Danzo placed a flower on the altar, his face dark as he stared at the photo in front of it.
The moment he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen's body, he felt a storm of emotions. After all, they were both men well past fifty.
They had worked together, schemed against each other, and fought openly and secretly for many years.
And now, at this memorial, it was time to officially say goodbye.
"After all these years, it's you who left first."
"Among the younger generation, no one has really grown strong yet. Your other two students are missing as well."
"In Konohagakure, there's no one more suited to be Hokage than me."
Farewells could be given, but as for the Hokage seat, Danzo still wanted to take it.
The death of Sarutobi Hiruzen only made Danzo's desire stronger.
You could say Orochimaru was an enemy Sarutobi Hiruzen let slip away with his own hands, and now that enemy had come back to strike.
If Danzo had the chance, he would never leave an enemy alive. He knew too well that letting them escape would only lead to his own death later.
Danzo was different from someone like Sarutobi Hiruzen, who faced things head-on. He preferred to hide in the shadows.
When trouble came, he could sit back and reap the benefits. The flames would never reach him.
Thinking it over, Danzo couldn't find anyone else in the village more suitable than himself.
At the very least, in terms of ability, there wasn't anyone stronger at the moment.
Even if he wasn't Hokage, his Root organization had been working in the shadows with clear results.
Leadership, age, strength, qualifications—Danzo believed there was no second choice in the village but him.
"The dead can't get back up and compete with me."
Danzo muttered softly, then raised his eyes toward Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, who were arranging the funeral.
The two elders quickly avoided his gaze. Danzo let out a cold laugh, then walked away from the portrait.
"What a headache..."
Danzo had come to the funeral to make his presence felt, only to remind them how well he fit the role of Hokage.
But in truth, he was completely unfit for it.
If he really became Hokage, the elders would all feel threatened.
Compared to an easy-to-handle ordinary person or the mild Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo was nothing less than a nightmare for the higher-ups.
Koharu and Homura kept dodging him, using the excuse that the Third Hokage had just passed and things were still under discussion to stall Danzo's succession.
Meanwhile, they were secretly pushing the Fire Daimyo to speed up talks about the next Hokage.
Right now, Konohagakure was truly short on people.
"Iruka-sensei, why would people risk their lives for others?"
After laying down his flowers, Naruto looked straight ahead while asking Iruka beside him.
The light drizzle had just stopped, and a few drops of rain rippled across the puddles on the ground.
"People will die alone, and then disappear."
"The life they lived, their past and present, and even the future will vanish."
"Many die on missions or in war. It's a fact so simple it's almost unbelievable."
"The dead also had hopes and dreams, unfinished tasks, and wishes that never came true."
"Everyone has people important to them—parents, siblings, friends, and loved ones."
"Their bonds grow stronger with time, because of these precious things, because of the existence of those they care about."
Iruka looked at the white flowers on the table and spoke calmly.
"I understand that too. But... death is still such a painful thing."
Back in the fight against Haku, Naruto had already started to sense something about life and death, about important people, especially because of Sasuke.
But it was still blurry, like there was something he hadn't fully understood.
"Death isn't meaningless. By experiencing the deaths of others, people gain new strength and grow."
"Well, one day you'll understand that too."
Kakashi's voice came from behind Naruto.
He was the one most qualified to say those words, different from Iruka who had lost his parents as a child.
Kakashi had grown up surrounded by death—from his father to his teacher.
In his squad of four, both students and teacher, he was the only one left alive.
These people didn't all die at the same time—their deaths happened little by little throughout Kakashi's life.
Hatake Satoru lifted his head slightly when he heard the sound and looked ahead.
At some point, Kakashi had walked over from the memorial stone and mixed into the crowd.
That guy… he could actually say something like this now?
Just a few years ago, he was still constantly clashing with Hatake Satoru over his father's matter. Compared to the younger kids here, Hatake Satoru felt that Kakashi, once a stubborn tsundere, had grown so much it was like he'd been enlightened by a master.
Naruto's understanding of life and death was still shallow—this was probably the first time he had truly felt the death of someone he knew.
And Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't the same as the classmates and teachers Naruto spent time with every day. For him, this was just the very first step into facing death.
Konohagakure's training for newcomers, just like Sarutobi Hiruzen himself, was a bit too gentle.
They never saw the real cruelty of war, and could only understand it through the deaths of people close to them.
Danzo was the other extreme—but of course, that didn't mean his way was the right one.
Anything too extreme is never good.
"The rain stopped."
Almost as if timed with the end of the memorial, the dark sky cleared up as well.
Hozuki Mangetsu looked refreshed. He was used to the constant mist of Kirigakure, but in Konohagakure, rain could really dampen the mood.
Water droplets still clung to Hozuki Mangetsu's hair as he turned his head toward Hatake Satoru.
"?"
Both of Satoru's hands were resting on Kimimaro and Hozuki Suigetsu's shoulders, and the three of them were completely dry—not a drop of water on them.
Using Limitless Technique like this was a bit of a waste of cursed energy, but since there wouldn't be any fights coming up, Satoru casually used it to block the rain.
Hozuki Mangetsu looked heartbroken and muttered under his breath.
"Why not me? I'm also the teacher's student."
Satoru raised his brow in mild annoyance and let go of the two kids' shoulders.
"You're not a kid anymore, get a grip. You're the Mizukage already—still afraid of a little rain?"
The students slowly turned around, ready to follow their own teachers and start a new day of training.
The dead were gone, and the living would return to their lives.
Among these children and young people still growing, the Will of Fire would be passed on.
As they continued to grow, one day, one of them would become the next Hokage.
---
Read 30 advanced chapters on my patreon
patreon.com/GustinaKamiya
---