บท 5: Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Massacre of the academy
The new year of the academy has brought much change, but some things don't change. The training became more intense with the news of Leaf and Stone Village's skirmishes. There were only a few theory classes in a week, and even they were about tactics and warfare. Otherwise, it was only taijutsu spars, weapon handling, and chakra control.
Utakata didn't know why they weren't taught any ninjutsu yet. Maybe it was still too early, but he saw some kids from renowned clans and shinobi families already had a few ninjutsu under their belts. So, age wasn't the reason. It could mean the instructors didn't care to teach them ninjutsu, as they knew the kids would die soon on the frontlines of war.
Utakata could always hope there wasn't enough time to teach them complicated ninjutsu, and basic stuff wouldn't help them much either way. That way, Utakata could be thankful to his instructors for teaching something valuable. And his training was already harsh without introducing ninjutsu. Aside from eating and sleeping, children had no time to rest.
As rough as the training was and as little time they had to rest, there was still time for bullying. Utakata wasn't even a little surprised that it continued. At least it wasn't about kids from renowned clans bullying others because they thought they were beneath them. Now it was for stress relief. The pressure the instructors put on them made some kids very irritable.
"You in the way," Utakata was shoved as he walked with a food tray. Good thing his hands were strong enough to hold on to it and set it on the table. "Don't think I have forgotten what you have done, shitstain. You better watch your back."
Utakata didn't think that Kazaki Hosuki would act any differently. It was already a miracle that Utakata had only escaped Kazaki with a few beatings. But maybe because of stress, Kazaki looked angrier than usual. Of course, what was a better target to relieve some of the stress than Utakata? But what could he do? Accidentally kill Kazaki while sparing? It had some merit, but Utakata wasn't strong enough yet to pull it off.
Maybe he would think of graduating sooner if he didn't know of a particular little demon who should kill the whole graduating class at any time now. Why everything had to be so complicated? In the end, Utakata would have to endure a couple of years before he was forced to the frontlines in the war that was at their doorsteps.
Utakata was still young, and even if he suffered a bit now, he still had decades he could enjoy later on. There was nothing to despair for. His goal hasn't changed. He only had to endure a bit more before he was strong enough. The academy, Kazaki, and even the war didn't matter. In the grand scheme of his life, they will only occupy a small portion of it.
…
Something wasn't right. As the year passed, the pressure the instructors put on the kids became heavier. Even though Utakata still like it, the food has become blander with each day. If something sweet were given, the kids would have an all-out brawl to take it from others. Was it a test? Or was it another method of training?
It was hard to tell. The academy was brutal and merciless when it came to teaching kids. The training didn't become much more demanding, but yelling and punishment from the instructors became much harsher. They were being punished for any little mistake they made. Utakata didn't understand how it helped them.
At least Utakata could understand how the training strengthened the kids, even if it was hard. But this didn't make sense to him. Were instructors under pressure to make the kids even stronger in less time? Has the war progressed far enough that the village needed new soldiers sooner than expected? It concerned Utakata. He didn't think he was or could quickly become strong enough for a war.
Utakata could only hope the instructors trained them to work under extreme pressure. Otherwise, it was pure torture, and Utakata liked to keep a positive mindset. So, even if he went into dark places in his mind, he never stayed there for long. Yet, for all he hoped, he could see that most kids were at breaking point. The anxiety turned into full-blown fear that turned into anger.
Utakata had felt it with his body as Kazaki and his two lackeys beat him up after a grueling day of training and before he went to his dormitory to rest. It wasn't the first time, nor will it be the last. All he could was curl himself into a ball and endure. Utakata knew he couldn't win without a weapon, so he worked to minimize the damage.
Utakata often wished to sneak one or another weapon from the training, but with instructors watching, he didn't dare. He will endure it and wait for Kazaki to let his guard down before taking his other eye. Killing him might be a bit much. He was from a renowned clan, and Utakata didn't even have a last name. Utakata would never be judged fairly for his actions, so he needed to act carefully.
"You think you are better than me now that you score more than me on lessons?" Kazaki asked as he delivered a final kick to Utakata's stomach. "Well, it doesn't matter, you were born a lowlife with nothing to your name, and you will die like that."
It was true. Utakata did think he was better than Kazaki, but he knew better than to say it aloud. Even if he was in a child's body, he was mature enough not to lash out and receive more beating. Utakata will be satisfied when he makes Kazaki scream in pain and fear when he will rip his last eye out. Or maybe he will wait for an opportunity in war to cripple him and leave him to enemies to be tortured for information.
