III

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Arc III Chapter 13

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“Asami, are you an idiot, or what?” Katsusane exploded. He didn’t approve of her actions. “Was this necessary? We know each other hardly an hour, and you already try your best to get us killed!”

“What do you mean, Katsusane?” Asami tilted her head in blissful ignorance. Her finger touched her chin.

Katsuane clenched his fists, furious. “Do I have to spell it out for you?” Asami was playing with him, and he accepted her challenge, a stupid decision. Things couldn’t get worse, but he was sadly mistaken. 

“Please, Katsusane, enlighten me”, Asami invited him.

“...” Katsusane gritted his teeth. Her arrogance made him speechless. The other genin merely observed. They didn't intervene as the scene was beyond absurd. Nobody had any idea what was going on.

Katsusane admonished Asami. He was angry, and rightfully so. Their new girl dug them an early grave. “You, genius, pissed off the entire room! Are you trying to get us killed, or what? I don't get it!”  

“Oh, that.” Asami faked realisation, unperturbed by the stares directed at her. “Don't worry, it is a minor inconvenience. Nothing relevant.”

“A minor incovneince?” Katsusane fumed. Her uncaring attitude and her massive ego put their very lives at risk. He and Hisaaki were by no means the weakest genin alive, but they weren't prepared to fight an entire room because Asami couldn’t keep her damn mouth shut. They received numerous hostile glares. He enjoyed some slight mischief, but this disaster exceeded his worst expectations.

Asami spun around. Her kimono followed her bewitching movements. “Indeed, a minor inconvenience. My tender heart is a playful one. Sometimes, I adore the superfluous, the irrational, the mischievous. These chunin exams are my stage, my venue. Before my power, your skill is insignificant, your techniques irrelevant, your past inconsequential. As if anyone in this room is even remotely able to defeat me.” 

Her words echoed through the room, and Katsusane approached a nervous breakdown. Asami had done it. They were dead ...

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Asami grinned. A sea of murderous glares met her, but she remained unfazed. Her chakra detected a familiar presence at the front of the classroom, a group of concealed onlookers. She recognised his signature from her ANBU times, an old acquaintance from the interrogation department.

Her attention turned to her team mates. Their faces had paled considerably. Blank fear gripped them. They made her feel a tiny bit guilty. After all, their current state was her fault entirely. Time to do something. “Hisaaki, Katsusane, look, no need to hang your heads. Rest assured, I will bring you through the exams. Somehow.”

“...” Hisaaki and Katsusane exchanged worried looks. They didn't feel reassured at all, quite the contrary. Understandably so.

Asami beamed. “Trust me, as long as I am here, no harm will befall you ... Listen, my friends, don’t even think about it. If you three pull off anything funny in front of me, you will regret it.” Her eyes narrowed her eyes at the three Oto-nin. They caught her attention. Their hands were itching itched for a fight. They didn't take kindly to her words.

“So you can not only bark, but also bite.” One of the Oto-nin smirked, taunting her. It was a boy without remarkable features.

Asami chuckled, amused. “Isn't that a bit rich coming from a nobody like you? Of course, you are welcome to try your luck should you be stupid enough.”

The Oto-nin grabbed a kunai. “You asked for it! We will make you pay for your arrogance right here, right now ...”

A cloud of smoke interrupted them, revealing a group of grey coated ninja. The examiners had arrived, among them was Ibiki.

“...” The man narrowed his eyes, addressing the room. For a moment, his eyes rested on her, far longer than necessary. “As much as I look forward to you killing and murdering each other, I must nevertheless ask to postpone your little argument. This is neither the place, nor the time, to fight. After all, we don't want things to get messy. Now, everybody, take your seats! We have already wasted enough time as things stand. The chunin exams are about to start.”

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