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Arc XII Chapter 28
Arc XII Chapter 28
XII
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Arc XII Chapter 28
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The enemy appeared, assembling before them in all their dubious glory. There were three teams in total and a lot of familiar faces. The ghosts of her past had come to pay her a visit. It was team Kakashi together with Team Guy and Team ... Shikamaru? The latter appeared to be missing their former sensei. For whatever they were worth these days, Konoha had sent reinforcements. How commendable.
“Gaara!!!” Naruto shouted, brash and brazen as usual. The moment he noticed the Kazekage’s lifeless body lying on the ground, his composure crumbled. “What are you doing there, Gaara? Get up? What are you waiting for?”
“...” Asami raised an eyebrow, glancing for a moment at the Kazekage’s corpse while relishing her tea. Naruto once more demonstrated that he had never been the brightest candle in the chandelier.
“... ... ...” Kakashi interjected. “Naruto, ... I doubt that he is in a state to move.”
“...” Naruto clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, his blood boiling. “ Dammit, you fucking bastards! You killed him!!! I will kill you!!!”
“Hmmmm, I guess it’s my turn.” Deidara grinned, swinging himself onto his clay owl. His bird grabbed the Kazekage’s corpse with its talons. “I will take on the jinchuuriki. Master Sasori, Asami, see you later.” And away he went, his bird taking flight.
“Hey, where do you think you are going? Don’t think you can get away!” Naruto immediately stormed after Deidara, hardly wasting a second. He had lost his mind and took the bait without further consideration. It was appreciated when plans went well.
“Naruto! Stop!” Kakashi tried his best to reign him in, but all was in vain. He failed to stop his student. “Listen, everyone, I have to go after Naruto. Guy, Shikamaru, you take on the rest here. Take care.”
“Got it.” Shikamaru nodded in silence, his little head already busy scheming, plotting, and strategising.
“We will handle this, Kakashi!” Guy grinned, his thumb raised. “But you shouldn’t go alone, not when the enemy is strong.”
“Right”, Kakashi concurred, sharing his assessment. “Some support would be appreciated, I guess.”
Guy shouted, “Neji!”
“Yes, Guy-sensei?” Neji listened.
“Neji, accompany Kakashi”, Guy ordered. “Go with him.”
Neji obeyed. “Understood!”
“...” Kakashi eyed his new companion. Time was of the essence. “Let’s go, Neji.” They both disappeared. They both left. Three less. Nine still remained.
The old woman named Chiyo stepped forwards, her eyes steeled with resolve. “It has been a long time, Sasori. All these years, I have been waiting for this moment.” A set of scrolls emerged from her sleeves. A fine collection of puppets stored inside them, no doubt. At least, based on their previous encounter. The old woman was serious right from the start.
Temari unfolded her fan, a strong gust surrounding her. “I will fight by your side, Lady Chiyo. You can count on me. You can count on my fan.”
“Me too.” Sakura smirked, a smug grin plastered across her face. Her combative spirit had hardly diminished. The girl cracked her knuckles in a way befitting her brutish, violent methods. “Time to kick some arse.”
“...” The old woman smiled, glad to have them on her side. “Temari, Sakura, let’s show my precious grandson what we are made of.”
“... ... ...” Sasori chuckled, heartily amused, his deep inhuman voice reverberating through the cavern. His metal tail slithered around menacingly. “Bring it on! Show me what you all are made of. I am waiting.” The fight started. Three less. Six remained. Six potential enemies. Six familiar faces.
They all glared at her, their stares fixed at her, unyielding, uncompromising. Shikamaru, Lee, Tenten, Ino, Choji. They had learned of her betrayal and did not take particularly kindly to it. How troublesome. They were loath to forgive her, although their disappointment must have been limited.
“...” Unfazed, undisturbed, Asami continued sipping on her tea, armed with a saccharine smile. She had seen and experienced worse. A little bit of aversion alone hurt nobody. “Now, now, whom do we have here? Some old faces. Some better known faces. Some lesser known faces. Courtesies aside, I hope that time has treated you well? Hopefully, your journey has not been too arduous.” Her polite words failed to elicit a corresponding response.
Shikamaru clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. “Tsk, save your little games for later, Asami. We know exactly who you are and what you have done. Kakashi told us everything.”
“...” Asami tilted her head, giggling ominously with her teacup in her hand. “Everything you say? Such as, Shikamaru-kun?”
The Nara boy narrowed his eyes. “Stop playing dumb. You know exactly what I mean. No matter who you were. No matter what you were. ANBU, Black Princess, or whatever. Once a traitor, always a traitor. You have betrayed the village. You have betrayed Konoha. You have betrayed us.”
Ino joined him, launching her own tirade against her, venom dripping from her words. “I always knew it. I always knew that you couldn’t be trusted. Even back then, you were always the creepy loner girl with her doll.” Oh my, what a low blow.
