XII

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Arc XII Chapter 8

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Asami welcomed her guests with open arms, yet her kindness was not reciprocated. A gentle breeze tickled her skin, leaves dancing in the wind. A sea of stares met her, together with a wall of silence.

...

...

...

Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura scrutinised her, their lips tightly sealed. The Suna girl and the old woman weren't much different. They watched her. They observed her. They studied her. Yet they failed to recognise her. Except for Kakashi. He remembered. His gaze told her as much.

The same could not be said about her former classmates. It was all too apparent that neither Naruto, nor Sakura remembered her. They had all but forgotten her existence. Not that she had expected otherwise. The course of time was inexorable. Years had come and gone. Her memories of Konoha were now those of a life ages ago. Konoha had become a distant place. A distant memory. An unfond memory that she had since come to detest.

Yet, to treat and ignore her like this after all that she had done for the sake of Konoha ... How impolite of them to completely forget her. Wasn't she a kunoichi of Konoha either? Where was the much vaunted Will of Fire? Weren't they all family? Apparently not. Not any more, at least. These days had long since passed, buried deep beneath the sand of time.

“...” Asami giggled with a glint of amusement, her hand placed on her chest, her voice saddened, dejected. She was the perfect damsel in distress. “Oh my, to think that you all have forgotten me, a classmate of yours. I must confess, my disappointment is immeasurable. You hurt me. All these years, we spent together ... All in vain. Oh, what a cruel fate that has befallen me. Tell me, what have I done to merit such harsh treatment, Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun?”

Her words produced the desired effect. The light of realisation dawned on them.

“You ...” Sakura cracked her knuckles, a grin crossing lips, her resolve hardening. Her spirit was commendable. The girl was prepared to fight, although her methods appeared rather brutish, much to her surprise. Sakura had changed. She wasn't the foolish girl any more that she remembered. “Asami, wasn't it? You are that lone girl from the academy. You are that girl from back then from the chunin exams.”

“Now that I think about it, Sakura.” The blonde, surly Suna girl smirked, her hands reaching for her massive war fan. Her fan unfolded, pointing in her direction. “Yes, there was this annoying girl, which means it's time for revenge. Don't think that I will go easy on you this time, little princess! I will beat the shit out of you!”

“Oh my, how combative!” Asami giggled, amused by the girl's passion. Ignorance was truly a bliss. “And what about you, Naruto-kun? Do you remember me? Unless I am mistaken, names and faces were never your forte.”

“...” Naruto narrowed his eyes, uncharacteristically taciturn.

“...” Asami smirked, tilting her head, her umbrella dancing amidst her fingers. “Hmm, I take your silence as a no ...”

“No, Asami. It has been a long time, but I remember you.” Naruto clenched his fists, yet he retained his calm. He controlled his infamous temper despite his irascible nature. How interesting.

“You do? How curious ...” Asami turned her full attention at the jinchuuriki, her gaze probing Naruto. He was serious. The boy had grown. The boy was older. He was wiser. He had lost much of his juvenile spirit. Naruto had matured, contrary to her expectations. The boy had certainly far exceeded her humble expectations. Who knows, one day, he might even make for a passable jinchuuriki at this rate, despite his meagre talent.

Naruto glared at her, staring at her. The boy had also grown some backbone. “Yes, I do. You are the girl from the academy. You are that girl from the chunin exams. You are the one who beat Shikamaru. You are the one who hurt Lee.”

Asami deployed her usual polite smile. “Well, ... such might be a possibility. The boy was, after all, a rather stubborn one. Rather incorrigible in his ways, as far as I recall ...”

“Shut it, princess! Stop wasting our time!” The Suna girl exploded. “We haven’t come all the way here from Suna for some idle chit chat, bitch! So, fuck off! We have better things to do!”

Asami directed her glare at the defiant girl. “Oh, what horrid times ... Oh, what dreadful manners. Your lack of tact is truly ... deplorable. Careful, an uncouth tongue does not become a lady of proper station, although yours must be doubted.”

