By the time Naruto and his companions reached the town, bodies lay strewn everywhere. Kakashi sighed. "We were still too late. If we'd gotten here a little sooner, maybe so many people wouldn't have had to die. Sigh."
It was Naruto's first time seeing so many dead people, too, and a faint pang of regret stirred in his heart. But there was no point saying anything now. He quickly composed himself and said, "We should take care of this. We can't just leave their bodies out in the open."
Kakashi nodded. "You're right. We can't leave them like this. Let's cremate them. Earth Style: Earth Sink!" He used an Earth Style technique to turn the entire square into an enormous pit.
Once he was done, Kakashi said, "Go bring the other bodies in town here." Naruto, Sakura, and Sai nodded and went to search for the remaining bodies. Before long, all the bodies had been gathered in the pit Kakashi had made. He used a Fire Release technique, and they all began to burn.
Unable to bear the sight, Sakura turned her head away. "It's so cruel. More than three thousand people, all slaughtered without a single survivor."
Naruto and Sai fell silent. Kakashi sighed. "Yes, it is cruel, but that's the reality of this world. Sandayu and his people were fortunate enough to have someone collect their bodies. Often, no one even bothers with the dead. So don't grieve too much, Sakura. This is something people in this world have long since grown used to."
Tears fell from Sakura's eyes. "How could this happen? This is just too..." She could not bring herself to finish.
Beside them, Kazahana Koyuki was crying so hard she could not speak. This was precisely what she had feared, the reason she had always