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Arc I Chapter 6

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Their visited ended and they soon returned home. It was a long day, and they were now sitting together, staring at each other. Her mother was sipping on a cup of fresh tea, and Asami did likewise. The mild aroma of herbs invigorated their sense. Neither of them spoke, unwilling to disturb the peaceful silence.

Time passed, and day turned night. The sun set and darkness claimed its rightful place. The silence heavy, suffocating, nearly insufferable. But even the thickest ice was destined to be broken.

Her mother took a deep sigh and spoke, “It seems like they will ask you soon to participate in the entry exam.”

Asami merely nodded. “It does ...”

Her mother continued. “They will try everything to enrol you at the academy, regardless of how low you score.”

Asami agreed, “They will ...” They both knew they would. She more than her, but even her mother realised that her enrolment was only a matter of time.

Okaa-san sipped on her tea. “Do you really want to become a kunoichi? Is that what you truly want? Is that what your heart desires?”

Asami lowered her head, thinking. “It doesn't matter as much what I want as what is expected of me. It doesn't seem like I have much of a choice. If it is the path I am meant to walk, then so be it. I am not afraid.”

Her mother might not know, but in the end, her soul was born to fight. Her entire being had been forged in the fires of war. Maybe the day had come that her happiness was meant to end, and she could no longer run from her true calling, from her destiny. The ghosts of the past, the ghosts of her former life, had returned. Once again, the battlefield was calling her.

“... ... ...” Her mother stared at her tea, her eyes focused. “There is no need for you to be afraid ... There are always ways and means to escape enrolment. If you wish so, then we will do all in our power to buy you out. A sizeable contribution to the coffers of the village and to the pockets of the right people should be more than enough to resolve this issue. It wouldn't be the first time in the history of this village. If you don't want to become a kunoichi, Asami-chan, then you don't need to. Unlike others, you have a choice, and I won't force you.”

“...” Asami fell silent, ignoring the proposed use of bribery.

Okaa-san sighed. “In fact, I don't want you to join the academy.”

Asami raised an eyebrow. “Why that?”

Okaa-san paused for a moment, “... The life of a kunoichi is a dangerous one. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, Asami-chan. But there is also another reason ...” Her mother's hand stiffened. Her grip on her cup hardened. There was anger, hatred, resentment in her voice.

“...” Asami stared at her mother. “Okaa-san ...”

Her mother paused, “Ninja might claim that they are the guardians of peace and justice, but in the end, they are just a bunch of cowards. They are spineless cowards without a shred of honour who hide behind empty promises and lies, such as your father.

Once, I believed in the tale of the watchful guardians of the will of fire. I believed in the one big family. It was a time then when I didn't know better. I was young and naive. My greatest wish was to become kunoichi, but not all dreams are destined to come true. I never met the criteria to enter the academy. I was a weak child, and my health failed me.

The years passed and I gave up. My dreams died, but my faith in ninja and their ideals didn't. They remained the heroes from my childhood. 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 succeeded. He didn't reject me. Drunk on love, I ignored the signs, believing that 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 ...” Her wounded heart cried. The pain of betrayal hurt.

Kurano clenched her fists, tears of bitterness running down her face.“That day he renounced me. The day he renounced us, Asami. It was the moment that he finally showed his true face. He despised me. He looked down on me. I was nothing but a useless woman, a woman not worthy of his attention. All this time, he used me. And when the time came, he discarded me like a mere toy. It was the day I realised that ninja are no heroes. They never were.

In the end, they only care for themselves. They are strong, and we are weak. They take what they can, and we give what we have to.

I hate ninja. I hate them all. I can't lose you, Asami. I don't want you to leave me too. You are everything I have left.”

“Okaa-san ...” Her mother's sight saddened Asami. The tragic wreckage of a human life was standing before her. A gentle soul shattered by grief, wounded by sadness. Her heart pitied her beloved okaa-san. She didn't deserve such a fate. She didn't.

“...” Asami hugged her crying Okaa-san, her weak arms shielding Kurano from all the evil, from all the cruelty of this world. She hugged the one who showed her nothing but kindness, the one who showered her with unconditional love. “I will never leave you, Okaa-san. No matter what, I will always stand at your side. I will protect you with my life, and with my soul.”

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