V

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Arc V Chapter 5

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Asami played dumb. Lesser men would have fallen for her act, but not Shikaku. He didn't buy her act. He knew Asami. He knew the devil.

Shikaku leaned back in?his chair?and eyed her with suspicion.

He looked through the open window. Today was such a lovely day, the shining sun, the cloudless sky, the chirping birds, and he remained stuck here.

“Yes, you planned this from the beginning.“?Shikaku?narrowed his eyes, ?proven quite ineffective against her.

Shikaku didn't look happy. He didn't like being played with. ” I doubt?you created?your invasion plans out of thin air. You devised them for a while.”

Shikaku?flipped through the documents. White pages passed his eyes. The file?included a ?handout, a?complete order of battle,?staging areas, timetables, mobilisation orders.?Her plans were at an advanced stage.

Asami?was?prepared?to wage war. She only waited for?the authorisation of the village council, a?single decision and the world shall burn.

Fortunately, Asami?wasn’t the Hokage,?otherwise she would have already plunged Konoha into the Fourth Great Ninja?War.

”I also begin to understand why you are so interested in annihilating?the invasion.“ Her decisions suddenly made sense.

“You plan the next war. That's why you want?to encircle them.”

Asami smiled with innocence. ”Please enlighten me, darling. Tell me more!”

Shikaku flipped?through her files?to confirm his suspicions, his assumptions.

He found the?paragraph?he searched for. The?dates were close, too close to be coincidental.

Six?months.?He didn’t misread. Her operations were scheduled six months after the chunin exams. Six months and hell would break loose.

”The starting dates.?You set your operations in six months, an ambitious timetable considering the pending invasion.“

“Unless you intend to settle the invasion quickly. ”

Asami crossed her arms. “Ambitious? Hardly. Our strategic position forces our hand. Konoha needs to act. We need to take action sooner rather than later. Lost time cannot be regained and our enemy grows stronger with every day.“

Shikaku folded his hands. ”You hope to subdue Suna ?through a decisive victory at the chunin exams?before?starting your campaign?against the other hidden villages, don't you??Your real targets were always Kiri, Iwa, and Kumo. Suna is merely the first step.”

No?answer, no reply, no response followed,?only silence. Asami clapped her hands. ”Fumihiko,?assist me. Our friend deserves?some?applause.”

Fumihiko joined her, albeit he hesitated.

Asami and Fumihiko clapped together. ?Her applause unsettled Shikaku. Her gesture didn't feel ?like praise, quite the contrary.

Asami smirked. ”Nothing to add. Your observations are spot on.“

“My primary concern was never?the invasion?as Sunagakure and Otogakure don't pose a major threat.?They are ?too weak?militarily to challenge Konoha.”

“I also don’t see why we should commit troops?to fight over?worthless sand and scorpions. Konoha has little interest in ?occupying?a barren desert.”

”A decisive victory during the invasion should prove sufficient to break their morale and dissuade from future foreign adventures. They will be forced to the negotiation table and I expect them to sue for peace. They will agree to a cease-fire, or even a conditional surrender.”

“After securing our western flank, we can proceed to dismantle?the Iwa-Kiri-Kumo alliance. To achieve such, we will need to weaken their alliance by eliminating one hidden village.“

“Iwa?is a possible candidate, but not recommendable.?Too resilient. A prolonged campaign will be necessary to take them down.”

“Kiri?is the weakest link, but they can be dealt with later.”

“My personal recommendation is?Kumo.”

Shikaku stiffened. Megalomania?had finally befallen Asami.?Not only was she about to spark the Fourth Great Ninja War, but she also wanted to challenge the military giant Kumo.

”Kumo?”?Shikaku grew uneasy. He still remembered the last war. Kumo proved to be a formidable enemy.

“Do you have any?objections?”?Asami?tilted her head.

“No, none. No objections whatsoever.“ Shikaku drummed his finger on the table.

Asami ignored his sarcastic undertone. “Excellent.“

Shikaku sighed. “Not that I am curious, but why exactly Kumo?”

Because she had a score to settle with Kumo. They would learn the true meaning of the word pain.

Her deepest desire was to see Kumo burn, set ablaze, devoured, consumed?by a sea of flames. Of course, Asami?never said so.

Asami hid behind a benevolent smile. ”Because Kumo is our strongest enemy. If we manage to break Kumo, Iwa and Kiri?will follow soon.”

“Without Kumogakure providing the bulk of the forces, the alliance will fall apart.”

Shikaku stared at her files in silence. He?would present her plans to the village council as requested. Her ideas deserved to be discussed thoroughly. The village council would need to decide.

”Do you realise that your actions might spark the Fourth Great Ninja?War? We are playing with fire here.”

Asami showed no doubt, no hesitation. ”If necessary, so shall it be. I vowed to protect Konoha, and I will keep my word.”

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