Chapter 32

Underestimation is the Best Strategy

Sometimes legends make reality, and become more useful than the facts.

Salman Rushdie

It had been days since Hanzo and his troops arrived at the border of The Land of Iron and Amekagure. Konan and Soraya enjoyed the travel to the border as it was the first time outside their room. Additionally, they got to see each other.

Hanzo's tent was set in the middle to back of the camp. It was by far the largest tent, it held the immediate imperial household, bodyguards and more importantly Hanzo's strongest shinobi guard. At the back of the tent it held a small portion of Soraya's troops which she was currently surveying. It wasn't good.

Most of Soraya's troops were prisoners, or had been greatly demoted within shinobi ranks. She knew that her troops would not be strong, but Hanzo clearly outdid himself with giving her weak squadron. They were all men, older than her. So order and decorum would be a problem as well.

It was then she noticed Shigure, the boy she knew had feelings for her, but she hadn't seen him for a long time.

"What are you doing here", she asked.

"I was told to supervise you, but it seems it's more of a way to get rid of another heir to the throne, that's influenced by the Akatsuki", Shigure chuckled. Soraya could feel some truth and dishonesty in the statement. But a fact that she knew was true was that he was sent to die as well.

"Did you ever master that technique you were working on with Haku?", asked Soraya. Shugrue gave her quizzical look.

"90%", he replied.

Soraya gave him a serpentine smile. "Good", she intoned in a sense that she was already planning something precarious. Her eyes shifted to her troops and back to Shigure. "Do you mind helping me get my troops in order and formation."

Shigure smiled " Is that all you need?", he grabbed a wooden umbrella from his back. "Thought you wouldn't need me for that little of a task", he teased.

"I prefer to be the good cop", she whispered flirtatiously. Shigure's face blushed and turned away from her before barking orders for everyone to get into formation. For those that didn't move, he made them move, either with senbon that ejected from his umbrella or with his brute physical force. Soraya watched him and realized it had been a long time since she saw him. He was 18 now and had developed muscles throughout his medium-sized figure and in fact, became somewhat attractive.

Nevertheless, it didn't escape her that he was missing an eye. She knew it was a punishment from Yahiko, her father for his betrayal. However, if he was alive there was a calculated reason, possibly from her brother. She couldn't figure out why, but she could sense that he was under her brother's telekinetic influence. Something that made her realize that she needed to enhance her skills with her empathetic abilities.

"That was easier than expected", he said after a few minutes.

"Because I made them more malleable", she thought to herself. She wasn't going to tell him that she slightly manipulated their emotions. She didn't want them to fully be relaxed as she needed them battle-ready in two days. Even though she knew the fighting would be mainly on her and Shigure's shoulders.

"Maybe it's time for a speech", Shigure suggested. He placed a stool in front of her and she stepped on it.

"I'm not good at inspiring others" Soraya confessed. "And I detest long speeches because I zone out after two minutes", Soraya added. She spoke loudly to project her voice over the small crowd. "It's no secret that we are all here because Hanzo wants us dead, but I don't plan on dying and if we work together, I believe we can get out of this with minimal casualties. I am just a mere girl, who has been discounted, and thrown to wolves to ravish me and break me piece by piece, life had failed me just like Hanzo an Amekagure could fail you. And just like you, I had to make constant choices to prevail or die. Right now, I'm not asking you to fight for me, Hanzo or the Akatsuki, I'm asking you to live."

"Fine", retorted one of the men bregrundidly. "But how exactly how are we going to defeat an entire squadron, we are small and number, we can't outright go into battle."

"In war, you either become a legend, or you die. I'm not dying.", Soraya stated. "Prepare yourself this will not be a conventional battle", she stated in sense of precarious determination.

The man seemed intrigued by her response.

Shigure took notice of the confidence in Soraya. This woman was no longer the girl that struggled with simple fundamentals of chakra control. She no longer looked at the ground when she spoke. Soraya looked straight into every man's soul. Soraya had evolved.

Soraya knew that fear should have coursed through her veins, but something else started to replace it. Determination. She not only wanted to win this battle she wanted, to annihilate the enemy.

She reminisced about her birth father constantly telling her military strategy. But there was one war that she was obsessed with The American Revolution, and she was going to steal several of the strategies. "We move out tonight", she said with finality. She turned around and saw a boy no older then ten who stood proudly next to someone significantly taller than him.

"Why are you here, what crime can a ten-year-old commit", she asked.

"I stole food from a noble's home, I was their slave", he said downcasted. Soraya nodded in melancholy at the boy's situation. He sympathized with him because a century and half in her own world, she could have face a similar fate. She was aware of the slave and indentured servant class, but it was so woven in Amekagure's society that it was barely noticeable.

