VII

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Arc VII Chapter 7

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Danzo charged in his desperation. Armed with his kunai, he closed in. Facing her in melee was a subpar decision, but he had little choice. Taking her blast was equally suicidal. He regretted his decision quickly.

Asami grinned and scored her next hit, demolishing another portion of the village. Danzo was slow, painfully slow. Her current attack relied primarily on brute force, but their effectiveness was undeniable.

Danzo returned once again, and she resorted to her favourite side arm, her sword. His kunai blocked her Susanoo and snapped, which left him vulnerable.

This was her opportunity to counterattack. Her sword pierced his torso with merciless precision. Her gleaming fire sealed his end. Her plasma torched his paralysed body inside out.

Asami leaned closer and whispered, mocking him, “Seven. You died seven times, yet you still fail to comprehend the discrepancy in power. You and I, we are not equals. We never were.”

Her hand extracted her blade and faced him another time with delight. Her sword sensed her euphoria.

“...” Danzo sweated. Wahtever jutsu he was using, it started to take a toll on him, draining his limited chakra reserves.

Asami accelerated and charged, protected by her purple flames. Fire and wind, katon and futon collided. Her steel met his kunai. He parried her strikes.

“...” Danzo gritted his teeth under the weight of her heavy blows. Eventually, his defence failed. His body was erased by a lance of heated plasma. Once again, his body flickered out of existence.

Asami giggled. “Such a pathetic performance. Is this everything you have to offer?”

Danzo didn't hesitate. He repeated his mistake and charged. Close combat was a terrible idea. He couldn't match her speed, her strength, her skill.

Danzo paid the price, punished by a densely concentrated chakra. Her might pulverised his frail body and another portion Konoha's infrastructure.

Asami sensed his presence, readying her blade. His movement grew increasingly sluggish, careless. His resurrections drained him mentally and physically.

Her hunted continued. Her blade pierced his leg and pinned him down. Danzo struggled in vain.

Asami grinned ominously. “Do you know what I don't understand about all this? Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to kill me? What do you gain from this?”

“...” Danzo refused to answer.

“Such a pity. We aren't talkative today.” Asami ignited her fire and incinerated Danzo. Her purple flames devoured her victim in an endless pyre. His cries of agony resounded through the air.

Her innocent smile struck terror into his heart. “Imagine the world that could have been. Imagine the future that could have been. All lost in a single day.” Danzo burned until nothing remained. His skin remembered the blazing heat.

Reality reset. This time, however, Danzo visibly panicked. He had already died ten times. Whatever it was, he was running out of it.

Asami wielded her sword and stepped closer, prepared to reap his life. “Don't worry, we are not finished yet.” Her lips twisted. Darkness clouded her eyes.

Her Susanoo grabbed him and strangled Danzo. Her palm summoned a tiny flame. “This might hurt a tiny bit, but not for long. Promise. Your death will be slow and painful.”

Asami summoned her fire forwards. Her intentions were clear.

“...” Danzo paled. He had used up his sharingan, yet the demon in black still lived. This was his last chance.

Desperate, he played his final card and prayed, Shisui's eye. His last act of defiance. “Die!!!”

Asami froze and halted. Her whole body refused to move, and her burning glare hit Danzo. “What did you do?”

The girl gripped her sword and stabbed her chest. Her beloved blade pierced her heart and blood stained her kimono. Her hands grew cold. In the end, she died.

Asami's weakened body collapsed and her Susanoo released Danzo.

Danzo escaped her grip and couldn't believe his luck. He won. He won. He won ...

“...” Danzo's eyes widened in shock. Her bloodied corpse rose in his moment of triumph. The girl defied death.

Asami removed her blade from her torso and stood with a gaping hole in her chest. The girl lived, and her wounds regenerated under a subdued purple shimmer. “I have beaten death once, and I will beat death again! You need more to kill me! The world needs more to kill me!”

Asami rammed her steel through his right eye. Her last strength guided her hand. Her blade split his skull apart and tasted the sweet nectar of victory. Victory was hers, but fate robbed her of her triumph.

Danzo's corpse vanished. The coward fled the battlefield. He ran with his tail between his legs.

Asami clenched her fists and coughed blood. “This ... bastard ...”

Danzo would pay for this betrayal. The village would pay for this betrayal.

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Danzo limped through Konoha's burning ruins. He carried his old, broken body along and fled the battlefield. He had to escape this hell. He survived the demon in human skin and lived to tell the tale, but the once proud village was reduced to rubble. Her attacks wrecked havoc.

Butchered, eviscerated, bisected, burnt, he lost all of his Sharingan. A single fight cost him his hard-earned spoils. He even sacrificed Shisui's eye.

“...” His eyes spotted Fu and Torune at the horizon. They brought reinforcements. He was saved.

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