Chapter 27

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The next day, the whole issue with the Sand Village was resolved. Orochimaru was manipulating them. 

But my gut feeling was right about Lord Hokage.

Orochimaru killed him.

I stared at my outfit in the mirror for his funeral, lost in my thoughts. Why did I have to keep losing people? Why the hell did this world hate me so much?

Lord Hokage was like another grandfather to me. I became closer to him after what happened with Minato and Kushina, and now he's gone. 

I suppressed the tears that threatened to spill.

He was going to help me reveal the truth to Naruto, about us being related and his parents. 

How the hell am I going to do it all on my own? I can't do it. I don't have the strength and I don't know when to tell him.

Lord Hokage was going to tell me when to tell him and now I'm going to have a hard time knowing when the right time would be. 

And poor Naruto, I know he was close to him too. I can't imagine how he feels right now.

I started walking to the foot of the Hokage Stone faces and caught up with Asuma and Kurenai. He had an unreadable expression on his face.

The rain poured heavily. 

"Even the heavens weep..." Asuma muttered to himself. 

I couldn't stop the tears from flowing now. I placed a white flower on his tombstone and then stood with Naruto and Iruka.

I could hear the Hokage's grandson sobbing. 

"Iruka-Sensei?" Naruto asked. "Why do they do it? Why do people risk their lives for other people?"

"Well..." Iruka started. "When someone passes away, it's the end. His past and future...all the dreams he once had...may disappear along with him. This is true, even if he died honorably in battle like so many have, as Hayate did. All the ties that bind him to the living are severed,"

The tears still continued to flow down my cheeks. I wiped them, but even that didn't help.

"All, but one. The most important of all: people, parents, siblings, friends, lovers. The people that were important to him. And these people left behind are joined together in a great circle by their shared memories of him, a circle that grows larger as time passes." Iruka finishes. 

Iruka looked over at him. "It's hard to explain it. We remain in the circle together. We have no choice, it's important to us,"

"So we do it because we have to," Naruto replied. "I get it, sort of. Still, I'm sad that he's gone,"

Kakashi suddenly answered. "Think how sad it would be if he died for nothing, but he left us something priceless. Don't worry, you'll understand it one of these days,"

"Hey, give me some credit. That much I get," Naruto replied.

The rain cleared up and the sun started peeking through the clouds. Everyone started leaving, but I stayed behind.

I hated how he's gone now. 

"Let's go, Hana," Kakashi said. 

I didn't realize he stayed with me.

I sighed and followed him. 

"Kakashi?"

He turned to face me.

"I'm so sick of losing people..."I trailed off, wiping my tears. "It just seems as if the world purposely takes the people I'm close to away,"

Kakashi didn't reply.

"Just please promise me you won't leave me too," I continued. "You're my best friend and we've been through so much together. I couldn't handle it if I lost you as well."

"I promise."

Kakashi and I left the area and the Hokage's death weighed heavily on my mind. 

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Sorry if the chapter wasn't that great. I'm trying to get as much updated as I can so I can get closer to an important part coming up. 

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