"I'll prove honor matters more,
I'll prove I'm braver still,
I'll prove I'll die
For women and children!"
Hymn of Sparta.
For a second, I recalled Sasuke, Naruto, my mission. What an idiot, charging where I won't escape alive! But if I flee and civilians die, how do I live knowing my cowardice killed kids and elders? What savior then?
"I have no choice!" I shouted to distract while my clones plotted.
"We'll deal with you quick!" one enemy yells and lunges, but a stronger-looking one stops him. They exchange looks; the elder signals something. I stand a second or two wondering why no one attacks, then it hits: I'm trapped!
Instantly, I leap up. Explosion where I stood. Got it.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" I yell loudly to confuse, but form Phoenix Flowers seals. One foe tries water technique—but no, I'd hidden kunai with wire in the fire. ' Kunai Cloning Technique,' I think, cloning kunai infused with wind via wire. They pierce the water stream; seconds later, a scream. Hit someone.
I use the steam for cover, create enhanced clone, shunshin into neighboring building apartment. Broken windows let me slip silently. Quickly seal max chakra concealment and slump by window.
' Still too early for multi-technique chains,' I think, covering mouth to muffle panting. Low chakra left from many clones—though I didn't halve like normal shinobi, just pinched off bits. Yeah, Hyuga would spot me or clones easy—but they're allies, not foes.
Dunno why, but eyes hurt again. Often post-battle, but now mid-fight. Just pain—no vision drop or double. Haven't seen doc yet, but probably should.
Sudden rumble far in village; through next-room window gap, arena now has not just Bijuu but giant toad. They're really going at it. But will anything survive?
' Later—now gather chakra bits,' I sit lotus, seal to scan area; focus expands radius dozens-fold. Locate clones, dispel gradually to reclaim energy. Dispel those watching Naruto/Sasuke fight, helpers for civilians/other shinobi. Leave some on key spots.
Clone on Naruto/Sasuke reports: Uzumaki summoned and fights with Sasuke on a toad. Good they're together with Uchiha. Not for nothing I push teamwork.
Tuning to outside chakra to monitor clone fight, I check gear: few kunai (borrowed from commander), fewer shuriken; no explosive seals, but two smoke bombs—one sleep, one paralyze. Gotta use somehow.
==========
What a shame that I completely forgot about my bracer with the sealing mark today. I could have had three times as many weapons right now.
But I didn't have time to regret it for long, because I sensed the chakra of a clone approaching the window. The double jumped in (or was thrown in), and I quickly grabbed him by the clothes and pulled him toward me.
"Collect natural chakra," I whisper in his ear and, without even examining his battered appearance, jump out the window.
Do I hope the clone will collect natural chakra well? Of course not! But let him try. Maybe it'll last three seconds. At least, that's my record after all these months of training. As sad as that sounds.
"How did you heal your wounds so quickly?" shouts one of the shinobi while I analyze the situation. Eight are ready to fight right now, two aren't planning to, since one is wounded and lying down, and the other is a medical ninja healing that wounded one. First target—knock out the medical ninja. Of the remaining eight, three are relatively healthy girls and five men, two of whom are wounded. Second target—take out the wounded so they don't get in the way. Then finish off the girls and move on to the men.
"Don't get distracted! It's a clone with Glamour, the original is nearby!" shouts another shinobi, and I, adding two plus two from his actions and behavior last time and this time, conclude that he's the squad leader. I can keep leading them on for a bit longer, pretending to be a clone, or go on the attack right away, creating six to eight enhanced clones.
"Yes, I'm a clone! You're right, but that doesn't mean you'll beat me," I choose the first option to knock out the medical ninja. Only after that will I switch to offense. "Shadow Clone Technique," I announce, forming the seals visibly so the enemies don't know I can do without them.
I created one enhanced clone and ten regular ones. I immediately swapped places with the enhanced one so everyone would think he's the original and I'm the clone. I attacked the medical ninja, while the other doubles each took on one enemy.
I started dodging the medical ninja's attacks so she wouldn't hit me, and heard one of the opponents call everyone to him, saying the original was with him. I smirked inwardly and, accelerating effortlessly, took out the girl medical ninja. Apparently, she only improved her medical ninja skills and ignored strength and speed.
