The village elders, the jonin commander, and the Hokage were talking, and talking, and talking, not coming to any conclusion.
Asami was already standing here for a few hours. She wished to leave, but she wasn't allowed to. They forced her to stay and defend herself against a series of uncomfortable questions.
What happened? How did it happen? How did she survive?
Danzo's gaze fell on her. "What do you think, Asami. What caused this debacle?"
Asami met Danzo's cold stare. She didn't like Danzo. She didn't like him at all. Her instincts distrusted Danzo since the moment they first met.
"I would say a combination of different factors was responsible for this disaster.“
“My team lacked the necessary strength to complete such a dangerous mission. The mission should have been classified at least as an A-rank mission, but it wasn't. As a consequence, a numerically superior force annihilated us."
"Furthermore, Masasane ignored all of my repeated warnings. In my opinion, we were doomed largely due to Masasane's incompetence." Asami was met by a sea of curious stares.
Did she just call her sensei incompetent?
Shikaku narrowed his eyes. "These are bold claims you make. Your late sensei was after all an accomplished jonin."
Asami disagreed. "Not at all, I sensed the enemy following us and warned Masasane multiple times. I advised him to abandon the mission, but he ignored me, a fatal mistake."
"So you are telling me your detection skills were superior to his?" Shikaku didn't believe her.
Asami nodded, "Indeed, I consider my skills superior.“
Shikaku didn't look convinced.
"Shikaku, why don't we test her?" Danzo was always in search of young talents. He knew more about Asami and was interested in her capabilities.
"And how?" Shikaku crossed his arms, slightly annoyed.
"Don't worry, I have an idea."
Danzo smirked. "How many ANBU hide in this room, Asami?"
Asami glanced left and right. "I detect eight signatures. Four ANBU hide behind the stone pillars, two are stationed at the door, two hide among the ceiling."
Locating them wasn't difficult. It was easy, far too easy. The ANBU didn't even bother to suppress their chakra.
Danzo grinned. "Kagetoki, was she right?"
The ANBU captain appeared and knelt. "Her numbers are correct, Danzo-sama."
"Hiruzen, I think we should allow Asami to join the ANBU. Her abundant talent should be put to better use instead of being wasted like this." Danzo's proposal surprised everyone except Hiruzen.
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, contemplating. "Asami, what would you think about joining the ANBU?"