into the lands of dreams.

But Shikaku resisted. He fought back with the sheer power of his will. ”Get a grip of yourself, Shikaku. The village still needs you.”

He couldn’t allow himself to fall asleep. The meeting was important.

Shikaku tried to get up with modest success. The residual alcohol in his blood was still strong.

“Damn Inoichi and his rounds.” Shikaku cursed his friend responsible for his miserable state. Once again, his drinking habits caused him more trouble than necessary.

Hadn’t Inoichi ordered a few rounds a week ago, he wouldn’t have turned up to the council meeting next day barely conscious. He would have bothered to read what the Hokage proposed. He wouldn’t have waved the proposal through to get the meeting over with .

Shikaku sighed. This was going to be a lot of fun.

Due to his negligence, he was now stuck with Asami, a girl vested with an unusual amount of power.

According to her ANBU dossier, Asami was beyond powerful, a talented kunoichi without peer. Her character, however, left alot to be desired. Asami was arrogant, prideful, assertive, and prone to insubordination and unnecessary violence. Her mental health was ... questionable, but such was the case for the majority of S-class ninja.

Shikaku yawned, waiting for the girl to arrive. She was late.

Tired, Shikaku turned his head. He regretted his decision immediately. He forgot about the sun.

The brilliant sunlight ambushed Shikaku. His eyes surrendered to the onslaught of malicious brightness. ”Stupid sun.”

Shikaku protected his eyes with his hands. His eyes adjusted to the brightness as his vision cleared.

Amid the brilliant light, sat a girl on a chair. The dawning sun cloaked her, flanked by shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

The girl throned on her chair, inspecting her polished nails, her expression bored.

Asami smiled, clearly amused by his drunken state. “Shikaku, it seems you have seen better days, haven't you?”

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Shikaku sprang into action. His mind, his senses awakened from their alcoholic delirium.

And slightly worried by the fact that had she succeeded in sneaking up on him without him noticing? Granted, he might not be in his best condition, but he should have sensed her.

Shikaku scrutinised Asami. Black hair, black eyes, an aura of smug superiority. It was definitely her.

”You know, you are only half as funny as you think.” The battle began, a battle fought for intellectual dominance.

Asami smirked. ”Probably, but you hurt me. I always considered myself quite a funny person.”

Asami played the dying black swan with near perfection. ”But even then, that still makes me twice as funny as you, Shikaku.”

Shikaku rolled his eyes. ”Sure.”

“More important, how did you get in here? I didn’t see or hear you enter.”

Asami stroked her chin. ”A difficult question.”

“To be honest, sneaking past a semi-comatose jonin wasn't particularly challenging. I was curious how long it would take you to notice my presence?”

Shikaku scratched his head in embarrassment. The explanation made sense. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Oh my, I would never disturb your little nap, but I hope you slept well.”

“I also hope you enjoyed an interesting read. As far as I know, I am quite special.” Asami tilted her head. A dossier on her lied in front of him, openly visible.

Shikaku offered a weak laugh. He let the dossier disappear, hastily shoving it into a drawer. This was not his day.

“Have you prepared anything for today? Any ideas? After all, we are here to discuss the defence of Konoha.” Shikaku changed topic.

Her answer came as a surprise. ”Yes, I have.”

”Did you say yes?”

Asami nodded. She produced a number of files from the inside her kimono and passed them to Shikaku

Shikaku accepted the documents and browsed through the files page for page. ”Case Yellow. What is this, Asami?”

“My task is to protect Konoha. I devised thus a series of plans to counter our threat, to assure victory on the battlefield.” Asami's words didn’t lack confidence.

Shikaku raised his eyebrow. ”Explain.”

“I think we should wait for my secretary. He carries most of the material, but I guess we can already start with the basics.” Asami chuckled.

A cruel fate awaited Konoha's enemies, her enemies. Nothing would save them.

Asami moved to the window overlooking the village. Her black kimono followed her.

Konoha's streets were full of life, crowded by masses of people, crowded by young and old. The village lived. A lovely scene, almost worthy of her protection. Unfortunately, the village was destined to be her stage.

”Tell me, Shikaku, have you ever heard about the concept of the battle of annihilation?”

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