"Society... perhaps, the greatest illusion permeating the shinobi world today. The idea that it is possible to unify our strengths with others, that it is only optimal to build deep bonds amongst stranger families, dismissing the importance of the loyalty strength behind bloodlines... It is a fool's illusion... Like our kekkei genkkai, we, the Yubokumin are not hostage of such genjutsu."
A three year old listened the fervent words of the old man, two red stripes decorating each of his wrinkled cheeks. She called himOjii-sama, grandfather. Her hands were curled fist balls on her sides, eyes inseparable from the ball of red yarn his skillful hands worked to weave.
"We keep to our own. Accept those willing to settle for our rules into our family. Survival does not lie on our faith on strangers. No attachments are generated for we travel the land." He raised the finished toy in front of her face. "Only in that way we are able to protect ourselves,villagersand their places. We are neutral, because our place is in the path of life, and in the path of life we all survive." The girl reached for it. The man squat down to her height and handed it to her. "What do you sense?"
"It is..." The girl began turning it around. She held almost the size of her head in weaved red yarn between her hands. "Perfect! It is perfect, Ojii-sama!" She told her grandfather.
"Can you tell why?"
She shook her head and the man extended his head. The kid didn't want to give it back, but did so anyway.
"See the perfectly tight threads? Perfectly circular. If I were to pull away from the center..." She gasped watching it was impossible to do so. "No... But if I were to cut a single point of the thread." Her eyes widened watching the kunai snip the ball, the whole work coming undone in a second, and a grieving bubbling ached bloomed inside her chest. "The Clan is only as strong asour unity. We are nomad and trust only ours. Do you understand that, Airi?" The man finished, and out of his long sleeves took out an apricot-sized red ball that he offered the girl in exchange. Airi Yubokumin jumped on her place and took the smaller toy.
"Yes, Ojii-sama!"
The old man smiled with delight, watching his descendant running away in search of her brother to show her latest received gift.