Arc I Chapter 9

I

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Arc I Chapter 9

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Okaa-san hugged her daughter one last time.

Asami passed through the academy gate, unperturbed and with a big happy fake smile.

She ignored unproductive activities like engaging other children in conversation. A terrible idea. Sure, she could join them, but the mental gap between them was unbridgeable. They didn't understand her, and she didn't understand them.

Asami did what any sane person would have done in her stead, she observed the crowd, scanning for interesting individuals. Her sensitivity for chakra helped her in that regard, rendering spotting easy.

Little Asami scouted for other participants to assess their strength, and she found them, concluding they didn't represent a significant threat. They were harmless.

The girl with the blue bob haircut and white eyes was the epitome of shyness. She hid within her jacket, avoiding her gaze the second their eyes met.

The girl was weak, pitiful, possessing no self esteem whatsoever. Asami felt sorry for her. The girl needed a protective hug.  

The children trio under the tree. An Akimichi, a blonde girl, and a bored boy with a ponytail. Their parents accompanied them. Apparently, they knew each other well and so did their children.  

Asami halted. This chakra.

She felt the presence of chakra nearby, but this chakra was different. An immense primordial force that lurked beneath the surface like an ominous shadow. The aura piqued Asami's interest.

Asami approached the source of the energy, curious who emitted this potent presence. Was it a veteran shinobi, or the Hokage himself?

Asami was left disappointed. A lonely blonde boy sitting on a swing greeted her. He grimaced challenging at everyone, including her.

He was the source? The strongest chakra she had met so far belonged to a stupid brat she could defeat with a single pinkie finger in her sleep.

So much wasted potential, so much power laid dormant inside him. And what did he do? Nothing.

Asami left the scene, suppressing her annoyance. What a disappointment. The boy wasn't worth her ...

Asami continued her stroll, but someone caught her attention. She had a secret admirer. Out of the corner of her eyes, Asami noticed, someone watched her.

Asami giggled and turned her head. Her swift motion surprised her observer. A black haired boy, a few years older than her. Probably a freshly promoted Genin.

Their stares met. Asami and the stranger both stared at each other. Her black eyes met his black eyes. Neither of them blinked. They inspected, analysed, observed each other.

The boy's face was carved out of granite. He was good. He stood his ground. He didn't budge.

Asami narrowed her eyes. A difficult opponent.

Asami examined the rest of his family. His little brother and his father stood next to him. They all wore a stylised fan on the back. So they came from the infamous Uchiha clan,

The bell rang and her little staring contest ended with a draw. The academy opened its doors. The admission exam would start soon.

Asami gave the admirer a little parting gift. Armed with her suavest smile, she waved goodbye.

The boy blinked, but he quickly regained his composure. For the fraction of a second, her mysterious admirer even gaped. Mission accomplished.

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In front of the academy, a single boy waited for his brother to take him home. He was irritated. furious, but he had good reasons. Sasuke disliked Asami.He envied her a tiny bit.

He trained day and night for this particular day. Everything to make his big brother proud. He always wanted to be like him.

Sasuke aimed to the best of his year from the very beginning, but a certain girl stole the spotlight. Her superiority was indisputable. Her strength humbled them all.

It all began with the theoretical portion of the exam.

Sasuke sat down, waiting for their examiners like everyone else. And then she appeared. She entered the room, not bothered by the upcoming exam in the slightest. As if her victory was  written in the stars.

Her presence alone commanded respect. Undeniable elegance and regal demeanour accompanied her every move. Clad in silk, Asami wore a kimono embroidered with gold and silver brocade. The girl enjoyed playing princess, that much was obvious.

But even Sasuke admitted that Asami was quite … pretty. Not that he blushed a little bit.

But in the end, it didn't matter. Sasuke ignored her. She was one among many.

The examiners finally arrived and all the whispering died down.

The following written test wasn't much of challenge, at least not for him. The questions were easy. A mere formality.

Sasuke answered the questions to the best of his abilities. After finishing the written part, they moved on to the training field.

They were divided into groups of six before being pitted against each other in various competitions. Only the best of each group advanced to the next round, a little elimination type tournament. The victors of the preliminary phase would fight then against each other to demonstrate their skill.

Obviously, Sasuke fought his way through the brackets, marching from victory to victory. Had he lost, his Uchiha ancestors would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He encountered no serious opposition. He was even cheered on by a series of female supporters.

In the end, only clan children and other proficient or fortunate individuals.

Interestingly, the little princess was among them. Asami showed no signs of fatigue, of exhaustion. She suffered not a single scratch.

Sasuke gulped.

Asami possessed skill. He saw her kunai series when the instructor called her up. She got a perfect score, hitting every target without a single miss. Her accuracy and precision were frightening.

But it didn't stop there. Things got only worse. Her sparring matches were nothing but one-sided slaughters. Asami massacred her opponents. She wiped the floor with everyone who had the courage to face her.  

They didn't stand the sliver of a chance. Asami destroyed them and their pride.

The girls on the stances cheered at her ever growing series of victories, already calling her little princess Asami-hime.

If you faced her, pain awaited you. And it was him who was next in the line. He was her next opponent.

He considered his defeat inevitable, but Sasuke challenged her supremacy.

Asami stood for everything he wanted to overcome. In his eyes, Asami turned into Itachi. 

Asami, Itachi. Asami, Itachi. Asami, Itachi. Asachi, Itsami.

Her calculating eyes, her pitch black hair, her pose, her confidence, everything was the same. An irresistible force of nature that inspired awe.

If he couldn't defeating her, how was he supposed to surpass his brother? The answer was never.

He had to be victorious. He had to defeat her.

Sasuke marched forward into the jaws of hell. He entered the duel circle. The stage was set.

Sasuke mustered all his courage. "I will beat you! Don't think I will go down easily!"

“You think so?“ Asami gave him a icy glare. Her eyes promised him a slow and painful death.

Sasuke gulped, making a step backward. This was only part her intimidation tactics, wasn't it? He had no interest in dying painfully or slowly.

"My friend, do you know how often I have heard that today? How many of them have succeeded so far? Nobody. So don't waste my time. Bring it on!" Asami taunted him.

He should have ignored her provocation, but he didn't. Sasuke charged. A foolish decision against an adversary of her calibre. Asami sidestepped.

Only his long honed reflexes saved Sasuke from her subsequent counterattack. A punch aimed at his head.

Sasuke blocked with his arms, but his defence exposed his abdomen. Her follow up side kick went for his guts, punishing him for his error.

Hadn't he performed a roll backward, the match would have ended here. Sasuke dodged fate, escaping Asami's scythe like attack unscathed.

His instincts saved Sasuke, Instincts far older and more ancient in origin than he could ever imagine.

Sasuke got back up, adopting a defensive stance. Negligence was a deathly sin against a dangerous enemy like Asami.

Asami focused her eyes. "That was indeed unexpected. Seems like I have underestimated you. You aren't bad. Continue to train and you might stand a chance against me one day."

Asami raised her hand. "I forfeit. I had enough fun for today. So bye bye. See you later."

Ignoring a confused Sasuke and the stunned audience, Asami left.

What was that? She disappeared, she simply disappeared. Sasuke felt cheated. You couldn't do that. You couldn't just disappear, right? What about sportsmanship?

The match ended. He had won, but victory tasted bitter. Asami let him win. Everyone knew that, him included.

Sasuke cursed. Asami and Itachi were really both alike. Even in defeat, they still emerged victorious.

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