>>5794306“I don’t-” As soon as you start talking an involuntary sob overtakes you. The harder you try to say something, the heavier the waves of tears and snot come pouring out, as if that was the only way your soul could express itself. Sobs come hard and you feel like you can’t breathe.
Daigo hesitates, then hugs you. Tightly. “It’s going to be alright, man... It’s going to be alright.”
You bury your face in him and continue to sob hysterically into his shoulder, clutching onto his back like he’s your only raft to prevent you from drowning.
—
It’s your first day back in class. It’s dead silent. The weight is utterly oppressive, though you’ve managed to get most of it out of your system thanks to Daigo.
Juro-Sensei walks in. There’s something off about him. The look in his eye is dangerous. He spends a moment just looking at all of you as you stand up. He silently gestures for you to sit, and then slowly, deliberately sits down on the front of his desk, facing you.
“I fought in the Third Shinobi World War.” He says, matter of factly. Nobody has anything to add.
“... It was bad. Prolonged. The villages were running out of manpower, anyone who could summon any amount of chakra had to contribute something. Kids were turned out of the academy early to go join the effort. I was lucky, I was older than all of you.” He steeples his hands together and hunches forward, looking at something only he can see.
“... I wanted to fight. I felt strong. Powerful. As the war was drawing to a close, I had a pretty decent kill count. I don’t remember all of them well. I remember this one vividly.” Another lapse into silence.
“... An Iwa ninja was giving our supply lines problems. Wind user. Knocking over carts, setting things on fire and fanning the flames. I found them in the woods eventually. Alone.” Yet more silence. A deranged look is coming over him as he looks at the floor, hands straining against each other.
“... I took them from the shadows. Overpowering force. A tackle. I was strong. I pounded them over and over in the face, ‘till my knuckles flowed with blood. Smashed skull cut my hands. Gurgling noises. It wasn’t until afterwards that I noticed.”
This span of silence stretches longer than all the other ones combined. Nobody dares move or make a sound.
“... She was around nine. Just a girl. Gifted. I beat her to death there in those woods with my bare hands. I can remember every second when I close my eyes at night… I lost the will to fight after that. Hell, I lost the will to live. I was done. I wanted to die. I was standing outside this academy, looking at it. Thinking about what I’d done, wanting to really let it hurt before I… Finished things. That’s where Shigure found me.” Tears well up in his eyes as whole body becomes tense, like a taut spring.