Without delay, I dispersed the clone that had been fighting the enemies at that moment. And they, clearly showing how surprised they were, looked at me. But... I'm not someone who can be fooled by fake emotions. I started recounting them and realized one was missing.
And in a second, I understood my mistake—I had overlooked all the chakra sources.
"Where's the eighth?" flashes through my head, and suddenly I feel sharp pain in my back. I was kicked so hard that I flew toward my enemies. One of them decided to use this unexpected impact and stab me with his sword, but I abruptly swapped places with their ally using the substitution technique.
When the Glamour dispersed, the Suna shinobi beheld an ugly sight: one ally impaling another with his sword.
"Bitch!" shouted one of the enraged enemies. They immediately understood what happened and attacked me. "Just die already!"—shedding the enemy's Glamour and drawing my sword, I began parrying attacks and dodging.
After taking a few hits, I realized I wasn't ready to fight in Taijutsu against five at once right away, and after doing a few somersaults in the air, I leaped back.
"Where are you running?!" the girl yelled furiously and launched several kunai at me. I deflected them and created six enhanced clones. Only now did I divide my chakra evenly. One clone per opponent. "More doubles?! When will your chakra run out?" the kunoichi commented on my actions, and I pursed my lips. I had very little chakra left. Five more techniques, and I could be sent to bed.
"I'll take the original," the leader shouted and jumped in front of me. Immediately analyzing his chakra amount and power, I realized he had even less than me. Well then, the endurance fight begins.
I drew my sword and ran fire along it. The enemy drew two elongated kunai.
"Well, attack!" the enemy shouted, and I dashed forward.
We clashed in battle, and a few seconds later I took the first hit. Another moment, and the second. After the third, already out of breath, I leaped back and sank to one knee, clutching my leg that hurt mercilessly.
In Taijutsu, I'm definitely no match for him. Get close—and he'll slaughter me like a pig at the slaughterhouse without blinking.
"Where's the original?" voices of one enemy or another reached me. They were clearly panicking from such a rapid increase in enemy numbers. I tried not to lose sight of any of them, timely dispersing clones taking fatal blows. That way, the enemy would think that as soon as a clone gets seriously injured, it disperses. And such conclusions only play into my hands.
"Time to switch to ranged attacks," I decided and, focusing, saw the enemy create an earth clone. "Are you kidding me?"
"Aren't you a bit young for battles, girl?" he says seriously while his already formed clone advances on me.
"When will you all shut up? One chatters, then another. Can you fight silently?" I grumbled, standing up.
"Well, at least you talk, or it'd be boring," the enemy smiled slightly, and I, infusing my sword with wind this time, began attacking the clone. After a few strikes, it collapsed behind me and crumbled into a pile of earth. "You're not so weak after all, kid."
"Tch," I got angry, pondering how to attack him. Maybe throw a fire shuriken at him? Hm... no. Nothing would be left of him, and there are houses nearby—they definitely won't pat me on the head if I burn Konoha. All that's left is to lure him into a trap and use the sleeping smoke bomb. But I have to do it so he doesn't have time to use...
"You got distracted, girl," the enemy leader spoke up again, and then I felt sharp, stabbing pain in my left shoulder. Turning, I saw... a puppet? Damn it!
I sharply substitute and hide behind a house.
"Damn, he hid a puppet in the earth clone and just waited for me to destroy it. Or... he used Glamour on the puppet," I pondered, bandaging the bleeding wound. Could say, minus left arm. I can't control it now. "Bastard, now I can't use seals! Which means no techniques," I gritted my teeth from the pain, then smirked, glad I'd recently learned to make enhanced clones without seals. I made a reinforced double and, giving him the smoke bomb, sent him to the enemy. The opponent doesn't know I can use clones without seals, so he'll think it's the original. If it works, the clone will put him to sleep. If not, I'll have to finish him off.
While the clone fights, I'll check on the other doubles' situations.
Of the six enemies, four remained. Same for clones. Two enemies unconscious, and the last clone was killed two seconds ago. In a very ugly way.
"Disperse," I form the seal one-handed, and the bloody mess left from the clone vanishes, chakra returning to me. I immediately convert this chakra into healing and start treating my shoulder. "Hm, if I hadn't used substitution then, I'd definitely be dead," I looked at the person they killed trying to kill me. "Isn't this indirect murder?" my conscience awoke. "Am I... a murderer now?" I stared intently at him and the pool of blood he lay in. He still had a bit of chakra left, but it would disperse soon. That's how it always happens when shinobi die.
