A New Way of Ninja, (Naruto)

39: Sasuke's Decision

[OP: "There is a Way"--Newworldson]

"Test you? How?" Sasuke asked.

"I've been testing you this whole time," Shine said. "Surely you can think of some way to test me?"

She'd been testing him? How?

Sasuke didn't like that. Was it by provoking him?

Well, surely he'd been doing all right then. He hadn't exploded.

That was probably what she wanted. Then she could tell Leaf he was unstable and they'd leave him here.

He wanted to give her something that would throw her off.

After a few minutes of thinking about it, he had an idea.

Something that would be sure to get her ruffled, because she could get in trouble no matter which way she answered it.

"I have a test for you," he said.

"Took his sweet time to think of one," Dabi remarked, and Sasuke heard him turn a page.

"Go on," Shine prompted.

"You know about the Uchiha massacre," Sasuke said. "According to Obito, Leaf was at fault. According to my brother, it was the Uchiha clan. Which do you say?"

"Whew, that wasn't a very simple one, was it?" Dabi said. "Can't wait to hear this."

"Touya, please," Shine said. "That's a very serious question, though I think he's only asking it to trip me up, but I can't take it lightly either."

Sasuke had to admit she was smart, but he didn't think she was smart enough, because no matter which she said, he was going to have something to say in response as to why she was wrong.

He didn't stop to think that showed he hadn't made up his own mind about it either.

"Truthfully, Pilgrim," Shine addressed Sasuke again, "how would I know the answer to that?"

"You claim you know so much," Sasuke said. "I'm sure you have an idea."

"Do you want the real answer then?" Shine said. "Or do you want me to agree with you?"

"If you just agree with me, this won't be much of a test," Sasuke said.

"That's how tests work, actually, but whatever." Shine tapped the bar with her nails, from the sound of it. "The real answer to that is that, if fire from heaven fell on this village, and if the clan in it was still alive, I couldn't say that wasn't justice. All of them have sinned in so many ways. Everyone has, everyone in the world has, but especially the shinobi. They all kill, lie, steal, backstab, and commit heinous acts. How could I know who was worse?"

"How is that an answer? That's a cop out," Sasuke argued.

"It's honesty. No one is innocent in the eyes of heaven. And besides that, who am I to decide this matter? Did I know them myself? No. I grant you that genocide is wrong, so I've always been a little more inclined to side with the Uchiha clan. But in the long run, whatever happens to these people is not in my power to control, and it's too late now to go back and change it, so in that way, why should I try to judge?"

"That's not a real answer," Sasuke said. "You're afraid to answer."

"I'm not afraid to answer because I'm afraid of you," Shine said. "I don't wish to be arrogant. These matters are for God to decide, not me."

"So God ruled in favor of the Leaf,--that's what you're saying?" Sasuke thought he had her.

"Sasuke," Shine said slowly, "God does not will travesties to happen, if they are truly evil. God does not tempt people to sin. But no, He does no stop every tragedy either, for reasons that are complex and not actually within our sphere of understanding. I could give you ideas, but I think you're not ready to hear them, are you? You don't believe in God, and that is the only answer I have to this problem. If I just use human knowledge to judge, what could I say? It's senseless, isn't it? Unless you believe it was deserved, and then you believe more than I do about guilt and how much people should be punished for it."