The Third Hokage's Funeral

When the trio returned to the village, everything had already settled.

Sunagakure's plan to destroy Konoha had failed, Orochimaru's schemes were exposed, and the Third Hokage was dead—taking Orochimaru's hands with him using the Reaper Death Seal.

As the aggressor, Sunagakure reached a reconciliation agreement with Konoha. They promised to compensate Konoha for the war with a payment in gold and formed a friendly alliance based on mutual benefits.

Orochimaru, losing his hands, managed to take down two Kage, becoming the undisputed MVP of the entire ordeal.

When Naruto and Sakura returned to the village, carrying a gravely injured Sasuke, they learned of the Third Hokage's death.

Sakura froze for a moment, while Naruto showed little reaction and quickly urged,

"Sakura, Sasuke is barely breathing!"

"Ah!" Sakura snapped back to reality and hurriedly took Sasuke to the Konoha Hospital.

...

Two days later.

At dawn, the sky over Konoha was dark with heavy clouds.

Naruto sat up from his bed, staring at the bouquet of white chrysanthemums on the table for a long while before recalling that today was the Third Hokage's funeral.

He shifted his gaze away and stared at the ceiling for a moment, feeling no particular joy as he had expected.

"A dead Hokage is the best kind of Hokage."

After a while, he slipped on his slippers and went to the bathroom to wash up. He emerged wearing a black mourning outfit, carrying a large black umbrella and the bouquet of white chrysanthemums, then put on tactical boots and stepped out.

He neither wore his forehead protector nor wrapped his legs in bandages.

He strolled leisurely through the streets of Konoha until he met up with Sakura, who appeared at the alley's entrance with a solemn face, wearing a black dress. Seeing Naruto, she waved.

"Naruto."

"Yeah," Naruto replied, falling into step beside her. "How's Sasuke doing?"

Sakura shook her head, her mood low.

"His injuries are severe; he's still unconscious, and we don't know when he'll wake up."

"Using the Curse Mark twice—that guy's lucky to still be alive," Naruto said. "He'll be out of the hospital soon enough. No need to worry too much."

"Thank you, Naruto."

Walking beside him, Sakura lowered her face and bit her lip.

"If it weren't for you showing up in time..."

As they walked slowly, the sound of their footsteps echoed down the empty street. Naruto glanced at Sakura from the corner of his eye.

"There's no need to thank me for something like this. It's what teammates do."

"I know, I just feel..." Sakura choked up a little, "I always feel useless. I can only watch as you and Sasuke risk your lives."

"Every time... I feel like I'm not cut out to be a ninja."

Naruto stopped abruptly.

"No one is more suited to being a ninja than you, Sakura."

"What?" Tears streaked Sakura's face.

"Everyone has their own talents, some sooner, some later. You just haven't found your ninja path yet. There's no reason to give up."

"But..."

"No buts. Let's go. The Third Hokage's funeral is about to start," Naruto said, looking toward the growing crowd of black-clad villagers gathering in the streets.

"And stop saying silly things like that."

Naruto started walking toward the crowd. Sakura stood still for a moment, wiped away her tears, and quickly followed. Her pale legs moved swiftly under her black dress as she joined the throng.

The funeral was held on an open-air stage, and the atmosphere was filled with sorrow and melancholy.

In the oppressive rain, people began laying flowers.

Naruto, holding the slightly wilted white chrysanthemums he had bought days earlier, stood silently in line. When it was his turn, he placed the flowers on the Third Hokage's altar and left quietly.

The funeral was not long. As it ended, sunlight pierced through the rain clouds, illuminating the village.

The crowd began to disperse in groups. Sakura had already told Naruto she had something to attend to and left. Naruto, having nothing else to do, decided to return home for a shower since his clothes were damp from the rain.

"Naruto." Ino tapped his shoulder and leaned in to ask, "I heard Sasuke was injured?"

"Yeah, he's still unconscious in the hospital," Naruto replied as they walked. "Why? You want to visit Sleeping Beauty?"

"Why not?" Ino bumped his shoulder and walked beside him. "It's not every day you get this chance—it's Sasuke, after all!"

"You think you can just waltz in to see Lord Sasuke?" Naruto shot her a glare. "Kakashi-sensei said the higher-ups issued a protection order. The floor where Sasuke is being treated is under ANBU guard."

"Even Sakura from the medical team can't visit him. Give up already."

"Such a cruel order," Ino sighed. "Just imagining Sasuke lying quietly on a hospital bed, with white roses glistening with dew by the window..."

"You pervert! You're drooling all over me, you freak!" Naruto shouted.

"Who are you calling a pervert?!" Ino yelled back, grabbing Naruto by the collar.

Meanwhile, Hinata watched Naruto and Ino bicker, her face falling as a faint sadness appeared on her lips.

"Hinata!"

"Kiba, Shino." Hinata turned around quickly. "What's wrong?"

"Kurenai-sensei is calling us," Kiba said excitedly. "Looks like we've got a new mission. Hope it's an A-rank one—anything less is boring!"

"A-A-rank?" Hinata stammered, startled.

"Don't listen to him," Shino said calmly, adjusting his dark glasses. "Kurenai-sensei knows our limits. She wouldn't take on anything too dangerous. We're sensory ninjas, not like Team 7."

"Team 7... what about them?" Hinata asked hesitantly.

"Their jonin leader sent them to chase Sunagakure's One-Tail Jinchuriki squad," Shino replied. "A near-suicidal mission."

"It's Kakashi," Kiba interjected. "My sister said back in his day, he was Konoha's strongest rookie. He was already handling high-risk missions at our age."

"So cool," Kiba sighed.

Hearing this, Hinata glanced worriedly at the crowd, but Naruto and Ino had already disappeared.

"I heard Sasuke was gravely injured," Hinata murmured softly.

"Yes, life-threatening injuries. He must have used some forbidden jutsu," Shino said. "Fighting a tailed beast in that state—it must have been a desperate struggle."

"I also heard the Sand Jinchuriki squad fared even worse. That's why Sunagakure agreed to pay reparations to Konoha," Shino added.

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