🌸 The Flower He Saw 🌸 A Kakashi and Sakura Story

The Thorn

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"That many casualties in just the span of 3 hours?" 

The puppeteer kept his eyes low in attempt of respecting the current situation, although the tugging of his emotions stilled his breath momentarily. The solemness of this day choked the humanity out of him.  

"34 percent of the population of Konohagakure was wiped out during the attack 3 days ago," Deidara mused. "But is there enough room in the graveyard?"

"Beats me, but I'm sure that if there isn't then they'd make more room." Sasori affirmed confidently. "The new Hokage wouldn't allow any corpse to not have its well deserved respect."

The young blonde nodded his head solemnly, tears welling in his blue eye once he reminded himself of the current situation he was in. Shinobi of all ages, of all clans, and of all kinds of pain stood side by side in black clothing to pay their respect to the Shinobi who died during the Akatsuki attack 3 days ago. 

"So she finally came to a decision, right? She's taking the throne?" Hidan glanced up and stared at the back of a woman who hoisted herself with the utmost respect, a certain broadness to her shoulders that seemed all too fake. The little quivers in her body made his assumptions proven to be true. 

Sasori nodded. "She made the decision of becoming Hokage for, you know, her sake─ so I'm concrete on the fact that she thought this through."

The female Sannin stepped forward and placed her hand over the table that held portraits of all the victims of the attack. A specific photo grasping her attention and forcing her to stare at it the longest before stepping back and dropping her head down. 

That photo belonged to the posters that were once plastered across the village when she'd gone missing. 

"Even when she's gone, she's still making things right." Hidan whispered, for himself although the others managed to hear. 

The silence that followed with his last comment allowed the former Akatsuki members to take a moment to themselves and grieve over the death of a young girl who pierced their hearts with a thorn of a flower. 

Kakashi resided beside the former Akatsuki members and a few other people, all of them which had taken the most action during the Battle of Fate. The village elders including the Godaime-Hokage were the first ones in the lineup, and then behind them resided himself along with the former Akatsuki members and a few of the T&I associates who fought the most. And behind them poised the rest of the Shinobi of their village. 

Civilians gathered amongst them to mourn the death of their Hokage, but none of them knew of the girl who'd inherently saved them all.

The sky was clouded yet no rain fell from it─ the gray hues accompanying them with a bitter ambiance that refused to leave every person that witnessed the Battle of Fate. 

"They named the massacre 'Battle of fate,'" Anko voiced in a low tone, reaching her gaze to meet the sky. "Who knew those turds could get themselves the title of 'hero' in our village, I'm actually proud of them."

The four former Akatsuki members all held their hands into tight fists. 

She added, "They're known as Konoha's Guardians, they kept the entire village safe." she paused. "But she was the one who saved everyone, yet she receives no recognition."

Kakashi remained silent and stared at the grass that rested below him. It was green, but not the shade of green that he was most familiar with. 

"Not every hero will get the recognition they deserve," Kakashi finally said after standing in place in silence. "But not every flower will wilt either."