Si Vis Pacem -‖- Para Bellum [Naruto FanFic]
Arc XIII Chapter 2

XIII

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Arc XIII Chapter 2

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“Kisame-san, Itachi-san.” The Amegakure ninja before them bowed his head, his posture straight. The man was unfailingly polite, respectful, yet not deferential. The man must be one of hers. One of her men. His attire betrayed him. Clad in black, with a black chrysanthemum on white ground prominently featured on his sleeve. It was her crest. A common sight these days in the streets of Amegakure. The ninja of Amegakure and those chosen by her wore the emblem of their mistress with visible pride. “Lady Asami has been expecting you. If you please follow me.”

They were expected, which was hardly surprising. They had been escorted to the compound of the Hattori clan. Eyes and ears had been following them since the moment they had set foot into Amegakure. These days it was not just Pain watching them, but also the girl who ruled over the village from the shadows with force, authority, and honeyed words. Armed with Pain’s tacit consent, or rather disinterest, her growing influence was keenly felt throughout the village. Somehow, she had somehow succeeded in securing the support of both the major clans and the industrialists. United behind her banner, they now aided her cause.

Kisame chuckled, slinging his sword over one of his shoulders. The mention of his name with such respect amused him. “Kisame-san? Hehehe, I must give her that, the little princess has taught her men well. No wonder that she has managed to wrap everyone here around her finger. Should I come along with you, Itachi? Or should I stay outside here?”

“... ... ...” Itachi considered the course of action before turning his gaze in his partner’s direction. His decision was clear. “I will go alone. This is purely a matter between myself and her.”

Kisame smirked, flashing his teeth. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, Itachi. Are you still angry at me because I didn’t tell you back then that the girl had survived?”

“... ... ...” Itachi declined to comment. “Not necessarily ... Though, I must admit that I was surprised to learn that the girl lives ...” His cold, black eyes bore deep into Kisame’s soul. “I would have never thought that you of all people would spare her ... You are rarely one to show mercy ...”

“Mercy?” Kisame snorted in response, amused by his remark. “Hardly. Make no mistake, Itachi, I tried my best to kill her that night, but our little princess was quite the feisty one, I tell you. The girl refused to die so easily, so we made a wager. As fate would have it, I lost, and Asami won ... You know me, Itachi, I’m a man of honour. I keep my word with all that it entails. Hence, I was bound to her live.”

“... ... ...” Itachi paused. “I see.”

Kisame grinned, his lips forming a smirk. “That being said, let me tell you one thing, Itachi, don’t underestimate her. The girl is dangerous. Much more dangerous than meets the eye. Calm waters deceive the unsuspecting. She’s patient. She waits. She circles. Then, she strikes at the right moment. People think she’s harmless just because she’s not baring all her fangs at you. That’s a mistake.”

“... ... ...” Itachi remained sunk in his thoughts. His partner warned him. Not that he needed it. The fact that Asami was dangerous was plain to see. “Any other pieces of wisdom that you would like to share?”

“...” Kisame smirked enigmatically, a gentle chuckle accompanying him. “Nothing that I know of.” There was in fact more. His partner knew more than he let on, but Itachi decided not to pry. Kisame was indeed a man of honour. These were not just empty words. He meant them. He would never disclose secrets that he had once sworn to protect, even in death.

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The persistent scent of ozone permeated the air, a familiar touch in Amegakure, almost a comforting touch these days. The rain, the single droplets, calmed her mind and soothed her nerves. But there was little time for respite and repose, duty called. Asami leaned back into her seat, the leather adapting to her lithe form. There were important matters to discuss.

Her gaze fell across her mahogany desk on two familiar faces, Kaoru and Yuriko. The former was the head of the Fuma clan, the military backbone of Amegakure, and unofficially official chief of staff. The latter designated heiress of the Onodera clan. The woman substituted her father in this matter, representing the interests of the intelligence services.

