My mind was a haze as I left the tent with the leader of our five-man cell. He was tall, towering over me, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was just short or if he was exceptionally tall. I kept moving forward, not knowing whether my apparent calmness was due to shock or simply an inability to process the bizarre situation.
Our camp was a disheartening sight, bustling with injured shinobi, those mourning their fallen comrades and loved ones, and those performing their duties as guards or tending to the wounded. The gray and cloudy sky overhead added to the sense of gloom that hung over us. I heard the crunch of dirt under my boots and felt the persistent pain in my shoulder whenever I moved it. My arm was heavily bandaged, extending from my fingertips up to my damaged shoulder, and wrapping around my chest to the left side of my neck, with a large white patch on my left cheek.
"-kid, can you hear me?"
Huh? Was he talking to me? Oh.
"Yeah," I responded with a somewhat monotone voice.
"These are your teammates. You'll have some time to mourn their deaths. Report to the main tent for further instructions in an hour. The squad is disbanded," the man stated.
Apparently, I had been part of a five-man cell within a larger ten-man unit. Our cell leader was in charge of the four of us genin in addition to four other five-man cells.
As the man left my field of vision, an image of bodies seemed to appear in his wake. A small mountain of lifeless forms, each representing a life extinguished in the battle.
The smell, a noxious blend of decay and death, assaulted my nostrils, and I watched as flies buzzed and maggots feasted on human flesh. The eyes of the fallen seemed to stare into my very soul, and the pallid, lifeless skin left me feeling nauseous. Some bodies were so mangled that they were barely recognizable as human.
It felt like the high of a drug had worn off, leaving a harsh reality in its wake. I fell to my knees, overwhelmed by despair, a sense of crumbling from within. My mouth gaped open, and something wet trickled down my cheek while snot threatened to escape from my nose.
Step. Step. Step.
Footsteps momentarily diverted my attention. A man—or rather, a ninja—approached the mound of corpses, Flames danced on his fingertips as he incinerated them without hesitation. The noxious smell of rotting flesh transitioned to that of burning skin, and the scent became nearly unbearable.
It all felt unreal, as though I were trapped in a nightmare. My hand shot to my mouth, and I vomited uncontrollably.
"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" I muttered in disbelief. It couldn't be real. The smell, the sickening warmth of the flames on my skin, the emptiness in my stomach—it all felt too real. I began to hyperventilate, my body growing hot.
"If you can't even handle the smell of burning flesh, you'll die the next time you set foot on the battlefield," the man said, looking at me. He was dressed in regular ninja attire, his hair in stubby locks, and he wore goggles with a missing handle, making them resemble a monocle. He had fair or tan skin, and he carried a bow on his back without a quiver.
"This can't be real. It's got to be a dream, right? Just moments ago, I was in an English class, worrying about an assignment. Now, I'm here in a war, in the midst of Naruto. It must be some sick joke! Right, God!" I muttered in a whisper, ending with a roar.
"God won't help. If there were a god, they would've abandoned us long ago," the man replied.
"Haha..."
A small chuckle escaped my lips, an instinctive response to the absurdity of it all. In the midst of this mental breakdown, as this person told me I wouldn't survive, it snapped something within me. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Uhahahahahahahahahah...UAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed with mad hysteria, my hand covering my face, the flames blazing even more fiercely.
"Are you okay with that?" I muttered in a whisper, wiping away the vomit from my mouth, staring dagger at the man.
"Huh?" The man responded in confusion.
"Are you okay with letting a child die on the battlefield? Can't you hear yourself? This isn't normal! So, don't tell me something I already know, you damn nin-!" I spat out the words with a venomous tone, the look in my eyes filled with anger. If glares could kill, he would be dead by now. But before I could finish my curse, a forceful blow struck my face.
My body somersaulted backward, and there was nothing to stop me until I collided with a tree, knocking the air out of my lungs. I gasped for breath, my body sliding down the tree as my eyes caught sight of a purple residue.
For some reason, I moved away from it, and then the man emerged from the ground, as though he had melted into the earth. He observed me for a moment before asking if I had anticipated his attack or if it had been a fluke.
I stood up, attempting to regain my composure but failing miserably. I was exhausted, bruised, and mentally drained. I was fed up and just wanted this to be over. So, with a certain determination, I walked toward him, dragging my feet through the mud and rain, fists clenched and lips bitten. Then I started running. I reeled back my fist and threw a punch at him. Tanking my punch easily.
He didn't react, only gazing down at me as if I were a child having a tantrum and he couldn't be bothered. This infuriated me.
I yelled with white-hot rage and launched another punch, ignoring the pain in my left hand. Again and again and again...
Eventually, I fell to my knees, my anger simmering down, and my true emotions emerged.
"Why is this happening to me?" I whispered, tears streaming down my face as I cried like a child.
I was scared, alone in a war I had no desire to be a part of, in a war where I had seen a child die, in a war where I could meet the same fate.
"You are a shinobi of the Rain. Wipe your tears and stand like one. You represent your countrymen," the man advised.
"Shut up. I didn't ask for this. I don't even know why I'm here. I'm not even supposed to be here," I retorted.
"What's your name?" he inquired.
"Hell if I know!" The man appeared confused but chose to let it be. His eyes softened as he let me cry and whale right next to him. I cried, mourning my friend and family from my other world. I didn't know when it happened, but I fell asleep on his legs.
The man carefully picked me up as I slept and began walking back toward the camp, extinguishing the fire, the only light source left, leaving only the moonlight to guide their way.
"Kobachi, you've changed. Is it because of the kid?" A woman's voice broke the silence, as she jumped down from a tree. Her hair was a wild cascade of white silk, and her eyes bore a sharpness that came from a history of battle, crimson pupils reflecting the blood of her enemies. She was a contradiction, both a hardened shinobi and a flamboyant showman at heart.
"Wouldn't that be expected," Kobachi replied with a hint of indifference. He continued to walk towards the camp, and the woman followed.
"Wait, you idiot. Kobachi, it's been a while since we saw each other. At least let me walk with you," she said, catching up to him as they strolled at a leisurely pace. She couldn't help but notice the boy in his arms and asked what was wrong with him.
"I think he might be suffering from amnesia. He claims not to remember joining the academy or even who he is, let alone his name. I'm taking him to the medics for a check-up," Kobachi replied.
They walked in silence for a while, with nothing but the moonlight and the sounds of nature surrounding them. But the woman couldn't hold back her curiosity and finally broke the silence.
"Kobachi, you've seen different." she stated.
There was a notable shift in his tone, an undercurrent of remorse.
Kobachi didn't answer immediately, his gaze scanning the camp, taking in his fellow shinobi, the genin and the burdens they now carried. He continued, "what do she around the?"
Shinobi she said like it was the most obvious thing ever
"Yeah" kobachi whisper.
The two of them had reached the medic tent by this point. Akira looked oblivious to her friend word and his mood.
"Guess this is where we part ways," she said, not waiting for a response, and walked away. Akira couldn't help but think, "You've gone soft, Ko."