…
This year has passed quite quickly. Before he knew it, Utakata turned six, and the academic year ended. It would be nice to say nothing worthwhile happened this year, but that would be a lie. And thirty-eight children with cold and emotionless eyes would have something to say about it. Well, the eyes weren't as emotionless as they were tired.
This year's training wasn't any worse than last year's, but the pressure put on the children had its toll on them. Utakata was quite fine compared to others, but even he was affected by it somehow. It was mostly because Kazaki would let out this overbearing stress on him. But mentally, he could endure the instructor's yelling and stern looks. He wasn't looking for affection like some other kids.
Today was the day some of the older kids would graduate from the academy. An exam shall be held in the training field. Children from renowned clans were gleeful about it. It was about something that Utakata found out last year. The graduating class had to kill one of their classmates to graduate. It was nothing new, and he had heard about it before entering the academy.
So, what made the members of clans so gleeful for today? It was because children from the clans didn't need to take the test. Only children from the lowest caste had to kill each other to graduate. And so, it became a spectacle for the higher caste to watch. They would laugh and comment on how these children fought each other.
At least they were good for entertainment. Utakata hated this system that the Bloody Mist era enforced. Why did he have to be born in such a village? Even if other villages have problems, no one has more than Mist. He should be happy not to be part of the Sound Village. Being experimented on didn't sound fun.
"Who is he?" Utakata was pulled out of his thoughts by some kids muttering.
Utakata looked over the kids and found someone walking through the academy. It was a kid a bit older than him. Maybe ten years old, but not older. Utakata saw a sharp cleaver in the kid's hands, it was a break, and most instructors were preparing for the graduation test, so nobody questioned the kid at first. And then it happened, without any indication or sound, the kid swung his cleaver severing the head of one of the students.
Blood splattered everywhere as the head flew before falling to the ground. For a brief moment, silence descended on the whole academy. Nobody moved as the headless body fell to the ground. Then the kid with the cleaver moved forward. He was faster than he had any right to be. To Utakata, it looked like the kid flew through the hallway, leaving death behind him.
The kid moved towards him. When he realized that, Utakata jumped into one of the classrooms breaking the locked door. He hid behind a table near a window. It was a third floor, but he would rather jump out of the window than face the kid with a cleaver. Utakata never saw something like this. He knew that war could be even more brutal, but seeing a life end so easily and quickly before his eyes was something else.
"NO!"
"Help me!"
"Stay away!"
"NO! I beg you, please no."
Utakata heard screams of pure agony and fear. It sent chills through his spine. Sweat started to cover his body, and then he heard a loud crash. He was in the classroom with some other kids fighting him. A morbid curiosity overtook Utakata, and he looked out from his hiding spot to see. Some older kids try to suppress the killer.
One of the kids, who had fish-like features, tried to overpower the killer, while the other used a jutsu to cover his hand with mist making hand blade. They were kids from clans. For an instant, Utakata thought that they would be able to kill the killer. Yet, even though the hand blade managed to cut the killer's chest, it didn't affect him.
Utakata watched with fascination how the killer kicked the shin of the kid with fish features dropping him to the ground before stomping on his head multiple times before the head exploded into a bloody mess. Then he threw his cleaver at the other kid. The cleaver split the kid's head between his eyes. Utakata could see brain matter leave the kid as the killer took the cleaver out.
"You are not as strong as you presumed to be," The killer said to no one in particular before he turned to Utakata. "It is your turn now."
"Fuck that," Utakata responded by kicking a chair at the killer before jumping out of the window.
The glass cut his arms as he protected his face. As he landed on the ground, he made sure to roll with force as he didn't want to break anything. Moving a bit, Utakata dropped to the ground and turned to see the killer look out the window. For a moment, he feared that the killer would follow him, but he turned around, and the screams continued.
This was one whole new level of fucked up. He knew that such a day would happen, but this insanity was something he could never comprehend. Utakata slowly stood up, looked around, and saw dozens of kids chopped to pieces, with heads, arms, and legs lying around the field. He recognized them. They were the graduating class that should have taken the test today.
Utakata would have puked if he didn't think it would be wasteful of his food. So, he held it back and ran away to find a hiding place. Utakata thought of himself to be quite strong among his age group, but he didn't dare to challenge kids from clans to a fair fight, and he would defiantly not try to fight someone like that demon.
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