Naruto: The Scourged Mist

This body can't keep doing this! Itaru thought to himself, well maddeningly running forward.

His small frame dragging itself along, as he tried pushing it past its limits. His muscles where burning and shaking.

how much further could it possibly be?

Twenty minutes ago, the first round of the academy exams had started. It was a basic five-mile race to the finish line, A Herculean task for a six-year-old body to begin with.

But to add to this hellish trial, the Shinobis who had been watching over them, and punishing them as they walked earlier, had covered the course in a thick layer of mist.

Though of course Itaru didn't know of this, as he had yet to even learn that chakra was a dynamic of this foreign world.

"Come on Itaru how are you going to impress the examiners, if you can't even do this!" Toyama, the young boy who had woken Itaru up earlier, said well running far ahead of him.

*Gasp*

What's with these damn kids, how can their small bodies run so easily? I can't fall behind, I shutter to imagine what they would do to me if I don't complete this run. Thought Itaru to himself, while trying to catch his breath.

Most of these kids are in front of me, if I had to estimate I would say there are at max twenty-five kids behind me.

Though it's really hard to tell with this damn mist blocking me from seeing a foot in front of me!

I wonder if the men in gray vests are watching us right now, maybe they are analyzing us on are physical ability and how quickly we finish this test?

It could also be that they are analyzing how we react in a situation where we don't have all our senses.

These men seem to only care about results, maybe if I show some initiative, they may look more favorably upon me?

Either way, I can't let any more participants get in front of me, I can't allow myself to be the runt of the pack.

Though it seems that all these kids have better stamina than me, what is it they have that I don't?

Either way I can't think of that right now, I just have to make sure no one passes me. if they do, I have no way of catching back up.

.

It had been one year since Reina, formerly know as, Reina Ume had been assimilated into the kirigakure third cast orphanage system.

She could still remember the stories her parents told of the land of whirlpools. It was so quiet, so peaceful, so unlike the mist village.

The constant noise of the orphanage, the bickering, the beatings, and the daily fight for food.

It was all too much, why did she have to be in this hell, why did she have to spend every waking moment worrying about survival.

She just wished she could go back to her descendants homeland, though there was nothing there.

Her clan had been completely assimilated into kirigakure, after they had been forced to move into the land of water.

The destruction of the Uzumaki clan, had caused the land of whirlpools to become desolate.

The war between the Uzumaki's and the rest of the shinobi nations caused the very land to become uninhabitable.

With the major cities of the whirlpool destroyed, the Ume clan, who were a civilian merchant clan was unable to function in a war-torn country.

Being a smaller clan of a dozen, they had to move into the Islands of the land of water for business.

During their time in the land of water a rogue subsection of the Funato clan, a well respected first cast clan, had captured and destroyed their merchant ship during a standard cargo delivery between Islands.

Luckily for Reina she had been only four, so she was not working on her family's merchant vessel.

Her parents left her to stay at home with her great grandfather at their compound, but because of his age and the stress of the tragedy, he too died a month later.

Truly then she had been alone, she had nothing to her name, nothing to remember her clan by, and nothing but hatred for the Funato clan left in her young heart.

This is why she trained for this day, to become first in her academy exams, and become a shinobi of renowned. To one day be able to wipe the Funato clan off the face of the earth, like what they did to her own clan.

With that she had found her way through the mist quickly and concisely, not being thrown off by its density that engulfed the area.

She had finished with a time of forty-five minutes.

"Congratulations first place, your speed and ability to navigate through the mist is amusing. Maybe you're one of the third cast runts who will actually become worthy of the housing we gave you." Fujiwara Ryota said mockingly, his massive frame engulfing the small Reina.

"Thank you Master Ryota, for your praise, I am not worthy of such kindness." Reina replied well bowing, her words showing no hostility towards Fujiwara's remarks.

As a few more minutes passed, more of the orphans came through the other side of the mist.

Each one of their frail young bodies collapsing to the ground, their physical and mental stamina destroyed.

"Sir, three hundred and fifty-five of the orphans have completed the first evaluation in one hour." A young genin who was evaluating the children in the mist reported to Fujiwara.

"How pitiful can they be, how dare they waste my time, they should have all been finished with this simple exam by now!"

"If it wasn't for that damn demon kid Zabuza, who set us one hundred back on academy graduates last year, with that massacre of his, I would have the rest of these children killed!" Fujiwara roared, well towering over the young genin.