They were both her trusted subordinates. They had served her well throughout the years in this deplorable world filled with inadequacy and, worse, utter incompetence, much to her delight. After all, qualified personnel was always difficult to find. How unfortunate that Masanari did not find the time to take part. As the head of the Hattori clan and the face of the village to the eye of the world, he had representational duties to attend to. It would not do if she and her alias were to be found at this stage. Not when she had come this far.

“...” Asami inspected her polished nails, sunk in thoughts. “How are preparations proceeding, Kaoru? I heard that I might have caused you quite the hassle.”

“Hassle ... That’s quite the understatement”, her chief of staff snorted with a mixture of annoyance and exasperation, never one not to complain. Asami was well aware that her orders had caused her quite a few sleepless nights and headaches in recent days. “The preparations are proceeding steadily, but to issue a mobilisation order on such short notice ... Seriously, what were you thinking?”

“...” Asami beamed, a beacon of innocence. “Well, ... mobilising five entire regiments is indeed quite the task.”

“Five regiments ... Twenty battalions ... The organisation, the logistics, a mess, I tell you.” Kaoru sighed gravely, rubbing the bride of her nose in frustration. “If there’s one person in Amegakure that should know, then it would be you, Lady Asami. You of all people know perfectly well that it takes a lot of time and effort to get the little army of yours moving. You could’ve told me at least beforehand. It would have made a lot of things much, much easier.”

“Understandable~.” Asami conceded, chuckling with a hint of guilt. The entire operation was indeed her fault. Not to mention, Kaoru had a valid point. For this time and age with subpar infrastructure, atrocious communications, and without proper motorisation, it was quite the logistical nightmare to move any significant force. But in the end, they would move. “Mobilising like this was admittedly not the most considerate of ways, but time is of the essence. The circumstances are favourable ... Especially, in the case of the Land of Grass. The useless dimwit of a son and his circle have finally given their consent to depose his father. If we succeed in installing Renji, we will be able to secure Kusashiro and by extension Kusagakure. As long as we control the boy, Kusagakure will be pliable to our demands. It would be remiss of us to squander this opportunity ... So, will the men be ready? I am counting on them, Kaoru.”

“...” Kaoru nodded, convinced, certain, not a single hint of doubt in her words. “Don’t worry, they will. They’ve their orders. They’ve their missions. They won’t fail. The 1st Guard Regiment has already moved out. The 2nd and 3rd will follow. The 4th and 5th are still mobilising. As promised, Ishigakure has dispatched a regiment. They are expected to arrive within a week. I still have no idea how you managed to convince these priests to join our side. As long as they worship the very ground you walk on, I guess, it doesn’t matter ... The Land of Iron has pledged another two regiments. They’re on their way, but Yoshito and his men reported that they are currently experiencing some ... difficulties.”

Asami raised her eyebrow. “Difficulties?”

Kaoru elaborated. “Yes, Takigakure is causing some trouble. The village is denying them passage through the Land of Waterfalls. The prospect of two regiments moving through their territory ... It doesn’t bode well for them. Takigakure is worried, but I was told they’re close to an agreement. They’ll be ready when the time comes.”

“...” Asami smiled, pleased. Was it not wonderful when everything was going according to plan, for a change? It was.  “I hope so~. Their participation will be required to subdue the Land of Grass. We want this operation to be quick and efficient. We cannot afford the great villages to intervene. We must present them with a fait accompli. As for Orochimaru and his henchmen ... If things go as planned, we will strike swift, and we will strike hard. Everywhere at once. Ororchiamru and his underlings will not even realise what hit them.”

Kaoru snorted. “Let’s hope so. I know that losses are to be expected, but I don’t want to risk any surprises. Not if they can be prevented. Orochimaru and his men ... They’ve a reputation for a reason. They’re dangerous.”

Asami assuaged her fears. “I assure you, Kaoru, there will not. This operation was meticulously planned. Our intelligence is reliable. Sasori and his network provided us with a wealth of information. Yuriko and her men were able to confirm the information, right?”

