This is the first short story I will be posting, titled "Understanding of Evil". Enjoy, and tell me what you think.
Understanding the concept of evil is difficult. It all lies in the judgment of the onlooker.
With concealed confidence, a man in a solid black robe strolled into a cafe. Located in the Hidden Haze village, the cafe did not do so well, as they sold hot beverages such as coffee and tea. Merchandise like that did not sell so well in such a warm village. Sitting down at the counter, the man ordered a cup of plain black coffee.
“Put out your cigarette, please. Not allowed in here.” The woman behind the counter said, pointing to the sign at the entrance of the building. Usually prideful, the man was going to stand up for himself and protest. Being such a powerful shinobi, a mere cafe worker couldn’t tell him what to do.
He bit back his words, reminding himself that he was undercover, and extinguished the cigarette. She expected an apology, however the man would never stoop so low as to apologize to anyone else.
The bells rang as a new person opened the door. This guy looked around the same age as the other. They both were young, possibly only 16 or 17 years of age. The newly entered shinobi took a seat next to the robed man.
“Nagare Hano! How have you been?” The woman behind the counter asked. “You haven’t visited in awhile.” Apparently, the newcomer was a regular customer.
“I apologize for that, Inari. Katakiuchi has been more active lately. I can’t let them continue with their killings.” Nagare responded. At the mention of his organization, the robed man started to take interest in the conversation.
“I see. Stay safe out there. Can’t lose one of my best customers!” She exclaimed, disappearing into the kitchen to prepare the robed man’s coffee, and Nagare’s drink. She didn’t have to ask him what he wanted anymore, he would get the same thing every time.
“Hey stranger, how’s it going?” Nagare turned to the robed man, stirring up a conversation.
“Didn’t your mother tell you not to talk to strangers?” The robed man replied, turning his head slightly and glaring back at Nagare with his black eyes.
As the woman served the beverages, the robed man used his fire style to warm up the drink. Nagare began to wonder who this man was.
“So, you hunt rogues for a living?” It was the robed man who started the conversation this time.
“So you overheard my conversation. Figures.” Nagare retorted. He stirred his drink, watching the other man out of the corner of his eye. “And what do you do with your time?” He dared to ask. There was no answer. They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the peace.
“I purify the evil that lurks in this world.” The robed man finally answered.
“What would that evil be?” Nagare persisted.
“The definition of evil lies in the eye of the beholder. What you hunt and I hunt might be different, but we both see it as evil.” The man got up, leaving his half empty cup of coffee on the counter. He dropped a few coins on the counter, and left the cafe.
Unbeknownst to Nagare at the time, he had just shared coffee and philosophy with his greatest enemy, Pride of the Yugure Council.
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