Chapter 61
Ken was strong. He proved himself in Amegakure, being selected as one of three who would represent his village. Even Hanzo the Salamander approved of him. So, he had no regrets about abandoning his teammates.
They were weak. And the village doesn't need anyone who would fall for petty tricks. Even alone, he will survive this test and prove he is stronger than others. Prove his village was superior to others.
Like these pathetic genin from Kusagakure. They knew nothing of danger, living peacefully in the shadow of Konoha. Now, as one refilled his canteen by the river and the other two loitered around, he would strike.
While they still had effects from the fake poison, and didn't understand their situation. Easy prey for someone like him.
And he needed to eliminate as many as he could on the first day. Before they became a problem later on. So, he waited for a perfect moment.
But it never came, as the genin refilling his canteen was suddenly pulled into the water. Then the other one was pulled into the ground, and as the last one who tried to retreat was pulled up into a tree.
The next second, they came out unconscious as three kunoichi from Takigakure revealed themselves, hiding in the water, ground, and trees. They quickly looted the defeated genin, and for a moment, Ken thought he would be next before they left.
…
Ken hid the first night. A shinobi must be patient. Like a hunter, they stalk their prey and hide until they are ready to strike. Unnoticed, undetected. And Ken was the best shinobi of his generation.
The problem was that he didn't have a prey he could stalk right now, so he was forced to hide. And not only from other genin. But from this place altogether.
How it was possible for such a dangerous place to be called training grounds was beyond Ken.
The wolves here were twice as big and twice as fast as normal. And they were on the lowest tier of the food chain. He could get rid of them in the trees.
But the giant bears. Those beasts hunted him through the whole forest once one of them caught his scent, and if other genin weren't slower than him, Ken didn't think he would have gotten away.
Of course, he could kill them. It wasn't too difficult. But it would be a costly and time-consuming affair. And he couldn't reveal himself, as others would take advantage of him being alone.
So, hiding within the trees, Ken looked out at the night sky. Some fools were destined to come across him, and then they would be defeated by him. Proving that his training was far superior to theirs.
But he found no one. Everyone else was probably hiding. Cowards, even with superior numbers, they wouldn't dare to face someone like him. No matter, sooner or later, they will have no choice but to face him and realize how futile their actions were.
He was elite, and if he wasn't chosen to represent his village, he would already have been promoted. So, other villages probably already gathered information about him and instructed their genin to avoid him at all costs.
…
Birds. Ken hated them, even though he didn't know until now. The birds of prey were relentless once they targeted someone. Anyone else would probably have been done already, rather than escaping with a few scars on his face.
Everything in this forest was out to get him. Animals, bugs, and even plants. But he would survive it, even alone; he was far better trained to do this than any other genin. However, he won't deny that he was quite hungry.
Yet, he couldn't let his guard down even for a moment. He felt like someone was watching him, and he spotted a few shadows following him. Those fools thought they would get to him, but they were mistaken.
He was adept at hiding. So, he waited for them to dare to come. But they never did. Cowards, even outnumbering him, they didn't dare to face him. At this point, it seemed he would have to wait until the last day to have some competition.
As annoyed as he was with the cowardly shinobi from other villages, he still had to eat. So, he defeathered the bird he caught and made a fire. There were only a few fires in the forest he spotted.
Most probably didn't have the capabilities to hunt something down. Bunch of idiots. Ken was sure that he would be able to go to the last round of the Chunin Exams. There was not a single one that got his attention in here.
"Fucking bugs." What annoyed Ken the most was the insects that crawled all over his body the moment he decided to sit down on the ground.
"Bugs? Isn't that a bit cruel?" A voice answered him from behind the tree. "But to be able to sense me, it doesn't seem you're just an idiot declaring your position so boldly."
"You must be one of the better ones to dare to seek me out," Ken replied with a vicious smile. "Even able to sneak up to me so close."