"If he dies", she shouted to the men. "You all die", she turned around and walked away back to her quarters. Soraya was short in stature, but the intonation of her promise made the hairs of everyone's arm raise. It was then the men realized that although small, she carried a deadly aura, and not metaphorically.

Tatewaki, unlike his father, Mifune did not wear elaborate Samurai gear. He was in his early twenties. He had trained his whole life to fight in what he deemed in an honorable manner.

Mifune, his father, and Hanzo had plenty of epic battles throughout their lifetime. This was just another one of their skirmishes. He looked around at his army of samurai. The landscape was filled with everyday military tasks: training, guarding around the perimeter and him looking at possible military tactics.

Tatewaki had heard that Hanzo's daughter would lead a small group on the front. He smiled as he had scouted that group and small was an understatement. Not only was their unit minuscule at best, but most of them were also untrained nobles.

"Sir", he heard one of his underlings call out to him and handed him a scroll. He opened it up and it was a side profile of Soraya in a casual hanbok. Her thick hair was in a bun on top of her head, and she seemed to be teaching some techniques to one of her troops.

"When we defeat them, make sure to capture her, not kill her", he demanded. "She is mine"

All of a sudden, he saw something whiz past his face. Then another arrow that was lit with fire shot at their main food tent, that happened to be a few yards away from Tatewaki.

"Get on guard!", he shouted.

"Shots are coming from the East!", Tatewaki heard one of his commanders shout.

"I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE COMING FROM", he shouted in annoyance. He grabbed his commander by the collar and shoved him. "Lead the troops, and defeat them, but give the girl to me when you're done". The commander nodded and it didn't take long for them to head to the Eastern ledge of the mountains.

Soraya watched as a majority of Tatewaki's troops turned Eastward. She in the majority of her unit were hiding on the Southwestern side of Tatewaki's army. Soraya waited until she felt the time was right to attack. That is, when she thought she could create the most chaos.

"Shigure", she smiled coyly. "Your time to shine"

"Thank you Princess", Shigure tapped his hat. He handed her a bow and arrow. "But I think you should have the first shot."

"What a gentleman", she winked at him. But she quickly focused on her target and shot the arrow.

Tatewaki watched as one of the commanders went down with an arrow at his back. Another arrow was soon in his neck and fell dead. Across the distance, he saw two more arrows in his second command, it wasn't enough to kill. Nevertheless, he was out of commission for this battle. He shouted orders to get him medical attention, while still pursuing Eastward.

As another arrow passed, he realized that Soraya's unit was behind him. As he was about to reverse his orders. Thousands of sharpened senbon started to come down in the back of his army.

"Shigure keep them busy", ordered Soraya. "Go get as many supplies as you can get, we are retreating in 10 minutes", she directed at a small group of men. They nodded.

Tatewaki was frustrated at the confusion that this ambush created. As soon as he got his troops together, he heard a loud whistle go through the landscape. The attack stopped and they were gone.

Two weeks later

Explosions could be heard throughout the Samurai camp as Soraya combined her jutsu into Shigure's flying senbon to precise targets. Tatewaki had planned on using gunpowder to neutralize their surprise attacks, but Soraya, thanks to Masaru, had already planned ahead.

A Small band of the Akatsuki along with Soraya's troops had finally come together behind a tree line. They watched as the fire ignited the night, and the burning heat was on all of their faces.

Soraya could hear the sound of static come into her ear, she grabbed her brother's hand to stop him. "You haven't perfected Lightening yet, so don't even try it", the glare she gave him meant that she wasn't in the mood for an argument. "You are still running on 30% of your chakra, your job is to protect the little one" Masaru seemed like he wanted to disagree, but his sister had her own electricity in her eyes. She seemed determined and ignited. He had doubts before, but that one look reminded him every time she defended him on the elementary playground, fighting people twice her size. And she always won. Although different, and possibly more bloody, he knew it wasn't going to be any different.

Soraya did several hand seals and walls of water formed around her and moved swiftly across the fiery landscape. Walls of water made strategic pathways for her men to rush the enemy. Meanwhile, she dampened the ground below the enemy landscape to make it muddy, causing them to move at a slower rate. Alternatively, this is where Amekagure shinobi thrived and could maneuver more quickly. Those with mouth-breathers moved quickly underneath the muddy earth. While others ran through the water-shield pathways distracting the enemy.

Now, it was Soraya's turn to find Mifune's son. Soraya silenced her mind and looked through everyone's emotions on the battlefield. Her eyes were closed as for once her sensitive hearing could be used, instead of an annoying hidden talent. After a few minutes, she found someone that was calm as her, but their senses were heightened. They were still giving orders while still fighting. Soraya had pinpointed him.

