VII

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Arc VII Chapter 3

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Armed with his cane, Danzo overlooked Konoha from the wall. The outcome of his little operation pleased him. The air burned purple and an immense fireball engulfed everything.

Satoshi had succeeded, apparently. He even exceeded his expectations. His minion completed his mission faithfully, although he slightly regretted his loss. He was such a valuable pawn. The operation cost him Satoshi and a full company of Root ANBU, but sacrifices had to be made for the sake of the village. Nobody was irreplaceable, not even Satoshi.

The fireball dissipating and the battle began. “Fu, are our friends on their way?”

Fu nodded. “Shibi and Tsume were ordered to advance and commence the attack. Naritomo and his unit are currently advancing in her direction. We expect them to make contact soon.”

Danzo grinned. His plans proceeded as predicted and Konoha was in for a nasty surprise. They would meet an adrenaline filled Asami prepared to murder them all. A single spark and her world would go down in flames. “How much do they know?”

“Shibi and Tsume are still unaware of what is going on. We left them in the dark and provided only minimal information.”

“And Naritomo?”

Fu grinned. “He was informed about her arrest and the possibility of Asami having turned traitor. We ordered him to attack her on sight if necessary, as the girl is dangerous.”

“Excellent, you never disappoint me, Torune.” His words pleased Danzo. “Order all Root elements to retreat. Satoshi has fulfilled his purpose and I see no reason to engage her any further beyond this point. We will conserve our forces.”

“Understood, Danzo-sama.” Fu lowered his head and left.

“So it has begun.” Danzo chuckled amused.

Purple spheres floated above the village and announced her might. Once again, Konoha was bathed in purple light. Once again, Danzo felt the tremendous force of her shock wave. Uchiha were always such troublesome opponents. They knew no constraints.

Danzo discarded his cane and removed the seals from his right arm. This was going to be a tough fight.

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Sweet, candid voices invaded her mind. Voice of destruction, voices of bloodshed, voices of madness whispered to her. The voices lured, tempted, seduced her.

The honeyed voices commanded her to kill, and her bloodstained hands obliged. They administered her retribution. The voices guided her as her cause was just. They deserved death. Konoha wronged her. Konoha betrayed her,

Asami clenched her fist and her Susanoo marched on. Nothing shall withstand her wrath. She had dedicated her sweat, her blood, her life to Konoha, She sacrificed so much for this village, but Konoha turned on her in a heinous act of betrayal. Konoha repaid her kindness with the cold steel of a kunai.

She didn’t deserve this cruel fate. She deserved better. She was destined for so much more, but her future was bleak.

Where was Konoha in her hour of need? Where was Konoha when she lost her mother? Where was Konoha now? The answer was nowhere.

Disappointment overcame Asami. The betrayal hurt, and the voices grew stronger. Her resistance weakened.

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Naritomo took cover, bracing himself against the explosions. A sea of purples flames devastated the village. What was going on here? He had no idea.

The explosions approached the epicentre, and the strikes crept closer. They were wandering in their direction.

Was Suna responsible for this? Or Oto? Naritomo wasn’t keen on finding out. He had a hunch, and he didn’t like the implications.

Naritomo remembered Shimabara. He remembered the girl in black. He remembered her purple chakra. Their commanding officer, a lovely little girl named Asami, had turned traitor. They were supposed to attack her. It didn’t take much to put two and two together.

The dust settled and Naritomo inspected his unit. A handful of jonin, chunin, and loads of fresh genin. The genin were young, too young. They Never experienced real combat before, as peace reigned since the end of the war. “Is everyone fine?”

“More or less. No casualties, from what we can tell.” Shino reported and dusted off his clothes. They didn’t take any casualties, but they caught a lot of dust. An avalanche of dust and ash buried them.

Dust, dusty dust, dust and debris everywhere. His ears were still ringing.

“Good to hear.” Naritomo shook his head, but his tinnitus didn't disappear. Stupid explosions. Stupid shock waves.

“Should we advance further, Captain?”

Naritomo blinked, giving Shino an incredulous stare. “Do you want to die, or what? No, we are going nowhere. We keep our heads down and hold our position ...”

His senses registered ninja approaching, unsure whether it was friend or foe. Two, three, four. They were many, and they travelled fast. His eyes spotted the approaching ANBU. The group circled around the corner. Five, thirteen, twenty-five, thirty-six. Waves of ANBU entered the street and advanced quickly.

Battered, bruised, bloodied, their clothes shredded, the ANBU ran and rapidly closed the distance. As if they had escaped hell itself. Another group followed. Konoha ninja filled the streets. Their green flak jackets gave them away. Their faces betrayed panic, ... fear, ... terror.

“...” Noritomo gulped as realisation struck. The ANBU weren't running. They were fleeing.

Another group appeared, Suna-nin and Oto-nin Scattered, beaten, disorganised, the enemy ran for their lives and fled the battlefield.

Another group followed.

And another.

And another.

And another.

Their numbers grew and Naritomo paled. His blood froze. ANBU, Konoha, Suna, Oto, they were all on the run. The disintegrated remnants of entire platoons, of entire companies. They had made contact with something beyond imagination and Naritomo knew who. They were fleeing from her.

The earth trembled. A cascade of violent explosions announced her arrival. Asami had gone berserk.

“RUN!!!”

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