Just like the others, Leora's name was called and the young Akihiro motioned for her to go through the door. Leora was one of Kumogakure no Sato's Genin, and Akihiro was genuinely curious to see how she would do. About the same age as him, she had an unusual appearance- a fiery long hair pulled up into a ponytail and...
*sniff*sniff* Akihiro's nose detected a strange scent as she passed by and approached the door. Cinamon? That was an odd choice of perfume, but a pleasant scent nonetheless. "Good luck." Akihiro spoke and smiled at her, wishing her what he wished to the other competitors. It seemed Lady Luck did not care for his wisher however, as the result of the Genin's first exam was utterly and completely unpredictable despite Akihiro wishing luck to them all. Alas, he would watch as Leora walked towards the door and inside the room, and as the black door closed behind her. Hopefully she wouldn't be coming back through it, as that meant failure.
"Ah...you are the poor Soul who gets to meet me before your time. It is a heavy burden they have placed on you, child. And a heavier burden I shall place, too. Come, approach me so we can begin your testing."
"I am death. Well, not *the* Death. Rather, I'm one of many lower reapers. Specifically, I am a reaper of lost souls- whose life ended before their time, or whose death was caused by immoral actions of others, whatever that means. You see, it's not the same to die when your time comes or to die when your time hasn't come. But come, come- Today you will help me."
The Reaper waived its scythe in a crescent moon shape, and the scenario around them changed. The were on a hospital now. But something was happening. People were running around, yelling shouting orders. Panic seemed to have settled in the wooden building. The building itself, as stated before, was made of wood and clearly very primitive. Patients were still in their rooms although some seemed to be coming out in a weakened state. Everyone seemed to be ignoring the two of them.
"The year is 670 A.S, almost 300 years before you were born. The Kazehana Empire begins its numerous attempts at breaking the eastern wall of clans that had declared the Kazehana their biggest threat. It was the first military move of an Empire whose power and domination influenced the Continent for centuries. This where we are is an early hospital ward of the Ninko Clan, a small clan eradicated by the Kazehana. Their extermination was brutal and violent, as the Kazehana tolerated no resistance. When the Ninko, along other minor clans, declared the Kazehana as their main threat they signed their sentences to be slaughtered without mercy. " Her voice had changed quite a bit. Clearly the Reaper was sad.
"But not all of the Ninko clan were killed at the hands of the Kazehana. About ten minutes ago, the Empire made its move on this small village after sieging it for months. Now, look carefully..." The Reaper pointed towards a woman, who was crying and begging to another woman who was dressed up as a medic nin.
"The medic ninja, there. You see? Her name is Swaza. She has for at least a year worked in conditions of almost unimaginable suffering as the hospital filled with children dying of starvation and tuberculosis. When she died, I saw it in her memories... "famished skeletons" lapping up the slops of a spilled soup pot from the floor; and the attempt to live a "principled life" in circumstances of the utmost moral depravity. Today it finally happened, the Kazehana are storming in. By this point, the hospital is no longer functioning as a hospital - there are no children's wards, just the sick, the wounded and the dying everywhere."
The woman, crying, begged the doctor. "Doctor...I can't do it. I beg you, please. I don't want them to murder her horrifically in bed, and she can't walk. My mother, please... please kill her."
Leora and the Reaper would follow Dr. Swaza, the Reaper in silence. They would not be able to interfere at all, but would see everything she did. Dr. Swaza administered morphine, first attending to "families of staff." Then she went to the ward which housed the smallest infants, and one by one gave each child a lethal dose.
A voice was heard behind Leora, talking to her.
"Just as, during my years of real work in the hospital, I had bent down over the little beds, so now I poured this last medicine into those tiny mouths...And downstairs, there was screaming because the...Kazehana were already there. I told the older children that this medicine was going to make their pain disappear...So they lay down and after a few minutes - I don't know how many - but the next time I went into that room, they were all asleep."
The Reaper turned towards the woman behind them, as they all watched what she did. With its scythe, the Reaper would take her soul and life. It was not a violent slash, rather a gentle pull. There was no pain involved for the woman, it seemed. Only...relief, in her soul.
Then, the Reaper turned to Leora and spoke to her.
"She did not die easily, and her soul wandered the Land of Fire for many years before we could find her. Her name forgotten by everyone but us. She would always run and hide from Reapers...afraid, for what she'd done. I will not say she should not be afraid but... Dr. Swaza took the lives of her young patients as the final act of what she saw as her duty of care, in order to spare them ignominious and certain death at the hands of the Kazehana Empire. But, of course, the infants and children did not and could not have consented. The issue, then, is whether she did the right thing. So tell me, Leora Shinsei. Was she morally justified in taking the lives of her patients in order to save them from their fate at the hands of the Kazehana Empire? I do not want a "Maybe". I cannot work with "Maybe's"- I need a Yes, or a No. Regardless of how confident you are in your answer, I need an actual answer. So tell me your answer, and how confident you are in it." Only silence would follow the Reaper's demand until Leora replied. Around them, the Kazehana ninja were beginning to invade the ward with brutal and primitive ninjutsu, but completely ignoring the two.
