XII

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Arc XII Chapter 10

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“...” Kakashi fell silent, ignoring Chiyo's question. He didn't know her, supposedly.

His reaction didn't surprise Asami. The tenured ninja that he was, Kakashi had served under both the Third and Fourth. Ever the secretive ANBU of old, he was thus rather reluctant to speak. After all, he was asked to divulge closely guarded village secrets of the highest order. Konoha had branded her a traitor with a considerable bounty on her head, yet they remained careful to conceal the full truth, her name only whispered sparsely even within their bingo books. That a prestigious kunoichi of her calibre had turned traitor was never information meant for the general public, for the rank and file. Her betrayal was confidential information limited to ears authorised to know, not to mention her identity.

“What?” Naruto blinked, his curiosity piqued. “Is this true, Kakashi-sensei? You know her?” All attention turned to the former ANBU Captain. He was now under close scrutiny, much to his apparent displeasure.

“...” Kakashi maintained his wall of silence.

Chiyo, however, didn't relent. Quite the contrary. “You thought I wouldn't notice? The way the girl speaks. The way the girl acts. The way you respond. When we met before, you were the first one she addressed directly, Kakashi, and the only one she addressed by full name. And just a few moments ago, the girl even called you Captain. It's obvious that she knows you. And you know her, don't you, Son of the White Fang?” Her gaze pierced Kakashi in an attempt to uncover the truth.

...

...

...

“You are right. I do”, Kakashi finally conceded.

“So it's true ...” Sakura couldn't believe her ears. “How?”

“...” Kakashi remained silent.

Chiyo narrowed her eyes, impatient. “Tell us, Son of the White Fang, who is she? We have a right to know the truth. The whole truth.”

“...” Sakura, Naruto, Temari, Chiyo, their stares bored into Kakashi. They all expected, they all wanted an answer. Kakashi relented.

“I understand ...” Kakashi nodded, a heavy sigh escaping him. “This girl ... Her name is Minami Asami. I know her through my old contacts. Asami was once a kunoichi in service of Konoha. She was once ANBU, an ANBU Captain, in fact. That was before she turned traitor during the Suna-Otogakure invasion four years ago. Asami is said to have betrayed Konoha and abandoned the village. Her whereabouts have been unknown ever since. Until now. It appears that she has since joined the Akatsuki.”

“...” Everyone’s eyes widened, their stares darting between Kakashi and her.

“What ... What did she do?” Naruto demanded, shooting her a withering glare. “Why did she betray the village?”

Kakashi hesitated. “I don't know. They say that she has joined forces with Orochimaru during the invasion, although I personally doubt so. What we know for sure, though, is that she has turned against her comrades that day. Asami has attacked and murdered her comrades in cold blood. She is one who has forsaken the village in its direst hour. That alone is enough to make her a traitor, the vilest kind of scum.”

Naruto froze, his usual cheerful attitude evaporated. He turned to her, his mind unable to understand. “Is this true, Asami? Did you really ...” He gulped. “Did you really kill your comrades!?”

“...” Asami tilted her head, unfazed by his accusations. It was already far too late for cheap excuses. “And what if I had, Naruto? What then? What are you going to do?”

“...” Naruto fell silent. Her words sent a shiver down his spine.

A cold smirk crossed Asami's lips. “Yes, I killed them, Naruto. With my own hands, no less. I butchered them before my very eyes. It was either me, or them. It was not a hard choice to make.”

Chiyo narrowed her eyes, hardly concealing her animosity. “I see ... So this is whom we are dealing with ... A former ANBU Captain and traitor. At such a young age, too ... How troublesome. No wonder that the enemy recruited her. She must be quite skilled, I guess.”

“...” Chiyo’s words elicited a graceful smile from Asami's lips. “How generous, Lady Chiyo. I will take such as a compliment.”

“...” The woman, however, remained completely unfazed. No reaction at all. The sleeves of her dark robe covered her hands, her messy grey hair, her wrinkled face. Her aged eyes, her sharp, calculating gaze, they betrayed her experience. The woman was a veteran of many battles. The woman knew how to fight. How troublesome.

Kakashi continued, “But that's our smallest worry, Lady Chiyo. Minami Asami ... Her name was always one rarely spoken in Konoha, even within the ANBU. The world knows her under a different name.”

“And which name would that be?” Chiyo grumbled, albeit curious.

“... ... ...” Kakashi hesitated. “Asami ... They call her the Black Princess of Konoha.”

...

...

...

“...” Asami mustered a warm smile. So, the truth was finally revealed after all these years. What a splendid development.

“Hmm, she is what?” As usual, Naruto was confused, even when he wasn't alone. Her nickname meant nothing to him, nor to Sakura, nor to Temari. “The Black Princess of Konoha? Who is ... ... ... Granny, Chiyo?”

Naruto glanced at the woman, perplexed. He noticed her sudden change of complexion. And so did Sakura and Temari. They all stared at her, not comprehending what was happening.

Chiyo had paled, all blood and life draining from her face at mere mention of her title. Fear, terror, dread gripped her eyes, her very soul.

“...” Asami grinned with glee. How adorable. The old woman recognised her nickname.

“No ... No ... No ...” Chiyo trembled, her limbs shaking. “This can't ... be ... You are lying! Are you seriously telling me, ... Are you seriously telling me, this girl ... This little girl is Konoha's Black Princess? She is the one we are facing? The Demon of Shimabara? The Devil of Shizugatake? The Fiend of Enryakuji? The Grim Reaper of Nomura? The Butcher of Ukino?”

“Hehehe~. Hehehehe~. Hehehe~. Hahahaheha~.” Asami giggled, her cold, melodic voice claiming their attention. A sense of nostalgia, a sense of longing, a sense of yearning crossed her soft lips. “All these familiar nicknames ... All these familiar places ... All these memories of the past ... Yes, I remember them, the beautiful days when the flower of my youth was in full bloom. Tell me, how many years, how many lifetimes have passed since? I do not know.

Ah ... Ukino ... It was a harsh winter ... The land was frozen, covered in ice and snow. How many Kiri-nin met their fate? Was it 600? 700? 800? Not that it matters at this point.

Nomura. In their arrogance, the Azai and Asakura clan chose to defy the will of the Fire Daimyo. Their rebellion, however, should not go unpunished by heaven. They knew which fate expected traitors. My orders were to put them to the sword. I did as ordered. Men and women, old and young, infants and children. Their clans and villages are no more.

Enryakuji. The monks thought the lords far and wide. High up on their mountain, they thought themselves safe behind the walls of their temple. They thought their teachings of freedom and equality would go unnoticed. They thought wrong. Their teachings attracted the attention of the daimyo. I was sent to purge their misguided beliefs with fire and sword. I did as ordered. I reduced their temple to nothing but ashes. The monks are no more. Their souls probably still curse me from the afterlife.

Shizugatake ... Iwa thought they could threaten Konoha with a single, puny regiment. They thought us weak and feeble after the last war. They thought wrong. I made them see the error of their ways. It only cost them 3 000 good men. Quite the bargain, I suppose.

Shimabara. The peasants thought that they could rise against their rightful lords and masters. They thought that soil and grain belonged to them. They thought wrong. Shimabara paid the price for their folly. 50 000 souls perished in the flames.

But such is all ancient history by now. Ancient history of a time long since passed.”

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