"Aaa!" I hear a voice and immediately shift my gaze to the squad leader. He and the clone had seriously wounded each other. I didn't figure out who screamed, but they hurt each other good: the clone stabbed his sword into the opponent's side, and he drove his elongated kunai under the clone's ribs.
"Use the smoke bomb!" I think desperately, and the clone, choking on his own blood and coughing it up, pulls out the smoke bomb as if hearing my thoughts.
"What are you doing?" the shinobi doesn't finish before smoke engulfs everything. They vanish from sight, and sounds stop for a moment.
"Arata-san!" shouts one of the opponents, seeing what happened, and starts toward his leader, but the clone blocks his path:
"You're fighting me now."
"Get out of the way, girl!" he tries to go around the clone, but it doesn't let him. While they draw attention, I quietly create a clone.
"I'm about to disperse the clone that's supposed to be the original. From now on, you're the 'original.' If there's a fake instead of the squad leader, shout 'I won' loud enough for the enemies to hear. If they try to lure you into a trap—fall for it. If they kill you—pretend to suffer for a long time, because I won't disperse you."
"Understood," the double nods and runs to the squad leader in the center of the battle. I, hiding, start watching from cover. The double sneaks up to the spot while the smoke hasn't cleared yet. Then applies Glamour of the wounded clone to himself and uses substitution.
"Hm, not bad," I rejoice at the clone's actions and form one seal for the quiet disappearance of the killed double. "Disperse."
"Yay, I won! Oops, did I say that out loud?" the double shouts, pretending, and I take it as info that there's a copy there. Interesting, where's the real one? I form a seal to scan the area and find the squad leader doing something about a hundred meters from the battle site, probably preparing a trap for me. But since I'm here, it's for my clone. Haha, so predictable.
Without a seal, I create a clone, loading it with a paralyzing smoke bomb. If dispersed, it'll explode and instantly fill a ten-meter radius with smoke. But that's not the clone's only task. He must prepare a surprise for the enemies.
The main clone, pretending to be the real one, standing on the roof in plain view, pulled the kunai from under his ribs and threw them—my guess is the enemies will think he's immortal. And my assumptions were confirmed:
"Is she immortal?!"
"When the hell will she die?!" the enemies shouted, shocked by the turn of events.
The clone jumped off the roof and joined the fight with the other clones. Few enemies left, all wounded. The clones handled the chunin easily, but the jounin made them sweat. And that made the fights interesting.
There was even one critical moment when I thought the plan went down the drain. All because one clone ran out of chakra and, to continue fighting, started using the Cursed Seal. The atmosphere around immediately became eerie, cold, and grim, just like the chakra emanating from the clone.
The double using the Cursed Seal didn't last long and dispersed, but before that, he showed his speed and skill. With Taijutsu, he positioned the enemies just right, then used an elongated fire beam, neutralizing one girl (she seemed to just pass out from pain shock) and seriously wounding another shinobi.
When the clone's memories reached me, I realized that if I used the Cursed Seal, it'd blow my mind right away. I simply wouldn't control myself in that state. Still, something has to be done about this seal. Otherwise, I'll pay for the consequences.
"Bastard! Yudai, make a clone, have it take Rioko to ours, or she'll die!" a woman shouted to one of the guys; he nodded and created a clone that picked up the wounded girl and ran off. The clones didn't block him. I think they, like me, knew this enemy would call for backup but didn't want anyone to die.
"Tch, have to make a clone," I frown and create a double to tail the enemy and report if backup's coming or if I'll survive this battle.
As soon as the girl was carried away, the enemies went on the offensive again. And in the end, after a few minutes, only one clone remained, pretending to be the original, while I, receiving info from the clones about the other opponents, started planning a backup in case this one fails.
A few seconds later, the clone stepped on the enemy's trap, which activated and badly damaged the double. More precisely, inflicted life-incompatible injuries. But the clone didn't die right away; as I told him, he pretended (or really) to suffer, so the enemies had to come closer to finish him.
"Finally! I thought..." one enemy didn't finish rejoicing: suddenly several traps where the opponents stood activated. They were made specifically so the opponents would leap to a pre-prepared spot. And everything happened exactly as I planned. They gathered together...
"Careful, there might be more of her traps," the presumed squad leader emerged from cover and headed to his own.
