Chapter 23

"Sakura, you came from the exam venue, right? What's happening over there?" Jiraiya asked, looking down at me from above.

"Whew... it's a long story..." I leaned against a utility pole. "Anyway, fighting's already broken out at the venue. Orochimaru's fighting Lord Third, and there's a barrier around them, so we can't get in. There are lots of enemies over there, mostly Sound Ninja, but Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei are both there!"

"Hmm..." Jiraiya pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then why did you come flying from that direction?"

"Uh... I was fighting them at the venue at first, but Kakashi-sensei saw that I didn't have much stamina left and sent me after Sasuke with Naruto and Shikamaru. Then we were pursued, so I stayed behind to hold them off. Asuma-sensei came to help Shikamaru, so I came back first."

"I see..." Jiraiya folded his arms and looked down at me from on high.

"Whoa! Uncle Jiraiya, what are you doing?!"

The toad Jiraiya had summoned suddenly stuck out its tongue, wrapped it tightly around me, and tossed me onto its head!

"Counting the exam, you've already fought four battles! You're out of stamina, and you still want to fight! Kakashi was right: you just love pushing yourself too hard. From now on, you're sticking with me until you've recovered!"

"Tch!" I sat on the toad's head and pouted in protest, though it did feel nice to have someone care about me. "You didn't have to pull me up like that! That slimy tongue is disgusting!"

After Jiraiya dealt with the remaining giant snakes, he turned around and headed for the exam venue. But by the time we arrived, it was too late. The Third Hokage was dead, and Orochimaru had escaped.

The battle was drawing to a close.

Orochimaru's escape had taken the nearby Sound Ninja with him. Their remaining forces and the Sand shinobi, unable to hold out alone, could no longer cause much trouble. They were wiped out one by one, killed or captured. Jiraiya's arrival also put down the last of the trouble near the exam venue.

After the battle, we gathered beside the Third's body. This man, once a Shinobi Hero of his generation, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu and standing at the pinnacle of the world, had left behind only a frail, aged frame in death. Standing among the crowd, I felt more lost than sad.

I hadn't known the Third Hokage well. Most of what I knew about him came from the manga. In the thirteen years since I'd crossed over, the closest contact I'd had with him was when he guided me in developing Ninjutsu at the Ninja Academy. After that, although I'd sensed the Third Hokage paying faint attention to me, we'd never had another chance to talk alone. Most of the time, the Third Hokage was still too far removed from ordinary Genin like us.

A faint smile remained on the Third's face. Perhaps, for this old man, dying in battle was something to be prouder of than dying of old age in bed? He had sought a virtuous end and found it; that was the best description of the Third now... Although he hadn't killed Orochimaru, he had held the enemy's strongest fighter at the cost of his life and spread most of the protective forces throughout the village to defend it. The Third Hokage truly had sacrificed himself for a righteous cause and gone bravely to his death.

"Old man..."

Jiraiya bent down and closed the Third's eyes, murmuring softly to himself. His expression didn't show much grief, but I seemed to sense his deep sorrow.

The Third's death meant that Konoha would soon enter the Fifth's era. Konoha had few choices: either Jiraiya or Tsunade would have to return and take charge. And Jiraiya would never take the Hokage's seat if Tsunade could come back. In other words, the world's general course was still consistent with the "plot." But that consistency was gradually losing its meaning to me. I'd barely read the manga once Shippuden began, and even if I racked my brains to remember all my roommate's biased comments, they wouldn't contain much useful information.

For Konoha and for me, what lay ahead was an unknowable future...

Two days after the Konoha Crush.

A fine rain fell over Konoha in the early morning, and the air was as oppressive as the village's mood.

Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Two days after the Konoha Crush, shops in the village that had escaped damage were gradually reopening, though most had hung white or black cloth to mourn those who had died in battle. The flower shop, normally a place of blooming flowers and vivid colors, had also hung white cloth, giving it a somber, pale appearance.

"Sakura...?" Ino looked pleasantly surprised to see me. "It's rare to see you buying flowers! Are they for Lord Hokage's funeral?"

"Yeah... One is for Lord Hokage, and the other is for my dad's teammate. Dad's still in the hospital..." I answered quietly.

"Your dad... is he okay?"