He must be good for Ken not to be able to hear him approach. And he only announced himself because he was confident in his skills. Finally, someone who will be able to test his skills, even if the opponent is from an unknown village.
His teammates were probably close by, watching and waiting for an opportunity to strike. Ken cared little about them. Firstly, he will deal with this one and see how much of a challenge the others are.
But not wanting others to interfere, Ken threw poison bombs around him and covered his mouth with a gas mask. Now they have fallen into his territory. With the explosion of the bombs, Ken threw his kunai to test his opponent's reflexes and make sure he didn't try anything funny.
The opponent expertly managed to parry the first attack, so Ken rushed in to exchange in close combat. As long as he could force his opponent to breathe in the poison, it would be his victory. And since they were now covered in the poison, no one would be able to see what happened to them.
He was quite capable, able to last a few bouts with Ken and not inhale air. But he was just unlucky to get into this fight. And soon enough, he was forced to take in some air. And that was the end of him.
With his body paralyzed, he was defenseless against Ken's attacks. Ken was about to finish him when the cowardly shinobi decided at that moment to interfere. One was smart enough to blow the poison gas away, and the other retrieved his defeated teammate.
Still, even with them in his way, Ken wasn't at much disadvantage. They probably haven't realized with whom they were screwing. With one out of commission and the other defending him, that only left the last one to face Ken.
And it would have been his victory if not for the forest itself interfering. As the bear decided to barge in. The giant beast was fast for its size as it uprooted everything in its path to him.
With a sneer at the unknown shinobi from the unknown village, Ken decided to retreat for now. They should feel grateful to be used as the bear's food while he got away.
…
It was the fourth night. Ken could swear on his village's name that he saw a shadow between those trees. They were everywhere. Cowards. Not only were they not letting him sleep, but now they were circling him, too afraid to face him.
They probably had a dozen or more with them, but even then, they weren't brave enough to try anything. Maybe they still thought he hadn't noticed them? Idiots, did they think he was avoiding any fights because he was afraid of defeat? No, he was waiting for them to show up.
Maybe they thought that he would get weaker, since he wasn't able to eat for days now. Even if he wasn't in peak condition, he was still more than capable of handling them. And with only one day left, they will be forced to show themselves sooner or later.
"Is that you, Ken?"
"Goro," Ken sneered, the name of his teammate, the one stupid enough to get poisoned by Konoha. "So, you are working with them? Aren't you?"
"Them?"
"What did you tell them? My weaknesses? I should have expected something like that from you," Ken knew that he showed up only for Ken to lower his guard, well, they have to be disappointed then. "Are you angry that I left you behind? You shouldn't, you know, the rules—only the strong survive."
"You smell, Ken," Shusui, the useless shit who always thought he was better than Ken. "You look quite hungry, too. Why don't you join us for your last meal?"
"So, you want revenge?" Ken asked.
"Yeah," Shusui replied. "Piece of shit. The village doesn't need idiots like you to ruin our reputation."
"Cowards, couldn't do it yourselves, so you begged others for help?"
"What are you talking about?" Goro asked. "We are alone."
"You won't get me." Ken didn't believe a word from them; they alone would never dare to face someone as great as him.
Putting on a gas mask, he threw his poison bombs. He couldn't let himself get encircled, so he would have to lead them away. Let them think he was running away; it was those weaklings who were weak and acting like cowards, colluding with other villages, not him.
Running through the trees, Ken made sure those two followed him. Fools, now that they were away from their little friends. They would fail while facing him. But once again, luck has turned against Ken, as he saw the kunoichi from Takigakure approaching them.
They said nothing as they rushed at them. Ken knew they were dangerous as light reflected from their razor-sharp blades. Well, it would at least need this much to take him down. But he wasn't foolish enough to follow their lead.
Ducking over the first sword strike that cut even the trees in its path, Ken rushed down and ran away. He was confident in his speed. For now, he would get some distance and hide in wait for them. Once he gets their numbers down, he will defeat the rest. After all, he was a genius.
