Notes: This is my take on "homeless veteran shinobi."
The War Back Home
By Dr. Masashi Y. Koizumi
The Shinobi Wars are some of the most violent and horrific wars known to man. They are often wide-scale and often have drastic consequences for the winners and losers. But everyone forgets about the war back home–the war we've been fighting since Hashirama founded the Shinobi Village System in 01 GFE (The Great Five Era, Koizumi, 75 GFE). The battle against PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), psychosis, alcohol and substance abuse, and homelessness has severely affected the world we live in. (Before and After: World War 3, Tsukuda, 67 GFE). Our disabled shinobi can't find work because they are missing a limb or a hand. And on the other extreme, shinobi can't retire because killing is their only skill. They do not know how to function in a society where thinly veiled threats are unacceptable. Or they drown their sorrows in liquor.
Konoha has an average of 20,000 homeless discharged shinobi at any given time, with a standard deviation of 450. At the top of the curve are shinobi who either secured long-term housing or were never homeless. At the bottom of the curve are the shinobi who have never had long-term housing or have lived in the barracks for most of their lives. Konoha has an average of 30,200 active shinobi, with a standard deviation of 600. This means that shinobi have a 51% chance of becoming homeless before or after their career ends. Of that 51%, 30% are already homeless at least once or live in the barracks. As such, the chances of finding a shinobi that is already homeless and has taken up residence in the barracks is 80.1%. Unfortunately, this complies with the Impiricale rule of statistics. This means all or most of the data will fall anywhere between 68%, 95%, or 99.7% of the area under the standard (bell) curve–where 68% is considered "normal". The sample size exceeds 30, so the curve is approximately normal.
The PTSD rates for shinobi are also unacceptably high. About 25% (approximately 1300) of surveyed shinobi (active and retired) say they have PTSD from a mission gone wrong. Symptoms include nightmares, paranoia, psychosis, hallucinations, and in extreme cases, multiple personality disorder (MPD). Nearly 100% of this 25% say they feel paranoid when leaving the barracks or their apartment. Remember that the sample size is much greater than 30, but the curve is still abnormal. The number and ranks of shinobi with PTSD are disproportionally Elite Chunin and above–with ANBU members having the most.
Little is being done to help these people. To make matters worse, you cannot do much when your mission from hell didn't officially happen. The Yamanaka psychologists and psychiatrists are great, but ANBU information is all need-to-know. But there is good news. Keeping a diary is known to help with trauma. Our esteemed ANBU members will have to pick and choose what they write, but the concept is the same. The RSA (Retired Shinobi Association) is an excellent resource for shinobi who are just getting out or need assistance with almost anything. They are, unfortunately, underfunded, and donations are always welcome. I have met many shinobi throughout my lifetime. Most of them are wonderful people with unique challenges that they can't face alone. Shinobi Rule #23 states that a shinobi must endure everything that comes his way. But there is no law, no rule, that says he must do it alone.
Remember to leave a review.