Novel Lived
Arc II Chapter 11
Arc II Chapter 11
II
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Arc II Chapter 11
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Asami offered a benign smile. “Long time no see, Itachi. I hope that life has been treating you well.”
“Long time no see?” His shark toothed colleague raised an eyebrow. “Itachi, who is this girl? I never knew you had a girlfriend. Why didn't you tell me about her? I always thought we were friends, Itachi ...”
Asami used her little distraction manoeuvre to whisper to her team mates, “Aritame, Yukihiro, run.” If they wanted to survive, they had to run. Their chances of survival were slim with their capabilities. But Aritame and Yukihiro refused to move. They were paralysed by fear and trepidation. Only Masasane maintained a semblance of composure.
Asami whispered again, “Run! Run as fast as you can!” Why didn't they run? Didn't they understand the severity of the situation?
Itachi didn't even bat an eyelid, his stoic face unchanged. “Kisame, I neither know the girl, nor do I recall having ever met her.”
Asami shook her head in disappointment, further stalling for time. “Itachi, you sadden me. How unfortunate. It seems that you have forgotten me. You might not remember me, but I certainly remember you, Itachi. I would never forget such a lovely person such as you.”
Itachi narrowed his eyes. Meanwhile, Kisame laughed openly. “You know, Itachi, the girl is ... strange, but I like her already. She has a good sense of humour. I heard you being called many things, but never lovely.”
“Lovely, indeed.” Asami deployed her most suave smile. Her tactic worked. Itachi and Kisame both dropped their guard. They didn't take her seriously. Confident in their victory, they grew careless, which gave her and her team an advantage.
Asami whispered to her petrified team mates, discarding any sense of subtlety this time. “Aritame, Yukihiro, run! For the last time, run! Masasane and I will hold them back. We will buy you as much time as possible.” Her hand curled around the hilt of her sword.
Her life would be so much easier if Aritame and Yukihiro retreated. They represented a burden. They were dead weights. This fight required all of her chakra, all of her power, all of her concentration. After all, their opponent was Uchiha Itachi, a legend among legends.
Masasane gulped, cold sweat running down his face. But he was prepared to fight nevertheless, ready to die.
It was, however, Aritame who crossed her wonderful plans. His answer was no, of course. The idiot stood his ground, gripping his kunai and marshalling all of his courage. “Asami, sensei, we won't run! We will never leave you both behind! True Konoha ninja never abandon their comrades.”
His words amused the man named Kisame. His teeth spread menacingly in a wide grin, openly mocking her. “Oh ... Spoken like a true Konoha ninja. Listen to your teammate, Asami-chan. Didn't you learn that Konoha ninja never abandon their comrades? Don't you know that it is Konoha custom to die together?”
Asami clicked her tongue, ignoring Kisame's taunts. It was Aritame who had her undivided attention. “Have you gone mad? Only death awaits you here, Aritame. Do as I say! Run! Run for your lives!”
“NO!” Aritame stood his ground, his conviction unwavering.
“I said, run!”
“No!” Even Yukihiro joined his side. Not that idiot, too.
“...”Asami fumed, her eyes glimmering, flashing with a dangerous shade of purple, a sign of her chakra stirring in ire.
Kisame readied his blade, smirking. “It seems that you have chosen your fate. What do you think, Itachi? What shall we do with them?”
“... ... ...” Itachi remained silent, his black eyes lacking any sense of emotion. He was cold like ice.
Kisame grinned. “I guess that means you don't care, do you, Itachi?”
“... ... ...” Itachi turned around to leave, his disinterest blatant. He didn't care about their fates in the slightest. “Our mission here is finished ... Deal with them as you see fit ... I don't care ...”
His words delighted Kisame, an ominous grin gracing his lips. “Are you sure? They are from Konoha, as far as I can tell. Don't you feel anything?”
“... ... ... No ...” His body flickered, and Itachi vanished.
“It’s always the same with him ...” Kisame shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry, but it looks like playtime is officially over. My partner doesn't enjoy killing. Unfortunately for you, the same is not true for me.” Kisame closed the distance in an instant and attacked. His giant sword was his weapon of choice, directly aiming for her, Aritame, and Yukihiro.
Asami flipped backwards, dodging his incoming strike with natural ease. Her team mates didn't share her good fortune, nor her reflexes.
Fortunately, Masasane was able to parry Kisame's blow with a raised kunai. Their weapons interlocked with sparks flying and Masasane was unable to move.
