NOVEL NEXT Arc II Chapter 4
II
━━━━━━┓༻❁༺┏━━━━━━
Arc II Chapter 4
━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━
A squad of ANBU arrived at the scene. They were dispatched to investigate the source of the explosions that had illuminated the nightly sky. The explosion wasn't a natural phenomenon. It was the product of chakra. Someone created it, someone powerful.
Total destruction greeted the ANBU. A significant part of the mansion was gone, replaced by a field of lifeless debris.
Kunai were lying around, scattered. Craters and scorch marks everywhere. Splintered wood littered the ground. Numerous small purple fires burned in macabre delight, only waiting to be extinguished by the falling rain. Their unusual colour and shade didn't escape them. This wasn't just destruction. This was a battlefield. A sight Kakashi was deeply familiar with.
“Captain, what happened here?” his second in command asked.
Kakashi picked up one of the kunai on the ground, inspecting it. “I have no idea, Tenzo. I have no idea.”
An ANBU appeared, reporting, “Captain, we have found a potential survivor. A girl, but she is unfortunately unconscious.”
Kakashi discarded the kunai. “Bring me to her.”
They reached her location. Judging by all the degree of destruction, they were close to the epicentre of the explosion.
The characteristic scent of oxidized iron permeated the air, announcing death and sorrow. They found a little unconscious girl, soaked in blood. Her arms were clinging to the body of a dead woman, hugging her with all her force, all her love. There was little doubt that it was her mother.
Kakashi retained his sober composure. “How is she, Yugao?”
Yugao attended the girl, checking her status. “As far as I can tell, her condition is stable. No wounds. No cuts. No injuries. Just a few light scratches and bruises here and there ... It's a miracle, however, that she has survived this inferno ...”
“A miracle indeed”, Kakashi murmured. “Anything else?”
Yugao maintained her medical ninjutsu. A green aura surrounded the hugging girl. “The girl shows signs of chakra depletion ... Her chakra reserves are completely exhausted. From what I can tell, her reserves are enormous for her age. Minimum high chunin level, Kakashi.”
“... ... ...” Kakashi fell silent, his eyes focused on the unconscious girl. So the girl suffered from chakra exhaustion ... How curious ... The implications were clear ... A destroyed mansion ... A mysterious explosion ... Signs of fighting ... A dead mother ... An unconscious girl suffering from chakra depletion ... The conclusion was obvious. He had to inform the Hokage about the events.
━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━
Asami opened her heavy eyes, staring right into the bright sun. She was quick to avert her head to shield her sensitive eyes. Stupid sun.
She finally awoke after what felt like a small eternity in an unknown bed. Her mattress was hard as stone. But otherwise, she was fine, except for her eyes. They kept tingling for some unknown reason.
Asami rubbed her eyes, yet to no avail. No matter what, the uncomfortable itching didn't disappear. Ignoring her eyes, Asami scanned her surroundings.
Judging by the white interior of her room and the pleasant odour of alcohol, Asami concluded that she ended up in a hospital, or at least a facility that resembled a hospital, which was hardly surprising considering her condition and what happened ... ... ...
Asami murmured, tilting her head, “Happened ... Happened ...”
Something important had happened, but Asami couldn't remember. Her memory failed her. Mysterious, truly mysterious ... ... ...
...
...
...
Where ... was ... she? Trapped in a state of helplessness and disorientation, Asami scratched her head, wondering. Where was she? What was this place?
Asami searched for useful clues. Was this a hospital? The interior and the fragrant smell of alcohol suggested so. But why was she in a hospital? Did she fall ill? Was it something serious?
She didn't know. Her head felt dizzy. Her mind was spotty. Her memory didn't give her any answer. Was something wrong with her? After all, she was perfectly fine, wasn't she? But why was she here then? In a hospital.
She turned towards the window. It was early in the morning. The playful rays of twilight shimmered on the horizon. Dawn greeted her and she returned the greeting.
A cheerful Asami waved at the sun. She kept waving, and waving, and waving, and waving, and waving. It was clear that something was seriously wrong with her. She was a natural airhead from time to time, but not to this degree.
She suffered from some kind of shock ... It would explain her dizziness, her blurry vision, her headache, her periodic memory losses ... ... ...
Asami tilted her head. What did she want to say again? She forgot. But it couldn't be that important, otherwise, she would remember.
Still tired and weakened, Asami yawned, stretching her arms. She grabbed her pillow and tucked herself in under a warm blanket. Slumber came easy to her.
━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━
A few hours later, a sleepy Asami awoke once again. The thick fog in her mind cleared up. Her memory returned and Asami remembered the fateful night ... Okaa-san died ... She had lost her ... She had lost her forever ...
Tears rolled down her face. Asami felt the sadness inside her heart, the pain, the desperation, but she endured. She was a strong girl, and strong girls didn't cry.
...
...
...
They didn't.
Ignoring her pain, Asami closed her eyes, directed her attention at her body. She couldn't move. Her limbs felt heavy, stiff, numb, sour. Hopefully, her actions didn't shred all of her muscles. She used a lot of chakra last night, probably more chakra than her weak body was able to handle.
Nevertheless, she had failed in her mission. She had failed to protect Okaa-san when it mattered. Asami clenched her fist, her knuckles turning white. She was weak. Her body was weak, disappointingly weak. Far too long, she had remained idle. She had failed because she lacked power. She lacked the power to protect Okaa-san, to guard her, to save her. She lacked the power to kill, to destroy. In the end, she paid a bitter price for her own weakness, a price she would never pay again.
Asami rubbed her eyes, but not because of being tired. The annoying itching persisted. Her eyes betrayed her last night, nearly blinding her in the middle of the fight. Her aim, her movement, her timing were thrown off the moment her vision blurred ...
Asami noticed the hand mirror next to her, placed on a nearby commode. A grin crossed her lips. “Speak of the devil.” It was just what she needed.
Her hand took the mirror, staring right into the polished glass to stimulate her eyes. She waited, and waited, and waited, with little success. Nothing happened ...
Asami scratched her head. Did she forget anything important? An ancient spell? Blood? Human sacrifices ...
Her eyes widened. It was the moment two black tomoe surrounded by a wonderful luminescent red with a soft shade of purple inside greeted her
Her eyes ... There was no doubt, this was the legendary...
Unseen by anyone, a gleeful laugh escaped Asami's lips. Okaa-san was right all along, she was indeed a very special child. She was an Uchiha.
━━━━━━┛༻❁༺┗━━━━━━