The next day, a funeral was held for Lady Tsunade. Everyone in the village attended, even people that weren't generally on good terms with Tsunade. Everyone in attendance cried that day, and not even the most hardened ninja could resist the tears. Despite this being a very sad day, it was actually a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping. It was almost as if Lady Tsunade was smiling down on the village. Many people also brought flowers to throw in with her casket.
During the funeral, the people who were closest to Tsunade made speeches. Sakura was able to get through her speech without breaking down, however Shizune barely uttered the first word of her speech before she erupted into tears. It was very painful to watch her cry, and many of the attendants turned their heads or closed their eyes. Shizune was finally escorted away, and the funeral quickly came to an end. It was very sad indeed.
After the funeral, Moegi attempted to cheer up the rest of Team Ebisu. "Hey, what do you guys say to some Ichiraku Ramen? It'll be my treat!" Moegi said with a comforting smile. But her smile was met by scowls and frowns.
"Sorry, Moegi, I..I just can't right now." Konohamaru answered while shaking his head. He began to walk home quietly.
"I also feel that it would be inappropriate to do so right now." Udon contributed as he walked off in the opposite direction.
Moegi put on a sad face and then turned to Ebisu. "What about you Ebisu sensei? You'll go with me won't you?" Moegi asked as she made puppy dog eyes.
"I'm sorry Moegi, but I'm afraid I am also unable to go with you at this time. I have a meeting to attend to." Ebisu replied sternly and walked away. Moegi was left standing there and so she just hung her head and began to walk home.
Later on, at the meeting that Ebisu spoke of, there was much bickering and arguing. Usually, the next choice for Hokage was discussed with a select few ninja and the Fire Daimyo. However, the Fire Daimyo had also been killed, so there was much confusion.
"How are we supposed to all of a sudden decide who will become Hokage? This is a process that takes much thought, and a higher authority than just a council of all the Jonin in the village. I think we should wait until a new Daimyo is elected, so that they may make the decision." Somebody said loudly. There were many ninja who shouted and yelled in agreement to this.
"The election of a Daimyo could take even longer. It isn't as if we could just ask another Daimyo from another country, because they have no jurisdiction in our country. Besides, there is an imminent threat now that both our Daimyo and Hokage are dead, rest their souls. This puts us in a very vulnerable position. It isn't definite, but there is a high chance of one of our enemy countries taking this as a chance to attack us." Another said. There was just about the same amount of yelling and hollering in agreement to the counterargument.
Finally, Kakashi stood up and quieted everyone. "Both sides are right in a sense. We should wait for a Daimyo to appoint someone as Hokage, but we don't have the time to wait for a Daimyo to be elected. And, we definitely are in danger of being caught off guard. However, I have a temporary solution to this problem. Shikaku Nara, whom is currently the head of the Nara clan and leader of our military operations, should be voted as Fill-in Hokage. Just until, a Daimyo can make the actual decision." Kakashi then sat down.
After he said this, there was a quiet buzz throught the council from the ninja talking amongst each other. One of the elders then got up and prepared to speak. "That was a brilliant idea Kakashi. Everyone in favor of this, raise their hand." Homura commanded.
More than half of the ninja in the council shot their hand in the air. Homura and another elder counted the hands and added the numbers together. "Very good, for the time being, Shikaku Nara is our Hokage." Homura said. "Council dismissed."
People left quickly, but Shikaku stayed to talk with the elders. "If I am the Hokage for now, then we are going to need some ninja to go outside the village and stay on the lookout for any hostile forces." Shikakau ordered.
"Yes sir, we just need to fill out the paperwork and the process will start." Homura said respectfully.
Elsewhere, Konohamaru and Udon were having a talk. "I can not believe that bastard killed Lady Tsunade. I wish I could've stopped him." Udon said angrily.
"She sacrificed her life to protect us, but we wouldn't have been of much use anyways. That guy was ridiculously strong." Konohamaru shot back.
"Well, that's going to have to end. We can't always have others fight for us, because we're not strong enough. It's time for us to start training and getting much stronger. so that we can protect the village when our time comes." Udon calmly replied.
Konohamaru stared at him without a response and nodded his head in silence. "You're right, Udon. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin intense training to make ourselves stronger!" Konohamaru agreed.
"It's a deal." Udon said. He shook Konohamaru's hand and began heading home. Konohamaru was left where he was sitting and eventually Ebisu came around.
"Hello, Konohamaru. Look, I know this isn't the best of circumstances, but I have a gift for you that should cheer you up." Ebisu said with a smile.
Out of one of the pouches on his vest, Ebisu pulled a scroll with the Sarutobi crest on it. He handed it to Konohamaru and smiled. "Whoa, what is this?" Konohamaru asked anxiously.
"That's the Monkey Summoning Contract Scroll, an exclusive Sarutobi justu. The Third Hokage wanted you to have it as soon as you became a Chunin." Ebisu answered.
"That's awesome! Thanks so much, Ebisu! There's something I need to talk with you about though." Konohamaru said.
"Sure, what's going on?" Ebisu asked seemingly concerned.
"Udon and I think that we should all start rigorous training tomorrow, so that we can get much stronger." Konohamaru explained.
"Of course! That sounds like a genius plan. I'll inform Moegi, and you tell Udon that we will meet by the Training Field at 10 a.m." Ebisu said. Konohamaru nodded and they went their seperate ways.
All of Team Ebisu prepared for that night for the intense training that was about to begin the next day.