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❟❛❟ CHAPTER TWO ❟❛❟
"I want to be a Hero."
Yukie declared, her voice resonating with a newfound determination that seemed to echo through the stillness of the room. The words hung in the air, weighty and solemn, like a sacred vow whispered into the night.
The silence that followed was palpable. Yukie sat poised on the sofa, her posture the very picture of grace and composure, waiting.
Her baba, sitting on the single sofa, remained motionless, his eyes no longer scanning the news on his tablet but fixed on his daughter. His silence was not one of disapproval but of contemplation, the gears of his mind turning, weighing the gravity of her ambition.
Her mama, having just placed the tea set upon the table, stood frozen mid-motion, the delicate clink of porcelain a stark interruption to the quietude. Her hands, so often steady and sure, now trembled slightly, betraying the surge of emotions that her composed exterior sought to hide.
In Yukie's previous life, the term 'Hero' was an accolade reserved for the few, the brave souls who ventured beyond the safety of their village to face foes and protect kin. It was a concept shrouded in mystery, understood by only those who had witnessed the valor of shinobi.
But here, in this new existence, heroism was not just a lofty ideal but a profession. It was a calling that beckoned to those blessed —or burdened— with a quirk. A dichotomy of good and evil played out daily, where heroes stood as the bulwark against the tide of malevolence, wielding their quirks not for personal gain but for the greater good. They were the guardians who fought off villains, the saviors who rescued the imperiled, and the helping hands that uplifted society in its smallest moments of need.
If you look closely, the role of ninjas in their society can be likened to that of vigilantes in some respects. They operate within a certain moral and legal gray area, not quite heroes in the traditional sense, nor villains. Ninjas are operatives bound by duty, executing missions at the behest of their village. Their allegiance is to their people, and they engage in clandestine activities that often tip the scales in inter-village conflicts and wars. It's a complex existence, where loyalty and orders dictate actions, and the moral compass is guided by the greater good as defined by their society.
Yukie's ambivalence towards the concept of heroism was not without its nuance. To her, the role of a hero was shrouded in a tapestry of glamour and spectacle that clashed with the subtlety of her shinobi roots. The vivid costumes, a riot of colors and contours, seemed to her an odd choice for battle —more suited for the stage than the streets. Might Guy, with his penchant for snug attire, stood as a singular exception in her mind, a curious anomaly in a world where stealth and silence were prized.
