Would the World Be Better Without Ninjas?

Konoha Cemetery.

A dark, dense crowd gathered here today.

Everyone wore black mourning clothes and held a white chrysanthemum in their hands, standing there with emotional expressions.

Kazan, Jiraiya, and Tsunade could be considered to have arrived relatively late.

Without unnecessary words, the three came to the front of the procession and stood beside Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This place was not desolate, as weeds were regularly tended to by someone, and everything appeared extremely neat.

Yet the silent tombstones, one after another, could never make anyone smile and instead made people feel cold.

Too many Konoha ninjas were buried beneath this land.

The time arrived, and Minato Namikaze delivered a speech as the Hokage, then offered a white chrysanthemum.

Next came Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and other elders, followed by Jiraiya and the others.

When it was Kazan's turn, he walked up to the Memorial Stone, took the white chrysanthemum from his chest, and placed it before the Memorial Stone.

This is what I picked in the Forest of Death this morning.

This was the first sentence Kazan spoke, and also the only one.

Most of the names recorded on the stone were unfamiliar to Kazan, but there were also some he recognized.

People who used to enthusiastically greet him every day had now left nothing behind, with only their names carved onto the stone slab.

Lord Kazan!

Lord Kazan, we will definitely win this war, right?

Lord Kazan, this is my child, about to turn one year old, and I really want to hurry back and hold him...

These voices echoed in Kazan's mind as if they were from yesterday.

He squatted down, reached out, and stroked the stone slab, leaving without a word a moment later.

There were still many people waiting behind...

The funeral continued, but Kazan, Jiraiya,