And Today, I Am Only A Bitter Husk Of Something That May Have Once Been Human
She was old. That was undeniable, and quite generally really very obvious.
She had lived a long life- longer than most shinobi; only Legends made it past fifty, and she had hit that roadblock a long time ago.
In all this time, though, she hadn't had any regrets; there was a good deal of resentment, but no regret- not until now, anyway.
It was strange, really, seventy-odd years as a ninja and she hadn't faltered until now- until meeting this kid.
And a kid was what he was, really; she had a corn on her toe that was older than this brat, for god's sake!
But what the spawn of the White Fang (who's name escaped her) said was definitely true- this boy had a gift.
She had known him for four days, and he had made her question the way she had been living her life until this point.
Until now, she hadn't done what she felt was right, she had done what sounded convenient, what sounded reasonable, what sounded safe, and what sounded beneficial. Right or wrong never crossed her mind- she was a shinobi, after all.
And it's true, when she thought about the decision to make the Yondaime's son into a Human Sacrifice before, she had thought of it as 'an error in judgement'.
Now, though… Only now did she realize the impact of her mistake. Only now did she truly regret.
But, in her lamentation, she also found another new feeling.
Hope.
Hope for the future, hope for her country, hope for humanity.
If a kid like this could make a bitter old wretch like her change her mind, imagine what he could do as Hokage; the people that would be impacted, the lives that would change.
Actually, he hadn't only influenced her as it was; he had already turned the other one from a homicidal maniac into an altruistic Kazekage… In fact, now that she thought about it, in the short time since he had come to power he was already the best Kazekage she had seen so far, at least when it came to the people's attitude.
Yeah, with those two in charge things would be different, that's for sure. Heck, they might even be able to clean up humanity a little. The world might actually become a worthwhile place.
When she thought about it, she knew that this future, this hope-filled future that was in all likelihood no more than a lovely daydream; this was something Chiyo would give her life to see realized.
In fact, she might end up doing just that.
Hell, when she heard what that idiot grandson of hers was up to she had had no intention on returning to Sunagakure alive, anyways; she might as well give it up for something she believed in a little more than a shallow blood tie, right?
And after all, that's what a ninja is supposed to do, isn't it? Sacrifice themselves for the good of their country? For their leader? Did a ninja's life notlie in the hands of their Kage? Should it not also work the other way around, as well?
And besides. She was the only one who could do this. If she didn't, the Godaime would be dead. She was the only person who could give him his life. And more importantly, she could.
Besides, hope is a good thing to have, and considering the lack of it in the world, she'd say that hope is the perfect thing to give your life for.
For once, Chiyo knew she was doing the right thing.
Alright, that's that. This was supposed to be a one shot, so that's why the two chapters are so… different, but hell, I figured if I have the idea, I might as well put it down, right? I mean, you guys wanted me to right more, and quite generally… I could. So I did. And now I'm done.
Sorry if this half isn't as good as the last, but heck, the world needed more Chiyo-baa-sama, no matter what form it came in.
Huzzah for ass-kicking old ladies.