Naruto: Of bone and ice

My vision of what a ninja academy was was pretty accurate. However, it was not brutal. First thing in the morning, we had strength training. This consisted of running many miles around a large training field, some even passed out from lack of strength. Of course, the instructors did not care, and they just left them there. Weakness was not tolerated here. We also had to do basic bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, squats and a variety of other exercises. I was one of the best, but doing this every day was difficult.

After that we had breakfast. It was the simplest food imaginable, but still better than nothing. Then we found ourselves in a classroom where we were taught the basics of chakra. What it was, what it was used for, how to use it and apply it. We were taught hand gestures and made to practice them constantly. We were also taught the history of our village and other great nations. Everything was as I expected. They brainwashed us from a very young age.

Next up was lunch, and it was pretty much the same as breakfast. We were each given a small ration of bread, water, and two candy bars. I don't know what was in them, but I assumed that was all the body needed. After lunch we had taijutsu practice. I found it very easy due to my personal knowledge and time spent training in my old world. We were taught basic stances and strikes, basic forms and exercises, it was pretty much what I expected from a basic taijutsu class as they called it.

But it was more brutal than I could have expected. We were forced to fight each other until one of us could no longer fight, and how we did it didn't matter to the instructor either. I was able to defeat everyone there, despite the age difference. My knowledge and experience were too great, after all, I was fighting 8-year-olds. I managed to subdue them all and did not cause them any serious harm. The others, however, were knocked out, and one even had his arm broken. It was brutal. But I had to keep going, the only other choice was to give up and die.

After taijutsu, we had shuriken practice. Those who were injured or unable to continue were taken to the medical block to have their wounds treated. It seemed they weren't as brutal as I had first thought.

Throwing the shurikens wasn't that hard, they had a good weight and flew smoothly through the air. Getting a good grouping of hits was more difficult. After hours of training, we were taken back to our last meal. It was the same thing again, but this time we had a small bowl of rice. It was easy, sure, but I was just grateful it wasn't soggy bread.

After eating, we had to go back to our rooms. We didn't have our own room, no, it was a room for sixteen people. Each of us had a small futon and one set of drawings. We were not encouraged to talk among ourselves, and we had a set time for going to bed. If you were caught awake, you would be beaten to make an example. The school was very military and strict. But then again, that's what I expected from a ninja village called Blood Mist. I knew exactly why it was called that. We all knew. That's why no one really talked to each other, no one wanted to form bonds of friendship when in the end, they might have to kill their friend. We were taught to be emotionless tools, nothing more.

The next three years followed the same pattern. But things became even more difficult. The number of circles increased with each passing month, as did the number of exercises. Our taijutsu became more advanced and brutal with each passing year. It was not uncommon for someone to die in a match, especially if they let their guard down. After all, they were training assassins. As our chakra control improved, everything seemed to become easier. We could use our chakra to enhance our physical strength and speed, allowing us to continue training for hours. We were given tests on the knowledge we had learned in class, and those who failed were severely punished. I learned that our training at this academy was quickly approaching its final test.

We weren't taught any ninjutsu other than how to make clones. They were nothing more than an illusion and weren't solid at all. Not like the Shadow Clones anyway. I was eight years old now. Time seemed to blur together. We weren't given time to think, and we weren't allowed to think for ourselves. I also decided to keep my Kekki Genkai abilities a secret. My name didn't help much, since some of the other kids had heard the name Yuki, after all, it was a powerful clan in the land of water. The only time I would come to my senses was a little before I fell asleep each night. I used that time to focus on using my other abilities. I could feel my bones changing in my body and moving at my will. I could make new, stronger ones, even cover the bottom layer of my skin with a layer of bone-like armor. It was a very powerful ability, if I remember correctly, Kimimaro was very strong and even Gaara couldn't beat him fairly.

My thoughts often returned to what had happened in Naruto at the very beginning. If I was right, we were now in the middle of the 3rd Great Ninja War. The village was occupied, ninja came and went, sometimes even our instructor changed overnight. We were not given details, but we managed to overhear some things.