Yuriko concurred, her back straight. A good woman. And a reliable kunoichi. “The intelligence that we have received was found to be accurate. The locations of the hideouts were identified. Their locations correspond to coordinates that were given to us. The enemy’s strength estimates are, more or less, correct. In our opinion, the information that we have obtained can be trusted. Obviously, with some caveats attached to it.”

“We’ll see”, Kaoru grumbled, always one to care about her men. Asami did not disagree. It was difficult to lead men. It was even more difficult to lead them to die.

Asami smiled, folding her hands, pensive. “That being said, a platoon of ninja plus supplements should suffice to deal with a minor hideout, a company plus supplements with a major.”

“Hmm ...”, Kaoru offered an uneasy smile. “I’ve trust in my ninja. I can vouch for their quality ... Meanwhile, your soldiers ... I know that we needed to fill the ranks, but resorting to conscripting civilians ... I’ve serious doubts about the combat capabilities, Lady Asami. They aren’t ninja.” They were not.

Some of her reforms had always been a point of contention. Expanding the ranks through mass conscription was the only viable option in terms of sheer quantity to attain the fore levels that she judged indispensable. The number of ninja and clan members was far from infinite. Thus, they had to rely on civilian manpower. They would provide Amegakure with the soldiers and able bodies for the wars to come. Not that the masses of talentless genin that the great villages fielded were any different. They were the fodder for the insatiable furnaces.

“...” Asami closed her eyes. “Duty is heavier than a mountain. Death is lighter than a feather. They are not ninja. Nor are they supposed to be. Nor will they ever be. They are soldiers, bound by their oath and their honour. All these years, we have trained not just their bodies, but also their spirits. Now that the time has come, they will not shirk their duties.”

“... ... ...” Kaoru offered a pensive mile. “As said, we’ll see. For their sake, I hope you’re correct.”

“We all do, Kaoru, ... we all do”, Asami reflected, leaning deeper in her seat. “Kaoru, Yuriko, you are dismissed ... No, wait a moment ... Before I forget it ... Yuriki, I have a special mission for you and your men.”

The woman raised her eyebrow, attentive and receptive. “I am listening.”

Asami smiled. “I need one ... No, two squads of your best operatives. Sensor ninja. High chakra sensitivity. Specialised in gathering intelligence. They must be reliable. They must be loyal beyond doubt. I need them in Konoha.”

“Konoha?” Yuriko muttered, mildly surprised and confused. “For what purpose? Anything delicate?”

Asami shook her head, disappointing her interlocutor. “Hardly so. Mostly for the sake of a private project of mine .... Nothing that requires much sophistication, I assure you. Nothing extravagant, if you might be wondering.”

Yuriko had her unspoken doubts. “I will reserve judgement in that respect. The last time that you had a little project of yours, you sent us scurrying across the land, searching for a long lost imperial capital ... Not to mention, the time when you ordered me to collaborate with the former guardian ninja and his bunch of delusional revolutionaries.  So what is it this time?”

“...” Asami beamed, amused. At times, her orders were indeed on the more excentric side of things. “Not much, I need them to infiltrate the village and map the chakra layout of the village. I want them to detect any significant concentrations of chakra, whether natural or artificial, whether in Konoha proper and around it. Significant in the sense of extreme concentrations of ultra dense chakra. I am looking for a certain signature. The signature of a certain fox, if you understand what I mean, Yuriko.

That being said, avoiding detection and their personal safety are the priority. Secrecy is of the utmost importance. The mission must not be compromised. If they realise what we are looking for ... That would be a subpar outcome. Potential results are therefore secondary.”

Yuriko nodded, her eyes glistening with realisation. Ever the reliable subordinate, she understood. “Understood. I have already a few people in mind for your mission ...”

The door slid open, and a ninja guard entered, bowing his head. “Please forgive me, Lady Asami, but Uchiha Itachi has arrived. He wishes to speak with you.”

“... ... ...” Asami folded her hands, leaning back in her chair. It appeared that her guest had finally arrived.

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