“...” The Suna girl gritted her teeth, daring to defy her openly. Whether it was courage or folly that which drove her remained debatable. “Listen, little girl, this is my last warning. I have seen enough of you and your ugly face. I don’t give a shit about your fucking manners! Shove your damn etiquette lessons up your pampered arse! We are here to rescue Gaara! And we know what game you are playing.”

Sakura readied her fists, a grin on her lips and itching for a fight. “Temari is right! It's obvious what you are trying to do, Asami.”

“Oh, really, is it?” Asami smiled, her umbrella shielding her figure. “Please, my friends, enlighten me~. Tell me, what vile deeds I am thought to commit today?”

Sakura cracked her knuckles. “As I said, you are stalling for time, Asami, aren't you? You were sent to delay us.”

“...” Asami declined to comment. Her silence equalled confession, although she had hardly bothered to conceal her true intentions to begin with.

Sakura grinned, exceedingly proud of her rudimentary deductions. “I thought so. We were right.”

“...” Naruto, however, didn't understand, unable to follow. “What do you mean, Sakura-chan?”

“Naruto, haven't you noticed ...” Kakashi elaborated, his eyes never leaving her even for a moment. Careful as ever, he was monitoring her every move. “Asami hasn't attacked us, nor does she intend to do so. In fact, she hasn't moved a single step all this time, which suggests two options. Either she is trying to buy time, or she must be reluctant to engage us, or both.”

Naruto understood, nodding. “That makes sense, Kakashi-sensei!”

“...” Asami rolled her eyes. If they only knew. Unsurprisingly, extracting and sealing a bijuu, processing the stolen essence of week right under Pain's watchful eyes without getting caught, and fighting now some children in an unresponsive, subpar body with severely limited chakra reserves was quite a strenuous affair. Especially, if all at the same time.

Temari grinned. “Listen, little girl, you heard us! We know what you are up to! It's five against one. You are outnumbered. You are alone. We aren't.”

“Outnumbered, you say?” Asami furrowed an amused eyebrow. Outnumbered? Undoubtedly. At a disadvantage? Debatable. “Well, I suppose that might be true. Five strong ninja against a lone, innocent maiden of pure heart. How terribly unfair of you. I merely came to parley, and yet I am received with such hostility.”

Temari clicked her tongue. “Tsk, do you take us for idiots, or what?”

“Perhaps~.” Asami smiled beneath her purple umbrella. “Perhaps not~.”

Temari scowled, “Enough! Enough is enough! Time to teach you some manners, bitch. You won't stop us! We will get Gaara back!”

Sakura seconded her motion, grinning. “Right!”

“Yes!” Naruto clenched his fist, his spirit burning high. “We will rescue Gaara! No matter what!” The trio was willing to fight. How quaint.

“You think so?” Asami raised an eyebrow. “Who says that Gaara still lives~?”

“WHAT?!” Her words showed an instant effect. Naruto stared at her, his eyes wide.

Asami tilted her head, her index finger caressing her red lips. “Naruto-kun, has nobody ever told you, when a bijuu is extracted, their jinchuuriki dies~.”

...

...

...

Shock. Disbelief. Silence. Only the wind and the rustle of leaves filled the void.

Asami beamed. “Ara~ ara~, did I possibly say too much~? How careless of me ...”

His response was swift. A kunai together with an explosive were Naruto's answer.

The kunai was meant to take her head. Her umbrella deflected the feeble attack, a thin layer of purple chakra protecting her against the explosion. The explosion was a distraction meant to buy time. It worked. The dust settled and revealed Naruto in company of one of his clones.

Naruto glared at her, his blood, his chakra, his aura boiling. The anger. The hatred. The rage. The raw, unconstrained emotion. She could veritably feel them.

Naruto and his clone were gathering their chakra, their hands creating a dense, swirling sphere of blue. It was a jutsu that she recognised.

It was a jutsu that Kakashi recognised. “Naruto, ... wait ...” It was too late.

Naruto charged, head straight for her. “Aaaarghhhhh!!! Rasengan!!!”

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