Kakashi was surrounded.
Three Rock-nin stared at the pale, panting Leaf brat. They exchanged confused glances.
What the hell was this?
Had this kid gotten messed up somewhere else and just stumbled into them by accident?
One of them drew a kunai. "Guess I'll finish the runt."
This was the shinobi world. No one went easy on kids. Anyone with a headband was an enemy.
Kakashi's heart hammered against his ribs. He'd never been this pathetic. Not once since he'd first stepped onto a battlefield. And the fight hadn't even started yet.
The Rock-nin advanced, kunai in hand.
Kakashi's head spun. His lungs screamed for air. But the threat of death pried his body into motion.
Three kunai flew from his pouch, aimed at each enemy.
They dodged, effortless. Child's play.
Kakashi drew his short sword. He tried to flash-step, blur behind one, strike. But the Body Flicker required chakra focused in his feet for speed.
Right now, just moving was agony.
Kakashi pushed off. Tried to go fast. His chakra sputtered in his soles. The world swam. He moved—slow, so damn slow.
The Rock-nin's boot caught him square in the chest. He slammed into a tree trunk, crumpling to the dirt.
The three men burst out laughing.
"Hah! Is this a joke?"
"A Body Flicker? My granny could move faster than that!"
"Looks like Konoha really is on its last legs, sending brats like this to the front."
Their voices grew distant, muffled. Kakashi's vision blurred at the edges. The kick had stolen what little breath he had left. He gasped against the thick fabric of his mask—a wall. No air came.
His hand shot up, fingers clawing at the edge of the mask. To tear it off. To breathe.
He pulled it down a fraction. Stopped.
Qianyu was watching. He had to be. His new sensei's words echoed: Mask stays on. Always. Even in a fight. Only food and water.
If he took it off now… Qianyu would be disappointed. Immediately.
Kakashi gritted his teeth. Let his hand drop.
Disappointing his new teacher on day one? That was the real humiliation.
If I can't move big… then I move small.
He pushed himself up, raising his short sword. He aimed at the nearest Rock-nin.
"Thunder Breathing… Fifth Form: Heat Lightning!"
A jagged bolt of energy shot from his blade.
But it was a pale imitation of Qianyu's technique. Where Qianyu's Heat Lightning was a superheated spear of light, Kakashi's was just… a bright spark. Hotter than a regular Lightning Release, maybe. But slow.
The Rock-nin reacted fast. "Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
A wall of dirt erupted from the ground, swallowing Kakashi's attack whole.
Kakashi didn't hesitate. A second kunai flew, two explosive tags fluttering from its hilt.
THOOM!
The earthen wall disintegrated into a cloud of dust and debris.
Smoke screen. Now. Kakashi tried to slip into the nearby brush. But his legs were lead. He'd taken two stumbling steps before the Rock-nin were on him again.
A kunai slashed downward. Kakashi parried with his sword. Steel shrieked.
Two more attacked from his flanks. He threw himself backward in a clumsy roll. They missed.
No time to breathe. The three closed in again, coordinated.
Qianyu watched from a high branch, face impassive. He saw Kakashi's plan immediately. Move small to conserve air.
Smart. But naive.
The enemy held the tempo. They wouldn't fight on Kakashi's terms.
Qianyu stood up, muscles coiling. Time to get ready. These three Rock-nin were nothing to a fully functional Kakashi. The question was… how much could the current Kakashi squeeze out?
Three against one. Kakashi's mind was a blank, oxygen-starved slate. Only instinct remained.
He blocked a slash. Sidestepped a thrust. The third attack came—a low sweep he couldn't fully dodge.
So he didn't.
Instead of retreating, Kakashi lunged forward, sword aimed for the man's gut. A trade.
The Rock-nin flinched. Aborted his own strike to leap back. He wasn't dying for a kid.
Something clicked.
Kakashi's world narrowed to the dance of steel. Thought evaporated. So did the desperate need to breathe. His body moved without him. Less thought, more instinct. His short sword carved air—clean, sharp, precise.
The three Rock-nin pressed, but frustration was setting in. This weakling… he was getting better? His movements were smoothing out, finding a rhythm.
The fight locked into a frantic, blurring stalemate.
But that state was a flickering candle.
It lasted only seconds.
Kakashi twisted, avoiding a spray of shuriken—and suddenly, his mind slammed back into his body.
The suffocation hit him like a physical blow.
All strength fled. His legs gave out. He collapsed, eyes rolling back.
The three Rock-nin saw their opening. Moved in for the kill.
The branch above was empty.
Qianyu appeared between them and Kakashi, a silent phantom.
The Rock-nin froze, weapons raised, wary.
Qianyu ignored them. He knelt, grabbed the edge of Kakashi's mask, and ripped it down. As Kakashi's mouth gaped for air, Qianyu's hand shot out, gripping his chin.
"Don't gulp the air. You'll pass out. Breathe slow. Feel it. Oxygen filling your lungs."
He released Kakashi's chin.
Kakashi clamped his mouth shut, breathing in frantic, shallow hitches through his nose. He was terrified that if he opened his mouth, he'd suck in everything and black out.
Only then did Qianyu turn his head. His eyes settled on the three Rock-nin.
He drew his ninjato.
There was no grand technique. No flash of chakra. Just a blur of motion.
Three precise, almost casual flicks of the wrist.
Three hands flying to throats that were no longer whole. Three bodies hitting the dirt.
He'd chosen these opponents carefully. Too strong, and Kakashi would have been instantly overwhelmed. No lesson learned. Too weak, and there'd be no pressure.
Sword sheathed, Qianyu crouched beside his student. Kakashi's breathing was gradually steadying, deepening.
After holding it for so long, a normal breath felt like a luxury. Kakashi had never appreciated air so much.
"Well?" Qianyu asked. "Did you feel it?"
Kakashi opened his mouth to answer.
A wave of nausea hit him. He jackknifed upright, hands hitting the dirt, and vomited violently.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (50+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!