V

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Arc V Chapter 8

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Danzo was dismayed. Hours passed, yet they remained bogged down in an unproductive discussion. Fu, Torune, Sai provided sparse information at best. They were going in circles.

 

“...” Danzo pinched his nose in desperation. “And what about poisoning her?” He hoped for a lucky shot. He waited for a reply, and waited, and waited, and waited.

 

“...” Fu and Torune exchanged looks before Torune, the domestic toxin expert, took the word. He rarely spoke. “Unlikely to succeed in our opinion, Danzo-sama. We already tested a variety non lethal doses on her.   We put them into her morning tea to test her resistance. The results were disappointing. The poison showed no visible effects besides a bitter after taste. We must assume that she has probably developed a poison resistance like the majority of high ranking ninja thanks to her high chakra level.”

 

“...” Danzo clicked his tongue. “What about a sneak attack?” Next try.

 

Fu shook his head. “Possible, but difficult. Her reflexes and perception are both exceptional, which renders any kind of sneak attack exceedingly difficult. We have to strike when her guard is down, when carelessness gets the better of her. That would be our opportunity, but such moments are rare ...”

 

“I see.” Danzo folded his hands. What is your opinion, Sai?” His attention turned to his trusted disciple.

 

Sai chose his words carefully. “Asami is undoubtedly a gifted kunoichi, an enemy beyond our capabilities. She is well versed in ninjutsu. Especially, when it comes to katon. Despite some deficiencies in the technical and aesthetic department, her kenjutsu and taijutsu are both excellent. Asami possesses vast chakra reserves and the necessary staying power to use them to their fullest. And to make things worse, her shields grant her extraordinary defensive capabilities. Asami is a powerful kunoichi without glaring weaknesses. Both her offence and her defence are strong. I fear that we can only defeat her through superior numbers and by sheer attrition. Any victory will be a costly one.”

 

“...”Danzo fell silent. Sai confirmed his fears. Asami was one of these juggernauts, invincible unless you drowned them in blood. But didn't have the necessary number of bodies for an attrition strategy. He hardly had a battalion’s worth of Root ANBU under his command.

 

His hand wandered towards his disabled arm. It was necessary to take a more active stance in this operation. The time had come to use his powers.

 

“...” Danzo gripped his arm. His right eye itched. Sometimes, he regretted having sacrificed his arm and his eye, but his regrets didn't last long. Minor inconveniences were a small price to pay in exchange for the sharingan. Unlike the Uchiha, his blood didn't grace him with natural power and privileges. He had to pay a heavy price for the powers that were gifted to Asami by virtue of her birth.

 

Danzo spoke, “Fu, Torune, Sai, order all available Root ninja to mobilise. Put them on alert. Their services will soon be required. We will need every last man during the chunin exams. We will engage her full force when she is distracted by fighting Suna and Otoga forces. That will be our chance.”

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Fumihiko felt the stinging pain of betrayal, the pain of her betrayal. Asami rammed a dagger straight into his heart.

 

His eyes scanned the room, but Asami was nowhere to be seen. The little princess betrayed, abandoned, sacrificed him without the slightest hint of hesitation. The girl had thrown him under the horse cart for personal gain. She pushed all the hard work, the planning, the organising, on him. His reward were a smile and a few encouraging words, but Fumihiko knew exactly what Asami meant by ‘outsourcing’, ‘redeployment of available manpower’, ‘organisational restructuring’, ‘rationalisation of the working processes’. His knowledge didn't save him from his fate.

 

Fumihiko sighed internally. He protested, but Asami ignored him. Now he was confronted with two impatient stares, with two jonin, a man and a woman, who were both waiting for Asami who sadly went missing. Asami was late., but her needed her, and he needed her now.

 

“Do you have any questions?” Fumihiko sweated. He certainly didn't experience a mental meltdown. All he could do was playing for time in the hope that reinforcements would arrive. After all, the little princess couldn’t have forgotten him, could she? “No questions? Then we can continue with the meeting as planned ...”

 

It was, however, Shibi, the head of the Aburame clan, who interrupted him. His voice remained calm and controlled, yet his fingers were drumming on the desk. “Excuse me, but I have a question, Fumihiko. Where is our commanding officer? Where is Asami, Fumihiko? We are already waiting quite some time for her, and to be honest, my patience is gradually wearing thin.”

 

Fumihiko smiled. “Don’t worry, Shibi, sAsami is already on the way.” Hopefully.

 

“On the way, you say?” Tsume joined the discussion. “You mean on the way, like the last three times?”

 

“...” Fumihiko maintained his smile. “I assure you, Tsume, Asami will come, this time.”

 

“Sure.” Tsume clicked her tongue. Her Inuzuka dog seconded her opinion. “Not as if we were  already waiting two hours ...”

 

The door slammed open and all eyes turned. 

 

There she was. In person. Asami entered the room, dressed in her wrinkled satin pyjama, her perfect hair messy and chaotic, her hands hidden by her long sleeves. Their little princess had clearly overslept.

 

Asami strolled across the room, a chocolate muffin stuffed in her mouth, her improvised breakfast. “Iamamhere. Juststwaiwaiwaitatatmomomomenenent.”

 

“...” Fumihiko blinked. His brain ceased to work. He didn't understand the world. Even Tsume's dog looked confused. 

 

Asami greedily devoured her muffin like a hamster without a hint of shame, or guilt. As if she hadn't made them wait for a small eternity. It was then that she turned her attention to them, clapping her hands. “My apologies, it appears that I am a tiny bit late today. I encountered a variety of complications that prevented ... my timely arrival. Fortunately, you were in reliable hands with Fumihiko. He is my trusted subordinate, which saves us a lot of time.”

 

Asami inspected the map behind her. It was a tactical map of Konoha. “Fumihiko, how much time do we have left?”

 

...

...

...  

 

“15 minutes, I guess.”

 

Asami rejoiced. “Excellent, 15 minutes are plenty.”

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