Arc V Chapter 8
<strong><b>V</b></strong>
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<strong><b>Arc V Chapter </b></strong><strong><b>8</b></strong>
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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.
“...”Danzopinchedhis nose in desperation. “And whatabout poisoning her?” He hoped for a lucky shot. He waited for a reply, andwaited, and waited, and waited.
“...” Fu and Torune exchanged looks before Torune, the domestic toxin expert, took the word. He rarely spoke. “Unlikely to seed 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 asneak attack?” Next try.
Fushook his head. “Possible,but difficult.Herreflexes and perceptionare 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 beour opportunity, but such moments are rare...”
“I see.”Danzo folded his hands. Whatis your opinion, Sai?”Hisattention turned to his trusteddisciple.
Sai chose his words carefully. “Asami is undoubtedly a gifted kunoichi, anenemy beyond our capabilities.She iswellversed in ninjutsu.Especially, when ites tokaton. 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 thingsworse, her shieldsgrant her extraordinary defensive capabilities.Asami is a powerful kunoichiwithout ring weaknesses. Both her offence and her defence are strong.I fear that we can only defeat her throughsuperior numbers andbysheer attrition. Any victory will be a costly one.”
“...”Danzo fell silent. Sai confirmed his fears. Asami was one of thesejuggernauts, invincibleunless you drowned them in blood.Butdidn''t have the necessary number of bodies for an attrition strategy. He hardly had a battalion’s worth of Root ANBU under hismand.
His hand wanderedtowards his disabled arm. It was necessary to take a more active stance in this operation. The time hade to use his powers.
“...”Danzogripped his arm. His right eyeitched. Sometimes, he regretted having sacrificedhis arm and his eye, but his regrets didn''tst long. Minorinconveniences were a small price to pay in exchange for the sharingan.Unlike theUchiha, his blood didn''t grace him with natural powerand privileges. He had to pay a heavy price for the powers that were gifted to Asamiby virtue of herbirth.
Danzo spoke,“Fu, Torune, Sai, order all avable Root ninjato mobilise.Put them on alert.Their services will soon be required.Wewill need everyst manduring the chunin exams.We will engage her full force when she isdistracted 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 herbetrayal.Asami rammed adaggerstraight 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 nning, 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 avable manpower’, ‘organisational restructuring’, ‘rationalisation of the working processes’. His knowledge didn''t save him from his fate.
Fumihiko sighedinternally. He protested, but Asamiignored 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 waste., but herneeded 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 ying 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 nned ...”
It was, however, Shibi, the head of the Aburame n, who interrupted him. His voice remained calm and controlled, yet his fingers were drumming on the desk.“Excuse me, but Ihave a question, Fumihiko.Where is ourmanding officer?Where is Asami, Fumihiko? We are already waitingquite some time for her, and to be honest, my patience isgraduallywearingthin.”
Fumihikosmiled.“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 thest three times?”
“...” Fumihiko maintained his smile. “I assure you, Tsume, Asamiwille, this time.”
“Sure.” Tsume clicked her tongue. Her Inuzuka dog seconded her opinion.“Not as if we werealreadywaiting two hours...”
The door mmed openand all eyes turned.
There she was. In person. Asamienteredthe room,dressed in her wrinkled satin pyjama, her perfecthair messy and chaotic, her hands hidden byher long sleeves. Their little princess had clearly overslept.
Asami strolled across the room, a chocte muffinstuffed 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.
Asamigreedily devoured her muffin like a hamsterwithout 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, pping her hands. “My apologies, it appears that I am a tiny bitte today. I encountered a variety ofplications that prevented ... my timely arrival.Fortunately, you were in reliable hands with Fumihiko. He is my trusted subordinate,which saves us a lot oftime.”
Asami inspected the map behind her. It was a tactical map of Konoha. “Fumihiko, how much time dowehave left?”
...
...
...
“15 minutes, I guess.”
Asamirejoiced. “Excellent, 15 minutes are plenty.”
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