NOVEL NEXT Arc V Chapter 2
V
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Arc V Chapter 2
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“Join my cause, she said. Work for me, she said. Be my secretary, she said. It will be fun, she said. See the world, she said ... Nah, I don't think she said that.” Fumihiko sighed in disappointment. The evil overlord in black promoted him to her lackey for all sort of menial tasks. He regretted having accepted her offer. He noticed too late that he had signed a pact with the devil.
Now he was her official Sherpa, carrying four map scrolls on his back, two under his arms, and a stack of paper. He didn't subscribe to this kind of work, even when his work was apparently of utmost importance, indispensable for the village. At least, that was what she said. It was probably a lie.
Fumihiko navigated through the Hokage tower, avoiding hitting anything. Staircases and doors were his worst enemy, not to mention masses of careless genin running around. He was searching for room No. 3100. Asami gave him the number. She even wrote it down for him. He found the room down the corridor.
Fumihiko opened the door, which proved challenging for obvious reasons. Overloaded, he entered the room, stumbling right into a heated discussion. Tension filled the air.
Two forces of nature clashed, unyielding, unflinching, uncompromising. Black eyes met black eyes, intellect met intellect as Asami and Shikaku were locked in a staring contest.
Asami broke the ice, her frustration palpable. “Shikaku, why are you rejecting my plan?”
Shikaku deescalated. “I don't outright reject your plan. I just find it unconvincing, to put things mildly.”
Asami rolled her eyes. “I see, so what is your brilliant plan to ensure victory, Shikaku? I am curious. Sitting back and doing nothing, I assume?”
“...” Shikaku sighed. “Asami, you misunderstand, I never said anything like that. I only recommend adopting a more ... defensive strategy.”
Asami's face contorted in anger “Contrary to your misguided beliefs, I understand very well, Shikaku. Your defensive strategy, however, has only a tiny, tiny, little flaw.”
“And that would be?” Shikaku folded his hands.
“With all due respect, Shikaku, but your defensive strategy is utter bollocks.”
“...” Shikaku fell silent, scrutinising Asami from behind his desk.
Fumihiko stood on the sidelines and observed. He decided to exploit the short truce to flee the battlefield. He didn't want to get caught in their crossfire. “Excuse me, I hope I don't disturb you. I will deposit my stuff here and take my leave ...”
Fumihiko froze. He shivered. Asami flashed a sweet smile at him, interdicting his feeble escape attempt. “Where do you think you are going, Fumihiko? You can stay, Fumihiko. You don't disturb us, at all. Shikaku and I only had a little heated discussion. We merely agree that we disagree on a variety of points. Anyway, Fumihiko, could you please unroll the map of Konoha?”
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Asami wandered across the office. A giant map of Konoha covered the floor, depicting every single street, every corner, every house. Maybe this approach would persuade the pencil pusher Shikaku.
Asami drew her sword. Her blade glided over Konoha's outskirts, easily defensible positions and Shikaku's first choice. “In your opinion, we should deploy our forces along Konoha's walls to protect the village's civilian population, correct?”
Shikaku crossed his arms. “Correct.”
Asami pointed her sword at the main gate. “We will mass the bulk of our forces around the main gate, together with most of our reserves. According to you, the enemy will choose the village gate as their main axis of attack. Now the decisive question, what's the problem with your plan, Shikaku? What's the flaw?” She asked an earnest question without a hint of sarcasm, without a hint of disrespect.
Shikaku leaned back in his chair. “I can't tell. We will defend the village, repel the invasion ...”
“That's exactly the problem, Shikaku, we will only defend, we only repel the invasion.” Asami interrupted, her words sharp like obsidian. “It's beyond doubt that we will achieve a decisive victory against Sunagakure and Otogakure, but what then? What will happen afterwards? Will Suna and Oto magically disappear? No. Will their forces surrender? No. Will the war end? No. Will we forget Suna's cold blooded betrayal? No! This invasion is only the beginning.” Asami hammered her words into Shikaku. “We will win the battle, but not the war. You know how to gain a victory, but not how to use it, Shikaku. We will fail to achieve a decisive victory. The enemy will disengage and retreat. Suna and Oto will continue the war with their forces still intact. It will be an empty victory, a victory like Kannabi bridge.”
Shikaku looked up, unable to follow. “Like Kannabi bridge?”
“Yes, Shikaku, like Kannabi bridge.” Asami started her little history lesson. “After the battle of Kannabi bridge, the tides of war turned in Konoha's favour. We had Iwagakure on their knees, begging for peace. Kirigakure was in a similar state. Kumogakure wouldn't have surrendered, but they alone couldn't have stopped us. Total victory was within our grasp had we continued the war until the bitter end. The world was ours for the taking, Shikaku. Yet Hiruzen decided otherwise. He lost his nerves, unable to cope with the enormous losses of the war. Hiruzen wasted a golden opportunity and sued for peace. He believed that Konoha had bled enough. Soon afterwards, the Third Great War ended.”
“...” Shikaku and Fumihiko fell silent.
“Shikaku, that is why we shouldn't waste this opportunity. Sunagakure and Orochimaru won't know what hit them when we are finished with them. We know they will attack. We know when they attack. We know where they attack. It's not them, but us, who hold all the cards. So let's set up a little trap.” Asami grinned. “We will give up the main gate. Instead, we will adopt an elastic defence inside the village with strong flanks. Our centre will pull back to lure the Suna and Oto forces deeper and deeper into the village.”
“...” Realisation struck Shikaku. His eyes widened. He finally understood. “You want to encircle them?” His eyes studied Asami. He had underestimated her.
Asami's ruby lips smirked, accentuated by her pale skin. “Indeed, I do. I am glad you understand. The deeper they advance into the village, the more they will be trapped when we close the pocket. Our flanks will connect and cut off their only path of retreat. We will encircle the entire invasion force and annihilate them.”
Fumihiko
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