It was just getting dark.
At the entrance to the back mountain, six figures gathered together.
Guy glanced around.
Kakashi, Obito, Kurenai, Rin, and...
"Ebisu?" Guy blinked. "What are you doing here?"
"On my way here, I ran into Ebisu," Kurenai said quietly.
Ebisu snorted. "I'm only here to supervise you and make sure you don't do anything that would bring shame on the Ninja Academy!"
Obito curled his lip. "Just admit you're scared."
"Who's scared?!"
"Then why are your legs shaking?"
"This is... This is a warm-up exercise for an elite ninja!"
Guy couldn't be bothered to listen to them bicker. He turned to Kakashi.
Kakashi nodded and headed deeper into the woods.
"Let's go."
The moonlight was faint.
The six of them made their way into the mountains in the dark. Fallen leaves and dead branches crunched beneath their feet.
Kurenai followed behind Guy, gripping a kunai so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
Guy looked back at her.
"Scared?"
Kurenai shook her head, then nodded.
Guy grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.
"It's all right. I've got Youth."
Kurenai blinked, then the corners of her mouth lifted.
Obito glanced back and saw the two of them "making eyes at each other." His teeth ached with jealousy.
"Hey! Are we going or not?"
They walked for about half an hour.
The woods grew denser and denser until the moonlight could barely filter through.
Kakashi suddenly stopped and raised a hand.
Everyone fell silent at once.
Obito opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Rin covered it with her hand.
Kakashi tilted his head and listened.
Hoo... hoo...
The heavy breathing sounded like someone snoring.
He pulled a shuriken from his pouch and flung it toward the sound.
Thunk.
It struck a tree trunk.
Nothing happened.
The breathing continued.
Guy lowered his voice. "It's asleep."
Kakashi nodded.
The two exchanged a glance, then crouched low and crept forward.
They passed through a thicket, and the view suddenly opened up.
In a clearing beside a huge boulder, a massive black shape lay sprawled on the ground.
It was over three meters tall.
Even lying down, it looked like a small mountain.
Its fur shimmered darkly in the moonlight, each strand as thick as a chopstick.
The claws sticking out were longer than Guy's palm.
Its chest rose and fell with each breath, sending gusts of wind through the clearing and making the leaves whirl.
Guy's eyes lit up.
Kakashi's eyes lit up too.
The others caught up behind them, and every pair of eyes went wide.
Obito's jaw nearly hit the ground.
"This... This..."
Kurenai's face went pale as she gripped her kunai tightly.
Rin covered her mouth to keep herself from screaming.
Ebisu's sunglasses slipped halfway down his nose. He pushed them up, only for them to slip again.
Only Guy and Kakashi had eyes that shone with such frightening intensity.
"Found it," Guy said with a grin.
"Yeah." Kakashi nodded.
Obito finally found his voice. He hissed, "Are you crazy?! That thing could turn us into meat patties with one slap!"
Guy ignored him.
He turned to Kakashi.
"Plan?"
Kakashi thought for a moment.
"I'll use clones to distract it. You attack."
"Okay."
The two turned to look at Obito at the same time.
Obito took a step back.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"You're in charge," Kakashi said.
"In charge of what?"
Guy picked up where he left off. "While we fight, you're in charge of getting the three of them somewhere safe."
Obito blinked.
Then his face flushed red.
"Y-You think I'm useless?!"
Guy patted him on the shoulder.
"I believe in you. That's why I'm entrusting you with this."
Obito blinked again.
Guy had already turned back to the giant bear, staring at it alongside Kakashi.
"Ready?"
Kakashi formed a hand seal with one hand.
"Yeah."
Poof.
Two clones appeared beside him, each striking the same pose.
"Go."
All three Kakashis charged at once.
The giant bear was still asleep.
The first clone rushed up and stabbed a kunai into its rear.
It didn't pierce the fur.
The kunai bent.
The giant bear twitched an ear.
The second clone leaped onto its back and stabbed down with another kunai.
It still didn't pierce the fur.
The giant bear gave a snort.
The third clone circled around to the front and flung a shuriken at its face.
The shuriken bounced off.
The giant bear opened its eyes.
Each eye was bigger than Guy's fist.
Its pupils narrowed to slits.
It stared at the tiny white-haired figure before it.
The giant bear pushed itself up on its forepaws and stood.
Four meters.
Five meters.
Standing, it was nearly five meters tall.
It opened its mouth, baring a full set of fangs.
"ROOOOAR!"
The sound was like thunder, shaking leaves from the trees.
Obito's legs gave out, and he nearly fell over.
Kurenai's face was deathly pale, but she didn't move.
Rin pulled her back.
Ebisu's sunglasses slipped down again. This time, he didn't push them up.
But Kakashi didn't retreat.
The three clones stood shoulder to shoulder, drawing all the bear's attention.
And then—
A green blur charged in from the side.
It leaped into the air.
Spun.
"LEAF HURRICANE!!!"
Whoosh—
BAM!!!
A powerful kick slammed into the back of the giant bear's neck.
Its massive head lurched downward, and its eyes rolled back.
Crash!
The five-meter-tall bear toppled straight forward.
It hit the ground with a tremendous thud, making the earth shudder three times.
It lay there, motionless.
Knocked out.
A deathly silence fell.
Obito's mouth hung open wide enough to fit his fist.
"...Huh?"
Kurenai covered her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers.
The medicine pouch slipped from Rin's hand. She even forgot to pick it up.
Ebisu's sunglasses slid to the tip of his nose. He stared at the bear through his lenses, then at Guy, then back at the bear, then at Guy again.
"This... This..."
Guy landed and steadied himself.
He looked back at the bear lying on the ground, scratched his head, and gave an awkward smile.
"I might've... kicked a little too hard?"
Kakashi dispelled his clones and walked over.
He glanced at the bear, then at Guy.
His eye rolled so far back it was practically white.
"..."
"Hey, hey, what's with that look?" Guy grumbled, displeased.
Kakashi was silent for two seconds.
"I was just wondering what you've been training for the past two months."
Guy grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Youth!"
Kakashi felt like rolling his eye again.
Obito rushed over, circled the bear three times, then kicked it twice.
"Already unconscious?! Already unconscious?! You knocked out a bear that huge with one kick?!"
Kurenai ran over too and grabbed Guy's sleeve, looking him up and down several times.
"Are you hurt? Are you bleeding? Does it hurt?"
Guy shook his head.
"No, I'm fine."
Kurenai breathed a sigh of relief.
Then her face reddened. She let go and took two steps back.
Rin picked up the medical kit and walked over with a smile.
"Guy, you're amazing."
Ebisu pushed his sunglasses back into place and coughed twice.
"Ahem. Well... I admit, you do have some skill..."
He hadn't even finished speaking—
BOOM!!!
The ground suddenly shook.
Everyone staggered.
Guy and Kakashi looked up at the same time, toward the depths of the woods.
Obito had just regained his balance. He hadn't even opened his mouth.
BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!
The ground trembled.
Trees toppled.
A huge shadow charged out of the woods.
It slapped a tree so large that three people would have to link arms to encircle it, snapping it like a chopstick.
The shadow burst out.
Beneath the moonlight, the monstrous beast came to a stop.
Six meters.
Seven meters.
Eight meters.
Nine meters.
A giant bear nearly ten meters tall.
Its fur was thicker and blacker than the last bear's, like iron armor.
Its eyes were bloodred, fixed on the tiny figures before it.
Drool dripped from its mouth, hitting the ground and leaving little craters.
The real Ninja Bear had appeared!