Shisui did not say anything when Shota spoke about killing the kids studying at the Kiri academy. He himself knew and was familiar with the cruelty of the shinobi world.
And Kiri's bloody policies while reducing the number of their shinobi were graduating true killers. The graduation exams in the Hidden Mist forced students to fight each other to the death. Many children never left the academy grounds alive.
Both young Jonin understood that the students inside those walls were already being shaped into killing machines that would be used against their own villages.
Shota and Shisui moved towards the academy. Neither saying a word and neither happy at the thought of killing kids who were not even shinobi yet but such was the cruelty of shinobi.
They walked through the mist without looking at each other.
Shota's mind turned to darker thoughts as they approached the walls. 'Maybe Madara really was right when he said, Wake up to reality! Nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed world. The only things that truly exist in this reality are merely pain, suffering, and futility.'
The shinobi system demanded terrible choices and no amount of personal kindness could change that truth in the middle of war between hidden shinobi villages.
They arrived at the academy and both used the ANBU camouflage technique known to every high level shinobi in every village. The technique of suppressing presence and blending into the surroundings made them almost invisible in the thick mist.
The academy instructors which were Chunin at best along with the thick mist made it difficult to catch them. No one noticed the two foreign Jonin as they slipped into the academy.
Both Shisui and Shota listened to the kids and what they were saying to gather intel. As they heard their conversation, both of them realised that the Kiri kids were too bloodthirsty.
One boy spoke with clear excitement in his voice. "I am going to kill that arrogant bitch during the graduation. She thinks she is better than everyone just because she scored higher on the written tests. I will show her who is stronger when the real fighting starts."
Another student answered with equal darkness. "My older brother said the best way is to go for the eyes first. Once they cannot see you the rest is easy. I have been practicing on stray dogs all week."
A third voice joined in with cold laughter. "I do not care who I get paired with. As long as I walk out of the exam hall alive I will be happy. The weak ones deserve to die anyway. That is how the village stays strong."
Children who should have been talking about games or simple training instead discussed the best ways to end each other's lives. The Bloody Mist policies had already shaped their minds completely.
But they found some good information in between the cruel talk. Useful details about current village movements rose from different groups of students.
One boy spoke with the pride of someone sharing important news. "Did you hear the Demon of the Mist Zabuza Momochi is leading a squad to hunt down Juzo and recover Kubikiribocho from him. He should probably be the next wielder of it."
The famous missing swordsman was being tracked by one of the strongest remaining fighters. Another student added more on the same topic. "Three of the new Swordsmen of the Mist are also hunting down Raiga. They are searching for him from what I heard. The village wants both missing swords returned no matter the cost."
The efforts to reclaim the legendary weapons showed how important the Seven Swordsmen still were to Kirigakure's strength.
A different group discussed the rising star of the village. "Mangetsu has been taken into the personal unit of the Mizukage. He has been sent to hunt down bloodline users outside of Kiri too. They say he is already stronger than some of the older Jonin even though he is still young."
The Hozuki prodigy had earned a special place at the side of the village leader. His rapid growth made him a future threat that the joint squad would need to watch carefully.
One conversation near a side window gave the most surprising piece of information. "You know there is a survivor of the Kaguya clan. They say he is a child with an unprecedented level of their Kekkei Genkai. He is locked up in a basement of their clan grounds within the village with Kiri ANBU guarding him. They say he is very valuable for the village."
The last remaining member of the destroyed clan was being kept alive for some unknown purpose. Shota was pretty sure he knew who this child was.
Another student spoke about internal unrest. "I heard the Terumi and Yuki clans are not happy with this new system of hunting bloodline users. Some of their elders have started meeting in secret. People say they might try to protect blood line users even if it means going against the Mizukage's orders."
The two remaining Kekkei Genkai clans still had enough strength to resist the Mizukage. Their discontent could become useful if the joint mission found a way to contact them later.
They got a lot of useful information from the students. The academy had given them more actionable intel than they had expected from a single listening session.
--------Author Notes---------
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