III

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Arc III Chapter 11

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The room was crowded.?Proctors of the chunin exams?and various sensei assembled in Hiruzen's office.

Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai stood at the forefront. They recommended?their teams for the chunin exams?despite them being rookies. They only served?for a single year. Iruka didn't share their enthusiasm?and demanded a preliminary test for them.?Hiruzen granted his request.

Hiruzen took a puff on his pipe?and cleared his throat.?" Ahem, attention. I have a little ?announcement to make.”

“Hatsu, might you please step forwards. I have something to discuss with you."

Hatsu?followed his order.?"How may I help, Hokage-sama?"

"Hatsu, I heard your team intended to participate, but you lack a?third member.?Katsumi got?heavily wounded on a mission and won’t recuperate?in time, correct?"

"Correct, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen folded his hands. "I think I have a solution for your problem. I found a?replacement for Katsumi, a girl eager to participate."

Hatsu hesitated. ”And who is the girl?"

Hiruzen handed Hatsu Asami's file, the redacted version obviously. "Her name is Minami Asami. She is a genin who retired?after her first mission due to an emotional trauma. Her entire team?was?killed in action.?Only she survived.“

“Asami contacted me a few weeks ago. She would like to return to service and take the chunin exams."

Her?name provoked various reactions ranging from disinterest to pity, from surprise to confusion.

Kakashi gave Hiruzen an accusing look. He knew about Asami. He knew about her capabilities.

Hatsu scanned the file, visibly concerned.?"Hokage-sama, I don't want to question your wisdom, but is this really a good idea? Does she?possess?the necessary skill to compete in the exams? As far as I can see, she hasn't completed a single mission above D-rank. The girl was?inactive for the entire last year. I fear she will be nothing more than?a dead weight."

Hatsu doubted?Asami's qualifications, which was only natural. On paper, Asami didn't shine.

Hiruzen offered a warm?smile, " Don't worry, Hatsu, I see no problem with her nomination. I personally vouch for her abilities. I assure you, Asami won't disappoint you."

Hatsu didn’t seem convinced.?“We will see.”

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Hisaaki was a proud Konoha genin. He already served the village for four years, which?did wonders for his physical constitution.

Hisaaki?was neither?the weakest ninja the village ever produced, nor the strongest.?He wasn’t a taijutsu specialist. He didn’t possess?large chakra. He didn't come from a powerful clan. He didn’t possess any fancy bloodline abilities. He was just a normal genin with?normal chestnut hair and normal brown eyes.

Hisaaki?was an unremarkable ninja. He would never reach the pinnacle of strength and touch the sky, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Less prominent?ninja tended to live?longer. History proved, strong ninja died young.

High-ranking?ninja didn't grow old.?Cases existed, but they were?few and far in between. The First, the Second, the Fourth, they all died within years. Except for the Third, none of them made it past three years

Hisaaki nodded, convinced of the advantages of his own mediocrity.

Hisaaki grew impatient and so did the rest of his team. They?were already waiting for quite a while.

Where was their little princess? Did she get lost, or what? The exams were about to start and she hadn't arrived yet.

Hisaaki grumbled.?“Sensei, how long do?we?still have to wait??She?didn't appear yesterday at the team meeting?and now she misses the exams. Who does she think she is? The Hokage herself?”

” Hatsu-sensei, why did you even?allow her to join? Couldn’t you have rejected her and found someone better? ”

Hisaaki’s opinion of Asami?dropped further. She didn't show up at their training?sessions, their team meetings, their discussions. And now she even made them wait an eternity. They were roasting?under the sun, unable to do anything. Hisaaki was pissed off.

Hatsu defended her. “Don’t be too harsh?on her, Hisaaki. The girl recovered only recently from her trauma. You shouldn’t expect too much from Asami.”

“What happened?” Hissaki looked up.

Hatsu hesitated. “I don’t know for sure, but according to my information,?her entire team died?on a mission.”

“Killed? Does that mean?she is..” Hisaaki stared incredulously.

