in war

In War In war, they told him, “The heroes outnumber the soldiers ten to one.” Sasuke wondered what they meant at that time. Being a little raven haired boy of 10, rugged in jean overalls, hair long and tangled; his bare feet plunged onto the earth below him he hadn’t a care in the world. He looked onto his father, situated on the porch silently reading the morning news, leaving an unfinished dream catcher by the side of his chair. The neighborhood, asleep, but awake, was his sanctuary to meditate on these words his father has always told him from the day he was born. The words meant nothing to him, just an admission of his future attendance of war, a dreaded but lifelong dream. It meant nothing that his life has only barely begun. He was young, young and untried and he hated it. Friendless, spineless, and useless, for he couldn’t attend school, he was itching for a purpose in life. His father, a war vet, was as useless as he was, crippled from saving his brother from an enemy attack. His bravery in WWI left him a fool for his admirable quality was not taken into account. Someday he would be a hero, a warrior, and have friends that did not leave him out of playful activities and a family that would admire him, love him. He was not going to be like his father, a man his mother didn’t love, but kept for when the loneliness got too sad to bare with only her son by her side. Maybe one day he would finally become a man that would be accepted into a world that he hardly knows, but will one day smile back at him. Picking up the half-finished nightmare snatcher, he set to work making use of his little firm hands while they were still innocent. -- In war, they tell him, “The heroes outnumber the soldiers ten to one.” He saw it. He saw throu...

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...day if they are fortunate they will. It will take the pain and heartache, but when they finally get to understand it, it will mean everything. It will mean their best friends did not die in vain, that their teammates did not sacrifice themselves for nothing, that their family lost a son, but gained a hero. It will mean that they are worth something. Sasuke smiles at the kid in front of him, a snot nosed kid, Naruto, who wants to be a hero, just like him. A Purple Heart, Silver Star, and a Congressional Medal of Honor, he was indeed a hero. He will not tell him of the horrors he endured, but of the treasures that he gained. He was passing on his history to a kid not of kin, but of skin. He was not saddened or burden by this fact, but admired the fact that he was finally noticed by someone that would stick around long enough to hear his history and pass on his legend.