Terumi Mei said miserably, "But those are after all only a few, aren't they?"
"The Seven Shinobi of Kirigakure who can be chosen are all male; zero females."
"Besides… now they've already started selecting the next generation. I heard a girl named Ringo Ameyuri has been chosen for the reserves."
"However, among these reserves there's only that one girl, and she still has to face even harsher competition: she must eliminate everyone else, including holders of the position from previous generations, before she can take up the blade that symbolizes a powerful shinobi. Do you think the probability of that happening is high?"
Kakashi was silent. Terumi Mei was right, there actually aren't that many powerful kunoichi in the shinobi world.
Before, he had only overlooked this because the women around him were each more outstanding than the last.
Also, before extracting chakra, women's bodies truly were not as sturdy as men's.
And the poorer a place is, the more survival of the fittest it becomes; because of innate issues, women do tend to suffer discrimination.
Having realized this, Kakashi felt a little guilty, "Sorry. I never thought about this before, that was my fault. Perhaps you have your unspoken hardships too."
Terumi Mei found it strange, 'A cold, handsome guy like Kakashi would actually apologize to me?'
But because she was still immersed in the past, her mood wasn't very high; she soon cast aside the excitement of "a handsome guy bowing to her" and continued speaking.
"So, because I'm not a boy, my chances were very slim in my parents' eyes. They wanted me to find someone to marry early, to have a boy early."
"That way, they could transfer their expectations of me onto my child."
"Since I was little, they'd keep telling me again and again that a w*man should marry and bear children, otherwise she's wrong, otherwise she's a great transgressor, otherwise she's unworthy of being a w*man!"
"These words were deeply imprinted in my heart before I even understood. Because of my inner demons… even now, I still can't resist…"
She paused, then forced a bitter smile.
"Kakashi, laughable, right? In Kirigakure, even strong women,.including that Ringo Ameyuri I mentioned, tend to put love and marriage first."
Kakashi couldn't smile, 'No wonder Mei have such deep obsession in this area, this… is actually a kind of sad.'
But in the next moment, a powerful aura suddenly burst from Terumi Mei. Her eyes became very determined; she clenched her small fists tightly and thrust them forward.
"So… even if I couldn't resist, so what?"
"When I gradually became sensible, another belief was born in my mind!"
"Since my parents think girls should only get married and have children, I'll prove to them that I can stand up like a boy."
"From then on I trained harder than all the boys. I not only wanted to be the best ninja in Kirigakure, I also wanted, as a woman, to sit in a seat no woman in the shinobi world had ever sat in, the position of Kage!"
"I trained my kekkei genkai like crazy. What if I came from a commoner family? I could still train a bloodline. And one bloodline wasn't enough, I wanted to surpass those born with kekkei genkai and develop double bloodlines!"
"In fact, I achieved it. Unfortunately, my parents never saw my excellence!"
Kakashi shuddered all over. Perhaps Terumi Mei didn't yet know, in the future she did realize her dream.
A little girl born into poverty hardened herself under her parents' disdain; after their sacrifice, she step by step rose to the position of Mizukage. How incredibly difficult was that?
Compared to that?
He had enjoyed parental love since childhood, with no discrimination.
Moreover, his parents weren't ordinary people struggling to survive, they were Konoha's admired heroes, the leader of Anbu, the White Fang of Konoha.
Many had told him that White Fang would become the Fourth Hokage, and that he would be the son of the Hokage.
It seemed he'd been sharing in his parents' glory from birth, gradually growing used to it.
Until that day, all the glory turned into slander, all the respect turned into insults, and he was strongly affected, turning love into hate.
People who failed missions were worthless. He once harshly scolded his father in front of others. At that time, wasn't he even more extreme than Terumi Mei?
Thinking this, he suddenly felt the double standard Obito talked about was vividly reflected in himself.
He had done worse things, yet he turned around to criticize Terumi Mei for not loving her parents, did he deserve to do that?
And yet, both had suffered severe blows and lost their parents; Terumi Mei chose to bear the pressure and keep rising, emerging from the dust to shine brilliantly.
He chose to give up on himself.
If he wasn't the "good-for-nothing" Obito spoke of, then what was he?
No wonder Obito felt angry about this.
Before, there were some words he resisted because they came from Obito.
Obito didn't share similar experiences and liked to stand above and preach, why should he always be lectured?
But now, facing Terumi Mei, he suddenly could empathize.
He lowered his head, sinking into deep self-blame and guilt.
Seeing this, Terumi Mei thought Kakashi was simply moved; she mocked herself even more fiercely, "Kakashi, sorry for saying so many ridiculous things, but actually, despite my many resentments toward my parents, I did love them."
"I still remember that day, before my mother went on a mission she told me not to delay my marriage… that was her last wish… so I don't want to be a bad girl and disappoint her."
"I must marry at the right age. I hope during that time there won't be other things bothering me."
At this, two clear tear tracks slipped down Terumi Mei's pretty face.
Kakashi looked up and stared blankly at Terumi Mei.
For some reason, he suddenly felt the girl before him looked pitiful.
He wanted to step forward, hug her, comfort her, give her some warmth.
This was a feeling he'd never had; he even involuntarily raised his hand, wanting to get closer, closer, a little closer.
But in the end… his ninja instincts stubbornly suppressed this strange emotion.
Because he fundamentally didn't understand what this thing was.
He withdrew his hand.
Terumi Mei, however, saw everything. This was a novel sensation for her ears and words.
She couldn't help but recall what her parents had said.
("A girl, sometimes appropriate vulnerability can win a boy's affection and stir his protective instinct.")
("Mei, you must learn to use that to find a boy who cherishes and loves you.")
'Hmm! Kakashi's earlier reaction, was that the protective instinct my parents mentioned?'
Terumi Mei suddenly felt it might be worth a try; for this handsome little man, she'd go all out.
But since she'd always been strong-willed, she had little idea how to act weak and pitiful.
So she relied on her imagination, suddenly sat down on the ground, and began to cry loudly.
"Waaah, Kakashi, I'm so sad, I'm terribly sad, what should I do?"
"Kakashi, I'm so fragile and weak; I need your comfort, Kakashi, comfort me."
She even slapped the floor as she cried, kicking up dust all over the place.
Kakashi watched the scene, his expression gradually changing from tenderness to dead-fish eyes.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.