"How long should we wait then sir, before moving onto the next exam?" The genin asked meekly.

"Intill every last one of these damn brats are finished, I was instructed to make sure everyone of these bastard orphans make it through!"

With that command from his superior, the young genin quickly returned into the mist to observe the remaining participants.

.

It had been one hour and ten minutes since the start of the entrance exam and only fifty of the original five hundred participants were still racing.

Itaru was still bitterly holding his place, not letting any participant get ahead of him. Of course, though he also didn't pass anyone, as he could barely maintain his pace.

As Itaru was running on fumes, his new young body giving everything it had, he could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Just a little bit more, push yourself past your limits, come on! Itaru thought to himself, well trying to fight through the fatigue.

His body was drenched in sweat, his mouth wide open well breathing heavily. Each muscle in his underdeveloped body twitching and riving.

But as the boy was fighting with all his might, the eerily quiet mist soaking into his skin, he heard the dreaded sound of light footsteps behind him.

Without hesitation Itaru knew what he had to do, as the footsteps kept gaining on him.

I have to wait till they're right next to me, not a second to soon or later. I have to do this, I can't let anyone in front of me. Itaru thought to himself, trying to ready himself for what he was about to do.

The second Itaru saw the small girl in his peripheral vision, he used all his momentum and weight to send a fierce punch directly into her face.

The girl being about half the size of him and unaware of the incoming attack, went soaring to the ground, her body collapsing with a hard gasp, all the wind rushing out of her lungs.

Without even looking back at the girl Itaru kept running forward, his mind in a state of complete concentration towards his goal.

"Trial completed with a time of one hour fifteen minutes, participant placement four hundred seventy-five."

A shinobi with a clipboard announced to Itaru as he reached the mist clearing.

*Thud*

The second Itaru heard the words complete, his body collapse to the ground exhausted.

"I did it, I actually did it!" Itaru chuckle to himself, joyfully on the ground.

.

Ten minutes had passed since Itaru had finished his exam and he had finally begun to regain his strength. He had been put in a group of ninety others, who had completed the race around the same time he had.

Though they were still waiting on the final ten participants to finish, as they would be joining his group.

The groups where in bunches of one hundred, going from the top one hundred to bottom one hundred, in all there were five groups.

As the time past more of the stragglers finished, by one hour and thirty minutes there was only one participant remaining.

"What the hell is taking this guy so long?"

"Must be some weak little runt!"

"How could someone be this incompetent!"

Multiple people in Itaru's group started talking to each other, each one trying to surmise what was taking the final participant so long.

Itaru was unbothered by the hold up, as he was still using the time to let his body recover before the next exam.

After about five more minutes of waiting, a roaring voice could be heard over the large crowd.

"I have been to merciful too you runts, now I will show all you pathetic trash what happens to people who take advantage of my kindness! Fujiwara announced, his booming voice echoing.

With that less then a minute later, the final contestant with brought out of the mist, with the six shinobi who were watching the exams restraining her.

Itaru upon looking at the girl, realized who it was.

It was the small girl he had attacked earlier, her eyes were glazed over and she looked confused.

Fujiwara walked towards the small girl who was a quarter his size, towering not only over her but the other Shinobi around her.

"Sir, she was found concussed and walking around aimlessly in the mist. From the bruising on her temple, it seems as if she was attacked by one of the other participants." One of the older Shinobi, reported to Fujiwara.

"Ha, it seems that someone here actually has some spunk to them, I didn't expect these brats to have it in them to fight each other." Fujiwara chuckle to himself garishly.

"Though to be so easily concussed, so fragile so weak! She doesn't have what it takes to be a Kirigakure soldier and if you're not good for that then what could you possibly contribute? you third cast trash." Fujiwara said, well crouching down to the girls eye level.

The girl barely conscious, was unresponsive, her eyes glazed over as if she was already dead.

The only way the children could tell she was alive was that she was still standing.

"Pathetic." Fujiwara said calmly, before instantaneously unsheathing his massive blade and decapitating the girl.

*Swish*

The girl's head flew off her body before her legs even hit the ground. The blade cleanly severing neck from shoulders.

*Thud*

The girl's body hit the floor, silent terror beyond anything the children had experience before fell over them.

The only sound made were a few pitiful whimpers and gasps forcibly made by the orphans.

But not a single one screamed, as they knew the consequences would be just as severe.

Itaru was in shock, his eyes wide open in horror.

"Did.. did, I cause that."

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"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