"He's okay... There's no permanent damage. He only needs to stay in the hospital for two weeks, but he can't get out of bed yet..." I smiled faintly. His team had run into a squad of Sound Ninja Jonin. One of his teammates had died in the first exchange, and everyone else had been gravely injured and knocked unconscious. If I hadn't given him some ultrapure water... There hadn't been anything like this in the original story. Luckily, I'd been careful and hadn't carelessly assumed everything would follow the "plot"!

I picked out two pristine white chrysanthemums.

White chrysanthemums represented grief and remembrance. Remembrance for our comrades and Lord Hokage, who had fallen in battle...

"So many people died in the Sand shinobi and Sound Ninja invasion. Even Lord Hokage, who was so strong, died. One of my older cousins was killed too..." Ino said dejectedly. "Sakura, why do people die?"

"When someone dies, everything disappears. Their past, present, and future all disappear... Every one of the people who died had dreams and things they treasured most, but they died so easily, just like that... I was always close to my cousin, but she was killed by a single Kunai... She died just like that, leaving her lover, family, and friends behind!"

"I never knew death was so close to me... I'm so scared, and so sad..."

Two streams of tears slipped quietly down Ino's face.

I drew Ino into my arms and held her, gently wiping away her tears with my fingers. For a moment, I couldn't find anything to say.

"Everyone dies eventually, Ino." Death wasn't the most frightening thing to me, having already died once. "For those who gave their lives, the most frightening thing isn't death, but ending their lives without accomplishing anything. They put their lives on the line for the people important to them, their families, friends, and comrades, for the village, and for their beliefs. Those were things worth staking their lives to protect, and even if they died for them, they had no regrets..."

Ino snickered. "You're always spouting these grand speeches!"

"Don't you still like throwing yourself into my arms and crying, just like before?" I laughed too. Unlike my relationship with Ino in the original story, when I spent time with her, my mental age had long been over zero, and I was like her older sister or even her mother. As the mature one, I naturally became someone the girl relied on.

"All right, you're not a child anymore." I kissed Ino. Her body, which had left the loli stage and entered adolescence, was soft and felt nice to touch. Unlike Haku, who had already developed, she had a youthful beauty. Then I gently nudged her. "So don't cling to me like a little kid!"

"No...!" Ino held on tightly and refused to let go. "I've barely seen you since graduation, and you never come hang out with me!"

"Ha... I'm usually pretty busy, training and going on missions and stuff..." I smiled a little awkwardly.

"Is that why you've always been so strong? Ever since we entered the Ninja Academy, you've always been the best. Even back then, I thought the gap between us was huge, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't catch up... After we became ninja, especially during this exam, when you easily defeated Neji and Naruto, I realized the distance between us was getting bigger and bigger! Why can you and Sasuke become so strong?"

"Am I strong...? I think Naruto has a strength that surpasses mine!" I stroked Ino's hair.

"Oh, right," Ino suddenly said, a little hesitantly. "Um..."

"Hmm?"

Ino asked in a tiny voice, "...Are you and Sasuke boyfriend and girlfriend? You're always so close!"

"Huh?! Of course not!" I was a little speechless. "How could Sasuke and I have that kind of relationship?! Why would you think that?!"

For some reason, I noticed Ino quietly breathe a sigh of relief. No, after thinking about it for a moment, I understood what Ino was thinking. Girls her age were still easy to read.

"You're not...?" Ino mused. "But you're always together! And you look so good as a couple!"

"That's because we're teammates! Besides, I'm with Naruto too! Compared to that cold guy Sasuke, I spend more time with Naruto, don't I?"

"Huh?! You and Naruto are a couple??!!"

"That's even more impossible!"

Ah, why are women all such gossips?! I still haven't figured that out, even after being transformed for so long!

Women really are an incomprehensible species!

Later that morning, the rain gradually grew heavier.

Memorial Stone.

Dressed all in black, I gently laid a bouquet of white chrysanthemums beneath the stone. A long list of names had been newly carved into the towering Memorial Stone yesterday.

"Fuyuno Maiyo."

I gently stroked the newly carved name. He was my dad's teammate, a kind uncle I'd met at home before.

The dead would lose everything. Everything tangible would decay and disappear, leaving only memories in people's minds and names recorded on stone.

