Chapter 98: Trial by Combat
"Keep up!" Kagenori's voice was a lash, devoid of sympathy. He walked at a deliberately measured pace, yet Kakashi, staggering and gasping, struggled to maintain it.
"Did you skip breakfast? Move faster! If you fall behind, you'll skip lunch, too!"
Kakashi had no breath to spare for a retort. Every ounce of his will was focused on placing one foot in front of the other, fighting the dizziness and the profound weakness that seeped into his bones. His mind, starved of oxygen, was a fog of misery and silent, vehement complaint.
He's a monster. He's not human. What kind of training is this? It's not even about physical exertion; it's about not being allowed to breathe! How can I possibly learn anything when I can't even think straight?
After what felt like an eternity, Kagenori finally stopped. "We'll rest here."
The words were a blessed reprieve. Kakashi collapsed onto the forest floor, his chest heaving as he tried to suck in great gulps of air, but the cloth-stuffed mask turned each attempt into a suffocating struggle.
"Adjust your breathing," Kagenori instructed, his tone clinical. "Slow, rhythmic, deep breaths. Do not panic. Control it."
Forcing himself to obey, Kakashi focused, slowing the frantic pace of his lungs. Gradually, the world stopped spinning quite so violently, and the crushing pressure in his chest eased from a panic to a manageable discomfort.
"How do you feel?" Kagenori asked.
"Terrible," Kakashi wheezed, his voice raw.
A faint, knowing smile touched Kagenori's lips. "Despite only one day, your body is already adapting. Your current state is markedly better than yesterday. You can feel it, can't you?"
Kakashi paused, taking internal stock. It was true. Yesterday, every breath was a conscious, desperate battle. Now, while still a severe handicap, his body was finding a ragged, inefficient rhythm.
"This is the adaptation process," Kagenori explained. "The initial changes are the most dramatic. Once you can perform all your duties—including combat—while wearing that mask and maintain a normal breathing pattern, you will have succeeded. Your lungs will then be capable of the short-term, massive oxygen intake required."
Kakashi, his mind still addled, muttered, "Is it really that simple?"
Kagenori's eyebrow arched, his expression utterly deadpan. "Is it?"
Realizing his mistake, Kakashi quickly backtracked. "No! No, it's not simple at all!" He blamed the hypoxia for his momentary lapse in judgment. Simple? It was torture. And 'normal breathing' during a fight? The very idea was ludicrous. But it also cemented his belief in the technique's potential. If his cardiopulmonary system could be forged to that level, the promised burst of power was not just possible—it was inevitable.
"Rest time is over," Kagenori announced, rising to his feet. "Let's move."
"So soon?" Kakashi pleaded. "Can't we rest a little longer?"
"No. I am here to push you to your limits. And if we encounter Iwa-nin, you will be the one to engage them."
"What?!"
Kakashi was aghast. In his current state, he was less a shinobi and more a stumbling liability. The thought of facing enemy ninja now filled him not with anticipation, but with a cold dread. For the first time, he fervently hoped their path would remain clear.
But fate, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor.
Kagenori halted abruptly, his head tilting as if listening to a distant sound. "Three hostiles. Ten o'clock direction. We're in the contested zone, so they are Iwa-nin. Your turn, Kakashi."
Kakashi stared at his sensei, disbelief warring with exhaustion. "Sensei… you can't be serious. In this condition?"
Kagenori's gaze narrowed, a glint of impatience in his crimson eyes. "I've noticed you've developed a habit of questioning my orders. On the Hot Springs front, subordinates who hesitated were dealt with summarily. Consider my current patience a privilege of being my disciple. It is finite. Go."
The finality in his tone brooked no argument. Swallowing his fear and frustration, Kakashi nodded weakly. "Understood. I'm going."
He moved out, his steps clumsy and loud in his own ears. As he crept toward the location Kagenori had indicated, a part of his mind, the part still capable of analysis, wondered, I didn't see him use any sensory jutsu. No hand seals, no visible effort. How did he know?
He pushed the thought aside. Focus. I have to focus. I'm basically fighting with my hands tied. How am I supposed to win like this?
He knew, with cold certainty, that he could not rely on Kagenori for a rescue. His pride as a prodigy, the son of the White Fang, would not allow it. Even in this debilitated state, his mind began racing through tactical options, searching for a path to victory.
But his planning was cut short. His own labored, rasping breaths, amplified by the stifling mask, had betrayed him.
The three Iwa-nin, who had been moving casually, subtly shifted their stances. Their footsteps grew more deliberate, their bodies angling almost imperceptibly toward his position. They knew.
They've spotted me!
The advantage of ambush was lost. Now, he was the prey.
Kakashi didn't hesitate. He broke from his cover and retreated.
The Iwa-nin, seeing their quarry flee, reacted with practiced efficiency. One of them slammed his hands onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Core!"
The ground beneath Kakashi's feet suddenly liquefied, dropping away into a pit. With a final, desperate burst of adrenaline, Kakashi threw himself to the side, landing hard on the solid earth as a deep chasm opened where he had just been standing.
The violent exertion was too much. His vision swam with black spots, a high-pitched ringing filled his ears, and his legs turned to water. He tried to stand, but only managed to push himself onto his knees before collapsing again, his breath coming in ragged, useless heaves.
In moments, the three Iwa-nin surrounded him, their expressions a mix of caution and confusion as they looked down at the pale, gasping boy who seemed on the verge of passing out.
"What's wrong with this Konoha brat?" one of them muttered, kunai held at the ready. "He looks like he's half-dead already."