A child, no older than eleven or twelve, plunged a blade into the body of another kid about the same age. Fear flickered across the attacker's face before they, too, were cut down by yet another child emerging suddenly from the chaos.
As shuriken flew wildly through the air, several more young lives were extinguished.
From what Kakashi knew, a typical graduating class from the Ninja Academy numbered between 300 and 500 students. In a slaughter like this, how many would survive? Thirty to fifty? Maybe only three to five? Perhaps even fewer.
Unlike adults, these children, their worldviews still unformed, killed their former classmates without a shred of hesitation. Under this warped educational system, some had even developed the delusion that this was all just a game.
Such a blatant disregard for life was rare, even in this world.
Kakashi had intended to stop the three-way fight, but by the time he intervened, only one child remained standing.
The surviving boy spotted Kakashi approaching and his hands flew through hand seals. In an instant, the water in the small nearby pond began to boil.
"No intention of talking, then?"
Kakashi adopted no defensive stance. Anyone he encountered here could potentially be added to his rescue list; children ravaged by war shouldn't be forced into such a brutal examination at this age. Even Kakashi himself, despite possessing a mature mentality for his years and undergoing relentless physical training, had only achieved the rank of Jonin at their age through unique circumstances.
"Water Release..."
The boiling water surged, but before the waves could crash down, just as the Mist ninja boy completed his seals, a burst of crackling blue light erupted before his eyes.
Kakashi retracted his right hand, a trace of helplessness surfacing in his usually impassive expression. He had hoped things might change, but taking the first step on yet another battlefield felt deeply unpleasant.
He moved swiftly toward the other chakra signatures he could sense. They were vanishing rapidly. Although the test had only just begun, more than half the initial chakra presences had already disappeared from his perception.
The surrounding mist grew thicker, and a light rain began to fall within it. Moving in these conditions became increasingly difficult for Kakashi, hampered by the loss of one eye.
Conversely, this terrain offered a significant advantage to the Mist ninja. Even a Genin from Kirigakure would find the power of their Water Release techniques greatly amplified in this weather.
"This is getting a little troublesome."
Kakashi wasn't about to let his guard down. The chakra coalescing in the puddle his foot had just landed in alerted him that he'd sprung a trap.
Boom!
An explosion and a cloud of smoke obscured his position.
Kakashi escaped harm using a timely Body Replacement Technique, landing lightly on a tree branch. He looked down at the figure emerging from the dissipating smoke.
"A member of the Hozuki clan?"
"Sharp eyes," the boy sneered.
The Hozuki youth, with shark-like teeth and blue hair, solidified his liquid form, maintaining a standoff with Kakashi.
"Then you must know that Lightning Release doesn't mix well with your kind of bloodline."
Kakashi let crackling lightning spark around his hand. The Hozuki's expression changed instantly, and he dissolved back into a completely liquid state, vanishing from Kakashi's sight.
All these kids know is how to kill...
Unsure how long this test would last, Kakashi found a small cave, barely large enough for one person, and took shelter inside.
Given the current situation, even saving a few individuals seemed like a difficult task. He wondered just what Kirigakure taught these Genin.
The rain intensified, the individual drops merging into a continuous roar. The sky seemed to have ripped open, pouring down torrential rain like a waterfall onto the land below.
The heavy downpour washed away the dense mist.
Nearby streams swelled, merging into stronger currents. Taking advantage of the conditions, someone was undoubtedly lying in wait upstream.
Water began creeping into the cave. Kakashi, his clothes already soaked, channeled a portion of his chakra to maintain his body temperature and started heading upstream.
In the distance, he caught a glimpse of a girl with long orange hair flashing past, a stream of water closely pursuing her.
That must be the Hozuki kid chasing her.
Without hesitation, Kakashi gave chase.
As he drew near, the orange-haired girl was already on the verge of collapse. The Hozuki boy was preparing to deliver the final blow.
"You again! What, planning to save her?" the Hozuki boy taunted.
"That's right," Kakashi nodded.
"You idiot. Playing the hero won't work like that! I'll kill her first, then take my time finishing you."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the boy lunged, intending to end the girl's life with a blade formed of water.
Activating his body with Lightning Release for enhanced speed, Kakashi managed to reach them just before the water blade could decapitate the girl. He swept her into his arms, feeling a sharp pain in his back – a wound, probably thirty centimeters long.
The Hozuki boy grinned wickedly. He had anticipated the silver-haired ninja might intervene and had altered the water blade's trajectory mid-strike precisely for this outcome. While he hadn't killed Kakashi outright, wounding him was acceptable.
Kakashi produced a kunai and gently laid the girl down before instantly closing the distance to the Hozuki boy.
"Taijutsu is useless against me!" the boy declared confidently.
"Who said I was going to use Taijutsu?"
The Hozuki boy blocked Kakashi's kunai with his own liquefied hand, while his other hand drew a metal sword, slashing downwards.
Drawing another kunai, Kakashi met the sword strike. His gaze sharpened, and he channeled Lightning Release chakra through the kunai. Amidst the grating screech of metal, his lightning-infused kunai sliced through both the boy's sword and the kunai he held, the electrical current paralyzing his body.
"If you're only immune to Taijutsu, then your skills don't live up to your bloodline's potential."
After the deafening crackle of lightning subsided, Kakashi stood alone.
"He managed to escape even in that state. This guy is actually quite skilled."
He turned back to the unconscious girl and used the medical kit Rin had given him to perform basic first aid on her wounds. He carried her to a sheltered spot out of the rain and fed her a few soldier pills.
Slowly, the girl's eyes fluttered open. Seeing the silver-haired boy before her, she snapped fully awake, scrambling into a defensive posture on the ground. A pat down of her tool pouch revealed her weapons were gone.
"Don't worry, you're safe for now." Kakashi approached her, extending a hand. "Can you stand?"
The girl hesitated for a moment before taking his hand. The injury on her thigh made walking nearly impossible; the instant she put weight on it, blood seeped through her trousers. She leaned heavily against a nearby rock.
Kakashi frowned. Beyond basic first aid, he wasn't equipped to handle injuries like this. Besides, the wound on his own back was still bleeding.
Blood loss made the girl's face pale; she looked like she could collapse again at any moment.
"Can you hold on?" he asked.
"Mmh," she grunted, stubbornly pushing herself upright. Her right leg trembled, but she looked at the boy with a defiant glint in her eyes.
This silver-haired boy... I've never seen him at the Academy before, she thought. He probably isn't that strong. He likely saved me just to have a partner to survive with.
Or maybe he plans to kill me at the last moment.
His eye... he must have lost it in an earlier fight.
"Come with me," Kakashi said, his voice urgent. "The rain is too heavy. If you stay out like this, you won't last much longer."
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