Aftermath

Konoha

A few days later, Orochimaru held a modest funeral for the Third Hokage.

The incident where the Third Hokage had forced the Uchiha out had already driven Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation to rock bottom.

Although the Sarutobi Clan worked day and night to polish the Third Hokage's image, most people felt that his merits and faults canceled each other out.

No one considered the Third Hokage particularly great.

Aside from Konohamaru, who cried his heart out, Asuma was probably the only one at the funeral who was truly grieving.

Asuma only learned at the very end that his father, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had died by taking Danzo down with him.

Now that Danzo, the mastermind, was also gone, Asuma did not even have anyone left to take revenge on.

Tsunade was nowhere to be seen throughout the entire funeral.

Jiraiya did come, but his expression was not particularly somber.

He merely stared at the Third Hokage's grave with a complicated look on his face.

Shamu did not come to join the commotion. After teaching Sasuke and Naruto the Summoning Technique the next day,

he had Itachi use the summoning formation Shamu had left behind to cast the Reverse Summoning Technique and pull him back.

Shamu also carried Hyuga Kaito's assimilated Byakugan with him.

He intended to give those eyes to Nagato.

Kakashi attended the Third Hokage's funeral as well.

But unlike everyone else, after the funeral ended,

he was left feeling lost.

He had once thought every day about training hard and becoming stronger.

His goal was to one day have enough standing to stand before the Third Hokage and make him admit his mistakes.

It had been a good plan, but plans could not keep up with change. Sarutobi Hiruzen had suddenly died.

Everything had happened very suddenly.

Internal strife