NOVEL NEXT Arc III Chapter 15
III
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Arc III Chapter 15
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Their first guests made their appearance, a nameless genin team from Amegakure. Two boys, one girl. They looked motivated. They actually believed they could defeat her and pass the test, a shame that they had fallen for her trap. They even delivered her the missing Earth scroll. The Ame girl protected the Earth scroll. The scroll was hanging around her hips, easily accessible. Not the most intelligent choice.
Asami smirked. The scroll was only waiting for a change of ownership. A single moment of distraction was everything she needed. Her other guests, meanwhile, proved far more troublesome. A blonde girl and her oversized fan, her brother and his puppets, and a red haired boy with a giant gourd on his back. The Sand Siblings had arrived.
The girl plunged her fan into the ground. “Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who had the idea to prey on the weak, Kankuro.”
“Apparently, Temari, but I doubt that our Ame-nin represent a credible threat”, Kankuro grinned, stealing a glance at her. “It also seems that we meet again, girl, right, Gaara?”
“...” The boy named Gaara crossed his arms, his eyes devoid of emotions.
All three sides engaged in a staring contest, but none of them budged. Neither them, nor Suna, nor Ame. There was tension in the air.
Asami whispered to her team mates, “Hisaaki, Katsusane, listen, when I give the sign, run. Get inside the tower as fast as you can. Don't look back. The tower is neutral ground. Fighting forbidden. They can't attack us inside. We will use that to our advantage. Get inside, and we are safe.” Her plan required a suitable diversion to lower their guard.
Asami deployed thus her cutest smile. Her smile resembled a little sun. She was just an innocent little girl. Ignore her. Underestimate her. “Excuse me, if you would lend me your attention, I think that I have a proposal that would suit all of us.”
Kankuro furrowed an eyebrow. “A proposal? How interesting ... What do you suggest?”
Asami expounded on her proposition, “Well, my proposal is rather simple, you give us your scrolls. We leave then, and everyone is happy. Sounds like a good proposal, doesn't it?”
...
...
...
Utter silence greeted her. Only the wind disturbed the silence amid a sea of incredulous stares. Her interlocutors didn't look amused. Her porposal didn't exactly fall on fertile ground.
“...” The boy named Gaara narrowed his eyes, his anger tangible. His sand awakened, pouring forth from his gourd. His sand surrounded him, ready to obey his orders. He glared at her with an intensity that transcended what was humanly possible. “What did you say? Are you trying to mock me, girl?”
Asami delfected with a smile. “Well, you see, that is, first and foremost, a matter of perspective ... RUN!!!” Hisaaki and Katsusane sprinted. They trusted in her, even when she gambled with their lives. Not that they had much of a choice. Quite the contrary.
Asami capitalised on her superior speed. The poor Ame girl didn't even realise what happened until it was too late. She closed the distance in full sprint and claimed her prize, the unprotected Earth Scroll, before fleeing the battlefield. She fled the battlefield and the heavy steel doors closed behind them. Her team had reached the comforting safety of the tower and set a new record. They finished the exam in 26 minutes and 33 seconds.
Katsusane leaned against the wall, mentally and physically exhausted. “You will never, I repeat, never, ever do this again, Asami! Do you understand?”
Asami laughed. “Why not, Katsusane. Didn't my plan work perfectly? We have our scroll, and we passed the exam! We are even first!”
“But at what price? Didn't you see his eyes? The boy wanted to kill you”, Katsusane retorted, his hands shaking in fear, trembling. “I don't know how you were able to do it, but I would be unable to face him.”
“...” Asami observed the scared boy with a sense of pity. It was no shame to be afraid. It was only natural for them. In the end, the hard truth was revealed. Ultimately, they were worlds apart. She was an ANBU, an Uchiha, a veteran of the battlefield, whereas Katsusane and Hisaaki were only mere genin. She was not like them. They lacked her experience. They lacked her talent. They lacked her strength. Most genin had never tasted the harsh reality of the battlefield. She did.
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