VI

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Arc VI Chapter 11

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Asami cleared her lungs. Dust darkened the sky and limited her vision, but her heart enjoyed this moment of pride. The enemy ceased to be. Her attack achieved its objective despite minor repercussions.

Asami braced herself, her Susanoo and her chakra shielding her from the blast. Not wasting any more time, she advanced across the crater. Wooden debris, destruction, death and melodic screams filled the battlefield.

The lucky ninja died a gracious death. Shredded by her air burst, impaled by splintered wood, crushed by rubble, their lives ended quickly. They were lucky as they didn't suffer long. The unlucky survived and clung to their miserable lives. Their bones twisted beyond recognition, their limbs torn apart. The pain in their cries, the suffering, the desperation, the hopelessness. They were ninja destined to die. No hope, no salvation awaited them.

Asami spotted a helpless Suna-nin down the street, trapped under a mountain of rubble. He struggled to move, and Asami tiptoed towards him.

The boy was young, and death was only a matter of minutes. Sharp metal splinters punctured his lungs. His blood glimmered in the sun.

She was responsible. It was her who caused his demise. Her pure and white hands were sullied with so much blood. So many lives were lost. Their deaths were the product of her actions. It felt ... wonderful, empowering, exhilarating.

Asami drew her steel and marched forwards to finish her work.

The boy coughed up blood. His weak voice trembled. “Please ... have ... mercy ...”

Asami giggled, her purple irises meeting his frightened eyes. “Mercy? I think it's a bit late for that, isn't it? Once blood flows, it's difficult to draw the line.” Her sword struck, killing the first straggler of many. Nobody escaped her judgement.

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“What the fuck was this!?” Kyushichi shoved the debris aside. He got nearly buried under the rubble. He wasn’t sure what happened, but his squad got lucky for sure.

He had to thank his wall, the sturdiest wall he had ever witnessed. Strong and stable, the simple and humble wall shielded him from the blast. The wall was his friends, and his friend didn't disappoint him.

Kyushichi dusted off his jacket and inspected his surroundings. Chaos greeted him. The detonation shook the earth and turned the entire block into an apocalyptic wasteland, which surprised him. These types of destructive methods were ... unusual for Konoha. Even Iwa’s infamous explosion corps weren’t prone to such collateral damage.

Their Konoha friends were supposed to be the goodies, but reality proved him wrong. The blast caught him and his men unprepared. The shock wave shredded three companies.

“...” Kyushichi bit his lips. His hands fidgeted. They didn’t fight the usual type Konoha ninja. They fought an enemy ready to destroy them no matter the cost, no matter the price.

His eyes scanned the area and checked his squad. “Are you okay?” His squad looked fine.

Ichiyo rose and moved the mountain of bricks. They buried him like a tomb. “A few bruises here and there, but otherwise we are fine, I guess.”

Kyushichi felt relieved. “Glad to hear that.”

Hatsumi followed suit and resurrected from the dead. “What the fuck was this?”

Kyushichi studied the destruction, his gaze wandering across the area. “No idea, but the shock wave nearly buried us.” Three angry looking purple spheres dropped on their position, but they survived the ordeal.

Hatsumi dusted off her clothes. “What's our plan now?”

Kyushichi crossed his arms. “We will search for survivors and regroup. The wounded require our attention.”

Hatsumi nodded in agreement. “Let’s move out ...”

“I doubt that will be necessary.”

“...” Kyushichi grabbed a kunai and acted. An intruder disturbed their peace, but his hand hesitated. His eyes met a girl in black kimono. Her arms carried a teddy bear. The teddy wore a green flak jacket and a ninja headband.

The little girl hugged her teddy, her hopeful eyes sparkling. “Have you seen Okaa-san?”

...

...

...

Kyushichi and Hatsumi exchanged looks. This was ... unexpected. The girl wasn’t an enemy. They just encountered a lost girl armed with a teddy and searching for her mother.

“...” Kyushichi holstered his kunai. He was free to eliminate the girl, but such wasn't a viable option. Despite years of service, his heart still beat. They attacked Konoha to conquer, not to slaughter civilians.

“...” Hatsumi shrugged her shoulders, equally at loss. What were they supposed to do with the girl?

Kyushichi offered an uneasy smile. “Tell me, what happened?”

The girl cast her gaze downwards, her voice trembling. “I saw a big bright flash, then everything turned black. When I woke up, Okaa-san disappeared, so I search for her. Have you seen her?”

Kyushichi scratched his head. “Unfortunately, we can't help you. We haven’t seen her.”

The girl hugged her lonely ninja teddy. “That's disappointing, but maybe you can help. We can search for her together.” The girl clenched her fists and her black eyes glimmered, filled with hope.

Kyushichi gritted his teeth. He despaired. This was ridiculous. A little girl armed with a fucking teddy incapacitated his entire squad. Unacceptable. He had to find a solution. They had objectives and orders. They couldn't waste any more time on little girls.

Kyushichi pinched his nose and turned to Hatsumi for help. The message was clear. You are a woman. She is a girl. Solve this problem.

Hatsumi took over, albeit only grudingly. “Girl, do you know who we are?”

The girl nodded, smiling. “Of course, you are ninja. Okaa-san says ninja are people who help other people in need. So you are going to help me?”

“I understand, you won.” Kyushichi conceded defeat. Sometimes, he wasn’t made for the ninja job. Too kind for his own good, one good deed didn’t hurt. They made the right decision. “Hatsumi, Ichiyo, you accompany the girl and escort her. Help her search for her Okaa-san. The rest of us will look for survivors.”

Hatsumi remained doubtful. “Kyushichi, are you sure this is a good idea?”

Kyushichi didn't care and ignored her. “We have already wasted enough time. One little girl more or less doesn't matter ...”

“Indeed, it doesn't.” The girl giggled, her aura completely changed. Her eyes sharpened, and her voice grew icy. Danger lingered in the air. “Do you know what's funny, Kyushichi? You are the only group who agreed to help me. You agreed to help me despite not having the faintest idea who I am. Nevertheless, you made the right choice. You followed your heart.”

Asami's eyes turned luminescent purple. “You are kind souls. It's a shame that I have to kill you.”

Kyushichi tried to move, but he couldn’t. His body froze, petrified by her gaze. His hands trembled in fear.

“Bye bye, I hope you enjoy your sleep.” Asami waved.

Kyushichi felt tired, incredibly tired. His mind drifted away, unable to resist the lure of her eyes. His heavy eyelids closed. He fell.

...

...

...

“Captain, ... come ... We have found ... survivors ...”

...

“No doubt ... it's ... Kyushichi ...”

...

“He is ... still breathing ... Captain ... They are all ... still alive ...”

...

“They were ... knocked out... They are ... trapped ... inside ... a genjutsu ...”

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