Chapter 28: Chapter 27 – Jiraiya’s Funeral

Minato knelt down beside his wife's body. He put his hands on her. Her chakra was disturbed, but it was not the only one.

"Kyubi…"

Someone entered the room. It was the doctor.
Minato was going to ask him what had happened when he also saw his son.

“Naruto…”

His pain suddenly intensified. Naruto had just punched him in the stomach as he was getting up. He had seen it coming but made no move to stop the boy.

“How could you let that happen?!” Naruto screamed, tears in his eyes, continuing to hit his father angrily.

“Naruto…”

“How could you?! How could you?!”

Minato wanted to hug his son. But he pulled away with a furious gesture.

“How could you?! You didn’t protect her. It's your fault! I hate you!”

Minato felt himself shaking as if every part of his body was self-destructing. Naruto was about to hit him again, but his punch was stopped before reaching the Hokage.

“That's enough, Naruto,” The one who stopped him said.

“Itachi.”

Naruto freed himself from Itachi's grip and went to hug his mother. Minato approached. Naruto lifted his head.

“Go away…”

Minato was taken aback by his words. He didn't know what to do.

“Without Itachi, Mom would be… Mom would be…”

Minato opened his eyes wide and turned to Itachi. But he had disappeared.

“Itachi is a true hero! He... He deserves the title of Hokage a hundred times more than you!”

Minato frowned and quickly left the room. He spotted, in the distance, the young Itachi. In a flash, he cornered him against the wall.

“You were on a mission to follow her, weren't you?”

Itachi didn't answer and just calmly stared at Minato.

"Who... who sent you? Answer me, Itachi!”

Suddenly, the Uchiha’s body deformed and turned into crows that flew out of the windows.

“A clone... He had it all planned out. “

“You are shrewd, Yondaime Hokage,” a voice said behind him. “I have been ordered by the Sandaime Hokage to watch over your wife.”

"To watch over my wife?"

“She is Kyubi's jinchuriki. Without it, the balance will be broken, and peace would not be assured.”

“But... Why ask you such a thing? Was she in danger?”

“Her friendship with my mother, her personality… The fact that she’s a jinchuriki… These are the three reasons which, put together, put Kushina in danger.”

Minato couldn't contradict him. He was right. Tensions between the Hyuga and Uchiha clans inevitably influenced Mikoto. Kushina, her friend, could not remain indifferent to this. And with such a strong character, it was obvious that she wouldn't sit around...

“What did she do?”

"She seems to have become more attached to the village since the birth of her son," Itachi muttered, with a hint of a smile.

"But who... who did that to her?"

Itachi didn't answer. Obviously, he didn't know. Minato sighed.

“Sorry, Itachi... You saved her life and I…”

“Those who are dear to our hearts are also our weaknesses.”

"How's your little brother, Sasuke?"

“He should be discharged soon.”

“And your mother?”

“She will be fine. She was placed next to Sasuke's room.”

Minato smiled and ran a hand through Itachi's hair like he had done years before, the night Naruto was born.

“You’ve grown up Itachi.”

“For me, you will always remain a mentor and a friend.”

Itachi smiled back.

“Now go find your son. And pull yourself together. You are the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha. You must lead by example, especially in difficult times.

Minato wanted to thank him, but again Itachi's body twisted, turning into crows.

“And don't forget,” Itachi concluded before disappearing. “You are not alone.”

The crows flew out in numbers and passed in front of Kushina's room. Suddenly, Naruto came out, looking excited.

“Wow, dad, have you seen all those crows?!”

Minato smiled at his son as he thanked Itachi in his mind.

Mikoto's condition was improving very quickly. She regained consciousness in a few hours and was able to leave the hospital the next day, at the same time as her son Sasuke, as well as Kakashi. Tenzo, meanwhile, would stay a few more days, but his condition was improving.

Jiraiya's burial had been postponed at Minato's request, pending Mikoto's recovery.
He knew how close they were. Mikoto would kill him if the funeral was done in her absence. The ceremony would thus take place a week later to allow Mikoto to improve her condition even more. If Mikoto's physical condition had recovered, she seemed particularly unstable psychologically.

