Burial

Rainy Weather

Ever since everything had been settled with Kumogakure and Tobirama Senju's remains had been sent back to Konoha, the village had been shrouded in a seemingly endless drizzle.

It was as if even the heavens were mourning Tobirama Senju.

The Senju Clan had hastily commissioned an extravagant coffin made entirely of golden-thread nanmu wood, purchased from the Land of Fire at great expense.

It was said that the craftsmen who made this coffin had crafted coffins for the nobles of the Land of Fire for generations. Coffins of this quality were generally used only by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the royal family.

Unfortunately, by the time Tobirama Senju got to enjoy it, his corpse was already covered in livor mortis, and waves of corpse stench could still be smelled.

Under Mito Uzumaki's arrangements, the funeral proceeded in an orderly fashion. By the time news of Tobirama Senju's death reached the ears of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, insiders revealed that—

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire had been overwhelmed with grief that day. He had wept until his voice was hoarse and had nearly fainted from sorrow.

Everyone around him had been moved to tears, praising the Daimyo as a man of genuine feeling and saying that the bond between the Land of Fire and Konoha was unbreakable.

After stabilizing his emotions, the Daimyo announced that court would be suspended for three days to mourn Tobirama. He also sent his eldest son to Konoha to attend the funeral, ordering him to bring substantial condolences. The hero who had defended the Land of Fire could not be allowed to shed blood and tears.

The other nobles and dignitaries invited by Konoha were likewise deeply grieved. They sent important members of their families to attend the funeral, and the condolences they brought were equally generous!

The preparations for the funeral took several days to complete. At last, Tobirama could be laid to rest!

In the Mourning Hall

A coffin made of golden-thread nanmu wood rested in the center. On the table directly in front of it sat a portrait of Tobirama Senju, along with an incense burner, candles, and offerings of Tobirama's favorite foods.

White wreaths filled the area around the Mourning Hall.

"The Filial Son breaks the basin!"

Toma Senju smashed the jar in his hands with a crack, then knelt down. As soon as the jar shattered, cries of grief rang out.

Since Tobirama Senju had no sons, Toma Senju was the only suitable person to break the basin for him.

After burning spirit money and paying their respects—

"Raise the coffin!"

Four strong Senju Clan Members lifted Tobirama Senju's coffin and carried it toward Konoha's cemetery. They were his closest blood relatives—Tobirama's nephews.

The sound of gongs and drums rang out behind the coffin. The procession also passed through Konoha's streets, giving the villagers one final chance to bid farewell to Konoha and Tobirama Senju.

Tobirama Senju had an excellent reputation in Konoha. Although he usually wore a cold expression and rarely smiled, his contributions to Konoha were obvious to all.

It could even be said that without Tobirama Senju, there would be no Konoha as it was now. Hashirama Senju knew nothing about the hardships of building a village from scratch; Tobirama had handled everything himself.

The streets were already packed with people. The villagers wore sorrowful expressions, tears unconsciously spilling from their eyes as they bid a final farewell to Konoha's Second Hokage.

"Safe travels, Teacher."

"I'll protect Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood among the crowd, tears glistening in his eyes and grief overwhelming him. His life had been exchanged for by Tobirama Senju.

"Teacher..."

"Sniff... I really wanted to see you off one last time."

Shimura Danzō stood beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, equally overcome with grief, his heart filled with regret.

As soon as news of Tobirama Senju's funeral spread, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō had gone together to the Senju Clan's residence. They had been Tobirama Senju's disciples, after all.

They had volunteered to carry Tobirama Senju's coffin. If necessary, they could even have broken the basin in Toma Senju's place!

Unfortunately, the Senju Clan Members ordered by Toma Senju drove them out, and they did not even get to see Mito Uzumaki.

To put it bluntly, without the burdens of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and the others, Tobirama Senju would have escaped long ago.

Did Toma Senju not understand Tobirama Senju's strength?

Besides, who did the two of them think they were? Was the entire Senju Clan truly dead? Why would two outsiders carry the coffin? No matter how things were arranged, it would never be their turn.

How shameless.

Toma Senju had even wanted to personally berate Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, but the dead came first. He could not offend the deceased, so he endured it.

The funeral procession slowly made its way down the streets and arrived at the cemetery, where Tobirama Senju was placed in the grave that had already been dug.

Cries of grief rang out once more as the members of the Senju Clan took turns kowtowing before the grave.

After the rites ended, the relatives and friends attending the funeral came forward to bid farewell to Tobirama Senju. They did not need to kneel; each person simply held a white flower and placed it before his grave.

At last, they reached the most important part of the funeral.

The feast!

The grand feast!

The Senju Clan had set up more than a hundred tables before everyone who came to attend the funeral had been seated. It had probably cost them quite a bit.

But compared to the condolence money they received, that was merely a drop in the bucket. The most expensive part of the entire funeral was probably the coffin made of golden-thread nanmu wood, which had cost a full six hundred thousand ryō—comparable to an A-rank mission. Adding up all the other expenses, the funeral had cost only one million ryō.

Yet the condolence money they received totaled more than sixty-three million ryō. In the end, they split it fifty-fifty with Konoha. People had given so much because Tobirama Senju had been Konoha's Hokage. If he had merely been the Senju Clan's Clan Head, the funeral would not have been anywhere near this grand.

Even so, more than thirty million ryō ended up in the Senju Clan's coffers—a considerable income.

Uchiha Nan did not care about that at all. He was currently gorging himself at the grand feast. Dish after dish was brought to the table, and Uchiha Nan ate to his heart's content.

Given Uchiha Nan's status, no one dared spin the lazy Susan while he was serving himself food. Anyone who did would be asking to be driven out of Konoha.

The head chef of this feast was truly skilled. The food was no worse than the three-ten-thousand-ryō banquet Uchiha Nan had attended last time.

At the dinner tables, cups and chopsticks constantly clinked. The Senju Clan was holding a funeral, and everyone attending the feast was someone of status and influence. Opportunities to see so many important figures gathered together were rare, so many people used the occasion to expand their networks.

Although the occasion was somewhat inappropriate, that did not matter. Tobirama Senju had lived a valuable life and died a valuable death. He would probably be smiling in the afterlife.

The Daimyo's eldest son had already raised his cup and begun ingratiating himself with Uchiha Nan.

The new Clan Head of the Uchiha, a man of great strength who might even become Konoha's Third—this status was more than enough for the Daimyo's eldest son to lower himself and treat him with courtesy.

Uchiha Nan naturally did not let the opportunity pass. The two of them chatted happily, though it left Toma Senju somewhat displeased.

The era that belonged to Tobirama Senju had passed. Konoha would eventually have to face the future. The most pressing matter before Konoha was to choose a new Hokage to lead the village onward.

A few days later, a meeting concerning the Third was held in Konoha.