Looking at the terrified yet relieved Rin, Saiki offered a reassuring smile. "Relax. I'm here. You're safe now."
His god-tier sensory perception allowed Saiki to monitor the general state of the entire Forest of Death. Rin's and Mei's chakra signatures were two he had been tracking particularly closely.
He watched Rin because they were close friends. He watched Mei because he admittedly had "impure" interests in her, but also because a genius like her appearing in the Leaf's exams was a high-level threat that needed monitoring.
After finishing breakfast and a quick meditation, Saiki had sensed Mei's chakra moving aggressively toward Rin's position. He had immediately moved to intercept.
It was a split-second save. A few seconds later, and Obito might have actually been forced to awaken his Sharingan early.
"Mm!" Watching Saiki's calm smile, Rin felt the cold grip of terror finally begin to slide off her heart.
Staring at the headless corpse of their teammate and watching Saiki, who was casually leaving his back exposed to them, both Kisame and Mei were reeling in shock.
The Mist Genin Saiki had just slaughtered was significantly weaker than them, but he was no pushover; he could have easily traded several moves with either of them.
Yet the moment Saiki's aura had flared a hundred meters away, Kisame had shouted a warning, and Saiki had still managed to cross the forest and decapitate their friend before anyone could react.
Covering a hundred meters in a blink of an eye... that was a speed most Jonin couldn't achieve. Kisame was now on high alert.
Saiki pulled Rin to her feet and turned his gaze toward Kisame and Mei.
Saiki radiated a peaceful, almost harmless aura. He didn't project any of the jagged, blood-drenched killing intent that Kisame possessed after years in the "Bloody Mist." To an outsider, Saiki looked like a fresh-faced rookie.
But staring into Saiki's calm, unblinking eyes, Kisame felt a primitive sense of mortal danger.
"I told you we'd be seeing each other again." Saiki looked past Kisame to smile at Mei.
Faced with Saiki's gaze, Mei's face flushed a deep red, despite the tension of the moment. The boy was simply too handsome to ignore.
Kisame, however, stared Saiki down with absolute focus. He was a true Mist ninja; he recovered his composure instantly.
"So the rumors from the Leaf weren't lies. You really are a monster," Kisame answered for Mei, baring a mouthful of shark-like teeth.
It was a mystery whether everyone in the Mist was influenced by the Three-Tails' chakra—given the beast lived in their waters—but many of them seemed to share those distinct, predatory teeth.
"Mm. You're pretty strong too. I heard that guy say you've already slaughtered several Konoha teams. I assume you already have enough scrolls?" Saiki asked, glancing at the headless body.
Kisame merely smirked. "That's how the Chunin Exams work, isn't it? Didn't your village teach you the rules?"
Hunting other villages during the exams was indeed an unspoken tradition between the Great Nations. Saiki knew the answer; he was just confirming their intent.
"I see. Very well." As if he had received a formal declaration, Saiki turned to Rin. "Rin, step back. Shizune and the others will be here any second."
"Hey! You bastard Saiki, who the hell do you think you are?!" Obito, who had been thoroughly humiliated by Mei, felt ignored and started shouting again. Maeda, the senior captain, immediately moved to a safe distance, but Obito kept barking.
Naturally, everyone ignored him.
Saiki looked at Kisame and spoke with a hollowed, flat tone. "This is Konoha. Since you chose this path, I hope you're prepared for the end of it."
The moment the words left his mouth, Saiki vanished.
Kisame was ready. Given Saiki's displayed speed, there was no time to weave signs. He would have to rely on raw Kenjutsu.
Fortunately, at ten years old, Kisame already possessed the raw power and sword skill of an Elite Chunin, and his chakra reserves were already pushing past the Jonin level.
In terms of pure Taijutsu and Kenjutsu, Kisame was one of the few in their generation who could actually hope to keep up with Saiki.
CLANG!
Their blades collided in the center of the clearing, the metallic screech echoing through the trees.
At nearly ten, Saiki was tall for his age at 1.4 meters, but Kisame was still half a head taller.
While Saiki's physique was lean and balanced, Kisame was built like a brick wall. His sleeveless outfit showed off biceps that were absurdly developed for a child.
The force of the impact traveled down the blades. Saiki felt a genuine jolt of pressure; Kisame was putting out at least sixty percent of Saiki's own raw strength.
Kisame was even more shocked. He was the one on the defensive, yet the force behind Saiki's strike nearly knocked the sword from his hand and forced him back a step.
Kisame had always prided himself on his strength. This was the first time he had ever met a contemporary who could overpower him.
Before Kisame could recover from the shock, Saiki's Flower Clones hidden in the woods completed their task. Lightning erupted across Saiki's skin, supercharging his muscles once more.
As Kisame stumbled back, Saiki retracted his blade and unleashed a flurry of slashes. His hands moved so fast they left afterimages, turning his sword into a blur of silver.
Squelch! Squelch!
"Impossible!"
Kisame saw no hand signs, yet Saiki was somehow manifesting Lightning Style. Caught in the lightning-fast blitz, Kisame was forced into a desperate, messy defense. In a heartbeat, several deep gashes appeared across his chest and arms, blood spraying onto the grass.
Just as Saiki was about to deliver a finishing strike, Mei Terumi—despite her infatuation—acted like the professional ninja she was. The second Saiki pressed the advantage against Kisame, she intervened.
"Water Style: Water Trumpet!"
As a future Mizukage, Mei's "water volume" was never in question. Her pink lips parted, and a high-pressure jet of water erupted, hurtling toward Saiki like a physical hammer.
Forced to break his assault, Saiki didn't even look back. He simply slammed a foot into the dirt. Using chakra fed from his clones, a massive wall of earth erupted from the ground.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
BOOM!
The high-pressure water slammed into the earthen barrier. Though the water looked like it could wash away a mountain, the elemental advantage held. The wall absorbed the impact and stood firm.
Mei's intervention had given Kisame the second he needed to retreat. When Saiki looked back at him, he noticed something bizarre: Kisame's wounds had already stopped bleeding and were visibly knitting back together.
Saiki was genuinely fascinated by Kisame. Massive chakra and a shark-face were one thing, but that regenerative ability was pure "hax."
It seemed to be an innate trait of his own body rather than the sword Samehada. If the healing came from the sword, Kisame killing his superior, Fuguki Suikazan, later in life wouldn't make sense.
Regardless, Saiki noted that if he ever got the chance to seize Samehada, he'd definitely want to study the mechanics of it.