On the rooftop of the Hokage Building, the stone likenesses of the past Hokage silently watched it all in the sunlight.
The Sixth Hokage's inauguration ceremony was livelier than any before it.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire sat in the VIP seats, beaming.
Gaara of Sunagakure stood in the front row of the guest section with Temari and Kankuro.
The Akatsuki had come too. Pain stood beside Konan, expressionless.
His presence alone was a sincere gesture.
Deidara kept looking around and got scolded by Sasori.
Hidan carried his scythe over his shoulder and got scolded by Kakuzu.
"Who brings a weapon to a ceremony?"
The Uchiha Clan Compound was livelier than it was at New Year.
The faces of the Uchiha clan members shone as never before.
Under the Third Hokage, they had been "a destabilizing element." Under the Fifth Hokage, they had been "Konoha's Uchiha."
With the Sixth Hokage in office, one of their own was in charge.
Some were crying. Elder Yashiro leaned on his cane, tears streaming down his aged face. Tekka supported him from beside him, his own eyes red too.
Several young Uchiha stood on the rooftops, shouting.
Fugaku stood outside his home in his clan leader's haori, his expression composed but his eyes slightly red.
Mikoto leaned against his shoulder, already crying.
Only one person was sulking.
Sasuke leaned against the wall at the entrance to the Uchiha Grounds, his hands in his pockets, watching the cheering clan members without expression.
It wasn't that he was unhappy. He just wasn't in the mood.
Because the Hokage wasn't his brother.
Itachi approached from the distance and stood beside Sasuke. The brothers leaned against the wall side by side, one expressionless, the other sulking.
Sasuke finally asked the question.
"Why aren't you the Hokage,