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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