Aftermath 2

Ren had left the Tsuchikage office and returned home, he understood what some people may feel while taking a life for the first time, even though Ren couldn't say he felt the same when he killed for the first time, he knew their situations were different.

"I remember, I was not much older than they are right now when I killed for the first time, and even though I felt nothing I know it's not because I couldn't, no it because of the organization that raised me.

Being sold to a shady organization by your parents at an early age really makes you look at the world differently, I hated everything and everyone, and most of all I felt powerless and weak, and those cunts knew exactly how to train and turn someone into a killing machine.

I remembered, that my feeling of powerlessness only disappeared when I held the fate of someone in my hands, killing, taking lives making others fear my name made me feel powerful again.

I can't say I'm not like that anymore, but at least when they felt I was completely under their control they let me watch anime, but if anything that's what made me regain myself if even a little bit, the freedom those characters had I wanted it, it needed to be mine, as I regained myself, of course, I didn't show it or at least tried to, but I guess I wasn't as good as I thought I was since the organization teamed up with my target to kill me." says Ren as he falls into his bed closing his eyes.

(With Kitsuchi)

Kitsuchi had returned from walking around the village looking at the villagers and the happy lives they lead, as they were being protected by the shinobi of the village, normally this site would make him happy but right now he felt conflicted, to protect this village and its people he would have to coat his hands in blood, was he really ready to do that?

"Ahhhhh" Kitsuchi holds his head as his face scrunches up in pain, and the surrounding villagers come to his aid making sure he was okay, but all he could hear was Ren speaking to him repeating one question.

"How far would you go to protect this happiness?"

The question repeated loudly in his head, it wasn't long before he couldn't take it and ran off escaping the crowd surrounding him.

After arriving home, Kitsuchi calmed down and decided to wait for his father to finish work so he could ask him for guidance.

Kitsuchi waited until finally, late at night a figure appeared before him, none other than his father.

" Kitsuchi you look terrible."

"Father, I have a question for you, is it right to protect this village by killing? Or am I just too soft to be a ninja as I feel guilt for doing so?"

Seeing the state his son was in Onoki sighed, even though he hadn't reached this level he had when through the same thing on a smaller scale, but things were more chaotic when he was younger, there was no time to go through these emotions, else you would be dead.

" Kitsuchi, it has been your dream to be Kage of this village, is that still your dream?"

"Of course."

"Well how do you think I became Kage, and how do you think the others after me will be selected?"

"I don't know."

"It's simple, to put it simply the Kage of a village could be seen as the one who contributed the most to the village in their generation, in this era of war how do you think that contribution is measured?"

"...."

"...." Kitsuchi's face became pale, he had understood what his father was trying to say.

"The Kage is simply the ninja who is the strongest and has killed the most enemies bathing in the blood of the village enemies."

"If you want to be Kage you need to be ready to bear the responsibilities, I have killed hundreds and ordered the deaths of thousands, because I bear the responsibility of Kage of the hidden stone, and killing is the easiest part of being a Kage."

" Kitsuchi, I cannot tell you what to do, you have to make that choice yourself, but I will say this, you must find how far you are willing to go to protect this village."

"Finding the answer to this question is simple. Would you be able to live with yourself if something happened to the village and you did nothing because you refused to kill someone?"

"I... wouldn't, I would rather die than let something happen to the village," says Kitsuchi as a surprised expression appears on his face as he hears what he had just said.

"There, you have answered your own question."