Of Bone And Ice - Chapter 4

My vision of what a ninja academy was like was pretty spot on. However, the brutality of it was not. First thing in the morning we had strength training. This consisted of running many miles around the large training field, some would even pass out from lack of exhaustion. Of course, the instructors didn’t care and just left them there. Weakness was not allowed here. We also had to complete basic bodyweight exercises such as press-ups, sit-ups and a number of other exercises. I was one for training, but doing this every day was child abuse.

After that we had breakfast. It was the most basic food you could imagine, but it was better than nothing. Next, we found ourselves in the classroom where we were taught the basic of chakra control. What it was, what it was used for, how to use and apply it. We were taught hand signs and made to practice them religiously. We were also taught about the history of our village and the other great nations, as I expected they were brainwashing us from an early age.

Next was lunch and it was pretty much the same as breakfast. We were each given our small rations consisting of bread, some water, and two ration bars. I don’t know what they had in them but I was guessing it was everything the body needed. After lunch, we had taijutsu practice. I found this relatively easy thanks to my private knowledge and time spent training in my old world. We were taught basic stances and strikes, basic forms and drills, it was pretty much what I had expected for a basic taijutsu class as they called it.

It soon became more brutal than I could have anticipated though. We were forced to fight each other until one couldn’t fight anymore, how we went about it didn’t matter to the instructor either. I was able to beat everyone there despite the age difference. My knowledge and experience were too great, after all, I was fighting 8-year-old children. I managed to submit all of them and didn’t cause any serious harm to them. Others, however, had been knocked out and one had even had his arm snapped. It was vicious, but I had to keep going, the only other choice was to give up and die.

After the Taijutsu, we had shuriken practice. The ones who had been injured or unable to continue had been carried off to the medical unit to treat their injuries. It would seem they were not as cruel as I had first thought, and at least treated them. I doubt they could be seem throwing away recuirts for the war effort so soon.

Throwing shuriken wasn’t all that difficult, they had a good weight to them and sailed through the air smoothly. Getting a good grouping was more challenging though. After hours of practice, we were taken back for our last meal. It was the same again but this time we had a small bowl of rice each. It was plain of course but I was just thankful it wasn’t more soggy bread.

After we had eaten we had to go back to our rooms. We didn’t get our own room, no, it was a sixteen man cell. We each had a small futon and one set of draws. We were not encouraged to chat amongst ourselves and had a set lights out time. If you were caught not sleeping then you were beaten to set an example. It was very military and rigorous. But then again, what had I expected of a ninja village called the bloody mist. I knew exactly why it was called that too. We all did. That was why no one really spoke to each other, no one was willing to form bonds of friendship when you might have to kill that person at the end. We were being trained as emotionless tools for killing and nothing more.

The next three years followed the same routine. It just got harder though. The number of ŀȧps increased each month and so did the number of exercises. Our Taijutsu got more advanced each year and so did the brutality. It was not uncommon for the odd individual to be killed in the matches, especially if you let your guard down. After all, they were training killers. As our charka control got better everything seemed to get easier. We could use our charka to boost our physical strength and speed allowing us to continue training for hours. We had been given exams on the knowledge we had learned in the classroom and those that had failed were met with strict punishment. I had found out that our training lasted for three years at this academy and we were quickly approaching the final test.

We had been taught no ninjutsu, other than how to make clones and subsitutions. They were nothing more than a simple illusion and not solid at all. Not like shadow clones anyway. I was now eight years old. The time had seemed to all blend into one. We were not given time to think, nor were we allowed to think for ourselves. I had also decided to keep my Kekkie Genkai abilities a secret from the other students. My name didn’t really help though and some of the other kids had heard of the name Yuki, after all, it was a powerful clan in the land of water. The only time I got to my self was the little bit before I fell asleep each night. I used that time to concentrate on using my other abilities. I found that by using my chakra control, I could manipulate my bones, changing them in my body and moving them at my will. I could make new ones, stronger ones, even cover the underlayer of skin in a layer of bone-like armor. It was a very powerful ability, if I remembered correctly Kimimaro was very powerful and even Garra had struggled to survive against him.

