The gray-haired Hidden Cloud genin scoffed after spotting our headbands. "That combo would have wiped almost any genin team from a minor village. Of course we had to pick the Konoha team."
The dark-haired genin snorted, glancing toward their injured taijutsu specialist, who looked like he would survive. "Don't act like we aren't from the strongest village out there."
A vein twitched on the gray-haired genin's forehead. "I was trying to bait them into underestimating us."
The dark-haired genin shot him an annoyed look. "We don't need tricks to crush a Konoha team."
That earned an immediate response from Kaen. "Are you saying the Hidden Cloud Village is the strongest Hidden Village?" He narrowed his eyes, irritation flashing across his face. "What are you talking about, are you an idiot?"
Before the argument could spiral further, the dark-haired genin moved. His hands blurred through seals with practiced speed. "Water Release: Condensation Screen."
The air around us grew damp almost immediately. Moisture gathered low to the ground, drawn out by the jutsu, and a thin mist spread rapidly between the stone pillars, clinging to rock and sand as it moved. Outlines blurred and depth became harder to judge as the fog filled the gaps with surprising speed. Sound dulled inside it, movement swallowed, and the pillars ahead faded into vague silhouettes. Chakra signatures were still there, but distorted by the shifting moisture, harder to track without being completely hidden.
Sena was already weaving through hand signs behind us when we felt it. A whip made of crackling electricity arced through the mist with terrifying speed, slicing the fog apart as it snapped toward us. Kaen saw it an instant before it struck, his Sharingan flaring as he ducked beneath the lash. I jumped over it, already forming a hand sign, a single thought flashing through my mind. These guys were insanely unlucky.
Most teams would have been shredded by tactics like this. An opening strike with explosive tags, a coordinated elemental combination that denied movement, a mist screen layered with lightning whips, all executed with near-perfect timing. It was clean, powerful, and brutally effective. But our team was built differently. Two sensors and a Sharingan user turned what should have been a flawless setup into something far less decisive.
I extended two fingers and fired a current shot screaming through the mist toward where I sensed them. Another sharp crack split the air as a second whip lashed out, intercepting my attack mid-flight and dispersing it instantly. Kaen shot forward at the same time, hands moving through seals as another whip snapped toward him. He pivoted at the last moment, twisting back and to the side as the lash tore through empty space, then spun to face the source, eyes locking onto the predicted position. "Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu."
An imposing sphere of fire roared into the mist, howling as it barreled straight toward them. I expected them to scatter. They didn't. They held their jutsu as the fireball tore through them, flames swallowing their forms without resistance. My stomach dropped.
"Clones," I muttered. "Damn it."
I sensed them a moment later, fast and close, already moving on Sena from behind. I shifted course at once and rushed the water release genin. I flickered and appeared just as he slashed down with a kunai. I drew the tanto strapped to my back and blocked, steel ringing sharply as I followed with a solid kick. He jumped over it with surprising agility and spat a water bullet straight at my face. I tilted my head aside as it screamed past and shouted Sena's name, but I didn't need to. She was already reacting, ducking low with frightening awareness.
The lightning user burst from the mist next to her, hand signs finishing as his hands crackled with electricity aimed straight for her head. Sena completed her jutsu in the same breath. "Wind Release: Breakthrough."
A violent gust of compressed air slammed into him point-blank. The lightning scattered uselessly as his body was hurled backward, skidding and tumbling before smashing into a nearby tree. His head struck hard, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed, unconscious. Sena staggered slightly, clearly burning chakra to push that jutsu so hard.
The water release genin cursed under his breath as he saw another teammate go down and immediately tried to flicker away, the medallion bouncing against his weapon pouch as he attempted to retreat. Kaen caught it instantly with his Sharingan, predicting the trajectory before the movement even finished. The anger on his face was unmistakable. Kaen appeared in front of him the instant his flicker ended, already swinging.
The genin ducked under the first strike, but Kaen followed with a low punch to force movement. As the genin tried to roll away, I flickered to his side and drove a mighty kick into his leg. Bone shifted under impact, and he screamed as his balance collapsed. Kaen was already there, staring straight into his eyes, his Sharingan burning a deeper red as he drove his fist into the genin's face. The impact crushed his nose and shattered part of his face, sending him crashing to the ground screaming, blood pouring freely as the fight finally broke out of him.
Kaen was breathing hard, rage burning off him in waves. He reached into his pouch, pulled a kunai free, and slashed toward the genin's neck without hesitation. I caught his wrist mid-motion, steel halted inches from flesh.
He snapped his head toward me, eyes blazing. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Why are you protecting him?"
I let out a slow breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "They're just genin trying to pass an exam," I said evenly. "There's no reason for them to lose their lives over this."
That only made it worse.
Kaen's grip tightened, his anger igniting hotter as he leaned forward. "I didn't see them going easy on us," he snapped, voice sharp with venom. "Or on Sena. They were going for the kill."
He tried to force the kunai down. I held firm. I was stronger, and he couldn't move it. The realization only fueled him further. I felt his focus shift, his gaze sharpening in a way that made my skin crawl. His chakra flared and brushed against mine, probing, already starting to interfere with my chakra flow. I cursed under my breath and shut my eyes immediately.
"If this were war," he continued, voice low and dangerous, "would you let your enemies walk away with a slap on the wrist so they can come back and kill you properly next time?"
I shook my head. "We're not at war," I said, firmer now. "They're unconscious or badly injured. We take their medallion and leave. That's it."
The air around us felt heavier, charged. Heat rolled off Kaen's chakra, thick enough that sweat beaded on my skin. The last thing we needed was an internal fight in the middle of the exam.
Sena stepped in before it could go any further.
"Kaen," she said sharply. "Killing another genin will cost us points. We need every point we can get if we want to pass the Chunin Exams cleanly." She met his gaze without flinching. "I know you want recognition. I know you want to prove your strength. Throwing it away here won't do that."
For a long moment, nothing happened.
Then the pressure eased. The heat in the air faded, and the roiling edge of his chakra settled. I slowly opened my eyes to find him staring at me, his Sharingan gone, dark eyes cold but controlled.
"You're an idiot," he muttered. "You make everything harder."
He yanked his hand free and turned away, walking over to Sena just as she knelt beside the water release genin and tore the team medallion free from his weapon pouch. She straightened and held it up with a small smile.
"One medallion secured," she said lightly. "One more to go."
Kaen nodded, the edge of his anger finally dulling as the reality of progress set in. I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck as we moved away from the wrecked section of the stone forest, leaving the broken battlefield and the genin behind us.