At first, Tatewaki was annoyed with Soraya's way of warfare. He thought it was cowardice and a disgrace. Nevertheless, his troops and resources kept dwindling over the weeks he had been exposed to her tactics. Now, he was fighting one on one with his troops instead of planning and overseeing the landscape. To him, he felt that there was no strategy. But, now it seemed like it was the final battle.

It was then that Tatewaki saw her. She was heading in his direction. Water and fire swarmed her, as she aided her troops. Something that he deemed honorable. One of his samurai was heading towards her, and she was about to defend herself, but he called out to his troop.

"Stop", they both looked back at Tatewaki and a gleam came from Soraya's eyes. " So she likes the taste of battle does she" , he thought to himself. "She is mine to deal with", he pointed his sword to her.

A circle of water surrounded her as she quenched the flames that she herself created. "Yours?", she questioned. "You make it sound like I'm your woman", she goaded.

"You can be", he replied confidently. "Surrender now, and you and your troops will be met with glory in The Land of Iron, and I will take you as my wife" Soraya raised an eyebrow to his offer. He took it as if she was contemplating his offer. "It's a good offer, especially for a woman in your country." The look on her face showed him, that she knew that he was right.

"My, My, my what a glorious proposal.", she said bowing her head politely. "but I must decline"

"And I can protect you from your murderess fiancé." Soraya's throat ran dry when he mentioned his name. But something about the comment angered her. She realized it was his tone. She may hate Itachi for now. Nevertheless, the sound of an insult coming from another made her heart quicken and her blood boiled in anger like the intensity of the Itachi's hot flames. Tatewaki saw a glimpse of it before she went back to her calm demeanor.

"Running away never solved anything for anyone", she brushed off his offer. "I rather stay and fight for the citizens of Amekagure"

"Not for your Hanzo?", Tatewaki questioned knowing of the upheaval between Amekagure and The Akatsuki. "Running away would be better for you", he countered. "Be by my side, and we both can conquer Amekagure, and make it a more prosperous Land of Iron."

"And leave my mother and fathers behind" she scoffed at him. "And my brothers and sisters", she added.

"Your mother is nothing but a high-ranking courtesan, and your fathers, her noble protectors. They have done many good things, but-" He reacted quickly and blocked the dagger that was too close to his face for comfort. She jumped creating some distance, then she summoned her Goujian and it morphed from a bracelet to a bo staff with a bladed edge. "Seems like I misspoke"

"I thoroughly reject your offer", replied Soraya. The water dissipated around her and she realized that he was using a chakra-blocking technique just like The Janjira. "And not just because you insulted my mother"

"Didn't take you for a hot head, you seemed like a more traditional woman", he said circling her and putting his hand on his sword. "But my future wife", he said adding emphasis to his words making it clear to her that he was serious. "This is not an offer you can and will not refuse"

It was Soraya that started the first assault with a loud battle cry. Tatewaki wasn't surprised at her speed and agility, as she was fairly small in stature, but she had muscles and a little more curves than the average woman. Nevertheless, he was on the defensive. Luckily, she wasn't going for deadly blows, which he would use to his advantage. There was no way he was going to allow her to take him as a prisoner.

"I'm sorry", he lamented. He grabbed her bow staff with his hand stopping the momentum and went in with his sword. Soraya swerved and took out a dagger and scratched him in his arm.

"AHHH", he howled in anger.

"I told you, you would have to kill me", she gritted her teeth and her dagger pointed to him. Her eyes were filled with intense determination. That's when he realized that this was a real battle.

He tore off the sleeve that she cut through. "Fine then", he replied in a sense of defeat. He closed his eyes. He resolved not to kill her but to injure her so great that she was close to death. Either way, he would have to fight her like he was going to kill her. Her skills were to great just to be on the defensive.

The sound of metal clashed as the two engaged their weapons once again. Soraya cried out as she missed a block, and his sword slashed a huge chunk of her right cheek, slashing the scar that she already had. She grunted but didn't let that distract her from the fight.

Soraya returned with her own assault and swung toward his abdomen, as Tatewaki was still pulling back his sword. He doubled over, and Soraya reacted quickly and swung her bo staff up, connecting with his jaw, and then swung across to try to hit him in the face again.

He caught it just in time. It was pure instinct. Tatewaki used his other hand to swing his sword and rapid succession. Soraya in slight surprise that she was now playing defense dropped her bo staff. The bo staff changed back into a bracelet. She swerved again behind him grabbed his nondominant arm and flipped him over to his back.

A mixture of a thud and splash as Soraya used all her force and speed to subdue him. As he was on his back, she kicked him in the face and loud groan escaped him. She ran and flipped and got the bracelet and it turned into a sword like Tatewaki's.

"Your sword is not just any shinobi sword, it's the Goujian", Tatewaki expressed his intrigue. "And it chose you, how did you even find it?", Tatewaki held his sword in front of him, dodging another attack and Soraya leapt back.