My thoughts often drifted to what happened in Naruto early on. If I was correct we were currently in the middle of the 3rd great ninja war. The village was busy and ninja would come and go, sometimes even our instructor would change overnight. We weren’t told the details but we managed to overhear the odd bit about what was happening beyond our village.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the head instructor of the academy stood on a small podium.

“Each and every one of you has proven you have what it takes to become shinobi. But you are yet to face your final test. This will see who among you will become blood mist shinobi!” He raised his arm and the mist cleared. We had been gathered at a large stadium and it was filled with spectators. Even the Mizukage had come to watch the event. They were treating our deaths as a spectacle. It was sickening.

The Mizukage spoke, his voice demanding the attention of everyone.

“I look forward to seeing how our new recruits will fair. Remember you serve me and the bloody mist. Do your nation proud this day and show your capability!”

His words seemed to encourage most of the students who were eager to prove themselves. The head instructor gave a nod and the other instructor covered us in a large spread out circle. It seemed as if they were there to stop anyone from trying to run.

“This is madness…” I thought. Suddenly a rain of Kunai fell from the sky and landed scattered across the what was about to become a battlefield. A small few who had not paid attention had been hit by a couple and laid dead on the ground. The realization of what was about to happen becoming clear to everyone.

“You may begin.” The Mizukage said.

The area around me erupted. Students were rushing to the closest kunai trying to gain the advantage. Screams filled the air as the battle was underway. It was an all-out battle royal. The people you had trained with, eat with and even shared a room with. They were now your enemy. I didn’t move for a little while. I just watched what was unfolding around me frozen in disbelief.

I don’t know when it happened but my body took over. Someone had tried to attack me and I just moved. It was such a simple movement too, a simple sidestep followed by a slash of my arm to the boy’s neck. The bone-shaped blade in my hand covered in the blood of this child. He was so young, still older than me physically but to me, he was nothing more than a child. This world was cold, colder than anything I had ever known.

There was nothing I could do. Nothing at all. Survive… That is what I had told myself. I would survive no matter what! “I will survive!” I screamed as I entered the fray of battle. I went on a rampage, all of the hate I had bottled up until this point exploded out of me like a river of darkness.

I cut them down one after the other, no one could stop me. I was like a demon. Jumping into the air I slashed down killing another boy with ease as my bone blade cut straight through the kunai in his hand. I used my charka to empower my movements and I quickly became a whirlwind of death. I must have killed at least fifty of them now. Boys and girls, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I live. Nothing else.

It was then that I noticed him. He looked just a little older than me but not by much. His face was like mine. A demon in the mist, the only difference was that he seemed to enjoy it. He cut through the others with ease a kunai in each hand, wielding them with skill. His eyes fixed on me and me alone. He was a true demon. I could see his aura like it was above his head looking at me fiendishly. He charged at me covering the distance quickly.

Thrusting a kunai at my face as he spun onto his knee twisting his arm aiming for my body. I dodged the first attack and grabbed his wrist from the second one. He was strong. Not one second after I had a hold of him his foot struck me in the ċhėst, and if not for my reinforced bones the strike would have broken my ribs. I couldn’t help but give a smile. He did the same.

Slowly he walked backward disappearing into the mist and out of my sight. I decided to let him go and turned around ready to defend myself.

“STOP!”

A deep voice shouted. It was the Mizukage and everyone quickly halted from the sound alone. The mist around the battleground faded and the piles of dead children scattered was inhumane. Out of the two hundred plus students that had started the exam only around fifty were left standing. The Mizukage pointed to the boy who I had clashed with and spoke again.

“Bring that one to me.”

The ȧduŀt instructors quickly manhandled him and disappeared. As for the rest of us, we were lined back up, standing over our fallen classmates and covered in their blood.

The Mizukage spoke again.

“Congratulations… You are all members of the blood mist village.”

The words seemed to lift the mood of the others. I guess they didn’t care that they had killed the others. I pushed it to the back of my mind. I couldn’t think about that now. If I did. It would consume me.

We were escorted off by the other instructor and taken to a shower room. I sat soaking in the warm water as the blood that had clung to me slowly washed away. I let out a small sob and tears followed. I thought I was emotionally strong, but this was something else. I had become a killer of children…. And killers didn’t cry, did they?