And as he expected, he managed to get away from them and hide himself. But probably did a better job at it than he expected, as after hours passed and the night deepened, no one came for him.
As expected from cowards, once their plans failed, they had no choice but to retreat. They were nothing like him. That's why he was chosen, after all.
…
They were everywhere. He knew, they thought, they would get him unprepared. They thought they were smart. But he knew. He knew they were watching him, waiting for him to fall asleep, to try to relax even for a moment before they struck.
They knew they wouldn't be able to defeat him otherwise. This was the last day. And everyone was against him. Because they wouldn't have been able to defeat him otherwise.
He could see the shadows with the corner of his eye. Even if they disappeared once he turned to them. Well, he was prepared. He was the genius of Amegakure. Someone who gained recognition from Hanzo the Salamander, just like the legendary Sannin.
"Won't you give up?"
"Silence!" He wouldn't let them get into his head.
"You are alone."
"Show yourself!" He would survive this last day.
"You abandoned others, and now you are abandoned yourself."
"Cowards!"
Ken frantically looked around. That woman's voice tormented him just as the sun rose. It followed him everywhere. Their tricks wouldn't work on him. They were only wasting their time.
"Look at yourself," the voice continued to torment him. "Tired. Dirty. Insane. You don't think I am real, do you?"
"Shut up! Shut up."
Ken was strong not only in body but in mind, too. Trained to be the best of the best. He will not fail this test. He won't fail his village. The strong survive. And he was the strongest.
"Where are you!" Ken yelled out into the forest.
He could hear screams around him. Explosions and steel clashing with steel. But he saw nothing. The dense forest blocked his sight. He was alone. Or was it what they wanted him to think?
They watched him. They followed him. He knew. They couldn't hide forever from him. Their tricks won't work on him. He will survive.
"I am right in front of you."
There he stood. Dirty, with torn clothing. Hair a mess, and he smelled like shit. His smile stretched through his face in impossible ways. Before him stood himself. A perfect reflection of Ken.
"Hahahaha," He didn't know if it was him who was laughing or if it was his reflection.
"Shut up!" "Shut up!"
"NO!" "NO!"
His reflection mirrored his words. Not repeating them, but saying them as he said. It was an illusion. A genjutsu. Of course. He felt silly falling for such an obvious thing.
"Kai!" "Kai!"
Their words, their actions, and their expressions were the same. He wasn't crazy. He couldn't be. He was the best. He was.
"Die!" "Die!"
Ken punched himself, and he fell just like the reflection. He could feel the pain on his cheek. It was real. He was real. Or was he the reflection? What was the reality? Was it something he believed? Or was it something that others believed?
If others didn't believe he was real. Could he be real? No. No. NO. He was real. He knew that. But did it matter if an illusion knew he was real? It would still be an illusion.
"Are you going to abandon yourself like you abandoned your teammates? The strong survive. What happens to the weak? Who is the weak? If you are the strongest, doesn't it mean only you can survive? Doesn't it mean only you exist in this world? Or maybe you alone don't exist."
He was real. He was real. He was real. He was real. He was. He was. He was?
But what if he isn't? He is the strongest.
Or was he? What was he? What was his name again? Why was he here? Or he isn't anything, and he isn't anywhere.
"What?"
"What?" Ken turned to his reflection, whose face contorted in anger.
"What do you mean it's the end? The sun is still high up. Damn it, I understand. And I was having so much fun with this idiot."
"What? What is going on?" His reflection disappeared, and a woman appeared before him with a feral smile.
"Congratulations, you are one of the sixteen and will continue to the next test."
A dog came up to him and congratulated him.
The world swam across his eyes. He felt weightless as he hit the ground. He just stared at the sky, having no idea what was going on. Was this even real?
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to 7 more chapters and 28 chapters in total with all my other stories, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.