Day 10: Honour
Character: Yugao
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The recruitment into ANBU was seen by many as the highest honour, the recognition of ninja's skill by the village. The Hokage himself put his trust in these operatives, giving them the most vital and dangerous tasks. All for the safety and prosperity of Konoha.
No one told Yugao that joining ANBU wasn't a promotion. It was a way straight down to hell.
As a girl, she was talented, ambitious and loyal beyond a doubt, but most importantly, she was young. Her mind was malleable, so she would accept and adapt much more easily to doing things some would consider morally reprehensible.
During her first days in ANBU, she felt discomfort and nausea, but it passed away quickly. She quickly got used to screams and cries of her targets (never victims), though she preferred to silence them swiftly. Dealing with troublesome bloodied clothing required only a good washing powder or a mastery in avoiding the splatters. Eventually, she had both.
In these circumstances, it was no wonder that Yugao forgot the meaning of honour, though she suspected she never really knew it or understood it. An effective ninja discarded the mere concept. There was only a duty to fulfill, a duty that was their only purpose in life.
Then she met Hayate, a swordsman ninja with a heart of gold and a terrible cough—and, suddenly and inexplicably, she fell in love.
Due to his health problems, Hayate was never inducted into ANBU, even though his skills were more than up to par. He was a formidable jonin and she admired him for that, but what she really loved was his morality. He'd shown her that it was possible for a ninja to do his duty towards the village and uphold his honour at the same time.
For Hayate, she was ready to change her life, turn a new leaf.
She already wrote her letter of resignation from ANBU, but she never got around to handing it to the Hokage. Hayate was killed and in the subsequent invasion the Third lost his life too. Many of her comrades also perished in the line of duty.
And Yugao realized that leaving her post in ANBU in the time of Konoha's greatest need would be a sin against both her duty and her honour. So she stayed, silently supporting the great tree in the shadows, a porcelain mask hiding her identity. She was a ninja and she knew what was required of her to do. That had to be enough.
There was nothing outside of ANBU for her anymore.