A few more weeks passed, and soon I found myself at the graduation exam. All the classes were assembled. There must have been over two hundred and fifty students there. Of course, each class was divided to only fit 30 students at a time, and we never saw each other except during meals. The air was tense. Each of us knew what was going to happen. Even after all the training, all the emotional and physical strain, could I do this? Could I kill these children? Most of them were orphans or born into lowly families in the Water Country. During the war, it was required that all capable children at the age of 8 be sent to the academy, with a few exceptions, such as clans that had to offer children so they could maintain an alliance with the village.

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

"Each of you has proven that you have what it takes to become a shinobi. But you still have to pass the final test. This will show which of you will become a shinobi!" He raised his hand, and the fog cleared. We gathered in a large stadium, it was full of spectators. Even the Mizukage came to watch the event. They treated our deaths as a spectacle. It was disgusting.

The Mizukage spoke, his voice demanding everyone's attention.

- I look forward to seeing how our new recruits will look. Remember that you serve me and the bloody mist. Let your nation be proud of this day and show your abilities!

His words seemed to encourage most of the students who were eager to prove themselves. The senior instructor nodded and the second instructor covered us with a large dome. It seemed they were there to stop anyone who tried to escape.

"This is crazy..." I thought. Suddenly, a rain of Kunai began to fall from the sky and scattered across what was about to become a battlefield. Several people who had not paid attention were hit by the pair and lay dead on the ground. The realization of what was about to happen was becoming clear to everyone.

"You may begin," said the Mizukage.

The space around me exploded. Students rushed for the nearest kunai, trying to gain an advantage. Screams filled the air as the battle was in full swing. This was a true battle royale. The people you trained with, ate with, and even shared a room with. They were now your enemies. For a moment, I didn't move. I just stared at what was happening around me, frozen in disbelief.

I don't know when it happened, but my body took over. Someone was trying to attack me, and I just moved. It was such a simple movement, a simple step to the side, followed by a blow of my hand against the boy's neck. The bone blade in my hand was 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's what I told myself. I would survive, no matter what! - I would survive!" I screamed, joining the fight. I was furious, all the hatred I had held back until that moment burst out of me like a river of darkness.

I cut them down one by one, and no one could stop me. I was like a demon. Leaping into the air, I slashed down, killing another boy with ease as my bone blade sliced ​​through the Kunai in his hand. I used my chakra to enhance my movements, and quickly became a tornado of death. I killed at least fifty of them. Boys and girls, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I was alive. Nothing more.

And then I noticed him. He looked a little older than me, but not much. His face was similar to mine. A demon in the mist, the only difference was that he seemed to be enjoying it. He cut through the others with ease, holding a kunai in each hand and wielding them expertly. His eyes landed on me, and only me. He was a true demon. I could see his aura, as if it was above his head. He charged at me, quickly closing the distance.

Thrusting the kunai into my face, he spun on his knee, twisting his arm, aiming for my body. I dodged the first attack and grabbed his wrist after the second. He was strong. Not even a second after I grabbed him, his foot slammed into my chest, and if it weren't for my reinforced bones, the blow would have broken my ribs. I couldn't help but smile. He did the same.

He walked slowly back, disappearing into the fog 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 stopped at the sound alone. The fog around the battlefield cleared, and the piles of dead children seemed inhuman. Of the two hundred plus students who had begun the exam, only about fifty remained standing. The Mizukage pointed at the boy I had collided with and spoke again.

- Bring me this one."

The adult instructors quickly grabbed him and disappeared. As for the rest of us, we lined up again, standing over our fallen classmates, covered in their blood.

The Mizukage spoke again.

- Congratulations... You are all members of the Bloody Mist Village.

Those words seemed to lift the others' spirits. I guess they didn't care that they killed the others. I pushed it to the back of my mind. I couldn't think about it now. It would consume me.

Another instructor led us into the shower. I sat there, soaking in the warm water as the blood that had stuck to me slowly washed away. I let out a small sob, and then the tears came. I thought I was emotionally strong, but this was something else. I had become a killer, and killers don't cry, do they?