Konoha Ninja Cemetery.
The new gravestone stood at the very edge of the old ones.
Three characters were carved cleanly into the stone: "Hagoromo Kaede," their strokes neat and decisive, just like him.
A plate of grilled saury and a flask of sake sat before the grave.
Tsunade had grilled the saury herself, using soy sauce from the old shop on the corner of South Street.
Hiruzen Sarutobi attended dressed in black.
He stood before the grave in silence for a long time. At last, he said only, "A child I taught with my own hands."
His voice was so soft that the wind carried it away.
He said nothing more, only slowly raised his hand and gently patted the top of the gravestone.
Just as he had gently patted Kaede's shoulder when announcing her promotion to Chunin.
Nawaki stood before the grave, tears streaming down his face.
He clenched his fists so tightly his lips trembled. After several failed attempts, he finally managed to say, haltingly, "Master... while you're gone, I'll take good care of my sister."
He raised the back of his hand and wiped his face hard, but the tears only kept coming.
"I won't forget a single thing you taught me."
He wanted to finish speaking like a true grown-up, but by the end, his voice had broken apart. He could only sink to the ground, bow his head, and sob.
Jiraiya stood at the very back of the crowd, not saying a word from beginning to end.
When the funeral ended, the crowd gradually dispersed.
Before he left, he turned back and gazed deeply at the gravestone. His lips moved.
The wind was too strong. No one heard what he said.
After the mourners had dispersed, Nawaki walked over to Tsunade, his eyes red, wanting