VI

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Arc VI Chapter 9

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Asami glanced sidewards in search of her new Suna friends. Yet they were nowhere to be found. The invasion had begun and they had left. They didn’t even say goodbye, despite their time spent together. How impolite.

 

But at least, she could finally discard the velvet gloves. No constraints, no limitations, no rules bound her. The Uchiha in her approved.

 

Asami set her eyes on her newest prey, the three infamous sand siblings and their sensei. They gathered down in the arena, a jinchuuriki directly within her reach. Unfortunately, eliminating Gaara was a tricky affair. She had never dealt with a bijuu before. History called them the bringers of death and destruction, creatures driven by madness and insanity.

 

The bijuu was sealed inside him, and the seal held firm despite Gaara's dubious mental stability. Eliminating him would break the seal and probbaly unleash the bijuu in full force. AN outcome that should be better avoided.  She didn't want a rampaging Biju in the middle of Konoha. She didn't need a disastrous repetition of the Kyubi incident. Thus, it was wiser to keep him alive. As long as Gaara lived, the One Tail was under control.  

 

“Gaara, the plan ...” His sensei tried to reach Gaara, but he didn’t show any reaction. The boy remained unconscious. His wounds were far more serious than expected.

 

Temari grabbed Gaara by his shoulder. “He is still suffering from the side effects of the transformation. He can't fight in this state.”

 

Their sensei gritted his teeth. “Fool, he transformed before the signal.”

 

Kankuro sweated. “What are we supposed to do without Gaara? He is the central piece of the entire operation.”

 

Their sensei clicked his tongue. “Abort the mission. Take Gaara and retreat ...”

 

Asami acted first. Her ingrained instincts made her body move. As usual, her judgement was excellent. The attacking Oto-nin were slow, painfully slow. They paid dearly for their impudence.

 

Her hand grabbed an attacker and bashed his head against the iron railing. Not once, not twice, but thrice, until a familiar cracking resounded. His cranium splintered.

 

Asami drew her sword and counterattacked. Her friend wasn’t her only visitor.

 

A second Oto-nin attacked from behind, and her reaction was prompt. Her blade struck his chest, nailing her victim to the nearest wall.

 

The man was still breathing, much to Asami's disappointment. Her skills had deteriorated ... How disappointing.

 

Heated plasma coated her blade, ending his life. The sweet scent of burned flesh permeated the air. The smell of victory.

 

Sensing her distraction, his comrades resorted to a feeble attempt on her life. Their plans failed. Too little, too late.

 

Asami vanished and the two Oto-nin hit nothing but empty air.

 

Her body reappeared above them to bring down her steel. Nobody escaped her iron judgement. Their end was sealed the moment they had crossed her path. Her sword pierced them, pinning their bodies to the ground. Her full weight drove her blade through their shoulder until their cries ceased to bother her. The attack ended, and nobody else dared to challenge her dominance. 

 

“Tsk ...” Asami dusted off her kimono and rearranged her collar. The Oto-nin ruining her attire for no reason. Such evil.

 

Her senses searched for the bijuu, but Gaara was nowhere to be found. The same was true for Temari, Kamkuro, and Sasuke. They had disappeared. They had thus officially stopped being her problem. They didn't fall under her area of competence any more. Because she had others things to do. She had a village to defend.

 

“...” Asami disappeared. Fumihiko required her assistance.

 

...

...

...

 

Shino adjusted his dark glasses after what had witnessed. He was used to being ignored, to being overlooked. He lived in the shadows, and sometimes it hurt, but such didn’t matter.

 

He remembered Asami. He remembered the little princess, but this degree of violence surprised even him.  No hesitation, no remorse, no doubt, no mercy. The Oto-nin were massacred. Their bodies stained the floor vivid iron red. The red lake expanded. More blood was demanded.

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