The girl was perfect. She was beautiful, graceful, strong, and the best. Yes, the best. Tai-jutsu better than Gai and Lee combined. Gen-jutsu better than Kurnai. She knew more jutsu's then Kakashi, the Copy Ninja. She was stronger than Tsunade, and even Orochimaru didn't mess with her. To most she was perfect. To many she was inspiration.
To a lot she was a role model, someone they looked up to. Someone they wanted to grow up to be. She was a deadly Kunochi. She had no emotions. She showed no mercy to those who apposed her and her village, Kanoha. And she showed no fear, or hesitation when rushing into battle. To the hidden villages, she was an idol. A hero. Someone that was ready to lay down her life for her village and her comrades. She had academy students following her, asking for tips. Both fighting and beauty tips. Everyone knew her, but no one knew the real her. The one that died a little everyday. Inside, the 'perfect' kunochi was crumbling. Every time she saw the other villagers with their family and friends, it killed her a little more. But no one knew, no one saw how torn up she was, no one saw how lonely she was. Until it was too late. One day Airi Noriko took a solo S-ranked mission. She was to hunt down, and kill a rouge ninja. The rouge ninja was a run-away leaf ninja, there was no explanation for why he left. Just that he came back from a mission to report, then disappeared the next day. Rumor said that he was sighted around a small village awhile away from Kanoha. So Airi left the next day, intent on finishing her mission.
It was about a day later when Airi found him. In the little village, up the road from the village that she started out for, where she stopped to rest, and eat. She saw him with a woman and a little girl around 5. She followed them out of the village and into the woods, all the way to a small cabin. The man stopped and whispered something to the woman. The woman quickly picked up her daughter and ran inside. The man turned and faced the part of the woods Airi had hid in, and waited. A few seconds later, the kunochi stalked out, kunai out and ready. The man opened his mouth to say something, but Airi was in front of him before he could speak. She quickly slid the blade across his throat, and watched him die. When she was sure he was dead she turned to leave. But stopped when she heard footsteps. She turned back around to find the woman from before running at her with a sword. The kunochi blinked, and threw the bloody kunai at the woman. The blade lodged deeply into the woman's throat. She dropped the sword, and fell over, dead. The kunochi turned to leave for a second time, only to be stopped by a loud screaming. She turned to find the little girl running to her father first, then to her mother. When she found both dead, she looked at Airi, tears streaming down her face "You Monster" was the only thing she said. The kunochi ran into the trees, those words ringing in her mind.
She made it back to the village in a few hours. Airi went to Tsunade-sama's office to report. When she got there, Shizune was standing outside the door.
"She's in an important meeting. Go home, we'll summon you tomorrow to report." Airi nodded to the black haired medical nin. The kunochi turned and left, heading for her house.
Later that night she was laying in bed, tossing and turning. She thought of every person she had ever killed, their faces coming clearly. She tried to remember why she had killed them, there had to have been a reason, but she couldn't remember. All she could see were the faces of her victims. The little girls face in the middle of the chaos, repeating those two words. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She snapped. She screamed at the faces to go away. She scrambled out of bed. She stumbled over to her desk, and pulled out paper, an envelope, and a pen. She wrote a quick letter and tucked it into the envelope. She quickly scrawled some instructions on another piece of paper. Airi then got out two kunai. She took one of the kunai and pinned the envelope and letter to the wall with it. She took the other kunai and slit her wrist. On the wall next to the blade and paper, she wrote a message in blood.
AS MY SENSEI ONCE SAID 'EVEN THE BEST SHINOBI CRUMBLE.' I'M SORRY BUT I CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE. I GUESS I'M NOT AS PERFECT AS EVERYONE THOUGHT.
When she was done writing, she took the bloody kunai and slid it across her throat. She quickly died in her own blood.
It was the morning after the 'perfect' kunochi had killed herself, and Tsunade and Shizune were staring at the bloody hawk standing on the window sill. Tsunade had sent the hawk to summon Airi Noriko to report about the mission, but he had come back as a bloody mess. Fearing the worst, Tsunade summoned all her ANBU black op squads, Jonins, Chunins, and even a few Genins. She told them about her sending the hawk, and how he came back covered in blood. Someone else's blood. She quickly set out for Airi's house with Shizune, captain of ANBU, and a few Jonin with her. She had sent the rest to search the village. Tsunade and her group nervously followed the hawk to the kunochi's house, scared to find out why the hawk came back covered in human blood. They were scared to meet the person that was able to take out the number 1 kunochi in all the hidden villages. When they got to her house, the hawk flew to a open window. They all followed thru the window. They found themselves in front of a puddle of blood, and a pale body. When they saw the bloody mess, they froze. They silently took in everything. The pale, stiff body. The bloody kunai's. The message. The large puddle of blood. Tsunade was the first to recover from the shock. She sighed and sent every one out. She told the ANBU captain and Jonins to go call off the search. And she told Shizune to go get medical and clean up groups. Once she was alone, Tsunade quickly scanned the room, her eyes resting on the kunai pinning the paper to the wall. She took hold of the paper and envelope with one hand, and grabbed the kunai with the other. She pulled the blade out and took the paper, before putting the kunai back into the wall. She quickly read the instructions, before opening the envelope and reading the letter inside. Her eyes widened as she read the contents of the envelope. When she finished reading she looked at the dead kunochi, smiling sadly, and turned to leave, taking the paper and envelope with her.
