III

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Arc III Chapter 5

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Together, she and Norinaga arrived at the smouldering ruins. A macabre dance of fire and flickering shadows illuminated the night. The icy snow crunched under the weight of their feet. 

 

Asami knelt to inspect the remnants of her deceased comrades. The explosion killed them in an instant. None of them survived.

 

Time passed. Burning ash covered the ground, her flames raging in the background. Her explosion proved effective, incinerating everything. Only an unintelligible mass of charred corpses remained. Their deaths were quick, painless.

 

Silence dominated the cold air. Other ANBU arrived. They said nothing, but their silence said more than human language ever could. The culprit was among them. One of them was behind the explosion. The question was who? The majority suspected a certain girl, her.

 

Asami left the scene, passing Konosuke, Ino, Koichi, Akahito on her way. “I think that we all should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day. We will mobilise at dawn and attempt a breakout.” She didn't take no for an answer. Determination filled her voice. Her words left no room for debate. Her order was absolute.

 

Asami continued her walk, but it was Akahito who grabbed her shoulder. His vengeful glare confronted her. “It was you who killed them!!! You murdered them, didn’t you?” 

 

Akahito's accusations didn't bother her. Asami merely smiled. “Murder is such a strong word, Akahito. Why should I kill them? A tragic death claimed their lives.”

 

“Don't play dumb, you crazy bitch. You killed them.” Akahito clenched his fists.

 

Asami objected, “Akahito, Their deaths sadden me as they do you. I have nothing to do with this. And even if I did, what proof do you have, Akahito? You have nothing besides baseless accusations. So stop bothering me with your nonsense, Akahito. You are clearly a man unable to control your emotions.”

 

Akahito gritted his teeth. “You ...” 

 

“Don't you agree with me? What do you think?” Asami looked around, staring at the rest of the ANBU. Nobody spoke up. Konosuke, Ino, and Koichi averted their eyes, visibly uncomfortable. They avoided her gaze. 

 

Five ANBU died that night, but questions were never asked. Their deaths were never investigated. The exact nature of the incident remained forever shrouded in mystery, at least on paper.

 

They knew that it was her. Konoha knew that it was. Everyone knew that it was, but what was missing was solid evidence, and Konoha didn't particularly care. In fact, there were those among the ranks of the ANBU that approved of her more resolute measures.

 

Konoha knew about Asami's capabilities and talent. The girl was a legendary kunoichi in the making, an immensely powerful weapon at the disposal of the village. Konoha couldn't do without her. It would be unwise to do so.

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“Did you see that explosion last night?” Tsuyoshi asked, scanning the group.

 

Kenji glanced at the gathered squad members, Tsuyoshi, Ano, Naruhiko, Yoriko, Miyoko. They were all sitting around the bonfire, enjoying a hearty meal. They had guard duty yesterday. They were tasked with observing the village, guarding the southern sector of the pocket.

 

Ano shook her head in response. “An explosion? Can't remember any, but it would explain the loud bang I heard.”

 

“You missed something, believe me.” Tsuyoshi described the incident. He sounded impressed. “The fireball enlightened the entire horizon. The explosion was incredible.”

 

Kenji looked concerned. “Still, I would prefer to not end up on the receiving end of it.”

 

“Always the pessimist, Kenji, aren't you? You are no fun at all.” Tsuyoshi chuckled.

 

Kenji folded his hands. “Possibly, but being pessimistic is part of my job. I am the squad leader, and it is my duty to stay cautious. We are chunin of Kirigakure. We must remain vigilant. The enemy are Konoha ANBU. They are dangerous.”

 

Tsuyoshi laughed. “Dramatising as usual, aren't we? We have three full companies on our side ... 600 men ... What can they do?”

 

Kenji didn't laugh. Had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling. You didn’t assemble a small army just for fun. There was a reason that they had gathered such a force. “Listen, Tsuyoshi, you know, I have a friend among the ANBU involved in this operation. Shino told me something very interesting. He told me that something unexpected had happened. They have apparently lost two entire squads to a single kunoichi. Afterwards, his superiors decided to call for reinforcements. They called for every available ninja in the vicinity. They even requested Kiri to dispatch an entire platoon of Hunter-nin to deal with her ...”

