I
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Arc I Chapter 12
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Iruka offered an encouraging smile. As their teacher, it was his duty to motivate his students. Keeping up a smile was paramount in that regard. “Good work, Kiba. Your presentation about the Inuzuka clan was ... insightful. A bit too descriptive at some points, though.”
They did not need to know all about dog pee and the various different types of dog poop. What colour. What shape. What consistency. What texture. Too much information.
Iruka scribbled on his notebook. “You’ll get a good mark, Kiba. You can return now to your place. The next one of the list is Minami Asami.”
Asami stood up and stepped forwards with a sheet of paper in her hands. The girl looked motivated.
“Tell me, what’s your presentation, Asami-chan? You are not from a ninja clan, so I’ve assigned you ninja life in general as your topic.”
Asami beamed in high spirits. “I have written a little song that I am going to sing, Iruka-sensei.”
“Oh, a song ...” Iruka scratched his head. “That’s a strange form of ... presentation, but I guess it’s fine. What’s the song about?”
“It is about the Second Great Ninja War and the destruction it has caused. History has always been one of my favourite subjects.”
“I see ...” Iruka offered an uneasy smile. He had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling ...
“Huh ...” Asami took a deep breath before starting her song.
“We kill the sick, the young, the lame
We do our best to kill and maim
Because the kills all count the same
Ninja do what they need
Running fast, through the trees
Ninja doing what they please
Attacking refugees
Ninja do what they need
It made us all feel good inside
When the strong men wept and the women cried
But what we liked was the children fried
Ninja do what they need
See that family over there?
Watch me get’em with a pair
Blood and guts just everywhere
Ninja do what they need
Mercs and swords for hire
Rogues and thieves around the fire
Money makes the flames go higher
Ninja do what they need
Children sucking on a mother’s tit
They all end down in the pit
Because we ANBU don’t give a shit
Ninja do what they need
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Attack some kids when you go downtown
By throwing some candy on the ground
Then get them when they gather’round
Ninja do what they need
A squad of Kumo-nin in the grass
But all the fighting has long since passed
Dead critters rotting in a mass
Ninja do what they need
Oxcars rolling down the road
Peasants with a heavy load
They are all Iwa-nin when the tags explode
Ninja do what they need
Killing women, lots of fun
Try killing one that’s pregnant, son
You’ll get two for the price of one
Ninja do what they need
Running fast and feeling mean
See that family by the stream?
Drop by and hear them scream
Ninja do what they need
See the ninja down on their knees?
Draw your blade. Be at ease
Find their arms nailed to trees
Ninja do what they need
Kiri-nin are all hardcore
Come at you with a roar
Soon their corpses wash ashore
Ninja do what they need
Eighteen orphans in a no fighting zone
Books under arms and going home
Last in line goes home alone
Ninja do what they need
Hidden by rain, they live in peace
They think Ame will never burn
But the fuckers never learn
Ninja do what they need
See the little kids jump and shout
Some fire will help without a doubt
Watch them try and put it out
Ninja do what they need
I’ve been around, some things I’ve seen
But the people who are mighty mean
The people you kill, they make you clean
Ninja do what they need
I’ve only seen it happen twice
But both times it was mighty nice
Maiming peasants planting rice
Ninja do what they need
Fire, son, is lots of fun
With a jutsu it all began
Gets them when they’re on the run
Ninja do what they need
Some people say it’s not so neat
To watch people burning in the street
But burning flesh smells mighty neat
Ninja do what they need
Peasants in the open, making hay
But I can hear the captain say,
“Our orders, no prisoners today”
Ninja do what they need
Kill some civilians where they sit
Take them in as you split
All your life you’ll remember it
Ninja do what they need
We all know, we who fought
It’s no crime if you don’t get caught
That is what the war us taught
Konoha-nin do what they need.”
Asami finished her cute little song. Her mood was good. This was one of her better performances. She had practised a lot in the recent days to modulate her voice. Singing was not her forte. Her vocal cords lacked training, but Asami gave her best. She polished, edited, improved her text over and over again until satisfied. She was pleased with the result.
Asami stood before the entire class armed with a bright sugar sweet smile. “And? What do you think? I hope that you all have liked my song?”
...
...
...
Silence reigned. Absolute icy silence reigned. Coldness gripped the room. The temperature dropped as the very air froze. Nobody uttered a word. Everyone just sat there and said nothing, not daring to disturb the eerie silence. A sea of blank stares met her. Shock and disturbance were written over the faces of her classmates. Mouths hang wide agape, deeply unsettled by her macabre morbid performance.
Asami tilted her head, confused and wondering. “Is something the matter? Did I do something wrong?”
“Iruka-sensei?” Asami looked at her teacher for help. He did not prove useful either. Iruka wore the same troubled expression as the rest of the class.
Iruka stumbled over his words, unsure how to respond. “Your presentation was ... wonderful, Asami-chan. Very ... unique.” He scratched his head, offering a weak smile.
Asami beamed. “Do you think so, Iruka-sensei?”
Iruka nodded. “Of course, ... I do ...”
A girl dropped to the ground from her seat. She had fainted.
“...” Asami blinked, equally confused and surprised. This was strange. Why did the girl faint?
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“Kurano-san, do you know why I’ve summoned you and Asami here to my office today?” Iruka welcomed Kurano and Asami in his office. He never thought it would be because of a girl, but the day had come he had to summon her mother. He had few things to discuss with Kurano.
Kurano shook her head. “No, not really.” Asami was sitting on Kurano’s lap with a happy smile on her face.
Iruka smiled. They made a lovely mother daughter pair. How Kurano hugged her daughter and how Asami hugged Kurano’s arms. They both looked very much alike. They shared their same sense of fashion and hairstyle. Like mother, like daughter. “I’ve summoned you and your daughter because I have received various complaints from other parents due to your daughter’s behaviour in class.”
Kurano hugged Asami tighter, protecting her precious daughter. “What did my Asami-chan do?”
Iruka continued, “Last week, Asami-chan held a little presentation ...”
“And?” Kurano interrupted Iruka.
“Well, her presentation has physically and mentally traumatised some of my students. They now say, they are having nightmares because of her.”
“Furthermore, some children say ...” Iruka flicked through a pile of papers until he found the right file. “They say they find her ominous presence unsettling and her cold soulless stare frightening. Some of my students even claim that Asami is in truth an evil spirit masquerading as a little girl. They call her the ‘Demon Princess’.”
Kurano grew protective. “Hmpf, impossible! My cute, little Asami-chan could never be an evil spirit. Can you not see how sweet she is, Iruka-sensei? My Asami-chan is fluffy and puffy. Her cheeks are soft. She cannot be evil.” Her mother adored her daughter, not doubting her little princess for even the fraction of a second.
Asami nodded in agreement. “Okaa-san is right, I am not an evil spirit, Iruka-sensei.”
“...” Iruka sighed, conceding defeat. He was forced to recognise that this would lead nowhere. The entire meeting was just a waste of time.
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