"All of this was Orochimaru's doing."
"The Sand Village never had the intention of betraying Konoha. We were just playing along with the situation."
Baki spoke with confidence, though he knew better than anyone that it wasn't really like that.
They had been completely toyed with by Orochimaru, until Hatake Satoru suddenly stepped in.
If it hadn't been for that man, explaining things now would probably be a real headache.
Baki looked at the three Konoha elders in front of him, frowning as he thought.
Danzo didn't say much while staring at Baki. This time both the Mist Village and the Sand had been dragged into the mess.
From the way things turned out, it all seemed to be the result of Orochimaru's schemes.
And since Orochimaru had become such a convenient scapegoat, everyone was content to leave it at that.
Whether the Sand had truly betrayed them or whether the Mizukage and Hatake Satoru had hidden agendas—none of it could be proven now.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was dead, and Orochimaru had fled.
The people directly involved couldn't even speak for themselves.
"I understand. But we hope that if something like this ever happens again, the Sand will contact us right away."
"Even though I can understand that your Kazekage was under control, I still hope that if you ever plan something in advance, you'll inform us beforehand."
"That way we can avoid unnecessary wars."
Utatane Koharu spoke seriously to Baki.
The truth was, there were plenty of things they could have picked apart in this matter, but right now they had no choice but to trust that the Sand wouldn't stir up trouble.
Because at this moment Konoha was in no state to handle war.
Their fighting strength was already in bad shape, and the only Hokage who could lead them was dead.
If any other nation chose to attack Konoha now, they would stand no chance of resisting.
And the news of Sarutobi Hiruzen's death was something they couldn't keep secret.
During the Chunin Exams, both the daimyos and the leaders of the other villages had been there to see it with their own eyes.
Thankfully, the Mizukage of the Mist seemed sincere about forming an alliance. He showed no signs of taking advantage of their weakness.
As for the Sand, they still had their own Kazekage's body to deal with back home.
They definitely wouldn't launch another war against Konoha now.
With two major villages still allied with Konoha, the smaller countries that wanted to start a war would have to think twice.
Before the Third Hokage's funeral, most of the daimyos and ninja leaders from other nations had already returned home.
The Chunin Exams didn't really matter anymore—compared to their own lives, who cared how many passed?
Even though the Sand betrayed them halfway through, the damage caused by Orochimaru and the Sound ninja was already huge.
Konoha simply didn't have the manpower to rebuild right away.
Over the next few days, the injured had to recover and the wounded had to be treated.
Baki returned to the Sand with his people to handle the matter of the Kazekage.
Meanwhile, Hozuki Mangetsu, the Mizukage, chose not to leave, deciding instead to stay until after the funeral.
The Konoha leadership was very pleased with this, since staying at such a time showed the Mist's sincerity in building relations.
But Mangetsu himself didn't think too deeply about it—he had already been here for a month, what difference would a few more days make?
So he stayed to attend the funeral.
Still, as Mizukage, being absent for so long was a heavy burden on those left behind in the Mist Village.
That's why Shisui had returned to the Mist with Haku before the funeral.
Mangetsu didn't care much about it, but Shisui wasn't that simple-minded. He realized that leaving Mangetsu here was actually a good way to build goodwill.
Kimimaro and Suigetsu stayed by Mangetsu's side, temporarily acting as his guards.
Of course, the main reason was that Shisui knew—if Hatake Satoru was around, there was no way Mangetsu's life would ever be in danger.
Besides, with the way things are in Konohagakure right now, nobody would dare lay a hand on Hozuki Mangetsu.
Him staying here is kind of pointless.
He and Haku should just go back, take missions, and handle their duties.
...
A few days later, the Third Hokage's funeral, along with the memorial for all the fallen ninjas in this battle, was held as planned.
Kakashi left before dawn, and when he closed the door, he ended up waking Hatake Satoru.
When Satoru sat up, he realized it was cloudy outside. The sky looked heavy, as if it could come crashing down any moment.
"Just sitting up already feels so suffocating～."
He opened the window just a little, and a damp wind carrying the smell of mud blew in.
Kakashi had probably gone to sweep the graves of his old classmates first before heading to the Third Hokage's memorial.
Satoru didn't leave too early. He didn't feel much about this funeral, but since everyone was going and he had nothing else to do, he figured showing his face wouldn't hurt.
Going along with the crowd wasn't such a bad idea.
He usually wore black anyway, so his clothes were the same as always. He just pulled his black eyepatch a little higher.
The memorial was held on top of the Hokage building. The photo and the altar were set up there, and most people carried white flowers.
Students, some jonin, and even the Mizukage were standing on the rooftop.
As for the Anbu and other jonin, they were spread out around the building.
By the time Satoru reached the rooftop, it had already started raining.
Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, but Danzo and Hozuki Mangetsu were already there.
Satoru paused and glanced at Danzo. For him to be involved in so many things when trouble came—it really wasn't his usual style.
Danzo was the type who liked to stir up internal fights when nothing was happening, but the moment something serious happened, he'd sit back and watch others take the risk.
The only reason he was taking part this time was probably because the one who died was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The atmosphere of this funeral didn't suit Satoru, and his feelings toward Sarutobi Hiruzen weren't that deep anyway.
So he just stood there, a little bored, looking around.
For Mangetsu, it was the first time seeing a memorial of this scale. Almost the whole village had come.
When the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, died, there wasn't even a memorial—partly because no body was ever found, but mostly because the people almost universally hated and feared him. Hardly anyone even spoke his name.
Can one person's death really affect so many people besides their close ones?
Mangetsu didn't think much of Sarutobi Hiruzen. Their ages were too far apart, and there was a clear generation gap.
But the fact that so many people came to mourn him—no matter what methods he used—meant that in the hearts of the people, this Hokage must have done his job fairly well.
I wonder if, when I die, this many people will come to mourn me.
Mangetsu thought to himself, his mind drifting far away.
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