III

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Arc III Chapter 8

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Asami and her little group approached the gates of Shimabara. A messenger announced their arrival. Kumo ANBU manned the walls. They watched their every step. Naritomo accompanied Asami on an involuntary basis. He didn't volunteer for this assignment.

 

Naritomo gulped. “I don’t want to question your wisdom, but ... I don't think it was a good idea to come here.”

 

“Do you? Why do you think so, Narimoto?” Asami strolled ahead. They approached the leader of the Kumo ANBU from afar.

 

Naritomo gulped again. The Kumo ANBU outnumbered them by a significant margin. Meanwhile, they were all alone. “I doubt this meeting will achieve anything.” Not to mention, their safety concerned him.

 

Asami chuckled. “To be honest, I don’t expect any results either.”

 

“Why are we even here, then?” Naritomo didn't understand.

 

Asami sighed, shaking his head. “Naritomo, you still have a lot to learn. Diplomacy rarely has the intention to produce actual results. Diplomacy is all about appearance and gentle smiles. If we raze Shimabara without a valid reason, the world will condemn us. They will call us heinous criminals, murderers, butchers. Therefore, we need a pretext. If we give them the chance to surrender, then we have done everything to avoid needless bloodshed. They doomed themselves by rejecting our most gracious offer. They forfeited their lives.” Her lips grinned diabolically.

 

Naritomo shivered. The girl was scary, wasn't she?

 

The Kumo captain greeted them. Two guards flanked him. “So you are the famed Black Princess herself? Youa re younger than I expected ... To be honest, I thought my men were joking when they told me that Konoha's grim reaper was asking for an audience, and yet you are here.”

 

Asami chuckled, offering a polite bow. “I am glad to oblige, Captain.  I hope that we can come to an agreement that suits both of our interests. No need for senseless bloodshed. We are reasonable human beings.”

 

The Kumo captain raised an eyebrow, suspicious of her intentions. For good reason. “Enough of the pleasantries. What do you want?”

 

Asami beamed. “I would like to make you an offer, or rather to give you an ultimatum. Either Kumogakure will withdraw all its regular as well as irregular forces from Shimabara and persuade your rebel friends to surrender until tomorrow, or you will face complete destruction. We will raze Shimabara to the ground. We will show no mercy.”

 

The Kumo captain broke out in laughter, amused by her words. “Do I look stupid, girl? Tell me, why on earth should we make it easy for you? Why the fuck should we give up Shimabara? Because you are asking nicely?”

 

Asami stepped closer. His two guards drew their swords to protect their captain. Their steel glimmered in the dark moonlight. “I think you misunderstand, Captain. This isn’t a matter of making things easy. This is your last chance. This is my last warning. From hereon, only death awaits you.”

 

The Kumo captain taunted her, “So what? Do think you can scare us? Try harder, girl. Because we are made from sterner stuff.”

 

“I see ...” Asami sighed. “I take that as a no.” They rejected her most gracious offer. Not that it mattered.

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All available Konoha ninja were put on standby, laying in wait among the trees, their morale restored. They were determined to attack, to take vengeance for their fallen comrades.

 

“Fu, is everyone ready?” Asami inquired.

 

Fu nodded. “We are ready. We await your signal.” The darkness of the night retreated and morning dawned. They took position a few miles away from the designated ground zero. She didn't want them to get caught up in the blast.

 

 Asami breathed in, breathed out, her eyes observing Shimabara, a city shrouded in ignorance, unaware of its impending doom. This was the point of no return. The jutsu required all her concentration, all her skill. It put a significant strain on her mangekyou.

 

Asami focused her eyes on the horizon. A sphere appeared in the distance. Her ominous purple eyes shimmered in the dark. Divine judgement loomed over the city. Her chakra coursed through her veins. The instrument of her will grew in size. Her sphere expanded, and expanded, and expanded with no apparent limit. The sphere collapsed and the core compressed. Her work was done, and her raging chakra awaited her command to set the world aflame.

 

Asami closed her eyes. Blood trickled down her cheek. Silence followed, absolute silence. Seconds turned to hours as history changed.

 

...

...

...

...

...

...

 

A flash, an enormous flash, illuminated the sky. Radiant glory ignited the atmosphere and the light of the sun graced the earth.

 

...

...

...

 

The shock wave reached their position. A white line raced across the ground and the trees. The lingering heat of the detonation tickled her skin. Her men had their eyes fixed on a gigantic column of dust. The infernal column rose into the sky, higher than any mountain. The cloud formed a glowing mushroom of fire and ash. 

 

The results of her jutsu exceeded her expectations.

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No. 012420 to Danzo

Classification: Top Secret ‘Root’

Urgency: ‘Root’

 

Field Report: Shimabara Rebellion and subject No. 011567

 

Shimabara - rebellion suppressed - Minami Asami - No. 011567 - using unknown Jutsu - no hand seals required- powerful technique - power level not determinable - temporary classification S-rank upwards -

 

Explosion - bright flash - immense blast - mushroom cloud - height circa at least 6 km - total destruction of Shimabara - wiped out - entire area flattened - no building standing anymore - barren desert of rubble - ground zero - ground covered by glassy substance - molten sand -

 

No survivors near ground zero - masses of charred corpses - all life exterminated indiscriminately - shadows burned into the ground across the city - few survivors on the outskirts - severe third degree burns - survival chances minimal -

 

Estimated civilian casualties - 40,000 - military casualties unknown - conclusion - subject No. 011567 dangerous - high threat level - elimination possibly required - complete report submitted when more information available -

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