VII

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Arc VII Chapter 5

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It was over.?Everything was over. Everything was lost.

Asami laughed without control. Her maniac chuckling filled the air.

Asami didn't cry. Asami?didn't despair. Asami didn't complain. Asami?laughter?proceeded ?as her Susanoo faded,

Reality?was ridiculous, surreal, absurd, but reality didn't lie. Her hands?killed.?Her hands committed treason. She crossed the?line. No return was possible anymore, but her heart felt no regret.

Asami stood?amidst the crater?surrounded by destruction?and mountains of corpses. Konoha burned, devastated by the fires of war.

The average Konoha ninja?didn't enjoy the protection of her Susanoo. Her explosion proved lethal. Her former comrades didn't survive. They were crushed in their insignificance by her might.

They were nothing. Even Konoha's elite?died like flies.

Asami stood at the precipice of her life and witnessed her fall, but her laughter didn't cease.

Her blood boiled?in ecstasy. The disappointment, the frustration, the hatred nourished her desire for revenge. Raze the village.

Thousands?upon thousands of brave ninja?met their fate this day. What were a few thousand more?

Blood?stained her innocent hands, but Asami?had long since stopped caring. Blood was the price of power.

Her heart?yearned for?destruction, for bloodshed. Her sanity eroded, but Asami resisted her urges, her inner demons.

Asami strode across the rubble without tripping. The debris rendered?the ground uneven and treacherous.

Slowly but surely, Asami progressed.?Kunai, swords, headbands littered the silent battlefield. They were testament to her crime,?to her?betrayal, but Asami?soldiered on. She had little choice. The situation was chaotic?and?her options?limited.?Today was a horrible day.

Denying ?responsibility?wouldn't work. Witnesses were few, but plenty of?circumstantial evidence incriminated her.?Konoha would?judge?her for her sins and the council wouldn't show mercy.

Her only option was to go underground, to leave the village.?Nobody would miss her following the chaos after the invasion.

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Asami sighed. Misfortune?truly smiled upon her. Disappointment?kept piling up, but her ?tender heart could only bear so much.

They expected her. ANBU, jonin, chunin, genin, Konoha awaited her arrival. They were prepared to fight. They were prepared to die.

Her eyes swept through their ranks?and spotted a familiar figure among the crowd.

A frail old man commanded Konoha's brave ninja. He was the mastermind behind all. He was the one responsible.

Asami grinned. “Danzo.“

“Why do honour me with your presence?“

“You also brought a ?lot of friends with you, it seems.”

Danzo smirked. “You see, I am a popular man.“

Asami touched her chest. “Your kindness warms my heart, Danzo. I never knew I was?such an important person, but considering Konoha's current state, your men might be required elsewhere. We are under attack, and the village needs every man.“

“But I guess your advanced age has clouded your judgement, Danzo.”

Danzo clenched his fists.?The girl toyed?with him. “Silence.“

“Know your place, traitor.“

Asami chuckled amused. “ Quite the irony that it's you, Danzo, the bloody butcher of Konoha, who calls?me a traitor.“

“Cease your provocations. You are overestimating your position, old man.“

Asami?inspected her polished nails. ?“Now get out of my sight. My time is precious.“

Danzo gritted his teeth. The girl taunted him. Her arrogance, her pride, her hubris, they were her downfall.

He manipulated Itachi. He manipulated Madara. He eradicated her entire cursed clan, but the Uchiha still haunted him from their graves.

Asami?escaped?the massacre unscathed and undetected for years, but her path would end here. He couldn't allow the girl to grow in power.

Danzo glared. Neither him nor Asami flinched as tension rose. They both waited.

Danzo's cane hit the ground. He called for attention. “Ninja of Konoha, kill her! Eliminate the traitor!“

His men hesitated. Even his Root ANBU showed reluctance. Their resolve?faltered and Asami grinned. Danzo's loyal minions wavered.

Danzo clicked his tongue. “What are you doing??I said ...“

Asami giggled. “Tell me, Danzo, why are you calling me a?traitor?“ The old man made a costly mistake.

Her lovely saccharine smile adorned Asami's?lips.?A?purple sphere sprang forth from her palm. “You are behind this entire operation, aren't you?“

“You?gave the orders.?You?are the one behind it all. You?are the one responsible, and?you?are going to face judgement.“

“I will vanquish your existence, and I will relish your demise.“

Danzo sensed her chakra.?This wasn't planned.

“Attack!?Attack, you idiots!“?Danzo commanded, but to no avail. His orders fell on deaf ears.

Asami laughed. Her purple orb expanded. “I always knew you are a coward, Danzo, but I never expected that you don't t even have the courage to face me in person.“

Her eyes?glimmered red?as her Sharingan?unleashed its primal power. “You are hiding?behind?numbers, but they won't save you.“

Danzo discarded his cane and charged. His?vacuum bullets traversed the air, but her shield nullified?his attack. Her?defence??proved formidable.

“You disappoint me, Danzo. You seem ill-prepared.“?Asami ?extended her arm. Her floating sphere contracted.

“Only two kinds?of people oppose?me, the brave,?and the foolish. I doubt you belong to the former.“?Her?sphere cracked.

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