Hatsu nodded. ”Asami was the only survivor. ”

But how? Hatsu?knew?Masasane from their academy?days.?He might not have been the strongest jonin, but he nevertheless achieved the jonin rank.?He was a competent ninja.?So?how did Asami survive while Masasane didn't?

Silence followed and Hisaaki lowered his head in shame. ”You are right, sensei. It's not easy to fight your way back into life.”

Hatsu smiled. Hisaaki was a good boy. “Take it easy, Hisaaki, that's why I am your sensei.“

“But you are right.”

“Right? Right about what?” Hisaaki blinked confused.

Hatsu forced a strained smile. ”Under normal circumstances, I would have rejected her with her credentials, but the Hokage vouched for her.?You can't tell the Hokage off.”

“But Hokage or not, if the girl doesn’t get her ass here,?I will ....” Hatsu clenched her fist.

Hisaaki gulped. He hoped Asami arrived soon, otherwise?...?she might face?unpleasant consequences.

Sitting on a nearby rooftop, Asami observed and giggled. Was this supposed to be a threat?

But Hatsu was right, it was time. Asami jumped down the roof.

“Excuse me,?are you Ikoma Hatsu, Ogawa Hisaaki and Sanada Katsusane?” A?meek voice alerted Hatsu from behind. A girl?appeared. Her presence materialised out of nowhere

Hisaaki turned and blinked, overwhelmed by her angelic cuteness. The girl was the product of pure huggly cuddliness clad in a lovely black kimono. Her black hair, her fluffy cheeks, her short nose, her fidgeting hands.

The girl was so adorable, so cute. She immediately claimed Hisaaki’s heart.?He wanted to hug her and never let her go again.

“Yes, why do you ask?” Hatsu?evaluated?the girl. Who was the girl? How did she sneak up on them?

“ I am ... Minami Asami ... , and I am your new ... team member. I am ... pleased to meet you.” Asami bowed. Her voice grew weaker and weaker, plagued by insecurity. Her hands fidgeted.

“So?you are Minami Asami, the girl the Hokage promised me?” Hatsu sighed. Her anger evaporated and her friendliness returned witnessing Asami's pitiful state.

Hatsu didn’t forget Asami's absences, but she stood above such petty things.

Asami?merely nodded. Her action reinforced Hatsu’s initial impression, the girl was useless, completely useless. The Hokage bullshitted her! The sly?bastard?was in for a serious discussion the next time they met!

“Why don’t you introduce yourself, Katsusane, Hisaaki?” Hatsu encouraged them.

Katsusane took the lead. “As you already know, I am Katsusane, and the idiot next to me is my childhood?friend, Hisaaki.”

“Hey, I heard that”,?Hisaaki protested.

“I know.”

Hisaaki clicked his tongue. “I am Hisaaki and the humourless brick is my best friend Katsusane. We have known?each other for a long time.”

“And you, Asami? What are your hobbies?“

“... “?Asami struggled?for words.

“My hobbies are ... poetry ... and enjoying nature. I don’t like ... people. They make me feel ... uncomfortable. They are loud ... and noisy.” Her words required all her strength.

“Sounds great to me.”?Hisaaki laughed and bought her performance. He grinned?like a fool, which earned him?an Asami idiot tag . Hisaaki = idiot. Idiot = Hisaaki.

Hatsu changed?the topic. ”Listen Asami, I don’t want to be rude, but I hope you have good a excuse for not attending our team training sessions. We missed your presence.”

Hatsu?had already given up, but perhaps not all hope was lost yet.

Asami?avoided ?Hatsu's gaze and looked down at the ground.?“Sowwy,?I?am ... a little bit shy. The sessions ... scared me. ?so I trained ... at home. I didn’t want to bother you ... with the clumsy.?me,”

“...“

“...“

“...“

Hatsu forced a smile. “I see.“ Everything was lost. Her team was fucked.

The conversation continued much to Asami's annoyance. Hatsu and Hisaaki tried her patience with their endless questions. They probed her background, but Asami maintained her cover and deflected their questions with her repertoire of empty phrases. She refused to?share?private information. The less they knew, the better.

Eventually, her team entered the academy. The exams began.

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