SHIMMERING MIST : HATAKE SI (Naruto)

Part 22

Chapter 22

KURENAI YUHI

Kurenai Yuhi couldn't really believe the sight in front of her. Despite a week passing since they had heard the news, the reality hadn't really set in. And now as she stood in the leaf cemetery staring at the gravestone inscribed with his name, it all began to set in.

Ohashi Hatake
Student. Brother. Teacher.
And her vision began to blur up as tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to hold them back. To not cry, tried to be a true shinobi, yet her efforts were futile. And despite her efforts, she felt a small sob escaping from her lips as tears began to fall down from her eyes, falling to the ground.

She heard Asuma sniff from the side, as he struggled to keep away his tears as well, as they stood in front of the grave of their sensei. A sensei who had been a bit hard on them yet had helped them achieve heights they had never thought possible.

"I cannot believe he is gone," she whispered, with a small hitch, "and they aren't even telling us how he died," she said indignantly as she looked towards Asuma, who wiped away his eyes with his sleeve and shook his head with a grimace.

"I tried asking about it, but father said that it is classified and he couldn't disclose it," he replied and she gritted her teeth as she glanced towards the back, where the Hokage stood, dressed in his ceremonial black garb. Though if the rumors circulating were anything to go by, he would not be holding onto that garb for long.

It was rumored that the Hokage was on the lookout for a successor. The person on the top of that list stood right behind her, dressed in a black jacket instead of her signature green one, and her blonde hair tied in a ponytail, Tsunade Senju stood there impassively staring at the gravestone with a complicated expression with her infamous teammate, the Toad Sage standing by her side.

The funeral was quite elaborate and was attended by Leaf's several well-known shinobi, including the Yellow Flash, Lady Kushina Uzumaki, various clan heads and even the matriarch of the Uchiha clan, who stood by their side, along with Kakashi, who had been extremely quiet during the whole ordeal.

The ceremony ended and people began to leave, yet the three of them found themselves rooted to their spots, still reeling from the shock of the loss of their sensei.

And suddenly, they were broken out of their trance when someone softly called out their names from behind.

"Asuma, Kurenai, and Ebisu!" she jerked at her name getting called and looked back to find, the Uchiha matriarch staring at them with a soft gaze, her eyes reddened as she stood there in the ceremonial garb.

"Mikoto-sama," she greeted the woman, and despite the apparent soft and delicate nature of the woman, Kurenai was acutely aware of just how dangerous the person standing in front of them was.

Ohashi-sensei had shared quite some tales about his sensei, and they knew that his strict nature had been inherited by the teachings of the person standing in front of them. Ohashi-sensei had taken them to meet the woman when they had first become his students as well, so all three of them were somewhat acquainted with the retired jounin.

"Though it is getting a bit late I was hoping that I could have a bit of your time?" she asked politely, and the three of them glanced at each other and quickly nodded at the request. The Uchiha matriarch gave them a small smile and asked them to follow her, to the large fire monument just outside the cemetery.

"Mikoto-sama, may I ask what this is about?" asked Kurenai, and she saw her lips thin, as the Uchiha matriarch glanced down before she finally spoke up.