Lee protested, hardly hiding the disappointment in his voice. He was disappointed in her. “Asami, ... how could you? I thought you were one of us.”
“If you only knew ... If you only knew ...” Asami shook her cup, silently watching the swirling tea inside. “Traitor ... Traitor is such a harsh word considering the circumstances. At times, fate is truly a cruel arbiter indeed, unpredictable, unforeseeable. In mere moments is lost what cannot be ever regained. The accusations that you make against me are grave, although not without merit. It would be wrong to say that the blood of our own is not on my hands. I have slaughtered them. I have massacred them. Not that it matters, though. Bygones are bygones. The past is history by now.”
“...” Shikamaru gritted his teeth, unable to mask his emotions, his disdain, his hatred plain. Nor did anyone else. Their eyes burned with nothing but hate. “So, it’s true, after all ... You are a demon through and through.” A demon ... It was a familiar word, a word of two lifetimes ... For some, she had been a demon, a reaper, the scourge of the gods ... For others, an angel, a saviour, their sole hope ... Curious, wasn’t it?
Asami remained unimpressed, solely dedicated to her teacup. “I would be frankly hurt if I wasn’t. Anyway, matters of my supposed demonic nature and your resentment aside, what are you going to do? Are you all going to fight me?” Her eyes shimmered with a glimmer of purple.
“Tsk, you can be certain of it!” Shikamaru dismissed her subtle threat. “Playing dumb doesn’t suit you, Asami. We will fight you. And we will win. Don’t think that we will go easy on you.”
“Oh my, how troublesome. How dreadful.” Asami inspected her nails, their presence was already tiring her beyond what she considered acceptable. It had been a long three days and nights. She was tired. “Unfortunately and quite frankly, my time as well as interest in you is limited.”
“What?” Lee raised his voice, confused.
So was Shikamaru, his eyebrow furrowed. “What is that nonsense supposed to mean? Are you playing with us?”
“Oh, no, I am not playing with you at all~. How would I?” Asami hid behind the cover of her enigmatic smile. “Fortunately for you, I have already found a suitable replacement to fill my roll~. Tobi!”
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“Tobi!”
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“Tobi!!!”
Tobi finally responded. It only took three times. “Tobi not talking! Tobi being a good table. Good tables not talking. Tobi thus not talking.” Ah, yes, right ... She had nearly forgotten about him serving as her table
“...” Asami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Competent personnel were difficult to come by these days. “You have permission to speak, Tobi. You are henceforth officially relieved from table duties.”
Tobi sighed in relief, sharing his joy. “Yay, finally~! Thank you, Asami-senpai~. You are the bestest! My back is getting stiff, and my knees are freezing!”
“...” Asami sipped on her teacup. “Listen, Tobi, I have a special mission for you.”
Tobi tilted his head, still on the floor. “And that would be?”
Asami beamed with childish innocence. “You see, Tobi, I have always wondered why you are part of Akatsuki. The day has come to prove your mettle.”
Tobi tilted his head one more. “Heh? Tobi not understanding.”
Asami smiled with deceptive sweetness. “Fight them for me. Entertain them in my stead.”
“What!!?” Tobi veritably panicked, his arms shaking, his voice oscillating. “No! No! No! Absolutely not! Enemies scary! Tobi not fighting! Tobi going back to being a table!” He readopted his previous posture, straightening his back once again. “See, Asami-senpai~, Tobi good table. Good table not fighting. Good table not talking.”
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“...” Asami was less than pleased, despite her lips savouring her tea. “See, Tobi, sometimes in life we have no choice but to fight. We are forced to fight whether we want it or not.”
Tobi looked up, a question floating over his head. “I don’t understand, Asami-senpai~ ...”
“...” He would understand. A healthy kick was her answer. Asami rammed the heel of her sandals directly into his flank, making Tobi roll sidewards like a barrel, directly towards the enemy. Her hand left deftly caught her falling teapot mid air. Unlike Tobi, her teapot didn’t deserve such treatment.
“AAAaaaaaarrrrrgggghhHHHHH!!!” Tobi rolled, rolled and rolled until coming to a stop. His head was spinning, and his world was turning. “Asami-senpai~, why ... are ... you ... being ... such ... a ... meanie ...”
“Leaf Drop Kick!!!” Guy came crashing down on him, his drop kick nearly pulverising poor Tobi. The ground beneath crumbled, stone and rock splintered.
“Wah!!!” Tobi dodged in the last moment possible, barely escaping judgement. He jumped up, shrieking. “Asami-senpai! Asami-senpai! Help! Help! Protect Tobi the Table!”
“... ... ...” Her response was cold. Asami ignored his pleas for help, sipping on her tea. His predicaments went ignored. It was his fight now. Tobi might act like a fool at times, but he was not a complete idiot. There was a reason Pain had chosen him to spy on her. Contrary to his allegations, Tobi certainly knew how to fight. He certainly knew how to move. And he certainly knew how to survive. He only needed to show his hand for a change.
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