Board Thread:Konoha Arc/@comment-25687356-20160514223311/@comment-24937485-20160515222027

From behind the lane made up by Phoenix guards, their cloaks burning  bright even under the rain, finally stepped forth the figure of Hokage… Slowly descending from the staircase as if trotting to the very melancholy of falling raindrops while his stern gaze set out over the gathered mob. The tall redheaded leader of Konohagakure made very sure to look in the eyes of everyone gathered as he slowly walked down, lingering at some more than other as he witnessed the very same look in their eyes that Zeshin had given him not long before the Namikaze’’s departure.

The look of injustice, the eyes of one who couldn’t stand for the lives of children being lost, the gaze of those who pent every waking moment of the past days in pure living agony. He saw them all, but did not return their soft and/or emotional expression. Not even those of anger, as Ikeru stood above those emotions. Not because he didn’t have a heart but because his duty didn’t allow him to display such heart.



By the time his sandaled feet hit the ground, most if not all of the mob would fall silent or drop to a whisper. “Disperse.” Was the only word spoken before the Phoenix Guard turned around 180 degrees and walked back inside the Hokage building in two files. This meant that only Ikeru was left standing in front of the mob, still not having said a word. He instead waited until every has voice had drown out before closing stern gaze off behind his lids. Taking one more moment, as if gathering his thoughts, before finally speaking as he folded his hands behind his back and began walking through the center of the gathered people who (npc’s) naturally moved aside. Knowing there was one who’d never move without good reason.

“Walk with me.”. He’d say to his Council member and former brother in arms, Godric, before then turning to everyone gathered. “All of you.”.

It was obvious that the Hokage had something to show them as he walked through the street of Konoha with a heavy rain still falling down; ever seeking to wash away the stains of sin. But he didn’t say anything else on the matter until everyone there actually arrived at the large memorial that the mob had recently departed from.

It was there that the Hokage placed his hand on the surface of the memorial stone, at which the glowing lines of a seal became visible and then, out of nowhere, those very same seals appeared on several places on the ground around them. And then, after the earth itself was torn apart to allow for their rise, a dozen more memorial stoned arose from the ground around them; each a different shade of black and gray. All of these additional twelve stones, each large and having the exact same shape, were filled completely with so many names that they had to be written in first name only.

It was only then that Ikeru turned around to all those present and began to speak.

“Since before any of us were born, children fought and died in the wars of man. To understand why, I must take you back to our past. See, back in those days war was as much a part of life as was eating drinking and sleeping. There were no nations, only way. What happened in Sunagakure happened every day, on far greater scale, and to far greater levels of brutality. My Father brought rise to the Hidden leaf in order to create a place where such brutalities weren’t needed but little did he know that evil soon came this way. And that’s when he realized that the war would never stop, not as long as there is good in the world, because evil will always come for it.”



The Senju began pacing back and forth while keeping his eyes on the crowd.

“Even today, evil doesn’t stop showing its face. In fact…. The Hidden leaf has been chasing an organization currently responsible for some of the greatest evil in the world. This group is known as Akatsuki. And this group is not merely capable of taking some of your children away, they will take all your children, your homes, your safety, and your lives. They are the number one threat to our known world and their very goal is to see to our painful destruction. Because the Leaf, because I… can turn no blind eye to this. We, and Sunagakure, have been actively involved in learning more about the Akatsuki. Some say this is the reason why a manipulated Gyuugi was set out by the commands of an Amekage shrouded in mystery and suspicion. However, before we found out that it was actually Gyuugi himself, and his elite, moving to attack Sunagakure, it was already too late and our Shinobi had fallen.”



A long and drawn out sigh passed the Hokage’s lips.

“Ofcourse we had our suspicions of what was going to happen, but after the fight against the Masked Shinobi these Genin and Shinobi were our best chance available. With so many effort put into tracking down members of the Akatsuki, Konoha had no more allies to spare. Therefore, Keldran and the other Genin, several elites among them, were our best chance at seeing to Sunagakure’s victory. But nobody could ever expect what finally happened. Sunagakure got destroyed by an army headed by Gyuugi himself. Had we known this, the leaf would have never sent our troops out knowing they could meet him, and the former Kirigakure Hunter-nin, in the frontline. But that is merely hindsight, after all, every mission has a chance of death yet we continue to send children, husbands, mother’s alike out on these quests. Why? Because if we didn’t, none of us would be standing here today.”

His eyes now fiercer than before, Ikeru’s voice grew louder and more passionate as he slammed a fist against his chest.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:15.6pt">“Every single one of us own those who have died nothing more than respect. We don’t deserve shedding tears or feeling sad when it’s because of their  efforts, and the efforts of thousands who have died before them, that Konoha still stands. That the Shinobi nations still exist. For without the efforts of those like Keldran, who faced Gyugi himself. Like Hitomi, who gave it her all in the face of extreme danger, like Seika, who still bears the wounds of what happened. Without their efforts. Peace would be nothing more than a word, not an ideal, not a dream. Nothing. As long as the world is continued to be consumed by sin,   it is we,, defenders of what is just, who must continue to pay the sacrifice. The very same Sacrifice my father made when he gave his life for this village, as I will give mine, and as will every Hokage after me. We all must continue to make that sacrifice every single day. We must continue to cay the burden of grief. For if we do not… then all future generations have not a chance at ever finding a world….”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:15.6pt">Turning away from those gathered, Ikeru walked up to one of the memorials and looked at the name written at the top; the name of his father.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:15.6pt">“Finding a world worth living in.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:15.6pt">The rain finally ceased to fall.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:15.6pt">“So in their name, and in the name of yours sons and daughters. Let us take this moment of silence to remember and be grateful for what they have done. And to be aware that tomorrow, it may be you or me who has to make that same sacrifice.’”.