CHAPTER-1: Thrown in the Sea of w

Amidst the monotonous drone of his English teacher's lecture, a young boy with brown skin found himself in a seemingly endless battle against boredom. His gaze glazed over the blackboard as he sighed deeply, yearning for the clock's minute hand to hasten its journey.

And then, with a blink of his eyes, reality took an astonishing turn. He was no longer in the familiar confines of his classroom. Instead, he found himself plunged into a world of chaos and conflict.

"Clang!"

The sudden, jarring sound pulled his attention to a frenzied scene before him. A fierce, life-and-death battle was unfolding, the clash of metal upon metal igniting sparks that danced like fireflies. Two young combatants, drenched in sweat and dirt, their fair skin shimmering, fought with unrelenting determination on a battlefield akin to a vast ocean of violence.

One of the combatants wore a headband adorned with rain insignia, his gray eyes reflecting the tempestuous nature of the weather.

He donned a navy-blue sleeveless hoodie, layered with mesh armor, and black pants with bandages that swathed his hands and ankles. Standard navy-blue shinobi sandals anchored him to the rain-soaked earth as he adopted a basic taijutsu stance.

His opponent, a youth brimming with the enthusiasm of battle, sported short, spiky black hair and brown eyes that gleamed with excitement. He was clad in a long-sleeved black shirt and matching pants, his Konoha headband proudly displayed across his shoulder. Fatigue had begun to weigh on his muscles, but he clutched two kunai in a reverse grip, ready to strike.

As the rain fell mercilessly, they locked eyes, their bodies poised for action, testing every muscle in readiness for a deadly confrontation. Each breath was a precious respite in the midst of this storm of violence, but as the rain momentarily slowed, it felt as though one could dodge every drop. And then, just as abruptly, the heavens resumed their relentless assault, as if a celestial minigun had been unleashed.

The Leaf shinobi charged forward, but to the leaf genin's surprise, his opponent froze, his expression betraying a hint of chakra fatigue or was it? No matter, As a cunning smile curved on the Konoha genin's lips as he channeled more chakra, determined to seize the moment. The rain-nin remained in shock, but instincts drove his body, even as his mind grappled with fear.

"It's over," the Konoha genin thought, his kunai poised to strike for the heart.

With a swift, fluid motion, the knife was launched, the world slowing to a crawl as it hurtled toward its target.

Swoosh.

A sickening splatter erupted, but whose blood had been spilled?

One combatant lay lifeless on the rain-soaked ground, while the other fled. However, the fleeing genin was unaware that no matter how far or fast he ran, he would forever be swept into the raging tide of war.

As my eyes fluttered open, I was met with overwhelming exhaustion. My body ached as if I had spent hours engaged in intense physical exertion. What jolted me into full awareness, however, was the sensation of raindrops pelting my skin.

This wasn't the classroom. Even if I had somehow escaped, the sunny skies offered no chance of rain. My confusion intensified when the sound of rapid footsteps reached my ears.

My vision sharpened, and I froze in terror. When people ask how they would react in a life-or-death situation, they often imagine themselves fighting, fleeing, or freezing. In my moment of peril, I was painfully aware that I fell into the last category.

As the approaching figure drew near, my heart raced from zero to sixty in an instant. My grip tightened on something I hadn't even realized I was holding. My legs quivered uncontrollably, and I felt like I could crumple at any moment. Every sense was heightened; the itchiness of dirt on my skin, the stinging impact of raindrops, the rush of wind in my ears, the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. Most terrifying of all, I could see it in his eyes.

The predator had trapped its prey, and I felt utterly defenseless. In those lethal eyes, three words resounded, "I'm gonna die."

Swoosh.

The sound sent a shiver down my spine. Something fast had come, and I saw blood spray in front of me. My face contorted in petrified horror, and just as I was about to embrace the gruesome dream, I was abruptly awakened.

It wasn't a dream. It was sharp and smashing, a sensation that coursed through my head. My eyes followed the source of the pain, and I saw a diamond-shaped knife buried in my shoulder. My own blood oozed out, but that wasn't what stunned me. It was the lifeless bodies strewn across the ground, and among them, the very genin who had attacked me.

My breathing became erratic, my heart raced, and my grip tightened. Without thinking, my legs propelled me away from that nightmarish scene, into the unknown, anywhere but there, away from the sea of blood and death.

Snap. Crack. Step, step, step.

I sprinted, my surroundings a blur of trees and undergrowth. Adrenaline surged through my veins, obliterating coherent thought. But then, something warmed my back.

"Fireball jutsu! Watch out!" someone shouted. My mind fixated on the word "jutsu." Could it be possible?

No time to ponder. I turned and found myself face-to-face with a blazing inferno hurtling toward me at blinding speed. I raised my arms to shield myself, but the forest floor wasn't forgiving to those who didn't watch their steps.

Something clipped my leg, and fire scorched my arm and face as I fell. The searing pain was unbearable, but I couldn't dwell on it. Before I could make sense of it all, everything faded to black.

"Is that him?" A muffled voice, presumably a man's, inquired.

"Yes, he should be waking up any minute now. Excuse me, I have another patient to attend to," a medic-nin responded.

My eyelids fluttered open, revealing a man with a headband bearing four distinct lines.

"Ah, you're awake. You've survived the first battle of the Second Shinobi War, kid."