The funeral was held a few days later. As Airi requested in her instructions, every ninja in the village was there. In the front stood the Genin and academy students. Tsunade walked to the podium in front of Airi's casket. As Tsunade looked at her ninja she noticed the looks of disgust, anger, and confusion.
She scowled, "I don't know why you all are angry and disgusted." The some of the Shinobi started to yell, accusing and questioning. "She left us!" "Why did she kill herself?!?" "Because she's a coward!!" "She took the easy way out!!!" Tsunade shook her head and raised her hand, the yelling immediately stopping. "You're all wrong. Airi defended this village with her life. She did everything in her power to save our village. Did any of you ever thank her for risking her life to protect you and your loved ones? Did you ever praise her, try to befriend her? Were any of you ever nice to her, for the sake of being nice? Not cause you wanted a sparring partner, or beauty and training tips, or for her to do something for you. It's not her fault that she couldn't stop her past from catching up with her. It's not her fault that she had no one to help her cope with the pain and chaos brewing in her mind. Because she had no one, she did the only thing she could. She took her own life. It's happened to the of us." Tsunade spoke, her sweeping across her Shinobi and landing on the large mountain-statue of the past Hokages.
When she focused back on the ninja in front of her, she saw the angry, disgusted looks change into shameful ones. Tsunade sighed, before reaching into her black kimono. She pulled out an envelope, slightly spattered with blood. Tsunade smiled sadly before speaking again.
"Airi left this letter, to be read to all of you, the Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf." Tsunade opened the envelope and began to read.
"Dear Fellow Shinobi, if your hearing this, then that means I'm dead. And you all are pissed and waiting for a explanation. Yes, I took the easy way out, but I couldn't take it anymore. The faces, the blood, the smell of death. As Shinobi these three things will follow us to death. Even thou it doesn't show on our skin, we are coated in blood. Even thou you learn to ignore it, there is always the smell of decay and death there. And when you die you won't see a flashback of all the good times, you will get a reply of every person you have killed. There last words in your ear. Most of you know what I am talking about, but there are a few who don't. They have pure clean hearts. They haven't been contaminated… yet. They will be if they take the path of the Shinobi. This life is cruel, hard, and unfair. It's kill or be killed. Only the strongest survive. And those that are weak have their lives cut short. This kind of life is hard, on you, on loved ones. You may think there is honor in dieing for your village and there is. There is nothing better than rushing into battle with your comrades. Cutting down your enemy, keeping your village safe. It's an adrenaline rush. A rush that many of you live for. But be careful. Spend as much time as you can with your loved ones, because you never know when your or their life will end. Make friends where you can, because one day they might very well be the thing that keeps you from killing yourself. And under no circumstances, do you ever completely kill your emotions. Follow your heart, even when it means standing by your self. Live your life to the fullest. Learn from your mistakes, but don't spend your life wishing you could change them. I was and still am proud to be Shinobi , especially to this village. I just wish I was strong enough to stop the darkness that tried to consume me. I was never perfect. No one is perfect. They are just good at what they do. I was good at fighting and killing, but I lacked the true skills every Shinobi really needs. Love, compassion, friendship, loyalty. If you have those never let go of them. Those are the traits of the best. I did everything I could for this village, but my time has come. I love this village, and the people in it. I am a proud Leaf Shinobi!"
Tsunade finished and looked at her ninja. Some were crying. Others looked shameful at the fact that they had called Airi a coward.
"Airi was a good Shinobi. She defended this village, and for that she will get one of the highest honors a dead Shinobi can get. We will set her free." Tsunade finished, as Airi's casket went up in flames.
Every one watched until the flames died, and all that was left was ashes. A villager quickly gathered those up into a jar. The jar was handed to Tsunade, who bowed her head. The other Shinobi quickly followed suit. After a few seconds later, a strong wind picked up. Tsunade lifted her head, her hair flying everywhere, and opened the jar. She turned the jar upside down and watched the wind carried Airi's ashes away.