Leora 's Test - The Shinigami

Just like the others, Leora's name was called and the young Akihiro motioned for her to go through the door. Leora was one of Kumogakure no Sato's Genin, and Akihiro was genuinely curious to see how she would do. About the same age as him, she had an unusual appearance- a fiery long hair pulled up into a ponytail and...

*sniff*sniff* Akihiro's nose detected a strange scent as she passed by and approached the door. Cinamon? That was an odd choice of perfume, but a pleasant scent nonetheless. "Good luck." Akihiro spoke and smiled at her, wishing her what he wished to the other competitors. It seemed Lady Luck did not care for his wisher however, as the result of the Genin's first exam was utterly and completely unpredictable despite Akihiro wishing luck to them all. Alas, he would watch as Leora walked towards the door and inside the room, and as the black door closed behind her. Hopefully she wouldn't be coming back through it, as that meant failure.

"Ah...you are the poor Soul who gets to meet me before your time. It is a heavy burden they have placed on you, child. And a heavier burden I shall place, too. Come, approach me so we can begin your testing."



"I am death. Well, not *the* Death. Rather, I'm one of many lower reapers. Specifically, I am a reaper of lost souls- whose life ended before their time, or whose death was caused by immoral actions of others, whatever that means. You see, it's not the same to die when your time comes or to die when your time hasn't come. But come, come- Today you will help me."

The Reaper waived its scythe in a crescent moon shape, and the scenario around them changed. The were on a hospital now. But something was happening. People were running around, yelling shouting orders. Panic seemed to have settled in the wooden building. The building itself, as stated before, was made of wood and clearly very primitive. Patients were still in their rooms although some seemed to be coming out in a weakened state. Everyone seemed to be ignoring the two of them.

"The year is 670 A.S, almost 300 years before you were born. The Kazehana Empire begins its numerous attempts at breaking the eastern wall of clans that had declared the Kazehana their biggest threat. It was the first military move of an Empire whose power and domination influenced the Continent for centuries. This where we are is an early hospital ward of the Ninko Clan, a small clan eradicated by the Kazehana. Their extermination was brutal and violent, as the Kazehana tolerated no resistance. When the Ninko, along other minor clans, declared the Kazehana as their main threat they signed their sentences to be slaughtered without mercy. " Her voice had changed quite a bit. Clearly the Reaper was sad.  

"But not all of the Ninko clan were killed at the hands of the Kazehana. About ten minutes ago, the Empire made its move on this small village after sieging it for months. Now, look carefully..."  The Reaper pointed towards a woman, who was crying and begging to another woman who was dressed up as a medic nin.

"The medic ninja, there. You see? Her name is Swaza. She has for at least a year worked in conditions of almost unimaginable suffering as the hospital filled with children dying of starvation and tuberculosis. When she died, I saw it in her memories... "famished skeletons" lapping up the slops of a spilled soup pot from the floor; and the attempt to live a "principled life" in circumstances of the utmost moral depravity. Today it finally happened, the Kazehana are storming in. By this point, the hospital is no longer functioning as a hospital - there are no children's wards, just the sick, the wounded and the dying everywhere."

The woman, crying, begged the doctor. "Doctor...I can't do it. I beg you, please. I don't want them to murder her horrifically in bed, and she can't walk. My mother, please... please kill her."

Leora and the Reaper would follow Dr. Swaza, the Reaper in silence. They would not be able to interfere at all, but would see everything she did. Dr. Swaza administered morphine, first attending to "families of staff." Then she went to the ward which housed the smallest infants, and one by one gave each child a lethal dose.

A voice was heard behind Leora, talking to her.
"Just as, during my years of real work in the hospital, I had bent down over the little beds, so now I poured this last medicine into those tiny mouths...And downstairs, there was screaming because the...Kazehana were already there. I told the older children that this medicine was going to make their pain disappear...So they lay down and after a few minutes - I don't know how many - but the next time I went into that room, they were all asleep."

The Reaper turned towards the woman behind them, as they all watched what she did. With its scythe, the Reaper would take her soul and life. It was not a violent slash, rather a gentle pull. There was no pain involved for the woman, it seemed. Only...relief, in her soul.

