"Huh… is there another reason why you think I should go to the academy?" Ayame asked, her face full of confusion.
Megumi could tell what she was thinking—that becoming a ninja was the greatest dream of all. But to him, shinobi were nothing more than tools of the village.
"Of course," he replied. "For example, if someone like you joined the academy, you wouldn't be going there to become a ninja. You'd be going to learn survival skills."
He leaned back slightly, his tone calm but sharp. "Out of a hundred kids who enter the academy, maybe twenty actually become shinobi."
Finishing the last bite of his food, Megumi wiped his mouth and added coldly, "Those who aren't from clans… people like you, Ayame, can never become true shinobi."
His words pierced deeper than he intended. Ayame's eyes clouded, tears threatening to fall like rain.
Megumi knew he was hurting her, but he couldn't stop himself. Better she hates me now than dies later as fodder for this so-called 'Will of Fire' nonsense.
He stood, walked around to the back, and crouched beside her. Seeing her tears, he gently wiped her face.
"Listen, Ayame. I know you're angry. But you need to look at the darker side of being a shinobi. Those ninja who brag about being heroes? They'll never tell you what they've truly faced on missions."
Just outside the ramen shop, a squad of young shinobi passed by, laughing and boasting loudly as always. Megumi pointed at them.
"Look at those guys. You recognize them, right?"
Ayame sniffled, forcing herself to stop crying as she glanced outside. The boys, barely eighteen, were arguing as usual.
"They're always talking about what they did in the war," she said. "And… about who's going to be Hokage first."
But then her eyes darted around. The one who always shouted about becoming Hokage wasn't there.
"Where's the loud one? The one who always said he'd become Hokage?"
Megumi's eyes narrowed. It was time to wake her up.
"Maybe he's dead. Who knows?"
"That's a lie! How can you say that?" Ayame gasped, covering Megumi's mouth with her hand. She knew this boy's problem wasn't fighting.it was the reckless way he ran his mouth.
Megumi pulled her hand away. "That's the reality, Ayame. Believe me or don't, but if he's dead, it wasn't a good death. Even a cow in the butcher's shop would die with more honor than him."
His words stung, but he pressed on. "As a shinobi, every mission is just a death sentence in disguise. You know… my mom only came back alive because she was lucky. Her own teammate betrayed her."
Ayame lowered her head, ashamed of her earlier protests. "I'm sorry. Maybe that's why you think like this. But… the Fourth Hokage wasn't from a big clan, and he still became Hokage."
Megumi clenched his teeth. This girl… beautiful, but not a single brain cell.
"Was the Fourth the only one in his academy days who dreamed of becoming Hokage?" Megumi asked flatly.
"No," Ayame admitted. "But at least they had dreams. They didn't give up on them. Unlike you whose only dream is to eat and sleep."
Her jab hit harder than he expected. Megumi had tried to protect her from the harsh truth, but now she turned his words against him.
"Dreams…" Megumi muttered. "What is a dream?"
He looked her in the eye. "Dreams are meaningless to a shinobi. How can you dream of defeating a hundred men when you can't even beat two without cheating? Reality will crush you, Ayame. Dreams are just excuses to escape fear."
The ramen shop grew silent. Even the other customers stopped eating, startled by the venom in his words.
"Take that back, brat!" a sudden voice snapped.
A man entered the shop, tall and broad shouldered, with pale white eyes. He looked to be in his mid-twenties.
"You don't know what it means to be a shinobi," the man said coldly. "Or is it because you can't become one yourself that you think you're worthy to insult those who protect this village?" He smirked and let out a short laugh.
Megumi didn't flinch. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and asked, mocking, "Sorry but who are you? I don't remember inviting you into this conversation."