After saying those final words, Hiruzen slowly closed his eyes.
His hand dropped limply beside the bed.
Tsunade lowered her head, gazing at Hiruzen's body with a complicated expression.
Jiraiya straightened up and remained silent for a long time.
"Mitokado Homura... is an amateur..."
Old man, was that really your last thought before you died?
Jiraiya gave a bitter chuckle, turned around, and walked toward the door.
As he passed Tsunade, he stopped and reached out to pat her shoulder.
"Let's go."
"Konoha is a complete mess right now. There's still a lot to do."
Outside the hospital room, rain had begun to fall at some point.
Hiruzen's funeral was held hastily in the rain.
A temporary altar had been erected beside Konoha's Memorial Stone, with a black-and-white portrait of Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, hanging above it.
Unexpectedly, the heads of all the major shinobi clans attended the funeral in person.
Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Akimichi Chōza, Hyuga Hiashi, Tsume Inuzuka...
These people, whom Hiruzen had been unable to summon no matter what he tried over the past few years, now stood in the rain with solemn expressions.
Perhaps it was because he was already dead, and all grudges ought to fade with the wind.
Perhaps it was because they knew Konoha now stood on the brink of destruction, and no one would meet a good end if the infighting continued.
Utatane Koharu stood beside him, her expression dark, her thoughts unknown.
Tsunade stood at the very front of the altar without an umbrella, letting the rain soak her hair and clothes.
After the funeral, Tsunade formally took office as the Fifth Hokage.
There was no grand inauguration ceremony, no cheering crowd, no fluttering streamers.
She simply walked into the office that belonged to the Hokage and cleared away