III

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Arc III Chapter 12

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“I told you, Hisaaki, we would be the last. As usual. I bet the exams have already started”, Katsusane grumbled, as they were climbing up the stairs.

 

Hisaaki sighed. “Always the pessimist, Katsusane, aren't you?”

 

Asami was meanwhile furiously tapped Hisaaki's shoulder, calling for his attention, but he didn’t notice. He ignored her many, many, many times. Too many times.

 

“...” Asami fumed. The plebeian fool dared to ignore her! Such impudence was unheard of!

 

Together; they finally approached two chunin. The ninja guarded the exam room, their arms crossed. They didn't look friendly, quite the contrary ...

 

The two chunin blocked their path, unwilling to let them pass. Chunin No. 1 grinned mischievously. “Where do you think you are going?”

 

Hisaaki halted, his confusion obvious. “Eh, I have a question, the room behind you ... Is that the room to take the chunin exams?” 

 

“Yes, this is the room where the exams take place”, chunin No. 2 answered.

 

“...” Asami furrowed a confused eyebrow. According to the two chunin, this was the right room, but Hatsu told them that the exams room was room number 301. The door sign, however, showed 201. Wasn't this the wrong floor?

 

Hisaaki smiled. “Excellent. I don't want to bother you, but can you please step aside? We are genin, and we intend to take the chunin exams ...”

 

Chunin No. 1 smirked dismissively. “You don’t get it, boy, do you? We won't let you through. Quit as long as you can because you don't have what it takes to be chunin. All of you.”

 

Chunin No. 2 agreed. “Being a Chunin means to carry responsibility, to lead. You lack these qualities. You are nothing but a bunch of kids. So stop wasting our time and get lost!”

 

“...” Their taunts didn't impress Asami. They were rather innocuous, but the fact stood, the duo blocked their way, and they had no intention to move. Meanwhile, she and her team were running out of time. The exams were about to start and they were already write late. Her patience was thus running thin. Her mission was already annoying more than enough her and now two nameless chunin possessed the unbelievable insolence to block her way.

 

Hisaaki offered a weak smile. “No need to resort to insult. We are just here for the chunin exams ...”

 

“Hisaaki, ... just give me a moment, please. I will resolve this matter.” Asami grabbed his shoulder from behind, interrupting him. She had enough of this farce.

 

“Eh ...” Hisaaki blinked at her, taken aback by her sudden change in personality. His surprise was written all across his face.

 

“...” Asami narrowed her eyes, glaring at the duo of chunin. “Listen, my friends, I didn't come all the way here to get blocked by a pair of wannabe third rate bullies insults. Seriously, you little fuckers, who do you think you are? We are in a hurry. So get your fucking arses moving and get lost! Because I am already more that just a little bit pissed off that these fucking morons in  the village administration succeeded once again in messing up something as simple as the right room. Apparently, they gave us the wrong room.”

 

...

...

...

 

“...” The two chunin fell silent, exchanging worried looks.

 

“...” Meanwhile, Hisaaki and Katsusane stood behind her, completely stunned. Confusion, shock, bafflement were written all over their faces. Their mouths hung agape as their world had turned upside down.

 

“...” Hisaaki was the first to regain his wits. “Asami-chan, what do you mean by giving us ‘the wrong room’?” 

 

Asami clicked her tongue. ”Didn't you notice, Hisaaki, they gave us the wrong room. They said room 301, but the sign says 201. This is room 201.”

 

Hisaaki blinked, unable to follow her. “...” 

 

Asami crossed her arms. “It means that we are on the second floor, not the third floor. But it doesn't matter, the idiots in the village administration gave us the wrong room. It is 201. Not 301.” 

 

Hisaaki scratched his head, offering a weak laugh. “I don’t want to disappoint you, Asami-chan, but you should better check your eyesight. The sign clearly says 301, not 201.”

 

Katsusane nodded. “Hisaaki is right, the sign says 301.”

 

“What?” Asam furrowed an irritated eyebrow. They had guts. They were arguing with her, an Uchiha, about eyesight. “Listen, my friends, I recommend you to check your eyesight because I see nowhere your mysterious 301.”

 

“Don’t be childish, Asami-chan, the sign says 301. It is right there.” Hisaaki pointed at the floor sign.

 

“No, it doesn’t”, Asami corrected him. There was written 201.

 

“It does”, Hisaaki protested.

 

“It doesn’t”, Asami disagreed.

 

“It does!”

 

“It doesn’t!”

 

“It does.”

 

Asami fumed. “For fuck's sake, Hisaaki, you blind idiot, it doesn’t. The sign says 201. This is room 201. End of the discussion.”

 

Hisaaki grumbled, “Why on earth do you need to be so stubborn ...”

 

“Hisaaki, ... wait a moment.” Katsusane intervened just in the nick of time. “I think I have got an idea.”

 

“Hmm, what do you mean?” Hisaaki looked perplexed.

 

Katsusane explained, “I think that Asami is right, this is the second floor. If you think about it, the floor below us is the first floor, so why does the sign say 301 if this is the second floor? Why does it say 301 for us? Why does it say 201 for you, Asami?”

 

Hisaaki stroked his chin. “Now that you say it, that is a good point.”

 

Katsusane nodded. “Yes, it makes no sense, unless ... Unless ... Unless this is a genjutsu. That is the only explanation, we are trapped in a genjutsu, except for you. The genjutsu appears to have no effect on you, Asami.”

