Early the next morning.
Konoha was shrouded in grief. All the ninja in the village who had no missions, along with the families of those who had fallen in recent weeks, gathered in Konoha's cemetery.
Dark clouds covered the sky, and a light drizzle fell.
Everyone wore black and stood with their heads bowed before the Memorial Stone. The Third Hokage stood before them, solemnly delivering the eulogy. Might Guy stood beside Uzumaki Kuming, clutching a photograph of Dai as tears silently streamed down his face.
Most of the funeral attendees stood in areas assigned to their respective clans. Ninja who did not belong to a clan were gathered in one section.
Quite a few members of the Uchiha Clan had come to the funeral. Uchiha Fugaku stood at the front of their group. Beside him, Mikoto Uchiha held a two- or three-year-old child in her arms and held a five- or six-year-old boy by the hand, watching everything with a grave expression.
The child in Mikoto's arms was her and Fugaku's son, Uchiha Itachi. The boy holding her hand was Uchiha Shisui, the son of Uchiha Seishin. Seishin had spent the past several years on the front lines, helping Jiraiya fight the Cloud Ninja, so the young Shisui had been cared for by Fugaku's family.
Shisui was practically Itachi's older brother. He had long since become part of Fugaku's family.
"Aunt Mikoto, who's the red-haired ninja standing beside the Third Hokage? I don't think I've ever seen him in the village before."
Uchiha Shisui held Mikoto Uchiha's hand, his attention fixed on Uzumaki Kuming, who stood not far from the Third Hokage. Kuming's vivid red hair and handsome, youthful appearance made him stand out in the crowd. And the fact that he was standing beside the Third Hokage at