Then, the Reaper turned to Leora and spoke to her.
"She did not die easily, and her soul wandered the Land of Fire for many years before we could find her. Her name forgotten by everyone but us. She would always run and hide from Reapers...afraid, for what she'd done. I will not say she should not be afraid but... Dr. Swaza took the lives of her young patients as the final act of what she saw as her duty of care, in order to spare them ignominious and certain death at the hands of the Kazehana Empire. But, of course, the infants and children did not and could not have consented. The issue, then, is whether she did the right thing. So tell me, Leora Shinsei. Was she morally justified in taking the lives of her patients in order to save them from their fate at the hands of the Kazehana Empire? I do not want a "Maybe". I cannot work with "Maybe's"- I need a Yes, or a No. Regardless of how confident you are in your answer, I need an actual answer. So tell me your answer, and how confident you are in it." Only silence would follow the Reaper's demand until Leora replied. Around them, the Kazehana ninja were beginning to invade the ward with brutal and primitive ninjutsu, but completely ignoring the two.

Leora was feeling a mixture of emotions that is a blend of excitement and fear of failure. This was a test that only genin can participate and frankly Leora knows that she isn't exactly skilled enough to be considered chunin. However on the bright side this would help her get that experience and hopefully progress faster upon doing so. It was her turn to take the test as she was greeted by a foreign shinobi that seemed to be around her age. Despite their age, Akihiro seems to hold a much higher authority to be sent by the famous Konoha to look after the exams. He wished Leora good luck, but she figured that Akihiro always say that towards every participant.

“Alright, lets see what's behind door number 1.” More so to herself, but Akihiro would be able to hear it since she wasn't actually whispering. Placing a hand on the door Leora opens it. The ‘room’ was so dark that Leora thought they might have dimmed the lights and closed the curtains. “Not what i expected, but here we go.” Leora took a moment to brace herself before taking her Chokuto still sheathed and tap on the floor in front of her. Making sure the floor in this room wasn't a fake. Then the genin steps into the dark room as Leora held the hilt of her chokuto in case she ever needed to draw it out of the scabbard in a quick fashion.

In the dark is a strange voice that spoke to her, or was it to her? Either way the door closed behind Leora robbing any sort of light that was in this room. With the voice speaking of her time and heavy burdens Leora had a feeling that this was going to go wrong very quickly. Strangely enough, a figure in a white robe and held a lavender skin tone. The figure identified itself as a reaper, but surely that's just a nickname right? However this one spoke of reaper in a plural meaning that there was more than one. Leora’s eyes caught the sight of that scythe the reaper was holding moved into a crescent shape arc. Then everything changed as it was like Leora wasn’t at the academy anymore.

The girl was surprised to say the least as her first thought is an illusion. Leora noticed that they were standing in a building that held a different architecture than what Kumogakure possessed. However there was some equipment and multiple beds in each room that indicate that it might have been a hospital or medical facility for the sick. “Where…” Leora started to ask as people were running through the hallways and into the rooms. There was panic and urgency in their shouts. Some of them were trying to get out of their rooms, but they were in such a weakened state Leora was surprised they can even walk. Stowing her weapon under her sash, Leora went to aid one of the sick. “Here let me help you.”

To Leora’s own astonishment as she moved to lift one of the patient’s arms over Leora’s shoulder to help them move. Instead Leora’s hand slipped through the patient as if it was just air. Then the reaper who hasn’t left the scene began explaining the situation. In short of it, this apparently was one of the events the Kazehana Empire participated in. Though frankly Leora didn’t know that much into detail of her history regarding the Kazehana Empire. Leora straightened up as she took a step back towards the shinigami and watched as the chaos moved in front of her. Then the reaper spoke of how not all of Ninko were wiped out from Kazehana’s hand.

Their attention was directed towards a particular medical shinobi named Dr.Swaza, whom Leora and the Reaper followed. The woman was administering lethal doses of morphine from the families of staff to even the children. At first Leora found it disturbing, but hearing the commotion and screams from beneath her own feet Leora was starting to understand. Only death was to be found in this place, and it was coming for everyone in this building that wasn’t part of the Kazehana Empire. It didn’t take a genius to put that thought together. When they reached to the small children ward Leora can feel the mass of sorrow and guilt in the air. It was a sad sight to behold, but at the same time Leora can see why Swaza did this.