*sniff*sniff* Akihiro's nose detected a strange scent as she passed by and approached the door. Cinamon? That was an odd choice of perfume, but a pleasant scent nonetheless. "Good luck." Akihiro spoke and smiled at her, wishing her what he wished to the other competitors. It seemed Lady Luck did not care for his wisher however, as the result of the Genin's first exam was utterly and completely unpredictable despite Akihiro wishing luck to them all. Alas, he would watch as Leora walked towards the door and inside the room, and as the black door closed behind her. Hopefully she wouldn't be coming back through it, as that meant failure.
"Ah...you are the poor Soul who gets to meet me before your time. It is a heavy burden they have placed on you, child. And a heavier burden I shall place, too. Come, approach me so we can begin your testing."
"I am death. Well, not *the* Death. Rather, I'm one of many lower reapers. Specifically, I am a reaper of lost souls- whose life ended before their time, or whose death was caused by immoral actions of others, whatever that means. You see, it's not the same to die when your time comes or to die when your time hasn't come. But come, come- Today you will help me."
The Reaper waived its scythe in a crescent moon shape, and the scenario around them changed. The were on a hospital now. But something was happening. People were running around, yelling shouting orders. Panic seemed to have settled in the wooden building. The building itself, as stated before, was made of wood and clearly very primitive. Patients were still in their rooms although some seemed to be coming out in a weakened state. Everyone seemed to be ignoring the two of them.
"The year is 670 A.S, almost 300 years before you were born. The Kazehana Empire begins its numerous attempts at breaking the eastern wall of clans that had declared the Kazehana their biggest threat. It was the first military move of an Empire whose power and domination influenced the Continent for centuries. This where we are is an early hospital ward of the Ninko Clan, a small clan eradicated by the Kazehana. Their extermination was brutal and violent, as the Kazehana tolerated no resistance. When the Ninko, along other minor clans, declared the Kazehana as their main threat they signed their sentences to be slaughtered without mercy. " Her voice had changed quite a bit. Clearly the Reaper was sad.
"But not all of the Ninko clan were killed at the hands of the Kazehana. About ten minutes ago, the Empire made its move on this small village after sieging it for months. Now, look carefully..." The Reaper pointed towards a woman, who was crying and begging to another woman who was dressed up as a medic nin.
"The medic ninja, there. You see? Her name is Swaza. She has for at least a year worked in conditions of almost unimaginable suffering as the hospital filled with children dying of starvation and tuberculosis. When she died, I saw it in her memories... "famished skeletons" lapping up the slops of a spilled soup pot from the floor; and the attempt to live a "principled life" in circumstances of the utmost moral depravity. Today it finally happened, the Kazehana are storming in. By this point, the hospital is no longer functioning as a hospital - there are no children's wards, just the sick, the wounded and the dying everywhere."
The woman, crying, begged the doctor. "Doctor...I can't do it. I beg you, please. I don't want them to murder her horrifically in bed, and she can't walk. My mother, please... please kill her."
Leora and the Reaper would follow Dr. Swaza, the Reaper in silence. They would not be able to interfere at all, but would see everything she did. Dr. Swaza administered morphine, first attending to "families of staff." Then she went to the ward which housed the smallest infants, and one by one gave each child a lethal dose.
A voice was heard behind Leora, talking to her.
"Just as, during my years of real work in the hospital, I had bent down over the little beds, so now I poured this last medicine into those tiny mouths...And downstairs, there was screaming because the...Kazehana were already there. I told the older children that this medicine was going to make their pain disappear...So they lay down and after a few minutes - I don't know how many - but the next time I went into that room, they were all asleep."
The Reaper turned towards the woman behind them, as they all watched what she did. With its scythe, the Reaper would take her soul and life. It was not a violent slash, rather a gentle pull. There was no pain involved for the woman, it seemed. Only...relief, in her soul.
Then, the Reaper turned to Leora and spoke to her.
"She did not die easily, and her soul wandered the Land of Fire for many years before we could find her. Her name forgotten by everyone but us. She would always run and hide from Reapers...afraid, for what she'd done. I will not say she should not be afraid but... Dr. Swaza took the lives of her young patients as the final act of what she saw as her duty of care, in order to spare them ignominious and certain death at the hands of the Kazehana Empire. But, of course, the infants and children did not and could not have consented. The issue, then, is whether she did the right thing. So tell me, Leora Shinsei. Was she morally justified in taking the lives of her patients in order to save them from their fate at the hands of the Kazehana Empire? I do not want a "Maybe". I cannot work with "Maybe's"- I need a Yes, or a No. Regardless of how confident you are in your answer, I need an actual answer. So tell me your answer, and how confident you are in it." Only silence would follow the Reaper's demand until Leora replied. Around them, the Kazehana ninja were beginning to invade the ward with brutal and primitive ninjutsu, but completely ignoring the two.