A relentless drizzle added a somber weight to the already heavy funeral.
Three days had passed since the Akatsuki's assault.
It took Hidden Leaf Village three full days to clear the rubble, compile the list of casualties, and hold this funeral.
Tsunade and Jiraiya, leading their elite forces, had returned to the village the previous day.
Not only them, but the allied shinobi forces that had raided Hidden Rain Village also rushed to aid Hidden Leaf upon hearing of the attack.
Thus, the funeral was attended not only by Hidden Leaf's leadership but also by the other four Kage, invited as guests.
Among the crowd, the ninja academy students wore expressions of grief.
According to the tally, the Akatsuki's assault had killed over forty Hidden Leaf shinobi on the spot, with hundreds more injured.
Many of these casualties were close friends or family of the academy students.
For instance, Shikamaru's father, Nara Shikaku, was gravely wounded in the battle and remained in the intensive care unit at Hidden Leaf Hospital.
Ino's father, Yamanaka Inoichi, had lost an arm, rendering him unable to form hand signs with both hands.
Shino's father, Aburame Shibi, had been poisoned by Sasori and was also under treatment in the hospital. Several of Shino's elders had died at Sasori's hands.
On the rooftop of Hidden Leaf Hospital...
Tsunade and Yakumo, who had not attended the funeral, quietly gazed toward the Memorial Stone.
Seeing Yakumo's low spirits, Tsunade said, "Yakumo, you did well this time! We all underestimated Hiruko's strength. With five Bloodline Limits, he's likely surpassed the limits of a normal shinobi. Even if I had been there, I wouldn't have been certain of defeating him!"
Knowing Tsunade was trying to comfort her, Yakumo shook her head. "I'm sorry."
"Getting used to apologizing is a sign of weakness!" Tsunade chuckled lightly, but her expression soon darkened.
Her feelings toward Hiruko had once been complex. To her, Hiruko's descent into extremism and eventual defection were partly due to the lack of care from her and their comrades.
But now, any guilt she felt toward Hiruko had vanished with his assault on Hidden Leaf.
At this moment, her only thought was to capture Hiruko, drag him to the Memorial Stone, and make him atone for the lives lost in this attack!
Yakumo stared absently into the rain.
These past few days, everyone who met her sincerely told her, "You've done enough." But only she knew how powerless she truly felt.
"Did Sensei retrieve the Koryugan beforehand because he feared I'd ruin everything?" she thought, her mood sinking further. "As expected, Sensei was right. Without the Koryugan, I'm useless."
In Yakumo's inner world, Ido suddenly spoke up. "Compared to before, we're already pretty strong, you know!"
Yakumo's mind jolted, then relaxed.
Compared to her frail, bedridden self from the past, she was indeed much stronger now. Realizing this, Yakumo suddenly felt she shouldn't wallow in self-pity.
In a secluded grove within the village...
Kimimaro approached Orochimaru slowly, bowing respectfully. "Lord Orochimaru, you summoned me. What is it?"
Orochimaru eyed Kimimaro with interest, casually saying, "I heard you took part in that big battle earlier?"
"Yes," Kimimaro replied without hiding anything.
Orochimaru asked, "Why stop the Akatsuki? Was it an order from 'A'?"
Kimimaro shook his head.
Orochimaru smiled. "Looks like you've grown fond of Hidden Leaf."
Kimimaro instinctively wanted to explain, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know where to begin.
Not lingering on the topic, Orochimaru shifted gears. "Has 'A' given you any orders lately?"
Kimimaro answered promptly, "No."
Orochimaru pressed, "Regarding this assault, he gave you no orders at all?"
"None," Kimimaro replied with certainty.
Orochimaru waved a hand. "Go. And remember, any orders 'A' from the Akatsuki gives you, report them to me immediately!"
"Yes!" Kimimaro bowed again, then respectfully withdrew.
After Kimimaro left, Kabuto emerged from the shadows, adjusting his glasses. "Lord Orochimaru, are you doubting Kimimaro?"
"He wasn't lying to me," Orochimaru said with conviction.
Kabuto frowned. "That's odd. For such a major Akatsuki operation, 'A' didn't inform Kimimaro. Is he wary of you?"
Orochimaru mused, "'A' and the Akatsuki might not be on the same side."
"You mean 'A' and his group are impersonating the Akatsuki?" Kabuto paused, then asked, "But why would they do that?"
To Kabuto, 'A's group was no weaker than the Akatsuki. Pretending to be them offered no real benefit and only invited the wrath of the five great shinobi villages—a losing deal.
Orochimaru smirked. "That depends on who the real Akatsuki is."
Near the Memorial Stone, in the woods...
Sasuke leaned against a tree, watching the funeral from afar.
His once-dark eyes now appeared grayish, a clear sign of severe overexertion of his Sharingan's power, leaving his dojutsu heavily drained.
As a Mangekyō Uchiha, he could barely make out the crowd just dozens of meters away.
At that moment, Kakashi approached him. "How are your eyes?"
Sasuke's expression darkened.
He had thought a few days of rest would restore some of his Mangekyō Sharingan's power, but now he realized that no matter how much he rested, his depleted dojutsu power wasn't recovering.
This frustrated him.
No, it terrified him!
As if reading his thoughts, Kakashi continued, "I've asked Lady Tsunade. Once the hospital calms down, she'll personally examine you to see if there's a way to restore your dojutsu power."
Sasuke asked, "Really?"
Kakashi nodded. "Yes, but for now, you'd better avoid using your Mangekyō Sharingan."
"I understand," Sasuke replied with a nod.
He was well aware of Tsunade's reputation. If she intervened, there might indeed be a way to restore some of his dojutsu power.
Kakashi stood quietly beside Sasuke for a while before speaking softly. "Sasuke, don't get mixed up with the Akatsuki. They're too dangerous."
"We're not like them," Sasuke said, catching the warning in Kakashi's tone. He knew Kakashi had likely guessed something, but he didn't care or want to explain further. With that, he turned and left.
Watching Sasuke's retreating figure, Kakashi murmured, "Not like them?"