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Konoha Village, Training Ground Three.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched the shadows of three wooden stakes.
Whoosh.
The sharp whistle of a shuriken tore the air.
It embedded in the bullseye, humming.
Kurenai's black hair clung to her cheeks with sweat as she panted, crimson pupils shining with excitement.
Genjutsu, Mist Servant Technique.
Her figure split into three.
Each clone looked solid, even the unyielding battle intent was identical.
She was very satisfied with her current strength.
Ever since hearing that the Daimyo Manor had created a special fund for the Genius Cultivation Program, Kurenai had yearned for that opportunity.
She believed she could do it.
Konoha's future would be better.
That Daimyo was not as cold as the rumors claimed.
"Kurenai."
A familiar voice called out.
The Genjutsu dispersed, and Kurenai turned in surprise. "Father."
Shinku stood in the shade of a tree, still in his dust-stained standard vest, clearly just back from a mission.
His face was stern, but his eyes were gentle.
"You're back. Was the mission smooth?"
Her steps were light as she jogged up to him, sweat beading on her forehead, brows lifting in a smile.
"Mm."
Shinku answered quietly.
His gaze fell to her fingers, chafed from high-intensity hand seals.
Distress flickered in his eyes.
"Still practicing?"
"Yes."
Kurenai lifted her chin, proud. "Father, my Mist Servant Technique can already create three solid entities. Give me a little more time and I will definitely master Demonic Illusion, Tree Binding Death."
She waited eagerly for praise.
Like when she was little.
But none came.
Shinku just watched her silently.
No praise, no encouragement.
That complicated look made her uneasy.
"Kurenai."
He spoke again, deeper than before.
"Come with me."
Kurenai's joy went out like a flame.
She sensed something was wrong.
She nodded, reined in her emotions, and followed him home.
The house was as tidy as ever.
But today, the warmth was gone, replaced by a heavy pressure.
Her father did not wipe his ninja tools first as usual.
Instead, he knelt at the low table and personally poured her a cup of tea.
Steam rose, blurring his face.
"Father?"
Kurenai sat opposite him, unease rising.
Looking into his daughter's eyes, full of hope for the future, Shinku struggled inwardly.
After a long silence, he sighed heavily.
He knew.
Every word to come would be his, as her father, crushing his daughter's dream with his own hands.
But he had to say it.
"Kurenai, would you like to… live a different kind of life?"
"What do you mean, Father?"
"A life without slaughter, where you don't walk the edge of life and death every day."
His voice was soft.
But it made Kurenai's heart clench.
She vaguely guessed, and the color drained from her face.
Shinku took out a document from his vest.
He said nothing, and slowly pushed it over.
It was not a mission scroll.
It did not bear the Hokage's seal, but the golden crest of the Daimyo Manor.
Kurenai looked, and when her gaze fell on the words "Selection of Consorts" at the top,
her face went white.
Her smile froze.
"Father… you… what does this mean?"
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
She did not dare touch the document.
"The Daimyo is selecting consorts," Shinku said, terrifyingly calm. "With your beauty and talent, you will surely be chosen."
"I'm not going."
A sharp cry.
Kurenai sprang up, voice ringing. "I want to be a ninja. I want to become an excellent jonin like you. I want to protect Konoha with my Genjutsu."
"Ninja?"
A self-mocking smile tugged at Shinku's lips, his laugh weary.
"Kurenai, what is so good about being a ninja?"
He held out his hand.
A hand full of calluses and scars, one knuckle twisted out of shape.
He opened it before her.
"Look."
"This is the outcome of a lifetime as a ninja."
"I do not want you to live this life."
His calm tone made Kurenai's heart ache.
She knew he was thinking of her.
But she could not accept it.
"But I like being a ninja."
Her eyes reddened. Tears welled up, but she held them back stubbornly.
"This is my dream. And if I am selected for the Genius Cultivation Program, I will become even stronger and bring true glory to the family."
She thought "Genius Cultivation Program" was her final trump card.
It had the Daimyo's approval.
But her father only shook his head, looking at his innocent daughter with love and reluctance.
His words were ice.
"Glory?"
"Do you think that so-called Genius Cultivation Program is cultivating you?"
"No."
Shinku's single sentence shattered all her illusions.
"Ninja are tools."
"The so-called Genius Cultivation Program only sharpens the blades for Daimyo-sama."
"And tools have only two ends."
"Either they die on the battlefield."
"Or they go dull and get discarded."
"Look up at Hokage Rock. Look at Lord Third's situation now, and look at Lord Fourth."
His voice sank, almost resigned.
"Even the Hokage can only submit."
"You, a young girl just showing talent, what do you have to resist?"
"I do not want you to become a tool."
Every word nailed down her pride and her dreams.
Her ninja heart, too.
Tears finally spilled.
She choked, unwilling. "But that is not the life I want. I do not want that."
"You have no choice."
Shinku's tone hardened.
He stood and pressed the application into her cold hands.
The paper's edge cut her skin.
She looked at her father.
At the man who had cherished her since she was small.
She did not understand.
Why.
Why push her away with his own hands.
Seeing her tears, Shinku's expression softened.
He lifted his rough hand to stroke her head.
Halfway, it halted.
At last, it fell onto her trembling shoulder.
His voice held weariness and pleading.
"Kurenai."
"I… just cannot bear to see you hurt again."
"I do not want to collect your cold body from the battlefield one day."
"I only want you to live safely."
"In that place," he paused, "you will not smell blood anymore, and you will not fear whether you will see tomorrow's sun."
"That is the life you should live."
He withdrew his hand and moved toward the door.
Kurenai suddenly noticed his back was no longer straight.
Silver strands showed at his temples.
She understood.
This was not an order.
This was the only way out a father chose for his daughter.
A path paved by crushing her dreams.
To make such a choice,
Father must have been in great pain.
The document in her hands felt heavy as a boulder.
Kurenai slowly crouched, burying her face in her knees.
Muffled sobs filled the room.
Shinku stood at the doorway for a long time.
Only when the crying subsided did he walk away.
(To be continued.)
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