Fine raindrops fell in a flurry, striking my water shield and becoming part of it. Though I had no umbrella, I remained completely dry. Beside me stood Kakashi, who also had no umbrella. The rain fell on him without obstruction, soaking his hair and clothes.

I stood up to leave.

"Kakashi-sensei, Lord Hokage's funeral is about to start. Aren't you coming?" I asked with my back to Kakashi as I passed him.

"Go on ahead... Sakura."

"Kakashi-sensei, is it because you're here that you're late every time? There's someone you care deeply about here, isn't there?"

"..." Kakashi answered with silence.

I waited a while, but in the end, no answer came.

"I'll go on ahead..."

The Third's funeral was simple. Many people came, and the simple ceremony proceeded group by group. After offering flowers, they mourned in silence.

Even after the funeral ended, people stood where they were for a long time, unwilling to leave.

"Why... can people risk their lives for someone else?" Naruto suddenly asked.

Perhaps he wasn't asking, but talking to himself.

"People can't live alone. Living as a person, you're bound to have family, friends, and comrades. Living on while trusting and supporting these important people, and having them trust and support you in turn, is what bonds are." Without raising my water shield, I let the rain fall on me, soaking my hair until it clung to my face and dampening my clothes until they outlined my body, as I spoke slowly. "The village, family, comrades—these cherished bonds were the treasures Lord Hokage and those who died were willing to give their lives for..."

"The Third Hokage didn't die in vain," Kakashi added. "He left us something important..."

"...Something important?"

"It's okay if you don't understand now. Someday... you will."

"Even though I still don't understand," Naruto suddenly said after lowering his head in thought for a moment, "I think I understand a little now!"

The gloomy expression vanished from Naruto's face, replaced by a smile full of hope!

Looking at his smile, I suddenly understood why the original story had made him its protagonist. Naruto, who always remained optimistic and positive, really did keep inspiring the people around him and filling them with motivation!

"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Sasuke, let's go!"

Life went on, and we would keep moving forward, carrying the hopes of those who had passed away.

In the black-and-white memorial photo on the table, the Third Hokage's solemn expression also seemed to bear a hint of a smile.

The following day at noon.

Dessert shop.

"Sakura... is this really what you're having for lunch?" Kakashi sat across from me, looking helplessly at the food in front of me, which was covered with all kinds of dango, sweet soups, and ginger milk pudding.

"I can't help it. Mom has to stay at the hospital to look after Dad, and I'm too lazy to cook, so I had to come out to eat! Besides, it's a rare chance to have you treat me, Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto the big eater isn't here, so there's no one to fight me for it! I'm going to eat you into the poorhouse, Kakashi-sensei!" I answered without hesitation!

"Aren't you having any, Kakashi-sensei? The sweets here are really good!"

This shop made good ginger milk pudding and dango. Being able to eat desserts here that were similar to those from my previous life was a kind of happiness too!

"No, thanks. I don't like sweets..."

Creak...

The old door latch made all kinds of noises whenever it was pushed. Two more customers came in and sat behind me. It was an ordinary scene, but I felt my heart jolt!

I sensed two surging sources of Chakra, one of them so vast it was almost on the level of a Tailed Beast! They were well concealed, but at this distance, everything they hid shone like a lamp to my senses!

It had to be Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki!

So was it today? Or had they been wandering around Konoha looking for Naruto these past two days?

I fought the urge to turn around and fire a Water Gun Technique at them and gave Kakashi a look. Kakashi only shook his head slightly, signaling me to act normally and not make any rash moves.

Creak...

Two more people walked in.

"What a coincidence, you two!" Kakashi greeted them as though nothing were wrong. "Out together again, I see!"

"Hello, Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei!"

"Idiot! Anko asked me to help her buy some dango!" Kurenai hurried to explain.

"Don't you dislike sweets? What are you doing here?"

"I'm just waiting here with Sakura for Sasuke..."

We chatted briefly, and then Itachi and Kisame suddenly stood up, threw some money on the table, and left.

When we went outside, people were coming and going on the street, but there was no sign of those conspicuous black cloaks with red clouds!

"Sakura, wait here for Sasuke! We're going after them!" Kakashi hurriedly left me with those words before using the Body Flicker Technique to leave with Kurenai and Asuma.

Damn it, I want to go too! I'm at least a little qualified to intervene in a Kage Level battle by now, aren't I?