Tobirama was a guest of honor and waited alongside most of Kiri's military force in the graveyard. The time had come for the village to cremate the martyrs of the 501st that died in the line of duty. The atmosphere was sombre with the Mizukage standing beside the grieving families.
It intrigued him to see that Kirigakure followed a custom of burning their dead instead of burying them like most other nations. Only Uzushiogakure followed the same custom which was a point Tobirama noted without fail.
He turned eastwards alongwith many others as they heard a small murmuring from the crowd.
A small smile came upon Tobirama's face despite the situation he was in.
"General"
"General"
"General"
The entire 501st had been quite somber but now watching their leader march between them brought some smiles back on many faces. Tobirama watched Naruto acknowledge each and every salute shown to him even if it took him sometime to clear through the crowd. His heart sank when he saw Gengetsu Hozuki also had a smile like his own on his face.
Tobirama clearly saw the way in which Naruto's presence boosted the shattered morale of the shinobi. For many, he was a hero and for others an undefeatable warrior. The way in which not just the shinobi but common civilians called out to him made one thing clear for the Hokage.
The people had accepted Naruto as their General not because their Mizukage had commanded it, but they had themselves placed their faith in him as their General after his actions and the way in which he had fought for his men.
Tobirama could see in the eyes of the shinobi, that unwavering faith that no matter what happened they would never lose as long as they had their General with them.
If only Konoha had such an officer...
Naruto finally managed to reach beside the Mizukage who gave him a nod against the short bow he offered.
Kirigakure's new general then turned towards the grieving families and looked them all in the eye without flinching.
"There is no greater honor than to die in the service of one's nation. Your sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters sacrificed their all to give this nation a better future. I understand mere words cannot be enough for the loss you have experienced, but I promise to fight until my last breath to protect this great nation for whom these brave warriors laid down their lives" promised Naruto sincerely,
He received somber nods and watery stares in return but that was enough as he stepped away respectfully in order to allow the families a final moment with their dead.
Soon enough, the funeral pyre's were lit which broke the final connection the dead had with this nation and its people.
Mangetsu saw Naruto's gaze was fixed upon few young children who were weeping inconsolably at the loss of their family members despite the best attempts of their mothers and other women to calm them down.
The crowd gasped when from the smoke of the funeral pyre arose few dark human like figures. At first, people were terrified but when those human figures remained floating in the air just staring at them, the people perceived them to be the souls of their fallen warriors.
Mangetsu and few other veteran shinobi saw Naruto secretly raising two of his fingers summoning the ash from which he created those soul like figures. Even though it was not real, when those souls raised their hands in goodbye, the children finally stopped crying and mirrored the gesture with a heavy heart.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Seventh Swordsman
Fanfiction"My sword is yours in victory and defeat", Naruto remembered pledging those words to the Second Mizukage as he became one of the feared Seven. He swore to defend Kiri, to protect its people and serve its Kage until his dying breath. But he also made...