Therefore, Minato made the choice to get closer to Mikoto's family. He wanted to keep an eye on her and her family. It also allowed him to be in frequent contact with the Uchihas, which was not a bad thing for the interest of the village. So, it was common to see Minato, accompanied by his son, go to eat dinner with the Uchihas.
Naruto took it pretty well. Being alone with his father was not the best for him. He needed to breathe, to see other people, children of his age. Also, Mikoto was very fond of Naruto. In some ways, he reminded her of Jiraiya. Whenever she thought of her sensei, she couldn’t stop her tears.

Naruto, on the other hand, seemed to have forgiven his father. Jiraiya's death could not have been hidden from him any longer. Naruto, who knew very little of the Sannin, had nevertheless been affected. But more than anything, he seemed to understand the importance he had for his father, and that lessened his anger.

Mikoto, whom Kushina's condition had upset enormously, spent a lot of time by her side.
One morning, Minato, making his usual detour to the hospital on his way to the Hokage's residence, was not surprised to see Mikoto lying on Kushina's bed by her side...

“Naruto?” Minato called.

Naruto woke up abruptly. Mikoto slowly opened one eye.

“You scared me, dad! I... I thought Mom had woken up... “ He added sadly.

Mikoto knelt down in front of Naruto and put both hands on his shoulders.

“She will wake up. I promise. Your mom just needs some rest. But she's a fighter, like you!”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Show him,” Mikoto said. “Show him how strong you will become. When he wakes up, you'll be…”

“Hokage!” Naruto yelled as he ran off to pack his bag for the academy.

“I just meant the top of the class...“ Mikoto whispered with a smile.

“That won’t be easy with Sasuke in his class,” Minato answered, approaching Kushina.

Mikoto sighed looking at her friend.

“Her condition isn't changing... It's been two weeks... The doctors aren't saying much…”

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“Kushina…”

Mikoto fixed Minato with an intense gaze.

“Tomorrow is... his funeral... Are you ready?”
“Are you?”

“No…”

“Me neither…”

Mikoto gave a sad smile.

“I'm sorry... I'm acting irresponsibly. He was also your sensei. I know you two were close in your own way, and your wife is in a coma. Not to mention that you are responsible for the whole village! But I, all I've been able to do is let you handle everything on your own…”

“You're my friend, Mikoto.”

“I must have looked stupid when I fainted. They must have had a good laugh, in the Hyuga clan…”

Minato didn't answer. He recalled the image of Mikoto's Sharingan, that day. For a moment, it looked like a heart… Did Mikoto know? Minato wasn’t sure. For now, he decided to say nothing.

The next morning, Naruto got up but didn't go to the academy. Classes had been canceled that day. But the young Uzumaki was not happy about it. It was Jiraiya's funeral. Minato had hardly slept that night. In fact, he hadn't slept much for the past two weeks. He missed Kushina a lot. But he still got up and got dressed for the occasion.

In the Uchiha District, Mikoto opted for a long black dress. In front of the mirror, tears were flowing.

"Mother, are you almost done?" Sasuke suddenly asked. “I have to brush my teeth.”

With the back of her hand, she wiped her eyes as well as she could.

“Yes, Sasuke,” she answered in a voice she wanted as soft as possible.

After a last glance at her reflection, she left to make way for her son, whom she avoided with her gaze so that he wouldn't see any traces of tears.

When Sasuke came downstairs, dressed in black, Mikoto couldn't help but be in awe.

“You’ve grown so much, Sasuke.”

The boy smiled.

“Mother, you are very beautiful.”

Mikoto smiled back. Such a compliment coming from his son was welcomed, even in such circumstances.

“When do we leave?

“As soon as they arrive. You know them; they are never late.”

“The Yondaime maybe, but Naruto…”

“You can call him Minato, you know,” Mikoto replied.

They remained silent for a while.

“Mother, where is Itachi?”

“Probably on a mission,” Mikoto replied in a reassuring voice.

“But why have a mission today? Even classes at the academy have been canceled…”

“But the world is still turning…”

She looked at the morning sun.