During this time Leora has just been listening and following the Reaper. A… soul? Leora wasn’t sure, but the Reaper gently took a swing at a woman that was speaking behind them. The genin can only assume that was Dr.Swaza given to what the woman was saying. Now the shinigami asked a strong moral question on whether Swaza’s actions were morally justified or not. All while strange men and women pour into the ward with primitive ninjutsu seeking to destroy and breathe death upon any who lived in this slaughterhouse. Leora spared a moment as her eyes were locked at one of those Kazehana forces to gather her thoughts. Reading on the situation and how they were acting for herself. Then Leora shifted her piercing gaze, though not intending to hold the piercing part of her eyes, towards the Reaper directly in its eyes.

“Dr.Swaza is morally justified. Only the naive would spare their breath to say those souls young or not could be saved. These people came to kill no matter if it is the sick elders or a newborn babe. Ms.Swaza gave these children peace where they didn’t have to experience the horror of watching everyone die around them before their time comes. For if she hadn’t then Kazehana that we see here today would just butcher them alive like animals tearing their prey apart. The children might have died from Swaza’s action, but they most likely would have died anyways in a more brutal and painful way moments later if she hadn’t.” Leora took a moment to take a breather to calm the tension on her shoulders. “I am not going to pretend that i know about souls of the dead and whatnot. But i do believe people who horrifically die linger the earth because they cannot move on. It is like they’re stuck in the same moment of their death over and over until someone, assuming yourself or another Reaper, comes to collect them. So yes, Dr.Swaza is morally justified.”

"I see... so that is your answer.  You seem quite confident in your answer. It is only natural, since I gave you the opportunity to clearly see what the Kazehana did to these poor folks.  Alas, we are done here. This is a piece of the past I wanted to show you, but there are other things you must see before we decide whether or not you pass this test." The Reaper smiled at Leora and made another motion with her scythe once again not intending to harm the Genin in any way.

The scenario around them changed, and soon Leora an the Reaper would find themselves floating above the ocean. There was no land on the horizon, only water for hundreds upon hundreds of miles. A bit below them, however, was a sailing ship. It had lost its mast and seemed to be in a terrible condition. Frankly it was hard to know how it was even still afloat, but somehow the wooden vessel was indeed afloat in the middle of the ocean.

"The year now is 220 A.S- The Land of Stone is united under the Tetsudashi, who are providing a constant check against Hyuga power. The Hyuga are finally done putting down the last rebellions that would happen under their rule, this one led by the famous Senju. The Inazuma in Kumogakure begin trading in the Northern Sea. This is where we are.

The Inazuma Ketch-ship "Lullaby" set sail for the Land of Snow with four crew on board. A few days into their journey, disaster struck, the Ketch was lost, and the crew was forced to take to a small lifeboat. For eighteen days, they drifted around the ocean more than 1000 miles from land." They would see the world below them move quickly, and soon they would find the crew on a small life boat, now far far away from the sinking ship.

"By this point, things were desperate: they had been without food for seven days and water for five. All crew members were in a bad way, but worst off was the 17-year-old cabin boy, Hayato Paken. He was barely conscious if indeed he was conscious at all." Leora would be able to see the boy laying on the lifeboat. From afar, he would almost seem dead. The three other crewmen seemed to be discussing something and even tho they seemed to be in slightly better shape than the poor boy, they all looked terrible.

"At this point, the captain of the ship, Minamoto, suggested they ought to draw lots to select one of them to be killed, thereby giving the others a chance of survival. The thought was they could use the body of the dead person as a source of food and liquid. This idea was in the first instance rejected by one of the crew members, Kaneki, but Minamoto didn't let the issue drop, and later the same day discussed the matter with Yamato Ten, the fourth member of the crew. He pointed out that it was overwhelmingly likely that Hayato Pak, the cabin boy, was going to die whatever happened, but if they killed him - which was the best way of ensuring his blood would be in a fit state to drink - there was a chance that he and Yamato would see their wives and families again.