"Yay, commander, you're okay!" a young guy about eighteen rejoiced. And I began waiting for the final stage of my plan.
"What, you doubted?!" the girl standing nearby teased him.
"No, of course not!"
"Stop it, first we need to finish off all the wounded," the commander said seriously and was about to continue, but suddenly my clone burst from under the ground, grabbed his legs, and dragged him down, simultaneously activating the paralyzing smoke bomb.
After that, I couldn't see anything, as smoke enveloped almost the entire area. Hm, no one should have escaped, at least not within fifty meters—I sense no one nearby.
When the smoke cleared, I saw all the enemies lying on the ground, unmoving. I dispersed both clones and descended to the enemies.
Chakra left so little it'd suffice for one technique, no more. That's it. Battle over for me.
I approached the opponents and assessed their damage. They'll live, for sure.
"H-how?" one enemy barely croaked, but without answering, I headed to the one wounded by his own when I used the substitution technique.
I quietly approached him and decided to flip him from stomach to back to check if he's alive, though I sensed no chakra in him and already knew the answer. As I carefully turned him, only one thought spun in my head: "Am I a murderer now?"
But when I flipped him, I froze. Breath seemed to stop. I stared at one spot, unable to believe my eyes. This can't be... Impossible. How?
Before me lay not a shinobi, but a puppet! It was a fake—so where's the real one?!
"Not looking for me?" someone smirked behind my back, and I, jumping up quickly, drew my tekko-kagi.
"So he substituted back then and went to call his own. And I was worried he died! Son of a bitch, I'm in deep!" I pursed my lips. "You're alone?!" the first thing that burst out.
"No," he shook his head negatively, confirming my guess, and I sensed chakra behind me.
I spin around sharply to defend in time, but don't make it. My sword is knocked from my hand. It falls somewhere aside. And the next second, I feel all air leave my lungs. Sharp pain in my chest forces me to squeeze my eyes shut. I don't understand what happened or who hit me. I just feel the unrelenting pain.
I'm thrown aside, and rolling several meters across the ground, I clutch my chest, trying to breathe. Each attempt brings excruciating pain. Not enough oxygen.
"You don't think we'll let you off that easy!" I hear as if through cotton.
"Just burn her," someone else shouts while I try to stand.
"No, not now," I spit out the blood accumulated in my lungs and try to pull myself together. At least focus and figure out how many there are.
"...agree, but only..." fragments of phrases reach me, and I realize if I do nothing, nothing will be left of me. How could I miss that enemy? If I'd been more attentive, I wouldn't be lying here like this!
Swaying, I rise to one knee and see two enemies starting to form seals for some fire technique.
"Why burn, why not just kill?" in desperation, I suddenly remember the doubles, especially the one left in the building all this time gathering natural chakra. "Disperse!" I form the seal a second before seeing the fire and, turning away, raise my hand hoping to deflect the blow.
A few seconds later, I feel sharp pain in my hand and incredible heat around. It felt like I was at the hot springs. I didn't understand if I deflected the blow or was already burning.
"Kha-kha," I start choking in the smoke that formed around. Seems alive. Dragon world training wasn't for nothing; I learned to control fire a little. "While there's chakra, I need to get out of here. I've delayed them already. Useless now."
I use shunshin to move to the roof, but midway someone knocks me down, forcing me to crash to the ground again.
"But how?! Shunshin is so fast, a normal person wouldn't see!" I'm amazed, trying to stand again. Whole body scratched and broken, just aching. If I weren't Uzumaki now, I couldn't stand.
"Too slow," I hear some childish girl's voice, and as the smoke leaves the area, I see a girl before me, about my age. At first I thought it was Jiro—she looked so much like him—but noticing her Sound shinobi headband, I dismissed the idea.
She stood before me in a white kimono with a large purple obi tied in back. Her limbs were wrapped in bandages, gloves on her hands. All fine if she were just an Orochimaru subordinate. But...
"Sh-Sharingan?" I say in a trembling voice, examining her black hair tied in a high ponytail and red eyes with three tomoe. "Who the hell are you?!" I whisper, quickly stopping my chakra flow to dispel possible illusion, and lower my eyes to look only at her feet.
"Well, if you know about Sharingan, you probably know about the clan," she replies smugly while I try to find some weapon in my pouch. "What, nothing to fight with?"
