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.

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

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

Asami fumed. This plebeian idiot dared to ignore her.

Her team approached two chunin. The chunin guarded the exam room. They didn't look friendly, quite the contrary.

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

Hisaaki halted, his confusion obvious. “Isn’t this the room to take the chunin exams?”

“Yeah, this is the room.” Chunin No. 2.

Asami raised her eyebrow, confused. According to the two chunin, this was the right room, but Hatsu told them the exam room had the number 301. The door sign showed 201.

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 didn't care. “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 a chunin.”

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.

Asami's patience ran thin. Her secret mission already annoyed her and now two nameless chunin had the insolence to block her way.

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

“Screw diplomacy, Hisaaki.“ Asami exploded. She had enough of this farce.

“I didn't come here to get blocked by a pair of wannabe bullies with third-rate insults. Who do you think you are to deny me passage? Get out of my sight, you assholes, before I rip off your balls ”

“These fucking morons of the village administration gave us the wrong room. As usual, these twats are completely useless.”

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...

The two chunin exchanged silent looks. They didn’t dare to challenge the furious little dragon. They had orders to delay the participant, not to fight them.

Hisaaki and Katsusane remained stunned. Confusion, shock was written all over their face. Their mouths hung agape as their world had turned upside down.

Hisaaki regained his wits. “What do you mean by giving us the wrong room?”

Asami calmed down. ”Didn't you notice, we got the wrong floor. The sign says 201.“

Hisaaki blinked.

“We are on the second floor, not the third. But it doesn't matter, the idiots in the village administration gave us the wrong room, 201, not 301.”

Hisaaki scratched his head. “I don’t want to disappoint you, but you should better check your eyesight. The sign clearly says 301.”

Katsusane nodded, but his resolve wavered. Things didn't add up. Something was wrong here.

Asami's eyebrow twitched. Hisaaki had guts. He argued with her, an Uchiha, about eyesight. “Does it? I recommend you to check your eyesight because I see nowhere your mysterious 301.”

“Don’t be childish, 301 is right there.” Hisaaki pointed at the sign.

“No, there isn’t”, Asami corrected him.

“There is.”

“There isn’t.”

“There is!”

“There isn’t!”

“There is.”

“For fuck's sake, you blind idiot, there isn’t. ”

Katsusane pondered until he got an idea. “Asami, are you perhaps immune to genjutsu?”

Asami calmed down. “Not that I know.”

“Genjutsu?” Hisaaki looked perplexed.

Katsusane nodded. “Asami is right, this is definitely the second floor. We just passed the first floor, so why does the sign say 301?“

Hisaaki stroked his chin. “Now that you say it.”

“The only explanation is that we are trapped in a genjutsu, except for you, Asami. The genjutsu has no effect on you.”

“What do you think, Asami?”

“Sounds ... logical.“ Asami narrowed her eyes and turned.

Two suspicious chunin 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 some applause. Two chunin clothed in grey uniforms appeared. They clapped their hands.

“Not bad. What do you think, Izumo?”

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

Her team gave them a blank stare. They had no idea what was going on, and they demanded an answer.

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

Kotetsu agreed. “You better go before the exams start. You are quite late.”

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

Kotetsu nodded. He felt her ominous chakra. “The girl has a powerful aura for such a young age. Definitely a dangerous kunoichi.“

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“Asami?” Hisaaki disturbed their princess.

Asami usurped leadership and ruled with an iron fist over her subjects. Asami marched ahead on her way to their new destination. Hisaaki didn't dare to question her supreme authority.

“Yes?” Asami listened. Her dark eyes frightened him. The current version of Asami was slightly scary, not to say intimidating.

Hisaaki hesitated. “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.”

Asami halted. “Because I am a completely different person. This is the real me, the real Asami. And I am now in charge here.”

“I decided to hide my strength and lie low, but prior events necessitated a change of pace. Priorities changed and I will take a more active role from now 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 leaned against the wall. He grinned.

Asami raised her eyebrow. What was he doing here? Didn’t he have a genin team to manage …

Her lips formed a grin. Asami understood. He was also here.

Asami halted before entering the room. An enthusiastic voice interrupted her, a familiar voice. Asami 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!”

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

Asami opened the door and entered. Her natural grace accompanied her steps.

Her gaze swept across the room. “Sweet is the war to the inexperienced. The difference between bravery and foolishness is often delicate in nature.”

“So who is the shouting idiot from before?”

Asami's icy glare rested on Naruto, a 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. “You flatter me, Naruto, but I am not the examiner.”

“It saddens me, however, that you have forgotten me. Despite all the years we spent together, you don't recognise me. You disappoint me, Naruto.“

“Don't you remember me?“ Asami tilted her head.

Recognition flashed across his face. Naruto stiffened. This head tilt. This cold smile. This voice.

Katsusane and Hisaaki escorted their beautiful little black rose. They flanked her shoulders exchanged worried looks.

They didn't disapprove of her new personality, but their little princess caused them a lot of trouble.

Every genin stared at her. Their stares weren’t friendly, not to say hostile.

Hisaaki gulped. “Asami, I don’t think you should provoke everyone.” He motioned at the rest of the room, a mass of antagonistic genin.

Nine genin stood out. Three Oto-nin, three Konoha genin, and three Suna genin. Especially the red-haired kid with the massive chakra reserves. His aura was powerful and his chakra lingered in the air. The kid was dangerous.

Asami chuckled. “Hisaaki, I didn't provoke anyone, but if you believe so, allow me to introduce you to the humble art of real provocation.”

Hisaaki paled. A shiver ran down his spine. His words only added fuel to the fire.

Asami greeted her audience rich in arrogance and pride. These genin were so far beneath her.

“You want to taste defeat? Bring it on if you can because I won’t lose to a bunch of talentless amateurs. You can't even fathom the extent of your inferiority.”

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

“This was ... unexpected. I miscalculated.” Hisaaki offered an uneasy laugh, concerned about their future. They were royally screwed.

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