Kisame pressed his sword downwards, yet Masasane stood his ground, flinching under the weight of his heavy strike.
Kisame laughed. “Hehehe, not bad ... Not bad, at all ... Seems like you aren't all bark and no bite.”
Kisame retreated, his hands forming a seal. No doubt, it was suiton. “Suiton!” An army of sharks rose at his command and took form. They were constructed from water, resembling their animal counterparts. Their number was endless, and their eyes were set on them, their prey.
A grin crossed Kisame's lips. “It's over.” His sharks attacked in unison, coming for their prey. They were fast. Far too fast. Asami braced herself.
“Shit!” Masasane shouted. “Katon!” A fire jutsu was his answer. He tried everything to blunt Kisame’s technique, but all to no avail. Water and fire met, and water prevailed.
The sharks overwhelmed the fire in a blink, falling relentlessly upon their prey. Masasane was ripped apart in a cloud of bloody mist. His last act was to shield Aritame and Yukihiro with his body, but his sacrifice was in vain in the face of such might. Even in his death, he was unable to stop the stampede of voracious sharks. This was how her sensei died, and so did Aritame and Yukihiro. They never stood a chance against the behemoth that Kisame was.
In the end, it was only she who survived the onslaught, her chakra protecting her. It hardened to shield her.
Her enemy turned his attention now to her. “Interesting ... To think that you would survive my attack ... Impressive ...”
“...” Asami narrowed her eyes, her hand gripping her sword tightly. All her instincts focused on survival.
Kisame's eyes narrowed as he noticed the traces of lingering chakra after her shield dissipated. “Seems that you are able to cast some kind of barrier jutsu ... How intriguing ... You have my interest, girl, what's your name?”
“...” Asami didn't answer. The enemy deserved no answer. Only silence.
Kisame laughed, throwing his giant sword over his shoulder. “Quite the reticent one ... Not that I am not used to such antics ... Won't you give me your name, girl? I am curious. I want to know the name of my enemy before you die. After all, it would be quite a waste for you to die unknown. Don't you want to be remembered, girl?”
“...” A glare was her response. No words were spoken.
Kisame clicked his tongue. “Tch, still playing the stubborn one, aren't you? So what about a little game, then? You give me your name and I will let you live, if you survive, let's say, for two more minutes. What do you think?”
“...” Asami narrowed her eyes in distrust.
Kisame smirked. “Don't worry, girl, you can trust me. I might not look like it, but I am a man of honour. Unlike others, I keep my word.”
“... ... ...” Asami closed her eyes. Her purple chakra coated the blade of her sword in the heat of flaming plasma. Her blade was prepared to fight, and so was she. “Asami. My name is Asami.”
“See, was that so difficult?” Kisame readied his blade. “Now show me your resolve, Asami.”
“Gladly.” Asami opened her eyes and attacked. Three black tomoe led the charge.
His sword and her blade interlocked among the falling rain. This wasn't over yet.
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“There you are ...” A sitting Itachi spoke from the branch of a tree. “I was waiting.”
Kisame flashed a grin. “Sorry for making you wait, Itachi. Just took a bit longer than expected.”
“...” Itachi remained unimpressed, yet his watchful eyes didn't fail to notice the scorch mark in Kisame's coat around his shoulder. The smell of blood and burnt flesh permeated the air. “Your shoulder ... What happened?”
Kisame dismissed his question. “Just a minor flesh wound. Nothing else. The girl took me by surprise. Shouldn't have underestimated her.”
“I see ...” Itachi turned to leave. “Let's go then.”
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Asami closed her eyes, her body healing now that she had a moment for herself. Her chakra was restoring her body to its former pristine condition, with a fine mist of purple particles closing cuts and open wounds. It was a testament to the limitless possibilities that a powerful energy such as chakra held.
Ghostly purple flames engulfed Aritame, Yukihiro, and Masasane, her funeral pyre illuminating the encroaching night. Her fire burned until nothing remained of their bloodied corpses but ash, until they were history.
Her heart felt no anger, no hatred, no rage ... There was just sadness, a profound sense of sadness ... Aritame ... Yukihiro ... Masasane ... They didn't deserve this end.
Her three black tomoe turned, changing. From the ashes of death and grief, arose on red, on purpled shaded ground a sixteen petalled flower, a black chrysanthemum. It was the day that Asami awakened her mangekyou sharingan.
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