VI

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Arc VI Chapter 13

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Asami refilled her tea cup.“How long do you think you made me wait? I hope you know the answer. Because I am displeased.”

Fu shook his head. “We don't.”

Asami maintained her composure and enjoyed her tea. Chamomile tea. The sweet fragrance calmed her mind. “Hardly surprising considering your usual incompetence. In the end, you are all just like Danzo, your master, inept and useless.” She taunted them and it worked.

Fu gritted his teeth. He suppressed his anger. Her bottomless arrogance and pride knew no boundaries, but it didn't matter. The girl would fall by their hands. The bitch would pay for her hubris.

Asami's voice grew icy. “The answer is twenty minutes. You made me wait twenty minutes despite requesting your presence ages ago. How is that possible? Why did Konoha's elite take a full twenty minutes to get here? What's the reason for you being late. I am curious.”

Fu remained calm, but his hands trembled. Her aura ... permeated the air. The quantity and the potency of her chakra ... frightened him. Her pressure strangled him. This was their enemy. This was Asami. “We are late because we encountered a series of complications. They required our attention.”

Asami rolled her eyes. “Complications ... Sure, and I am the Sage of Six Paths.”

“Indeed, complications.” They had to make preparations and adjust the chain of command. “Not forgetting, twenty minutes isn't that long ...”

“Twenty minutes? Twenty minutes? Not much?” Asami stopped her cup mid air. “Fu, who are you to judge the importance of twenty minutes? Twenty minutes are everything, as time is a luxury we don't have.”

Fu fell silent and clenched his fist in rage. They got scolded by a little girl half their age.

Asami observed Konoha. The village burned in splendid glory. Konoha's soul cried in pain. “Do you remember why I called you?”

Fu raised his eyebrow and nodded. “You called us because ...”

Asami giggled, amused. “Wrong, I never called you. I didn't request your presence. I called Fumihiko. I requested his presence, not yours. So where is he?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Where is Fumihiko?” A simple question with a simple answer.

Fu hesitated. He tried his best to minimise damage. “Fumihiko is currently ...unavailable.”

Asami frowned, clearly displeased. Her icy gaze instilled in them a sense of inferiority, a sense of insignificance. “Fu, I am a gentle soul, but why are you lying to me? How impolite. I ask once again, Fu, where is Fumihiko?”

...

...

...

Fu fell silent.

“Where ... is ... he?”

Fu hesitated. “...”

“Fumihiko was heavily wounded and is therefore currently incapacitated.” Satoshi intervened, saving him.

Asami raised her eyebrow and studied Satoshi. Her gaze penetrated him. “And who are you? What's your name, my friend?”

“Satoshi, Nara Satoshi. We have met before.”

Asami tilted her head. “Satoshi ... Satoshi ... Satoshi ... Doesn't ring a bell, but whatever. You are a Nara, aren't you?”

“I am.” Satoshi nodded.

Asami inspected her nails. “Nara are widely considered intelligent people. So tell me, Fumihiko, how did Fumihiko end up getting wounded? How did that happen? My precious friend should be protected by an army of experienced ninja.”

Satoshi sweated. “He got ... ambushed by a group of Suna-nin. Really bad luck.”

Asami clicked her tongue in mock disappointment. Her annoyance was apparent. Her disgust noticeable. “Do you think me stupid, Satoshi?”

“...” Satoshi lowered his head. Silence was the best course of action. He didn't answer.

Asami sighed. “I have a hard time believing your little fairy tale. Apparently, Fumihiko got ambushed by mysterious Suna-nin right when I need him. That sounds rather suspicious, doesn't it? I will accept your little ambush story for the time being, as I have better things to do. But I assure you, if I ever find out what happened, the consequences will be dire for all of you.” Danzo would pay for his crimes.

“Anyway, I hope Fumihiko is otherwise fine. I enjoyed his presence.”

“His condition ... is stable so far, and we have no doubt he will survive.” Satoshi gave Fu an angry stare. Fu owed him for saving their sorry asses.

“I am glad that's the case.” Asami smiled in secret and turned her attention to Konoha. It was finally time. “Who is in charge of the troops.”

“Kazuma Hyuga.”

...

...

...

Asami contemplated. “Order him to attack immediately. It's time. I want him to send everything in and take our objectives. I don't care how, but he has to take them and close the pocket.”

Asami formed a hand seal and set her eyes on the horizon. Her chakra answered her call and her eyes sparkled dark red.

Satoshi's eyes widened as Konoha's wonderful blue sky darkened. Hundreds upon hundreds of spheres saturated the air. He had witnessed this jutsu before, but the scale was different. This attack was massive. Their number illuminated the horizon in a mass of radiant purple.

Her eyes felt tired, heavy, but her heart smiled. A wonderful work of art, beautiful. Asami closed her bleeding eyes, and Konoha's sky lit up in an inferno of blazing wrath. Consecutive explosions, flashes of light roared in the distance.

Satoshi felt small inside, very small. Her orchestra of destruction continued. Her barrage flattened Konoha's outskirts indiscriminately.

Asami grabbed her scabbard, unsheathing her sword. “Tell Kazuma that I want the entire area to be secured. Pronto.”

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Noritada witnessed the wall of fire as it flattened everything in its way. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was responsible for this destruction. The bombardment carried her signature.

Suna underestimated Konoha. They thought them weak. Jiraiya went on a journey. Tsunade abandoned the village. The Uchiha clan perished. Hiruzen was old, but they still got a kunoichi of her calibre to murder them all. Fucking cheaters.

Asuka studied the barrage. “What was that?”

Noritada clicked his tongue. “That was the 5th Battalion, and our escape route ... Asuka, order all elements to retreat. We need to get out of here. Immediately.”

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Asami had left, and Fu and Satoshi were alone.

Satoshi turned his head. “What do we do now?”

Fu contemplated. “Nothing, stick to the original plan and proceed with the operation as planned. I will report back to Danzo-sama.”

Satoshi blinked in disbelief. “Have you gone mad? Did you see what she did? Asami is far stronger than our dossiers indicated. How am I supposed to fight her with a single company? Danzo didn't inform us the little princess is freaking S-class by now.” This wasn't the first time Danzo deployed them without providing adequate intelligence.

Fu ignored his complaints. “It doesn't matter. You will complete your mission regardless.”

“...” Satoshi clicked his tongue. What a bunch of assholes. Fu, Torune, Danzo, they can all go screw themselves.

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