The following day, with no prospect of rescue, Minamoto, with the assent of Yamato, killed the boy. The three remaining crew members then fed on his body, enabling them to survive long enough to be rescued one week later." Time would once again seem to pass in fast forward and Leora would be able to not only witness the murder, but also their method of staying alive. It was a terrible sight, really.

Yet another voice spoke from behind them, as another soul approached the two floating spectators.

"I can assure you I shall never forget the sight of my two unfortunate companions over that ghastly meal. We all was like mad wolfs to decide who should get the most.
And for men fathers of children to commit such a deed... we could not have our right reason."

The Reaper turned her back on the feeding men and looked at the poor soul.

"Alas Kaneki, you poor soul, today is not my competence to judge your fellow crewmen. Today this little one will decide whether or not I should be the one to pick them up or if... we should call someone else." The poor man looked terrified of the prospect of calling "someone else", whatever that was.


"So Leora, my dear. The facts, in this case, are well-established. Hayato was killed by Minamoto, with the consent of Yamato, because they genuinely believed there was no immediate prospect of rescue, that Hayato would likely die regardless of what happened, and that all of them would die if he was not sacrificed.

What I need to know, in order to decide if my scythe should claim them, is whether they were morally justified in killing him. Do you think they were so?"

Well the reaper didn’t cast Leora out nor reprimand her so Leora figured that she was correct. With another motion of that scythe the area around them rippled like they were in a world of the abyssal waters. Speaking of waters, colors came in shades of blue in vast amounts that stretched on for miles into the horizon on all sides. Seeing the vast ocean Leora had that instinctive moment to layer the soils of her sandals with chakra that would’ve kept her on top of the water surface. Yet to her surprise they remain hovering above the lapping waters.

Before her was a sinking ship that was beyond repair as the mast had been broken off and obviously there was a hole for the ship to be gradually swallowed by the ocean’s embrace. Of course Leora was listening to what the Reaper was saying as it felt like Leora was getting a history lesson. However Leora was focusing on the ship’s deck as the equipment was in disarray. Ropes were cut, the starboard held a lifeboat that might have been functional if the boat actually had oars to work with. Rolling down from the topside of the ship is a crate of harpoons, and along with it is a cubic crate tumbling down into the water vanishing from sight.

“I see…” Leora was starting to gather an idea of what was expected of her. Then like the world was moving around her, they come upon a small lifeboat miles away from the ship where the crew of 4 people were currently located at. Leora patiently waited and listened to what was being said on all accounts. Her piercing eyes seemingly glaring at the four men below them. One in particular, Hayato Paken as the Reaper had introduced, didn’t look so well. Leora is no doctor, but after hearing that these four have been going on for seven days without food and five days without water was enough. “Dehydration and lack of nutrition will do that. His skin is tight on his bones and hardly an ounce of fat that i can see is on his body. I’d give it maybe 2 to 3 days before Hayato passes away.” That was of course Leora being the optimistic, because generally by another day Hayato would be bed-ridden.

What genuinely surprised Leora is the extremes these three, or rather two in particular were willing to face. Desperation has always been a strong motivation within creatures who live and breathe. However there is a boundary even in the wilds that must not be crossed, and that is essentially cannibalism. Of course with the Reaper fast forwarding to the moment where Minamoto and Yamato murdered Hayato. Where later even Kaneki feasted on the boy’s body by drinking his blood and eating whatever little meat is on Hayato’s body. Leora’s hands curled into a clenching fist as she wanted to throw all three of them overboard and hoped they drown. If not that then sharks would come lurking and eventually devour them.

When the Reaper asked if they were morally justified Leora almost slipped up and would have said no. Leora wasn’t angry at the fact that these three were surviving as that is how life can be in the wilderness. However what they did was more of a last resort, and they had some harpoons and what Leora recognized as a mess kit. Essentially a kit of cups, bowls, wooden silverware, etc. “These three are not morally justified. Not only did they commit murder, but they had other options to use. They could’ve hunt for the fish that constantly swim under the surface even before they ran out of food. Liquid could have been extracted from the hunts they could’ve caught. If they can’t find big enough gain then they could’ve just cut into their hand just across the palm and dip it in water. It might be hours or even the next day, but eventually a big predator would come along. Essentially these three had the tools to survive, but they were short-sighted and grew too desperate that their sense of morality were greyed out.”

"You fool.... no fish swims right under the surface of this water. The harpoons we had were meant to hunt whales, not fish! They were too big... and we were barely surviving as it was, none of us would risk losing even more liquids by wounding ourselves! " The soul would turn to the reaper, his eyes pleaded mercy but she would have none of it. "You can't be seriously letting this little girl be responsible for such a decision! She doesn't know what we will have to go through, please!"

Instead of making a motion with the scythe like she had done the first time, this time the reaper held out her hand with an open palm. "That's enough. The child's decision is made and thus you are not my responsibility to reap. She needs not to know who or what will take care of you, she only needs to know enough to make a decision. Your actions were your own, and so were hers. Now, go." An invisible pulse of energy was shot from the reaper's hand, blurring the air in a trajectory between her and the lost soul. Kaneki was pushed away, beyond the horizon to never be seen by Leora again.

Then the reaper turned towards the girl once again.
"You know, it isn't entirely clear why you would think these cases are morally different. Both of them involve killing a person (or people) with the aim of achieving some better outcome than would be the case if they were not killed; and in both cases, it is overwhelmingly likely that the person (or people) would have died anyway. Perhaps your thought here is that the killing of the cabin boy was essentially a selfish act. Lives were saved, but it was the lives of the people involved in the killing. The case of the doctor is different: hers was an act of compassion. She didn't stand to gain anything, except maybe peace of mind, by ensuring the young children under her charge had better, rather than worse, deaths.

However, weighing against these thoughts is the fact that lives were saved by Hayato's death, whereas this was never a possiblity in the case of Dr Swanza's actions. In this sense, then, your view is a little counterintuitive (though by no means inexplicable): you think the murder of Hayato, which ultimately saved lives, was immoral, whereas the mercy killing of Dr Swaza's young patients, which was never going to save lives, was moral.

We know for a fact that there was absolutely no other way for these sailors to survive and yet...Tell me, am I wrong?

You are quite an interesting person, Leora Shinsei. I cannot help but wonder how you'll make your next decision. Speaking of which... We are nearing the end of your task. But there is one more call that is yours to make. Let's go."

The world around them would change once again. This time, Leora would find herself in big trouble. She was stuck in a

" This time you're participating. You were hired by a hidden village to set up the rails for huge mining carts that come down from the mountains over there. They do not have a way to accelerate but since it's downhill all they have to do is start the brakes at the right rime.

Right now two locomotives are hurtling out of control down adjacent tracks, Track A and Track B. The locomotive on Track A is some thirty meters or so in front of the locomotive on Track B. Neither of the locomotives can be stopped, because both of their brakes have failed.

You have a big problem. You're now stuck, with two work squad mates, a little way down from the locomotive on Track A. Unless it derails, which is possible, but extremely unlikely, the locomotive on Track A is going to hit and kill you all. You can't get off the track (look, there's wire fencing separating you from the embankment on one side and Track B on the other).

Make no mistake Leora Shinsei. This is a Chuunin Exam. You can absolutely die here."

Leora would be able to perfectly see the scenario as described, and feel everything happeninf around her.The Reaper would place her right hand on Leora and she would suddenly lose the ability to use chakra in any way. Just like that, she was reduced to the state of a regular civilian whose body wasn't at all ready to dodge an incoming train. Additionally she would feel very tired and find it difficult to move at all.

" However, there is one thing you can do to save your own life and the lives of your two workmates: you can press a button in a control box that will divert the locomotive so that it crosses over to Track B just before it reaches you. But there's a problem. Another member of your squad is stuck on Track B adjacent to you. He is facing an identical situation: he can't get off the track, and is almost bound to be struck by the locomotive on Track B. He does not have access to a control box, so there's no way he can prevent the locomotive on Track B from striking and killing him. The only way he gets out of this alive is if Locomotive B derails, which is possible, but extremely unlikely.

So this is the situation. If you divert the locomotive on Track A so that it runs down Track B, you will save your own life and the lives of your two workmates, but only at the expense of the life of a third workmate who is stuck on Track B, since you will inevitably cause the locomotive to hit him. However, it is also true that it is overwhelmingly likely that he is going to die anyway, since he has no way of avoiding being hit by the second locomotive that is already running down Track B.

What will you do, Leora? Think fast. You have about twenty seconds to make a decision. My question is: would you be morally justified in diverting the locomotive? "

Tic-tac-tic-tac the clock was ticking. Was it the clock or Leora's heartbeat? It was hard to tell. This was truly a life-threatening situation but would she remain consistent throughout the whole test or give up her moral compass to save her life and the life of her own companions? And were those two the only choices available to her? Right now the choice was between pushing a button or not. But the most important thing was to always answer the Reaper's questions.

“Lives is not always about staying alive Reaper. It is how you live your life. Once you stoop so low that you are willing to slay your brethren just to feed on their corpse then you’re no different than the monsters that dwell within the Cursed Valley. Can you really live the rest of your life knowing you didn’t just kill, you ate and drank from his body until you were sucking the marrow out of his bones.” Leora responded as she remained unfazed by the soul’s banishment, or at least that is what Leora assumed. Her little speech would technically answer the Reaper’s question. Morally different perhaps not, but the truth of the matter they were being selfish and desperate. “Dr.Swaza’s case was different because she was wanting to give the children a death that didn’t involve fear nor suffering before they perished. These men have been traveling for days and they couldn’t even find out how to attract the marine life to their location? Reefs exist and those are usually teeming with marine life. It is tricky though because the fish immediately hide when they sense danger. Fish were too fast? They can easily just break one of the harpoons in half, tie one end with rope to keep it from falling into the depths. Indeed they were meant for larger creatures, and in order to strike against sea life a shorter weapon would suffice.”

Leora took a breath as she crossed her arms over her small bust. “I can go on for a long time on how they could have handled their situation far better than what they did before they even ran out of water. Sailors are supposed to be trained how to survive in the sea in case something like this was to occur and how to navigate. A navigator’s compass, a gyro compass in particular, can be used to finding the right direction and is not affected by the external interference. The sun rises from the east and settles in the west. If they find they were going in the wrong direction the rudder should have an indicator allowing to aid in angles to help turn the boat around. All boats should have navigational lights whether big or small. If they began trading in the Northern Sea then it means other ships of trade could potentially be within the area even during the night.” Essentially she was giving plenty of things most ships, even back in the old times, should always come equip. If they’re suppose to be sailors, then they were supposed to be trained for it. Whoever didn’t teach these men were horrible commanders, though that is her personal opinion.

---

Now onto a different scenario, one that Leora quickly finds herself in quite a predicament. She was supposedly hired by a hidden village to set up some rails for huge mining carts to travel. Currently she is on Track A with two other workers, and Track B is where the lone third worker is located at. The situation was that two locomotives were traveling quite a fast rate downhill. The locomotive on Track A was somewhat thirty meters ahead of the one on Track B. All Leora felt was a gentle touch on her shoulder and suddenly it was like Leora was robbed of any strength that she nearly collapsed to her knees. She didn’t need the Reaper to coach her on what would happen if she pushed the button and if she didn’t push the button. As it didn't take a genius to figure out what would happen, but the unfortunate part is that the one on Track B did not have a control box. Only Leora had that option.

What Leora didn't like is that this whole thing was orchestrated to strongly force Leora into making the choice by pushing the button to save her own life including two others. At the cost of taking another life whose fate is sealed no matter what action Leora takes. "It seems no matter what happens here. Whether i choose to push this button or to not push the button. It will always boil down to where I am not justified. Almost as if this test was designed for me to fail." That was her answer as she placed her finger on the button. Leora took a moment to look up at the unfortunate soul at Track B. Her eyes held a bit sadness even though she doesn't know anything about the man. "I am terribly sorry for this unfortunate event. I pray you'll find peace." Then, with a heavy heart, Leora pushes the button and essentially sentences the worker on Track B to die while the other two workers and herself get to live.

The Reaper listened in silence as Leora spoke her words. In a way, it was true that this test was designed to force her to make hard choices and perhaps even fail...but it was also true that everything had only ever happened like it did due to Leora's own decisions. But we'll get to that a bit later on.

For now, The Reaper stood right next to Leora and they both got to watch the gruesome scenario unfold right in front of them. The look of panic in the man's face as he looked at Leora and saw what she did. It was not the look of a man dying with dignity or even willing to die at all. It was instead, the look of a desperate man who realized he would never see his family in this world again. And then the train would crash against his body, crushing his bones which made terrifying cracking sounds as the wheels ran over him.

In the end, all that was left was a mess of blood, flesh and bone. It was certainly not a pretty sight.

The world seemed to vanish one again around the two of them, Reaper and Leora. Rather, it wasn't vanishing it was reforming. The trains left their rails to become walls, the rails became sofas and the environment around them in general became a nice, comfy room despite its abnormal size:

Leora would be able to see very little beyond the fire and the two red couches by the fire but below the stairs. There rest of the room didn't matter, the Reaper didn't bother create it. All that mattered was the hearth and these two couches. The Reaper extended a hand to Leora. As soon as the girl took it, she would find all of her strength returning to her.

"Come my dear, have a seat. Your task was important but the burden placed upon your shoulders was great. Have a seat and rest." The Reaper would lead Leora towards one of the couches and then take a seat as well on the other couch. Resting the giant scythe against the side of the couch, the Reaper exhaled a deep breath. It seemed tired.

"We have reached the end of your test. Now is the time for you rest a bit before moving on....either to the next phase or back to the life of a Genin, which isn't so bad. I trust you will find that couch quite comfortable but please do not fall asleep. Eery things happen to those who fall asleep in a Reaper's dominion...their souls tend to wander away from their bodies and it is always a pain to find them. By the time we return their souls, their bodies have decayed to a point where we might as well just reap them ahahaha" The Reaper laughed. She wasn't sure Leora would find this funny, but that was alright. They were two very different lives they led. It was only natural their sense of humor would diverge. Alas, Leora was lucky to even find a Reaper with a sense of humor! Most were rather stern.

"I like you, Leora. I really do. But I must say, your responses to the scenarios featured here seem not to have been entirely consistent with one another. As I noted earlier, you believe that Dr Swaza was justified in killing her young patients, but that ship's captain was not justified in killing the boy. And you responded to the third scenario that you would be morally justified in saving your own life and the lives of two squadmates by diverting an out of control locomotive, even though that will have the consequence of killing a fourth person.

As you might have recognized, the situation you lived in the third scenario - "The Runaway Locomotives" - is structurally very similar to the situation faced by the shipwrecked sailors. In both cases, there's the possibility of saving the lives of three people by ending the life of one other person - a person who was almost certainly going to die anyway.

However, this similarity raises a puzzle about your responses: given you don't think that the Captain was justified in killing the cabin boy in the hope of saving his own life, and the lives of two other people, it isn't clear why in the case of the runaway locomotive, you think that saving the lives of three people, including your own life, at the expense of the life of a fourth person, would be morally justified. To put it simply, if it's okay to trade one life for three lives in the one case, why isn't it in the other?

Maybe it is because you believe the sailors should have been better prepared. But in this case, it doesn't really matter how they got to that situation, they just got there. They ended up with a choice. I was there when those sailors went through the storm and believe me when I tell you: No amount of training could have prepared them for that. The fact that they were alive even still was astonishing..and they were too exhausted for fishing. Alas, that's not important right now.

Just like them, you ended up with a choice, regardless of how you ended up almost falling victim to that train. How can you judge them for making a choice, and then make that same choice? They chose to stay alive.. Just like you did. And believe me, you *would* have died there.

The other point to make here is that your judgement that the Captain's act was not morally justified seems to be out of line with what is presumably the consequentialist moral reasoning you employed in the cases of the children's doctor and your own imminent death at the hands of a large locomotive. If what counts is outcomes, making things better than they would be otherwise, then there is a strong argument that in those terms at least the Captain was morally justified in killing the cabin boy, don't you think?"

