Chapter 12

A fight with a Purpose

"Are you kids ready?" the exam prompter asked slyly.

"Yes," Shino said calmly.

"Let's do this!" I replied ecstatically.

"Ok then… Let the fight begin!"

"You worried about losing Shino?" I asked tauntingly.

"Not at all," Shino replied slyly and calmly, "Are you?"

"I'm not, but you should be," I said tauntingly.

"Let's just get this over with," Shino said already annoyed.

We got into our fighting positions. Then, I got a plan.

"You know you just said something Shikamaru would say, right Shino?" I told him, knowing that he would get sidetracked.

"What? You mean Sir Slack-a-lot?" Shino said to a clone version of me.

He kept rambling on about how annoying Shikamaru is and while he did, I did a shadow doppelganger jutsu and I turned into a shadow-like state. I snuck up on him, got into his shadow, and took control of his physical and verbal abilities. I made him raise his hand in a forfeiting way.

"I give up. I'm just too distracted to fight," I forced him to say.

"Ok then, Asami Mai Hisoka is the winner!" the exam prompter cried out.

I let go of Shino and I went back to my shadow doppelganger's spot and quickly traded places with it. Then, I let my copy dissolve into the wind. I sensed Shino's confused ora quickly change to calm ora. I smiled and winked at him as I skipped away toward the waiting area. Then, Lord Hokage stud up to make an announcement.

"Hold it," he cried out, "I say this fight shall continue. So, I need both fighters to return to the center of the fighting grounds for the match to continue."

"Well, that's stupid, but it's fair, I guess," I muttered to myself.

"Ok, let the fight continue!" the exam prompter yelled out as soon as we came back to the center of the fighting grounds.

"All right, my turn for an attack," Shino said, "Bug swarm jutsu!"

"All right!" I yelled out, "Let's do this! Aqua Barrier!"

The bugs stopped right in front of my Aqua Barrier and surrounded the barrier. Then, the bugs started to attack my Aqua Barrier. Once they broke through they attacked Sophie and Nerugui. They both got hurt really bad. The bugs returned back to Shino and went to their resting place after that. That's when I got mad.

"All right, that's it!" I said in anger, "Time I show you why I've been working so hard and pushing myself to be a better ninja."

I closed my eyes slowly and snapped them open.

"Sharingan!" I cried out as I opened my eyes, "Now I'll show you what I'm all about!"

"Man, her chakra just spiked up really high. She definitely means business," Kankuro exclaimed.

"Gaara, what exactly does she mean by all that?" Temari asked looking at Gaara.

"She's about her life goal," he replied calmly, "She wants to show everyone that she can be a good ninja without her eyesight. She's always wanted to be a great ninja like her brothers, Sasuke and Itachi. That's what she means."

"Oh, all right," Temari replied calmly.

"All right! Eat this Shino!" I yelled out, "Shadow doppelganger jutsu!"

A clone appeared out of nowhere.

"Cover me!" I told my clone.

"Right!" my clone replied, "Fire style! Fire ball jutsu!"

I ran over to Sophie and Nerugui while my clone distracted Shino. I used my serpent healing jutsu to bring them out of the darkness.

"Nerugui, how is my clone doing?" I asked him once he was up off the ground.

He told me that Shino's about to attack my clone.

"All right then. Sophie, now is a good time to use wolf fang over fang," I commanded, "Ok?"

"Ruff!" Sophie replied confidently.

Nerugui squeaked to let me know that it's now or never.

"Now," I said as I stud up, "Let's do this! Human Mimicry!"

Sophie jumped onto my back while I was on all fours. Then, I was engulfed in smoke and when the smoke cleared, I looked like her.

"Let's do this Sophie!" I said confidently.

"Ruff," she barked back.

"Ninja art, Wolf Fang over Fang," I cried out as Sophie and I charged at Shino and started to spin rapidly until the air around us made us look like we turned into tornados.

Shino tried to use his bugs as a shield, but it didn't work. Sophie and I blew right through his bugs and did a direct hit to Shino. He flew through the air and hit the wall of the arena. He fell to the ground and was out cold. The exam prompter stepped in as Shino was taken away on a stretcher.

"Asami Mai Hisoka is the winner!" he called out.

I could feel Gaara's father, Lord Kazekage, staring at me with an impressed ora. I smiled a very excited smile as I walked back to the waiting area. I was very proud of myself for beating bug-boy Shino Aburame. When I got to the waiting area, I sensed Sasuke standing in the doorway with proud ora around him. I smiled at him. I sensed him smiling back in a proud way. I felt the vibrations of Sakura and Ino running towards us. I turned and smiled happily at them. I could tell they were smiling back at me.

"That was amazing!" Sakura called to me.

"Thanks Sakura," I replied, still smiling.

"I'm really proud of you sis," Sasuke told me.

"I know I probably shouldn't ask, but," I paused, "Do… Do you think that…"

I looked down at the ground nervously and shuffled my feet. Sakura and Ino were confused, but Sasuke knew what I was nervous about. He continued to smile though.

"Sis, I know Itachi would be really proud of you too," Sasuke assured me, "Especially on the subject of how much stronger you've gotten."

I looked up at Sasuke in surprise. I just wasn't sure about what Sasuke told me.

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?" I accused him.

"Have I ever lied to you before?" Sasuke asked rhetorically.

"Well…" I teased.

Then, I felt the vibrations of someone else approaching. Two people, actually. One was Kiba with Akamaru, but I couldn't tell who the second person was. I could tell that the second person, who ever it may be, followed Kiba and Akamaru up here without either one of them knowing. I turned to Kiba with a serious look on my face.

"What's with the serious look Asami," Kiba asked confused.

"Did you know you were followed up here?" I asked in a quiet, secretive tone.

"I was?" Kiba asked, turning around to see if anyone was behind him.

"Yes, but he's using a chakra cover jutsu," I told him.

"Then how come you can sense him and not Akamaru?" Kiba asked with doubtful ora around him.

"Because I have the senses of a shadow wolf," I replied.

"Oh, ok?" Kiba said suspiciously.

"Who's…" I started, but the exam prompter calling Gaara and Sasuke down to the fighting grounds interrupted me.

As Gaara passed by, Sophie barked at him to let him know I wanted to talk to him really quickly.

"What's up Asami?" Gaara asked glancing at me from to corner of his eye.

"Please try not to kill Sasuke, no matter how hard he pushes you," I pleaded with him, "Promise me, please?"

"I'll try my hardest," he told me as he walked over to kiss me on the forehead.

But when he did, instead of kissing me on the forehead like he planed (Keyword: he) I stud up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. Gaara pulled away slowly.

"Please be careful," I pleaded with him.

"I will be," he told me as he walked down to fight, but I knew this would end in catastrophe, and it turns out, I was right…