Xihuo swept his gaze around the cemetery, then walked up to the towering Memorial Stone and carefully studied the small names engraved on it, each with countless stories behind it.
He paused at the names of Tobirama Senju and Uchiha Ichiro, then continued casually, "Truly worthy of a great nation, to have so many heroes unafraid of death. What a blessing for Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not quite understand Xihuo's intentions. With the other clan heads present, he could hardly reveal Huo He's identity, so he offered a few reflections of his own.
"You flatter us, Lord Xihuo. If I could, I would still wish for fewer names on this stone."
"After all... behind every name is a family in tears."
Xihuo stood silently, gazing at the inscription. After a long silence, he spoke as though murmuring in a dream. "Yes, a family... in tears."
"I founded the Shadow Organization because I didn't want things like this to happen again..."
His shoulders slumped slightly, as though he had retreated into his own world.
"Lord Xihuo?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi inwardly cursed his mistake. He and Shimura Danzō had spent the previous night gathering every scrap of intelligence on Uchiha Kagami, so naturally, he knew that his wife had hanged herself.
But he had failed to react in time and blurted out the word "family," apparently touching on Huo He's painful memories.
"Hm? Ah, let's go."
The voice beneath Xihuo's mask sounded perfectly normal. Nothing seemed amiss; he appeared to have merely been studying the inscription until the call drew his attention back.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a flicker of unease, but said nothing more. The group continued walking through Konoha.
After giving them a brief tour of Konoha's key buildings that could be shown to outsiders, Hiruzen Sarutobi warmly invited the Shadow Organization