I

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Arc I Chapter 4

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"Why not? I want to protect you, okaa-san. And don't shinobi fight to protect?" Asami repeated her mantra from before.

Kurano hugged her daughter tightly, caressing her back.

"Asami, shinobi do not only fight to protect. They are a bunch of spineless cowards without honour, hiding behind pretentious ideals and empty promises. Just like your father." Kurano gritted her teeth. Anger, hatred, resentment seeped into her voice.

"Once, I believed the tale of the shining protector, the ever-watchful guardian of the will of fire, the one big family. I didn't know better.“

“Back then when I was young, and I still looked up to them. My greatest wish was to become such a hero. But not all dreams are destined to come true. I wanted to become a Kunoichi, just like you. I didn't meet the criteria to enter the academy. My constitution never permitted it.“

Kurano smiled. “In my younger days, my health was frail. I ended up being chronically ill and bedridden.“

“Years passed and I gave up. My dreams died, but my faith in shinobi and their ideals didn't. They remained the heroes from my childhood."

Kurano paused. "In my naivety, I fell in love with one of them, a dashing chunin. He was young. I was young. It was love on first sight."

Her limbs stiffened. Her hands trembled. The pain was too strong. "I tried to confess my love, but every time, my strength left me. I hesitated, I doubted. One day, though, I mustered all my courage, and imagine, Asami, I succeeded. He didn't reject my confession."

"Drunk on love, time passed, thinking our happiness would never end. Then you came, Asami."

"I still remember the joy I felt. Now we could finally live together as a family. I confronted him on the street, him and his fellow shinobi. I told him about you." Her wounded heart cried. Tears fell from her eyes. The pain of betrayal hurt.

Kurano clenched her fists. "He slapped me right into my face, saying he didn't even know who I am and what I want.“

“That day, he showed his true face. He despised me. He looked down on me, a useless woman far beneath him, not worthy of his attention. But he found me interesting, entertaining.“

“All this time, he used me. And when the time came, he discarded me like a cheap toy.“

"I realised, shinobi are human. Not much better than you and me. Shinobi are no heroes. They never were.“

“In the end, they only care for themselves. They are only a family among themselves. They take without asking, and we give without complaining. They take because they can, and we give because we have to. In their eyes, we are worthless while they are everything. They are strong, and we are weak" Bitter tears ran down her face.

Kurano's heart broke. "I hate shinobi. I hate them all.“

“I can't bear to lose you, Asami. I don't want you to leave me too."

Asami felt saddened. The tragic wreckage of a human life stood before her. A gentle soul shattered by grief, wounded by sadness. Her heart felt sorry for beloved okaa-san. She didn't deserve such a fate. She didn't.

Asami hugged her crying okaa-san. Her arms shielded Kurano from all evil, from all cruelty of this world.

She hugged the one person who showed her nothing but kindness, who showered her with unconditional love

Asami whispered, "I will never leave you, okaa-san. I will always stand at your side.“

“I will protect you with my life, and with my soul."

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Accompanied by her beloved okaa-san, Asami visited a few days later a doctor-nin? No, a medic-nin? An iryo-nin? It didn't matter, the point is they visited some kind of nin.

Okaa-san advised her to undergo a medical examination first, and she listened. A full examination would certainly not hurt. It might even yield useful information regarding her chakra level and her physical fitness.

While her vibrant chakra was undoubtedly strong, her physical prowess and poor constitution left much to be desired. Like mother, like daughter. Both she had inherited from okaa-san.

Sitting on okaa-san's lap, they both waited for the iryo-nin to return. They waited a while. The doctor took his time.

Eventually, the door opened and he returned. Asami suppressed her giggling. Didn't they notice how silly they looked in their white gowns? The design was atrocious, making them look like complete idiots.

The iryo-nin took a seat and flicked through his files. He seemed in haste. "I will keep it short, her results are interesting, very interesting."

Okaa-san wondered. “Interesting?“

The doctor affirmed, “Yes, interesting. When I checked her chakra, I didn't expect anything like this.“

“Asami appears to be in possession of substantial chakra reserves. In fact, her chakra level is abnormal for her age group and background. Even compared with clan children, her readings are way too high. Especially, her Yin values are completely off the charts.“

Asami stiffened. Did she mess up? Didn't she reduce her chakra level enough? She really tried to keep it as inconspicuous as possible.

Okaa-san looked concerned. “And that means?

He explained, “You see, chakra consists generally of two components, yin and yang. Spiritual and physical energy. Normally, the ratio is about equal, 50% yin, 50% yang. Individual exceptions exist, obviously, and certain clans are known for their high yin concentrations. Uchiha and Nara are typical examples. They tend to lean strongly towards yin.“

“But never before, I have seen such an extreme case of yin dominance. Her chakra is nearly entirely composed of yin. Assuming the numbers are correct, her chakra consists up to 95% of pure yin.“

“That also explains her weak constitution. Her strong yin component hampers her physical development. Her body lacks the necessary yang to counterbalance her yin. No wonder that her growth is stunted."

“Does that mean she can't enter the academy?“ Okaa-san worried.

The doctor hesitated to answer. “ ... ... ... I see no reason she can't. Asami should be perfectly eligible to enrol. Even when we take her physical deficiencies into account, it would be a waste to let a talent like her go.“

“Her chakra is strong. Her chakra control exceptional from what I can tell. Asami is naturally gifted. She should have an easy time picking up ninjutsu, genjutsu, or even medical ninjutsu. I recommend thus strongly to enrol her. She will have a bright future.“

“I understand.“ Okaa-san smiled, overflown with joy.

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