"She's right, I really have nothing to fight with, and Sage Mode that lasted four seconds is over," I scan the area in panic to plan next moves. "I need to escape somehow, but damn it, if I substitute, she'll see... Just like the other four surrounding me. What do I do?"
"Don't even try," she smirks, and in an instant, she's gone.
"What speed. Where is she?!" I raise my gaze and start looking around.
"I thought you were stronger," I hear from above, but as I lift my head to block, I feel the hit. Vision blurs, and I fall to the ground.
Hitting my head hard, I clutch my broken nose and, rolling, stand.
"Come on, let's play!" she provokes and, picking up my tekko-kagi, throws it to me. "Show what you can do!"
Nothing left but to catch the sword, and as soon as I do, I have to defend against the enemy's deadly attacks. I frantically parry thrusts, sometimes dodging at the last moment. And a few seconds later, I go on the offensive myself. I fight with my last strength. Give it 100%. Look only at feet. Use strongest techniques. Raise kunai for attack. Apply technique and move combos.
But all in vain!
This girl... she was just playing with me. Masterfully dodging and easily batting away all my strikes like a true pro. I felt like a child trying to jump and snatch candy from a tall adult guy.
I'd never felt so weak...
"Boring, time to end the game," I hear the nasty voice again before losing sight of the enemy.
How annoying she is!
In an instant, blows rain from all sides, not letting me even form a seal. I don't understand who's hitting or from where. She's so fast I can't even see her.
"How can she be so strong and fast?! She's my age!" I think before seeing the Sharingan. "Damn!"
"Got you, sweetie!" she smirks maliciously, and I feel my body stop.
"Paralyzed?!" my heart drops to my heels in an instant, a lump of fear not even letting me breathe. "Impossible, I kept stopping chakra flow constantly!"
"Whew, what a face," she approaches closer and knocks the sword from my hands. "How about this?!" with some sadistic smile, she strikes my neck, sending me flying.
Vision blacks out for a moment, and I feel myself hit the wall and slide down. Ears ringing, pain makes me want to scream, breathe in and out, but something blocks it. No air. Vision blurring, and I sense that a bit more—and I'll lose consciousness.
"Finish her and let's go," I hear a shout through the haze of consciousness, and feel countless kunai piercing flesh. Where they hit—unknown, just pain everywhere.
"Go on, I'll catch up," someone replies.
"No way, we'll wait till you kill her, then bail."
"Who do they want to finish... Me..?" trembling nonstop, I open my eyes and watch the girl approach closer and closer, drawing her sword.
I realize I'm no longer paralyzed, but also fully aware all strength to fight is gone. Chakra depleted, bones broken, no weapons. Is this the end? Will I never see my friends again?
"You fought bravely," she grins, squatting before me, "but everyone loses sooner or later. Everyone without exception falls once. And gets up... not everyone does."
She formed several seals and touched the sword. The weapon glowed bright white for a moment then dimmed, covered in some black sealing mark.
While she looked at the sword, I gathered my last strength and tried to defend. I can't die here, no way!
Feeling a kunai nearby, I grab it to strike the girl. But in an instant, my hand is stopped.
"No... I khh, won't die n-now. I nee..." I croak all I can, not letting go.
"Don't scream, I hate when they yell and beg for mercy," she twists my arm to a sickening crunch and clamps my mouth, slamming my head against the wall hard so I won't scream from pain. I glimpse my arm and see an open fracture.
"M-maaa," I mumble into her palm, and seeing the sword hand swing, the next second brings a new wave of beastly pain. "Aaaaa.m.a.a.Aam-ma... Aaaa!" I squeeze my eyes shut. Scream. Start suffocating. Vision doubling. Try to spit out all this blood. But can't. She holds my head so tight I lack strength to break free.
Anger, irritation, resentment settle in my soul... Why must I die here because of this girl? Why did I spare opponents, but no one spares me?! Why did I train for years, and some girl my age is so much stronger?! Huh?! What did I waste my life on?! Why!
"You know, before I go, I'll tell you something," she starts, but I don't listen. All my attention on the unrelenting heart pain. It tries to beat, but futile. The sword prevents the heart from working properly, and seconds later I feel it stop. "Anyway..."
"Kaori, you coming soon?" someone interrupts her.
"Just go! I'll catch up," she shouts, seemingly angry.
