The darkness in the forest was thick as ink. The branches above us intertwined so tightly that the moon broke through only in rare shards. We sat high up, on a thick branch, hidden by shadow and dense leaves.
— We won't find anyone now. We don't have any tracking techniques, — said Genma, chewing on a piece of dry ration. His voice carried fatigue, but his face remained calm.
Gai exhaled quietly and placed his hands on his knees.
— We'll have to wait for morning.
At that moment I was adjusting the bandage, pressing it lightly with my fingers. The skin on my forearm burned with a dull pain, as if someone was slowly dragging a knife inside.
— Kotetsu, what are you always fixing there? — Genma glanced at me.
— Just a scratch, — I said calmly. I looked at the cut on the bandage, where a bit of blood still shimmered on the edge.
He barely even fought in the war, yet he moves like someone from the frontlines... That's what genius looks like. It took me half a year of life-and-death situations to learn to react the same way.
I sighed, tightening the knot slowly. The wound wasn't fatal, but it was nasty. He had aimed for my wrist — I managed to turn my arm in time; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to lift a kunai till morning.
Gai leaned against the trunk, legs slightly tucked in. He wasn't asleep — just conserving energy. Genma chewed lazily, as if we were on a picnic, not an exam.
That's the difference between shinobi who'll become legends… and me. But maybe that's exactly why I'm here — to rewrite my role.
BOOM.
The tree shuddered slightly. The sound wasn't just heard — it hit the bones.
Silence. None of us moved. None of us breathed.
I slowly pulled down my sleeve, hiding the bandage wound up to my elbow, and whispered:
— They've found us. Get ready.
Genma put away his ration — sharply, without wasted motion. Gai placed a foot on the branch, leaning forward slightly.
Crack. A sound nearby — someone stepped on a branch.
— Hey! They're here! — a boy's voice called out, loud and confident — almost too loud, as if he wanted us to know there were three of them.
— My Bikochu never makes mistakes, — said another voice, calm, even… and utterly cold.
Aburame. A sensor. A chill crawled up my spine.
Damn. They didn't just find us… they tracked us.
Something faint began to appear in the air — like fine dust. But the smell was too clear — sweetly rotten, chemical.
— Poison mist… — I whispered. — Aburame.
The scent grew stronger. We were up in the branches — the bugs were trying to drive us down.
BAM! A dull sound below — one of our traps went off. A brief detonation. The explosive seal flashed, blinding the ground below.
— One down, or at least slowed, — I murmured.
But then came:
— Suiton: Shield Wave!
The deep roar of water swallowed the light of the blast. A shield? They're countering our traps with water? Good synergy.
A few bugs rose higher, toward the canopy. Tiny, almost invisible.
— Gai, don't jump down. They're baiting us, — I said quietly.
Gai nodded shortly.
But then—
— Lightning Body Flicker!
A flash of lightning — and someone appeared right on our branch. We didn't even have time to react — the figure materialized as if from air. Lightning ran along his arm, illuminating his face.
— Found you, — the boy said with a smirk.
He's fast. Too fast.
Before I could open my mouth, Gai lunged forward, using the branch like a starting block.
— DYNAMIC ENTRY!!! — Gai shouted, putting his whole body into the strike.
BOOM.
But — the strike was stopped. Not blocked, not deflected. Simply stopped by a hand wrapped in lightning.
Gai bounced back, as if he'd hit a wall.
— Blocked it…? — flashed through my stunned mind.
I saw his arm — the lightning covered it like armor, sparks snapping from the skin.
Looks like the Raikage's technique… just the "AliExpress" version from Konoha, I thought.
The boy didn't even flinch.
Gai landed beside me, teeth clenched. His palm was red and smoking.
— Ow!.. — he hissed, shaking his hand.
"I'll take him," I said, drawing my tanto.
I took a step forward, and a thought clicked in my head: Wind counters lightning… A natural advantage. I have a chance.
But I didn't even make it halfway.
WHOOSH.
— Suiton: Pressure Whip! — a quiet female voice called out.
A thin but unbelievably dense stream of water cut through the air — the branch beneath us split in two. Three opponents. Attacking at once.
"They're coordinated… dangerous," I thought.
We jumped to different branches. Gai faced the girl with the water. Genma — the Aburame boy. And I — the lightning brat.
We split up instinctively — but it was perfect. Team fights are risky… easy to hit your own by mistake.
— Oh wow… — the water girl frowned, looking at Gai. — You seem… too energetic.
— I AM PURE ENERGY PERSONIFIED! — he roared.
She raised her hands, summoning a wall of water.
— Suiton: Shield Wave.
Gai kicked — the water absorbed the hit, dispersing its power.
— What is that?! Water that reduces damage?!
— It's called a "shield," — she said calmly.
Gai froze, his face turning serious.
— Then… DYNAMIC BYPASS MOVE №4!
He vanished into the night's cover.
Genma stood on a lower branch. Irritation was clear on his face.
— You spread scents and track us with your bugs… unpleasant.
The Aburame boy raised his hand.
— You're already surrounded. You can surrender.
— Me? — Genma touched a senbon to his lips lazily. — I haven't even started yet.
Genma spoke — and a sound cracked beside him the next moment.
Attacking mid-conversation? Unexpected from the great Aburame clan — a voice called from the clearing.
"That's why we are great," another replied.
"Kotetsu's Side"
The boy leapt forward again. He moved faster than I'd ever seen.
— Thunder Dash! — he shouted, lightning enveloping his body.
I raised my hand — slow, deliberate, focusing chakra.
— Wind… — I whispered.
The tanto shimmered with a faint wave of energy.
— …always cuts lightning.
I stepped forward. The boy struck. I slashed along his arm — and the lightning dispersed.
He jerked back, eyes wide.
— How—?!
Do I look like the type to reveal my secrets? I thought, spinning my blade.
SHHH.