ARC XIII CHAPTER 3

XIII

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Arc XIII Chapter 3

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Itachi entered the room, his resolve firm. The door shut closed behind him under the soft hiss of paper. The candles flickered in the corners, their gentle light illuminating the room. And yet, he was not alone. The walls were thin in this place. Eyes were studying him. Ears were listening ever since he had entered the dragon’s lair. A tingle. An itch. A shudder. The ominous presence, the darkness of her all too familiar chakra did not escape him.

“... ... ...” Itachi opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon the girl before him. “Asami ...”

“Itachi~ ...” The little princess smirked, her smile gentle, yet vicious, delicate, yet deadly. The purple of her eyes glistened in the dusk, mysterious, alluring, tempting, shrouded behind her lashes. “I hope that time has treated you well~, U~chi~ha~ I~ta~chi~?” Her voice was sweet, lyrical, melodic.

The girl reclined, her every motion subtle and refined, her chin tilted seductively, her petite figure lithe, slender, tender, sensual, ever the femme fatale. Her soft gaze lingered on him, the purple of her eyes capable of enthralling any lesser man. Playful, silken, the strands of her hair reached her waist, soft locks adorning her cheeks, contrasted by her pale, porcelain hue and her lustrous crimson lips. It was as if a doll had been crafted with the sole intent of perfection, a true work of art.

Clad in black, embroidered with gold and silver, with chrysanthemum and peony, silk caressed her figure, her sleeves brushing against her tender skin. Soft, delicate, inciting, inviting, tempting, desirable, the thin fabric lent her body, her curves, her waist, her hips, her bosom, her breasts, shape and form, with so little left to imagination. Her kimono pronounced her collar, poised, elegant, her chest, firm, ripe, ample, pleasing, ravishing, feminine, so utterly enrapturing. Her legs crossed, her skirt revealed her stockings, lace, black, lustful, with his eyes catching glimpses of her thighs and the implicit innuendo and promise for more.

Her entire figure lay bare to him, youthful, refined, sublime, beautiful, for him to admire, for him to behold, for him to relish. Asami, ... a girl, a lycoris that had come to blossom, vivid, stunning, beautiful, and yet so fatal.

“... ... ...” Itachi steeled his resolve, entirely indifferent to the allure of her charms. Both love and lust had left him long ago.

Asami merely smirked in response, amused by his reaction, or rather by his lack thereof. “I gather that earthly desires still escape you, Itachi-kun~. Even after all these years. What a shame.”

“... ... ...” Itachi narrowed his eyes, unfazed, unmoved. The years had not tempered her teasing attitude. Not in the least. “... ... ... It seems that you have not lost your temperament, Asami. Furthermore, it appears that the rumours are true ... The noble lords and sons, the daimyo of the lands ... These days, you sway their hearts and minds not just with your wit and sweet whispers alone, ‘Lady Miyumi’ ... They call you the Lunar Princess ..., the Orchid of Amegakure ..., the Serene Grace of the Land of Rain ... They say that you make fish drown and wild birds fall, that you eclipse the moon and put flowers to shame ...”

“Hehehe ...” Asami giggled, amused, entertained, her lips shrouded behind the long sleeves of her kimono. A princess through and through. “You flatter me, Itachi, to be deemed worthy of such praise ... How considerate of them. The poets must have truly outdone themselves. That being said, it is a weapon like any other. One that I would be remiss to forego. Not when the fragile hearts of men are so easily moved ...” The girl raised her gaze, her purple eyes gazing at him, boring deep into his very soul. Her eyes harboured immense power. “Curious, is it not, Itachi? Fortresses that armies cannot assail, cities that armies cannot besiege, all so easily conquered by a pretty face, a few honeyed words, and a few persuasive threats. Though, I doubt you came here solely to discuss politics. They are always such a dreary, tedious affair, are they not? You were never one to be preoccupied with the mundane.

So tell me, Uchiha Itachi, what do I owe the honour of your visit? What brings you all the way here to Amegakure?”

“... ... ...” Itachi responded with his silence, his gaze unyielding. The meaning of her words were not lost on him. Asami was probing him, studying him, her sharp mind eager to dissect, to unravel all of his secrets, to gain any sort of advantage in terms of information. This was a battle, one which he could not afford to lose. Each step would have to be carefully pondered. “I have come here in search of answers, Asami.”

“Answers ... What an intriguing request ...” The girl grinned, an ominous giggle escaping her. Her sinister voice bore a heavy weight. “Do we not all seek answers in this cursed world of ours, Itachi? A world bereft of purpose, devoid of hope, born from strife, forsaken by justice, stained with the sins of the past.”

“... ... ...” Itachi fell silent, listening attentively. A non response. Evasive. Ambiguous. Secretive. Not that he expected otherwise. Asami had never been one to lower her guard easily. “Regardless of whether cursed or not, it has always been human nature to seek knowledge and wisdom. The path to knowledge is to strive for understanding. I have questions, questions that only you can answer, Asami.”

“...” Asami folded her hands, gauging his intentions. Distrustful, yet not disinclined. “That remains to be seen ... Enlighten me, Itachi, what do you wish to inquire about?”

“... ... ...” Itachi narrowed his eyes. The girl asked him to make the first move. So be it. It was time to show his hand. “Your actions have not escaped notice, Asami. Word is spreading among the villages that something is happening in the village hidden by the rain. That Amegakure is rearming in secret. That Amegakure is assembling an army. You are preparing the village for war, are you not?”

A statement of fact rather than a question, a fact which was hardly possible to refute. Asami did not even bother to deny his allegations. The concentration of power in her hands ... The submission of the nobility, the clans, the industrialists ... Her economic policies ... Her military and administrative reforms ... The accumulation of capital and resources ... The expansion of forces ... The introduction of conscription ... All her efforts were dedicated to a single minded pursuit, to prepare Amegakure for the war to come.

“So they know ... So they finally caught on ... Took them long enough.” The little princess smirked, hardly bothered by his revelation. Her intelligence services had long since informed her about the situation. “How much do our friends know? Do they already know that I am behind it all?”

“Not yet ...” Itachi responded, offering a token of goodwill. “All they see is the resurrected Hattori clan under the leadership of Masanari and his mysterious beauty of a daughter ...”

“How comforting to know that they still stumble in the dark ...” Asami smiled, devious, elusive, armed with subterfuge. “That being said, excuse my poor manners and lack of hospitality. You have come a long way, and as long as you are under my roof, you are my esteemed guest, Itachi, so tell me, what do you really wish to know?”

...

...

...

“... ... ...” Itachi retained his calm, his face entirely unmoved. They both knew that the moment of truth had finally come, even when he was forced to reveal more of his cards. “Asami ..., what I wish to know is simple, are you a threat to Konoha?”

[https://i.imgur.com/OcVjS4X.png]

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