"Screw you, let's go," someone replies.
"Finally gone," she grumbles seconds later. "So, where were we," she brings hand to chin and continues. "I wanted to tell you Orochimaru sent me to save a good test subject if in danger. But... as you see, I did my own thing and tested my strength on you... Don't worry, it's fine, a bit more and it won't hurt, and now..."
She kept talking something, but I no longer heard. I wanted to say something, but couldn't. A pleasant chill ran through my body. Thoughts began sinking away with consciousness. Seemed like falling asleep... Gradually I stopped feeling myself. First toes cooled, then ankles, knees, stomach, chest, arms...
Then the chill reached my head...
To the last, I refused to think bad. Don't give up, as Naruto taught me. I believed ours would come. They'd help. Looking at my mutilated stab-slash wound body, I hoped I'd survive. Fall asleep now, wake tomorrow morning.
Soul whispered it's not the end, dreams pulled to the distance... to a happy future, and only sober mind honestly said this sleep would be the last.
POV Kakashi
August 18, 1056
14:44
Everything happened exactly as sensei said. Konoha was attacked during the chunin exams. Only we didn't account for one thing—the attack coming from the village center itself.
That day we evacuated residents, fortified village borders, were fully combat-ready to face the enemy. But no one knew they'd strike suddenly and from behind. Because of that, we lost many. Posts closer to the center suffered most.
The enemy was well-prepared and knew where sensors and Yamanaka would be. They neutralized us before attacking. But we held and won, at great cost.
"Kakashi-sem pai, why so lost in thought?" a comrade's voice snaps me out, and I realize I've been staring at a burned young guy's corpse for seconds. Mm-hm, one of those squads that took first hits. Ariza's clones and other shinobi didn't warn them in time like us, so almost all died. This squad evacuated academy kids and walking hospital patients. Mostly weak chunin and jounin here, but they held the enemy as long as possible, so no shelter residents hurt.
"Just nothing," I tear my gaze away and look for the guy handing out black bags.
"Kakashi-sempai, got one more, here," a young shinobi hands me a bag, and I take it unhurriedly.
While bagging the guy, various thoughts swirl, main one—where my students are now. Sasuke and Naruto were at the arena. They beat Sand Gaara together. Sannin training paid off, and mine too. They're probably in hospital now. But Ariza... I saw her or her clones helping villagers, they warned us and many others. Seems Saito learned of the center attack first. Which means...
"By the way, notice most enemies here unconscious, not killed?"
"Yeah, noticed," I nod, pondering who's so soft. "Ryu, got the list of those sent on this mission?" I call to the man on the roof. I had guesses who this 'gentle' one is, but hoped they'd be disproven. Hoped hard...
"Yeah, what ya need?" he shouts back.
"Check it," I reply, place black bag by the body, and leap to the building.
"Here," he hands it, and I take it, start reading.
"Mission for....—skipping words, seeking name list. -...August 18, 1056 sent following shinobi: Takashi Kondo—jounin, squad leader, Shiju Harada—chunin, Yasushi Senju—chunin, Ariza Saito—chunin... —didn't read further. Sensei sent her here and even promoted in rank," I purse lips. I'm not the best sensei, didn't bond with students like Asuma with InoShikaCho or Gai with Lee, but they're not indifferent to me. News Ariza was in that squad almost entirely brutally killed hit hard.
"Looking for something?"
"Found it. Wanted to ask, found Ariza Saito?"
"Checking now..." he rummages documents, but interrupted:
"Hey, Kakashi, isn't that your student there? Girl with red hair?" partner shouts from next roof.
"Where?!" I jolt, heart racing.
"Follow me," he says, nods direction, dashes off.
I accelerate, catch up instantly, run beside.
"She alive?!"
"You won't like it, Kakashi," he says almost whispering, alerting me.
"Didn't answer," I say seriously, and he turns, shakes head resignedly.
Everything freezes inside for a second. I desperately wanted to believe it's not her, they'd lead not to my student. But I knew all pointed to her, no mistake possible.
Rest of way silent. With each second, anxiety grew. Didn't want to give in to emotions, but they stirred in chest.
We arrived. First thought—this place more battlefield than peaceful Konoha street. Nearby houses destroyed, windows shattered, walls bloodstained.
I'd probably keep 'admiring' scattered kunai and wounded enemies if not spotting her. Limp and leaning on wall, she sat in blood puddle, clothes torn, soiled, bloody.
