"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
The girl expelled a torrent of startlingly hot liquid into the mist that was gradually enveloping them. The substance resembled magma yet possessed corrosive properties. Its form shifted instantly, changing from a molten state back into a gas that rapidly diffused outwards.
Kakashi stood slightly closer to the girl; this mist didn't seem to distinguish between friend or foe.
Standing back-to-back, they heard a bloodcurdling scream pierce through the fog. It seemed their opponent had been wounded.
The range of the acidic mist began to shrink. The jutsu clearly placed immense strain on her chakra reserves. The girl coughed a few times; in her current state, she couldn't maintain it for long.
The dense fog closed in around them again. Kakashi estimated his visibility – objects beyond two or three meters became indistinct blurs. It wasn't a major issue, however; he could still clearly sense the opponents' chakra signatures, a far more reliable method than relying solely on sound.
"Careful! They're coming!" Kakashi warned Terumi Mei.
He formed a Lightning Clone to act as both a scout and a trap, sacrificing half of the chakra he'd just recovered. The girl affixed two exploding tags to her kunai, remaining vigilant.
Three chakra signatures. The enemy had formed a team as well. Discounting the one already injured, that left two more troublesome opponents. These two aren't proficient in the Silent Killing technique, Kakashi noted. Otherwise, they'd already be upon us.
The silver-haired boy's Lightning Clone encountered one of them. Three shuriken flew to distract the other opponent while the clone aimed to engage the first one in close combat.
The moment the Mist ninja parried the clone's kunai, he was overwhelmed by staggering brute force. A pained expression twisted the Mist boy's face, shocked by the silver-haired stranger's strength.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
The other Mist ninja provided timely support, saving his teammate from being instantly defeated by Taijutsu. Empowered by the environment and ample chakra, a roaring water dragon materialized and clamped down fiercely on the Lightning Clone's arm.
Without hesitation, the Lightning Clone tore off its own ensnared arm and lunged at the ninja directly before it.
Sizzle!
Violent lightning chakra enveloped the Mist boy. He collapsed, emitting the sickening smell of burnt flesh.
"One down," Kakashi murmured.
Meanwhile, Terumi Mei had tracked down the opponent she had previously injured with her acid mist. Half of the boy's body was grotesquely disfigured, unrecognizable as human. Even if left alone, he wouldn't have lasted much longer. The girl recognized him – he was from her own class, one of the students who had isolated and ostracized her.
"I'll end your suffering quickly."
A single strike to the heart silenced his breathing permanently.
The final remaining opponent, unaware his teammates were dead, continued searching blindly through the thick fog for Kakashi and Mei. As the Mist ninja who had likely maintained the concealing fog was now dead, it began to dissipate, revealing to the last boy that he was now utterly alone.
"If you don't resist, I'll let you go," Kakashi offered.
"Okay," the boy replied, slowly lowering his weapon.
But as Kakashi approached, the boy exploded into action, a hidden blade strapped to his foot flashing towards Kakashi's throat.
Kakashi calmly dodged the attack and, with swift and efficient Taijutsu, ended the boy's life.
"Are you some kind of anomaly among this generation of Mist ninja?" Kakashi asked Mei, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow. "Why is it that none of these guys seem capable of listening to reason?"
"Are you even from the Hidden Mist Village?" Mei retorted, wary. "How can you know so little about our Academy?"
"If you put it that way, no, I'm not from here," Kakashi admitted. "Could you fill me in?"
"The children of Kirigakure's nobles and active ninja don't attend the same Academy as us," Mei explained. "They either have their own methods of education or go to a different school entirely."
"There are two Ninja Academies?" Kakashi asked, surprised.
"Yes. The students in our school are all orphans or the children of ninja who died on the battlefield."
"No wonder," Kakashi muttered, understanding dawning. That explained the desperation and brutality. He proceeded to collect the weapons and soldier pills from the three corpses for later use.
"How much longer until this exam ends?" he asked.
"Probably another day. The exam lasts for two days," Mei replied. "If more than ten percent of the participants survive by then, the test continues until the number drops below that threshold."
Hell is empty, and all the devils are here, Kakashi thought grimly, reminded of Danzo's Root. Even Root's training hadn't employed an assessment method this savage.
He noticed many of the Mist Genin carried short swords, a tradition likely linked to the Village's famed Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. As the most powerful group second only to the Mizukage, their prestige inspired imitation among many aspiring children. After all, killing the current wielder of one of the legendary blades to inherit it was also a grim Kirigakure tradition.
Kakashi picked up one of the short swords and gave it a few experimental swings. The blade was remarkably sharp, though not made of chakra-conductive metal, limiting its ability to channel chakra. Still, it was better than nothing. He strapped two of the short swords to his waist, one on each side, and tossed Mei a pouch of soldier pills.
Though he'd mostly given up on persuading these children to stop killing each other, Kakashi wasn't about to simply wait for the exam to end. He needed to test the strength of the barrier surrounding the examination area.
Mei followed Kakashi as they cautiously approached the boundary. The ground bore traces of explosions and several water-filled craters – evidence that others had attempted to escape after Kakashi's previous departure from this spot. That was potentially good news.
Wind overcomes Lightning, Lightning overcomes Earth, Earth overcomes Water, Water overcomes Fire, Fire overcomes Wind. Kakashi reviewed the elemental affinities. Lightning Release held no advantage against a Water-based barrier. He possessed an affinity for Earth Release, but he hadn't dedicated significant effort to training Earth Style ninjutsu.
He raised his right hand, gathering an astonishing amount of chakra. The energy coalesced, forming a sharp blade of lightning that slowly extended vertically until it matched the silver-haired boy's own height. Then, he thrust it forward violently.
Mei watched in awe at the hand-seal-less ninjutsu unfolding before her. Its sheer power seemed to match, if not exceed, her own Kekkei Genkai. He really isn't a Mist ninja, an idea sparked in the girl's mind, and along with it, an unprecedented thought bloomed: the desire to escape, to get far away from Kirigakure.
Under the assault of the enhanced Lightning Blade, the barrier held for ten seconds before a man-sized opening was sliced through it. The caster instantly sensed the breach and began rapidly pouring chakra into repairing the tear.
"Let's go!" Kakashi yelled.
He grabbed Mei and pulled her through the rapidly closing gap, escaping the designated area.
Outside the barrier, although the environment and climate were virtually identical, Mei let out a sigh of relief. The oppressive air inside felt suffocating compared to the fresh air here.
This silver-haired guy... he's pretty amazing, she thought, a flicker of gratitude forming. Kakashi's actions had earned her basic trust.
"Where do we go now?" she asked.
"Nowhere, it seems. We've been spotted," Kakashi replied grimly, drawing one of the short swords.
Several figures wearing masks stood perched in the trees above. Their chakra signatures were strong, far more potent than the Genin inside the barrier, and he could sense even stronger individuals rushing towards their location from the distance.
Just out of the wolf's den and straight into the tiger's lair. These ninja outside were leagues above the fledglings they'd just faced.
Kakashi glanced sympathetically at Mei. Her luck, it seemed, was just as bad as his.
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