"I won't die here."
The girl's determined tone and her resilience tugged at the heartstrings.
"Of course you won't die here," Kakashi replied. "Not just you. Anyone else I can save, I won't let them die either."
"Why? You know how few people can actually survive this exam."
Kakashi glanced back. The girl was staggering with every step, clearly nearing her limit. At this pace, she might not make it upstream before collapsing.
"Save your questions. You talk too much for someone in your condition."
He swept the girl up into his arms in a princess carry. He'd considered carrying her on his back, but his own wound there hadn't been treated yet. This would have to do for now.
The girl struggled slightly, feeling embarrassed by the position, yet also worried this silver-haired boy might just abandon her. In her current state, she truly wouldn't survive without help.
"What's your name?" she asked. She owed him for this; she'd repay the debt if she got the chance.
"Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi."
The girl searched her memory but found no recognition of the name. She vaguely recalled hearing about someone famous from the Hidden Leaf Village named Hatake Sakumo long ago, but sharing a surname was likely just a coincidence.
"My name is Terumi Mei."
Hearing this, Kakashi paused almost imperceptibly before continuing forward.
"What is it?"
Though slight, Mei felt Kakashi's hesitation.
"It's nothing. I've just heard your name before."
"That's understandable. It was probably some nasty nickname like 'witch,' right?"
"No, I've simply heard of you."
Mei turned her head away, not quite believing him. She was infamous as a "monster" at the Ninja Academy; children with Kekkei Genkai were often ostracized by others. It was another cruel form of violence found in the academy.
They walked on in silence. Ninja matured quickly, and Mei was already quite developed for her age, with a basic understanding of matters between boys and girls. With somewhat complicated feelings stirring inside, she stole glances at Kakashi's profile.
Being held in this boy's arms... felt unexpectedly safe.
Kakashi, however, had no idea what the girl was thinking. He certainly wasn't entertaining any thoughts about a young girl in this situation. She was light, but carrying her for an extended period was still taxing. He needed to rest.
Finally reaching the upstream area, Kakashi splashed his face with rainwater. He broke off some branches and fashioned a simple lean-to shelter. Inside, they waited for the rain to subside.
Kakashi turned his back to Mei and tried summoning the 'System'. Confirming Mei couldn't see the UI, he relaxed and navigated to the 'Life Materials' category, searching for anything useful.
「Primary Recovery Potion」Exchange Requirement: 1.2 Kcal
Confirm.
A potion bottle, roughly the size of a soda can, materialized in Kakashi's hand. Mei looked on curiously.
"Did you have that before?"
"Yes. You just didn't see it."
Kakashi opened the potion, poured more than half into the girl's portable water cup, and kept a smaller portion for himself.
"Drink it."
Mei picked up the cup. The bubbling green liquid inside made her apprehensive.
"What is this?"
"Medicine. Just drink it."
"..."
Pinching her nose, the girl gulped down the entire cup, trying to keep the liquid from touching her tongue in case the taste was unbearable enough to make her vomit.
Kakashi tasted his portion. It was faint, somewhat like sparkling soy milk. He downed the rest of the recovery potion in one go.
He felt an itching sensation from the wound on his back, and even the scar over his eye seemed to be mending. The boy was amazed by the potion's effectiveness; it was almost comparable to the Mystical Palm Technique. The only downside was the significant chakra drain. His already depleted reserves were now likely too low to even form a Chidori.
Mei had a complex expression as she felt her wounds slowly closing. She had seen Kakashi give her the larger share of the healing potion.
"I'm going out to find something to eat. Don't move."
"Let me come with you."
"No, I can handle it alone."
With a few quick movements, Kakashi vanished from Mei's sight.
Finding food was relatively simple. With streams and rivers nearby, fish were easy prey. Kakashi's main goal, however, was to figure out the true nature of this exam. There was a massive barrier encompassing the area not far off – undoubtedly intended to prevent examinees from escaping.
He went to the riverbank and casually stunned a few fish with a jolt of electricity, then carried them towards the barrier he had sensed. There was no visible sign of it, but it clearly enveloped the entire region.
Kakashi picked up a fish, tossed it lightly in his hand, and threw it outward. The moment the fish touched the invisible barrier, it bounced back.
So, it's not an offensive barrier targeting those inside.
He slowly reached out a hand, feeling a soft, yielding surface. He threw a punch, and faint ripples spread through the air where his fist connected. It was difficult to estimate its defensive strength against ninjutsu without testing it, but he could initially confirm it had strong resistance to Taijutsu. Kakashi was confident in his Taijutsu skills; it was unlikely any Mist ninja his age was better.
As long as the barrier wasn't designed to actively counterattack those inside, there was a possibility of breaking through it quickly with force.
He took stock. There were still other examinees around. He'd save whoever he could, one by one. What happened after they got out could be decided later.
Returning to where Mei was hiding, Kakashi gathered some firewood and lit a fire, intentionally letting a noticeable amount of smoke rise as he slowly cooked the fish.
"Making so much smoke! Aren't you afraid of attracting others?" Mei asked, clearly disapproving of his action.
"It doesn't matter. If they come, it's better. Saves me the trouble of hunting them down individually."
He gave two of the cooked fish to the girl, then quickly devoured his own share. While not as efficient at restoring chakra as soldier pills, the naturally caught and cooked fish tasted much better, even if it was bland without salt.
After Mei finished eating, the faint sound of footsteps outside the shelter put her on high alert.
"Hey, someone's coming!"
"I know."
Kakashi clapped the dust off his hands and stood up. The approaching person had a faint chakra signature – another one beaten half to death. This one might truly be beyond saving.
However, the instant Kakashi saw the approaching figure clearly, he acted decisively, pulling Mei out of the small shelter immediately.
A hissing, burning sound merged with the crackling of the campfire, making it hard to distinguish.
An explosion incinerated the child – not yet even a full-fledged ninja – along with the lean-to, reducing them both to ash.
A vicious way to use an explosive tag.
These kids hadn't even been on a real battlefield, yet they fought like seasoned veterans.
The silver-haired boy watched as the mist suddenly began to thicken again, a pang of regret hitting him. Some people were simply natural-born villains who didn't need saving at all. To be able to use the Hidden Mist's Silent Killing technique even in such heavy rain...
"Can you fight?" he asked Mei.
"Don't underestimate me!" she retorted, her hands already forming seals.
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