The old rat Cherry Ink... had a few more graves to dance on. Unfortunately, Cherry Ink was old now too, and seemed to have little time left.
Tobirama had passed away, and so had Izuna. They had died on the same day.
Although Yanbai had seen plenty of scenes like this before, this cycle was different.
Yanbai shared a deep familial bond with Tobirama Senju. They had grown up bickering and roughhousing together, and hearing of Tobirama Senju's death still left Yanbai feeling sad.
Orochimaru handled Tobirama and Izuna's final arrangements alone.
Because of the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, neither Tobirama nor Izuna had a funeral. Even the location of their remains had to be classified.
Or rather, Konoha had already made it standard practice not to hold public funerals for its great shinobi.
Their achievements in life would be offered up for the world to admire. Their deaths did not need to be announced to everyone.
And Orochimaru's current position gave him access to the locations where the remains of Konoha Shinobi Village's great shinobi were stored.
Orochimaru was a scientist of Konoha's new generation, Tobirama Senju's sole successor, and the custodian of those great shinobi's remains.
Yanbai did not know how much this situation would affect the future, but he could no longer concern himself with any of it.
Inside the Princess Mausoleum.
Late summer had arrived, and sweltering heat hung in the air outside.
"Immortality really isn't good. It's like watching a tragic anime, crying your eyes out, and saying you'll never love again, only to laugh like a monkey at the next comedy..."
Yanbai sat beside his own coffin, sighing over and over.
In the past, Yanbai had always exited the world as soon as his testing was complete. It had never been like this.
Simply