Ariza sat motionless, breathless, staring down with glassy eyes. Kunai in various body spots, deep stab-slash wounds to meat. Arms broken, bones protruding, some limbs swollen purple.
If wounds ended there, I'd hope student alive, but sword brutally thrust in chest, right heart, clearly denied it.
"And her too... they killed her," I sighed heavily and continued scanning the area without hurrying closer. I was looking for traps with my eyes, though I perfectly understood that I was just stalling for time.
Somewhere lay Sand ninja, clearly they had been badly beaten and, it seemed, paralyzed, but alive. I was right that the student was too unnaturally soft. She never inflicted heavy injuries on shinobi or bandits. She aimed mostly at the limbs. And she wasn't distinguished by cruelty or brutality. Probably, as a shinobi, that was her only flaw.
She spared them all, but no one spared her...
"As you see, I thought you needed to see this for yourself. Anyway, I'll go examine the enemies. Here," said my comrade and handed me a black bag. "I've already noted down everything necessary. Once you've placed it, take the girl's body to the others."
"Got it," taking the bag, I mentally wondered why Minato-sensei decided to promote her despite failing the exam.
It was too early for her to become a Chunin. She was too soft even for a genin.
Coming closer, I could examine Ariza better. Her face was frozen in a grimace of pain and horror. There was no pulse, no breathing. Her empty eyes seemed to reflect faded hope and faith. It seemed she believed to the end that she would be saved.
"Damn it," I whispered under my breath and began wiping my eyes. For a moment, for an instant, the old image of Rin surfaced. I couldn't save her, and I couldn't save Ariza. What am I going to tell the boys now? And what will Naruto think now? After all, sending Ariza on this mission was my and sensei's decision. And the boys knew nothing about Ariza's assignment.
She didn't really want this assignment. She wanted to watch her friends' fights. But we sent her here. To certain death. If I hadn't overestimated Ariza and her strength, if I had considered her too weak for such a task... She would be alive. She would be sitting in the hospital now with all the other graduates of the class, who were already probably safe and sound and heading home. But I sent her here...
I opened my eyes again and looked at her face. It was pale and cold as marble. The only thing that surprised me was the completely white pupils and unclouded eyes. Though my experience suggested that corpses always have dry corneas, sclera, and all other mucous membranes.
I wiped the soot and blood from her face with a tissue, then decided to press on the pupil because one of the early signs of biological death is the cat's eye symptom. But I couldn't do it. The eyes were cold and moist, even though that was impossible. It was hot outside, low humidity. All of Ariza's dead comrades had clouded corneas. What happened to her? I decided to check the oral mucosa and gently pulled her lower lip. It was the same as the eyes. Cold and moist. Then I checked a few more areas of the body for these signs.
It turned out the entire body was cold, regardless of whether it was a limb or torso. If you think about it, during the battle her body temperature was probably 37-38. The battle ended around twelve, so about two hours ago. If a corpse cools at 1 degree per hour, she should be 35-36 now. But by feel, it's 15-18 degrees, which is unnaturally strange. Maybe some enemy technique?
Anyway, I won't look further; let them do it at the autopsy. I don't have enough knowledge to assess what happened.
"Will you be much longer?" I asked my partner nearby.
"No, I'm almost done," he replied.
"Can you call a Medical Ninja when you're finished?"
"I get it, Kakashi, but a Medical Ninja won't help here," he said with a bitter smirk.
"If I asked, then it will help."
"Fine, I'll call one, but you know, you should have thought earlier. It's too late now," he replied, tying the paralyzed shinobi tighter, and stood up.
"You know yourself no one knew about the attack from this side. And how the enemies passed unnoticed through the whole village is also unclear," I replied, squinting angrily. I knew myself how badly I messed up and what price my student paid for that mistake.
"What's the difference, Kakashi... We had enough Jounin and Chunin in the village not to send a girl who was a genin yesterday to certain death," he said with a note of contempt before leaving. "Why did you let her go?"
"I think it won't hurt her," my permission for this mission a month ago echoed in my thoughts. "This is war."
"But they don't send children to war! And this death could have been avoided..." he began on a raised tone, trailing off on the last word.
"You're right."
"Now live with that truth," he threw back and jumped onto the roof. "And I'll get the Medical Ninja."
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan