Chapter 449: My Own Path
As the night wore on, a heavy silence took over the apartment.
Not a single person looked at one another. Because deep down, they knew that once they stepped out, they would be overcome with the idea that they could die.
Alex, the only one not disturbed, scanned their faces and saw the fear behind William’s eyes and the anxiety in Margaret’s posture. Even Jasper’s brooding silence felt unnatural.
"Come on, guys," Alex began, breaking the quiet. "Look, I get it. It’s not easy to get past the whole permadeath thing. And it’s scary, I know. But let’s look at things for what they are. It’s not like we’re Genin; we’re the strongest generation this village has ever seen. Statistically, no one can actually kill us."
He counted off on his fingers. "The average Jōnin is fodder compared to us. The Kage are allies. The only real threats on the board were the Akatsuki and Arthur, and Arthur’s been dealt with because we combined our strengths."
"What about the Akatsuki?" Alice challenged.
"The Akatsuki... well, we know their playbook. We know their weaknesses. We know their real names and techniques."
"We aren’t invincible, Alex," Jada murmured from her spot.
"No," he conceded. "But we’re close. Like, let’s be real. Marge, what happened to your confidence? You were literally boasting day and night about how you could solo the Akatsuki."
Margaret felt only a little moved, having forgotten how strong she actually was.
"We also have meta-knowledge," Alex continued. "We can honestly break this world if we tried. Unless you do something incredibly stupid, you’re going to survive. And all we gotta do is just stick to the script."
The group absorbed the comfort of his logic. Comradery began to knit them back together. They were a team that had done their best from the beginning. And if they honestly just tried their best, they could survive.