“The sun rises every morning, and life goes on... Even without Jiraiya-sensei…”

The tears flowed again. Seeing that Sasuke was watching him, Mikoto wiped them off, smiling.

“The sun is really bright today,” she laughed. “My eyes are so sensitive.”

When Minato and Naruto finally arrived, the four of them set off in the direction of the Hokage's building. The ceremony took place on the huge roof of the building, under the carved faces of the Hokages, which seemed to watch over the coffin in which Jiraiya's body lay.

They were the first to arrive, along with the Sandaime and the two advisors. The Hyuga clan arrived soon after, then other villagers. Eventually, the Uchiha clan made its appearance.
Minato saw that some were staring at Mikoto out of the corner of their eyes. However, she didn't seem to have noticed. Her attention had been fixed on the coffin from the beginning.

The wind blew, making the capes of the two Hokages flutter, now side by side and dressed in their official attire. Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi waited for people to quiet down. It didn't take long.

The Sandaime Hokage took a step forward. Minato stood still.

“Welcome to all. I would like to thank you for being here today.”

His sentence was followed by a heavy silence. All attention had turned to him. Mikoto was watching him intently.

“I notice that the assembly is largely made up of Shinobis. I think everyone knows that Jiraiya was one of the three legendary great Sannins and, like all of them, he was also my student.”

He paused again. Minato lowered his head darkly.

“I don't know what the rumors are and how true they are, but I believe each of you has the right to know the truth about his death.”

The crowd’s attention was at its peak.

“Jiraiya was killed by Orochimaru.”

A shiver ran through the assembly. Mikoto frowned.

“Orochimaru? A woman exclaimed, apparently panicked. “Should we be worried about our children?”

Hiruzen looked at the e girl who was holding her hand. Minato took a step forward, remaining slightly behind Hiruzen.

"Don't worry," he said in his most soothing voice. “He won't come back.”

The tension suddenly seemed to drop, following Minato’s words. It was as if everyone had just remembered his presence. Mikoto understood that well, and all the more so since she had seen him. She was far away at the time but didn’t miss the expression of surprise and fear displayed by Orochimaru when Minato appeared.

If he had arrived just before... Just a second earlier... Orochimaru would have been defeated...She thought.

She felt the tears welling up inside her but somehow managed to control herself.

“Jiraiya was, among my disciples, the most troublesome,” Hiruzen continued, staring into space.

Mikoto let out a gasp.

“He didn't know his parents and always wanted to be recognized. This led to him becoming one of the most powerful Shinobis in the world and becoming known during the Second Great War for his many exploits. He traveled a lot, imparting his knowledge to those who only knew misery, wanting to share good and bring peace all over the world.”

Mikoto gave another muffled gasp. Sasuke turned to her, worried. Mikoto gave him a forced smile.

“But that was not all. Above all, he had this thing that our founders passed on to us… The Will of Fire.”

Hiruzen then turned his back to the crowd and raised his head to stare at the stone statues.

“On many points, he reminded me of a great master, whom I had the chance to know… Lord Hashirama Senju, the Shodaime Hokage, the founder of the village of Konoha.”

“One of the founders,” someone replied, in a perfectly audible fake whisper.

Some turned their heads towards the Uchiha clan, but no one added anything.
Hiruzen pretended not to have heard anything. Minato stared at the Shodaime Hokage statue, and Mikoto clenched her fists.

“Jiraiya has become an accomplished man, an example for all of us to follow, even if his face does not appear on this rock. As his sensei, his death affects me deeply.”

Minato then met Kakashi's gaze.

“I would now leave it to Minato, who had the good fortune to be one of his disciples.”

Minato took a step forward, finding himself at Hiruzen’s right. Everyone fell silent, ready to listen to him. But he didn't have time to say a word. Mikoto had advanced to place herself between the two men.

Minato, surprised, said nothing and just stared at her.
Whispers echoed through the assembly. The two advisers, in the distance in front of the crowd, pretended to come forward, but Hiruzen made them understand with a look that it was useless.

Mikoto was going to speak, and no one could stop her from doing so.

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