 

“Kenji, do you have a moment?” Kinnosuke emerged from the woods. “Follow me, I think Yorikane and I have spotted something interesting.”

 

Kenji and the rest of the squad followed him. They quickly reached the observation post. Yorikane observed the village through a pair of binoculars.

 

“Tell us, what did you find?” Kenji asked.

 

“Look for yourself. Over there.” Yorikane handed him another pair of binoculars, pointing at the village.

 

Kenji took them. He spotted a group of masked ninja at the village entrance. They were clearly ANBU. They were led by a short girl clothed in a white fur coat. The girl commanded them, barking some kind of orders.

 

“...” Kenji narrowed his eyes, uncertain. Judging by her stature, the girl was exceedingly young for her position. And yet the girl appeared to be in charge ... The group began to move. They crossed the snowy plains, running in their direction . The ANBU were fast. They would reach their position soon.

 

After all, ANBU weren’t considered the elite of the elite for nothing, but the girl was different. The girl wasn’t just fast. Her speed frightened Kenji, sending a shiver down his spine. The distance between them and her shrank rapidly with each passing second.

 

“...” Kenji gulped. They were screwed, totally screwed, weren't they? There was no doubt, it was her. They had to get out of here. Immediately.

 

“What the fuck? Do you see that, Kenji? Do you see the girl?” Yorikane held on to his binoculars. His hands trembled, visibly nervous.

 

Kenji nodded. “I do. We must leave and alert ...” His eyes widened in shock. Panic griped him.

 

The girl turned her head, smiling beneath her white mask. The girl spotted them

 

“Fuck!” Kenji shouted. The girl accelerated. Her speed increased and her hand drew her sword. The girl was coming for them.

 

“We have to ...” Kenji didn't even have the time to end his sentence. It was already too late, too late to run. Clad in pure innocent white, the girl stood right before him. The massacre began. Her blade was swift.

 

Her sword pierced Ano before beheading Tsuyoshi. Yoriko fell next. Miyoko followed, sliced apart by the demon in white. Naruhiko and Kinnosuke met the same fate. A straight thrust finished Naruhiko. A perpendicular cut Kinnosuke with uncanny precision. The demon bashed Yorikane’s skull against a tree. His cranium splintered. 

 

His comrades, his friends all died in a matter of mere seconds. He couldn’t do anything. They were all slaughtered like ignorant sheep, and now his time had come.

 

Her blade struck him, piercing his chest. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nose. His body toppled over, falling onto the soft snow, but it wasn't over yet. Not yet. The demon missed. Her blade missed his heart by a hair's breath, yet it was this hair's breath that allowed him to live.

 

“...” Kenji gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain. He didn’t scream. He was supposed to be dead, and dead men didn't scream. His heart, every fibre of his being, thirsted for vengeance, for retribution, for revenge.

 

The demon sheathed her blade, careless, deceived by a false sense of security. This was his moment, the moment he had waited for.

 

Using all of his remaining force, Kenji threw his pouch. The pouch was filled with paper bombs, hundreds of them. He might die, but he would take the girl with him.

 

The tags exploded. The detonation was a sight to behold. The flash blinded Kenji. An enormous blast echoed through the entire forest.

 

“...” Kenji coughed, his hope s high. He did it ... He ...

 

The floating dust cleared, revealing a girl unharmed. The demon didn’t die. The explosion didn't even scratch her. In the middle of a crater, stood a girl, shielded by a purple humanoid skeleton. Her calculating eyes evaluated him. Her armour dematerialised, dissolving into fine purple mist.

 

The girl giggled, visibly amused. “You are still alive ... How curious ... How sloppy on my part ...”

 

The drew her sword. “This time, I won’t miss.” She didn’t. Her blade skewered his heart and his world turned black.

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