 

Asamicrossed her arms. “That sounds ... logical.” Her attention turned to the two suspicious chunin. They were about to have a little talk with her. They owed her an explanation. ”Tell me, my friends, what is going on here?”

 

A smoke cloud greeted them, accompanied by a round of applause. Two chunin clothed in grey uniforms appeared. “Not bad. What do you think, Izumo?”

 

“An unexpected outcome for sure, Kotetsu.” The chunin named Izumo dissolved the genjutsu.

 

Her team gave them a blank stare. They had no idea what was going on.

 

Izumo smiled. “This was a little preliminary test. We test the participants if they can see through a basic genjutsu and find the room. You passed the test admirably.“

 

Kotetsu agreed. “Now you better hurry. The exams are about to  start, and you are quite late.”

 

...

...

...

 

Izumo crossed his arms. The girl and her team had already left. “Did you sense her aura, Kotetsu?”

 

Kotetsu nodded. “Yes, I did. the girl has a powerful aura for her young age. I have no idea who she is, but the girl is definitely a dangerous kunoichi.”

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“Asami?” Hisaaki disturbed their little princess.The girl usurped leadership just a moment ago and now ruled with an iron fist over her subjects. Asami marched ahead, leading them to their new destination. Hisaaki didn't dare to question her supreme authority.

 

“Yes?” Asami turned her head, her dark eyes frightening him. The current version of Asami was slightly scary, not to say intimidating. 

 

Hisaaki flinched. “Eh, ... I am just curious, where did all your shyness go? You couldn’t get out a single word before, and now ... You seem like a completely different person.”

 

“Look, Hisaaki, this is the real me, the real Asami. And I am now in charge here. I originally planed to lie low and hide my strength and , but prior events necessitated a change of pace. Priorities changed and I will take over from here on.” Asami smiled. Her smile sent a mild shiver down his spine. “Follow me, the chunin exams are waiting. We don't have all day.”

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Asami led her team to the right room. They passed a familiar silver haired ninja, Kakashi. He was leaning against the wall, grinning for no apparent reason, which was uncommon for him.

 

Asami furrowed an eyebrow. What was he doing here? Didn’t he have a genin team to manage ... Her lips formed a grin. She understood. So they was also here ... How intriguing ...

 

Her figure approached the door, about to enter the room. An enthusiastic voice interrupted her, a familiar voice. She remembered the annoying boy well.

 

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I won’t lose to any of you! Got it?! I will beat you all!!!”

 

“Hehehe ...” Asami chuckled. It was Naruto. So they met again. He hadn’t changed much since he left the academy. He remained an idiot.

 

Her hands opened the door. An air of natural grace accompanied her steps. Katsusane and Hisaaki escorted her, flanking her shoulders. Her gaze swept across the room. “Sweet is war to the inexperienced. The difference between bravery and foolishness is often delicate in nature. So who was the shouting idiot from before?” Her icy glare rested on Naruto,the blonde boy in an orange pyjama. He stood among a group of ten other genin.

 

“...” Asami hadn’t forgotten their faces, and they hadn’t forgotten hers. After all, they shared the same classroom for five years. They were her former classmates.

 

Naruto gulped. “Are you ... the examiner?”

 

Asami giggled, amused. “I must confess, you flatter me, Naruto, but no, I am not the examiner. It saddens me, however, that you seem to have forgotten me. Despite all the years we spent together, you don't recognise me. I am dismayed.”

 

“...” A blank stare met her. Naruto didn't remember ...

 

“Don't you remember me, Naruto?” Asami tilted her head, an innocent smile on her lips.

“...” Recognition finally flashed across his face. Naruto stiffened. “This head tilt ... This cold smile ... This voice ... I know you!!! I remember! You are the evil princess!!!”

 

His words amused Asami. Even he acknowledged her noble status. “I am glad that you not have forgotten me, Naruto. It is a pleasure to meet you again after all this time. It seems that you are still as foolish as back then, although I share your sentiment, a bunch of genin hardly represents a credible challenge.” The entire room was staring at her. Their stares weren’t friendly, not to say hostile. A mass of antagonistic genin faced her. Nine genin stood out. Three Oto-nin, three Konoha genin, and three Suna genin. Especially, the red haired boy with the massive chakra reserves elicited her attention. His aura was powerful and his chakra lingered in the air. The child was dangerous.

 

“...” Hisaaki gulped, overwhelmed by the degree of adversity that they were facing. “Asami-chan, I don’t think that you should provoke everyone.” 

 

Asami chuckled. “Provoke? How amusing ... I didn't provoke anyone ... But if you believe so, Hisaaki, allow me to most graciously introduce you to the humble art of real provocation.” 

 

“...” Hisaaki paled, a visible shiver running down his spine. 

 

Rich in arrogance and pride, Asami opened her arms to greet her audience. These genin were so far beneath her. “You want to defeat me? Bring it on if you can. You are welcome to try your luck. Because one thing is sure, I won’t lose to a bunch of talentless genin.”

 

...

...

...

 

“...” Hisaaki blinked in complete disbelief.

 

“Tsk, brilliant work, Hisaaki, you only made things worse”, Katsusane voiced his anger.  

 

Hisaaki offered an uneasy laugh,  concerned about their future. “This was ... unexpected. I miscalculated. We are royally screwed, aren't we?” 

 

“We are ...” Katsusane seconded Hisaaki's opinion.

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