There was a silence in the air. A deathly silence. Leora could opt to take this opportunity to reply to the Reaper's question, or she could choose not to.


"You are young and too quick to judge, Leora." the Reaper would say, after a while. "By mine, and even your own standards, I should fail you. But you have a good heart, and an honest soul which always seeks to do what is right. The problem is you don't always have a good sense of what is Right or what is Wrong." The Reaper would extend her hand and touch the girl's cheek. "But then again, it is very hard for a human to do that. You poor creatures...you ate the Fruit which was not meant for you to eat, and now you're all so confused." The Reaper would gently pull Leora and embrace her. She was fairly tall and the girl's head would reach right beneath the Reaper's chest. The Reaper would embrace her for a bit.

It would be a strange feeling for Leora, to be embraced by Death itself. Most mortals only felt this when it was their time to die. It was an incredibly peaceful feeling. As if everything happening in the world...didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was that Reaper and the way she would lead her to Rest.

But the Reaper interrupted the hug before Leora could feel tempted to follow her. She took a step back and kneeled, until Leora's eyes were on the same level as hers. Then the Reaper would place her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Listen now. This test...I never expect any human to pass it. You are frail creatures, despite your fiery passions. Leora, but you must remember what you learned here. You cannot judge so quickly. Defining right and wrong is fundamentally important for humans, but you must realize that your moral compasses will always be flawed, because of your own nature. That's just how things are...you need to remember that, sometimes, yours will fail too. Just like it did here. And that is alright, child. Remember to be strict with yourself and others, but kind. Protect what is important to you, but be generous. Above all, remember that you are not and will ever be perfect- and that that's alright, as long as you know it. It's okay to fail like you failed here. You will fail many more times but that does not make your efforts less valid. You are a Human. You were made to love, not to reach perfection. Your imperfection, your struggles...that way you failed here, and how you overcome all of that, that's what makes you beautiful. Remember that, always. And with that in mind my dear, you should go through the hearthfire towards the next phase of the exams. I allow you so."  The Reaper would make a small gesture with her head, indicating the fire burning behind her.

She would rise to her feet, and as Leora made her way towards the hearthfire she would say a final goodbye. "It saddens me to see you go. You have such a fire in your soul... I cannot wait to see how you live your life. What you will accomplish, the times you fail, the times you succeed...the times you hate, and oh the times you love. I can barely wait to see which human your fiery soul will fall for. Who you will love...Ah, you're such frail, imperfect and magnificent creatures, you humans. Off you go my dear...you have a friend in Death. Live your life as you see fit and remember, when your time comes, I will be there to embrace you gently once again." She would give off one last smile before Leora went through the fire towards the next phase of the exams.


OOC Information:

Leora Shinsei passes the exam.
Your test is was designed to shed some light on your character's moral intuitions by looking at how she judges the behaviours of people who choose to take a life because they (seemingly) believe that in the particular circumstances they face, the act of killing is justified by its consequences.

The first scenario was based on the Real Life event of The Warsaw Ghetto Doctor, where 22 year old Adina Blady Szwajger was responsible for the death of many children. This was after the Nazis invaded Poland.



You can read more about her experience in the book she wrote about it:


Similarly, the second scenario was also based on a real-life situation.
In May 1884, the British yacht Mignonette set sail for Sydney, Australia with four crew on board. On July 5, disaster struck, the yacht was lost, and the crew was forced to take to a small lifeboat. For eighteen days, they drifted around the ocean more than 1000 miles from land. By this point, things were desperate: they had been without food for seven days and water for five. All crew members were in a bad way, but worst off was 17-year-old cabin boy, Richard Parker. He was barely conscious if indeed he was conscious at all.

Everything (including cannibalism) happened exactly as I described.


The Mignonette

The third scenario is a classic philosophic problem.



I sincerely hope you enjoyed your exam, and I congratulate you on being the first one to pass.
Wishing you good luck for the next phase ^_^ Cheers!