"That's not important", replied Soraya. "This fight is"

Metal clashed again as Tatewaki came down with a slash that Soraya blocked. Beads of sweat ran down her face. He kicked her down to the ground and held her arms by her head.

"Yield", he demanded.

Soraya laughed in his face. "And why would I do that", she asked "You're almost asleep and like you said Goujian chose me", Soraya willed her weapon back to her hand. It caught Tatewaki by surprise as she slashed his face and used both of her feet to kick him off.

Blood gushed from his left cheek as blood poured from her right. Both were breathing heavily, but it was Tatewaki who was seeing two. He took a step forward but then went down to his knees. He tried getting up, but his body felt heavy. Anxiety started to overtake him.

Soraya bent down as his vision started to go black. "I told you, you would have to kill me to win", reminded Soraya. "Disappointing", she mumbled under her breath.

Soraya watched in amazement at the defeat of Tatewaki. But it was short-lived as she saw nearby forces. Soraya wasn't scared. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, and she led another attack on the reinforcements for Tatewaki. It was a blur, but it was a matter of minutes before his reinforcements were decimated by her alone.

Soraya was in a trance after Tatewaki collapsed on the ground unconscious. She was covered in blood from the onslaught that she delivered to his troops. She was victorious. Nevertheless, she stared at the inflamed dark night. Gazing at the fire that her troops ignited she witnessed the dead and maimed bodies around her. This was her doing. She did this. Was her life more important than the hundreds of men that laid before her? Did surviving mean this much to her that she would cause a path of utter destruction?

She was just as deadly as Itachi. She had proven that. Those thoughts made her heart pounding almost burst in her ears.

The battle scene reminded her of when Itachi annihilated the Janjira, when limbs laid before her, just like they did now. Her gaze was blurry as images of that day blended with the battle scene in front of her. Everything felt it was moving in slow motion, but Soraya could see a female form walk towards her.

Suzume had been watching from afar. Not getting in Soraya's way seemed to be the best option and insuring that she didn't get caught by the enemy was of utmost importance. Nonetheless, she was her friend, and lady-in-waiting, there would be a time where Soraya would need her to attend to her. Especially, after her victory.

As Soraya's troops gained ground through the night, Suzume got closer and closer to the battlefield. Suzume stared down at her friend after her opponent collapsed. She watched as a splashy thud was heard as he hit the ground. Shigure was barking orders to the others, not noticing that his leader had not moved an inch as her opponent's face was submerged in the muddy ground.

Without thinking Suzume's feet moved on their own, it didn't take long even at a moderate pace to reach her friend. She was mere yards from her friend, but Soraya continued to stare in the distance. Soraya was gripping her weapon tightly, her knuckles going almost white. Suzume waved a hand over her face and there was no reaction.

"Soraya", Suzume whispered. She didn't respond to her name. Suzume put her hands up and came closer. "Soraya", she uttered a little louder. She saw her eye's move slightly. It was then her eyes went back and forth and her breathing started to become labored. "It's okay Soraya", comforted Suzume closing the distance. Soraya blinked and seemed to finally look at her.

"What are you doing here?", Soraya finally responded. Suzume pulled her smaller friend into an embrace.

"What matters is that I am here, and you are safe", she comforted Soraya and patted her back that was covered in blood and dirt. The wounds on her face, arm and throughout her figure did not go unnoticed to her. She quickly checked her friend making sure she wasn't bleeding out.

"It's not mine", Soraya said. "It's theirs's", she whispered. "I killed so many, it was like a blur, and I felt nothing", she admitted. She stepped away from Suzume. "I should feel terrible, about their deaths", she started to tear up in anger. "But I don't", she said. "I even felt...gratification at one point, this feeling I have now, it terrifies me, but I feel...satisfied."

"It's your first battle and you won", Suzume congratulated softly to Suzume. "People will sing about the legends that you have made today"

"But at what cost? Am I a monster for feeling this way?", she asked. "I'm no better than-", she couldn't finish saying it as her self-aware nature, knew that she was making false equivalents, but this rush of emotions was foreign to her. "He made me a killer," she said looking at her hands.

"He made you a warrior", Suzume countered. "Liking the fight is not a bad thing", said Suzume. "You did what was necessary, you worked ten times as hard as everyone else, and it showed on the battlefield, that is what you need to focus on", Suzume grasped her hand. "Don't let them see you falter", she whispered to Soraya. It was then Soraya heard the rest of the troops cheering at their victory. "Look how many people you saved that were left to die", Soraya looked around as her troops started to chant her name and sing folk songs around her. She stared in disbelief at this was something she was accomplished. Suzume was right. For once, she felt like she had a win. A smile came across her face. There were many things that were unresolved in her mind, but she was going to bask at this moment.