Crimson light descended from the sunset, streaking the clouds with bright and shining light. The clouds drifted through the sky. Scrubbed clean, the streets sparkled as the workers set bricks back atop the buildings from which they came. A single snake lay, pierced through, on the street. Its blood sank into the stones, darkening the brown toward black.

The two Kage lay on the grass, robes spread across the grass like shed skins.

Unmei smiled. He blew smoke up into the air, adjusting the pipe in his mouth. "Guess it could be worse."

"About ten percent to thirty percent of our ninja forces defected, including several very important interrogators. Kabuto-san, and Tayuya-san, included. Those two are quite risky losses." Sarutobi sighed quietly. He exhaled, a massive cloud of smoke emerging from his mouth. "After the end of today, it's going to be difficult to clear things up."

Several shadow clones of Sarutobi rushed through the streets, setting bricks up once again in an orderly fashion.

"But Hidden Leaf is still standing." Unmei shrugged. "I mean, it's not like I don't get where you're coming from. But you still have your jinchūriki, and the only ninja who actually died were those genin who Gaara targeted."

Sarutobi scowled. "Shouldn't you be more empathetic?"

"Tears aren't going to resolve anything." Unmei firmly cleared his throat, his violet eyes narrowing.

Sarutobi sighed. "I suppose that's true, but in a situation like this…" He paused. "It doesn't hurt to cry a little," he stated finally.

"There's a point about us…" Unmei chuckled. "Us Frost Ninja."

Sarutobi blinked. "Eh?" he questioned, tilting his head to one side.

"Frost-nin believe in the death of love. To die, alone, fighting for the people you personally believe in and love… That is the highest death, the highest honor." Unmei paused. "That's the will of our people…"

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.

The villagers slowly rebuilt. Buildings ascended through the sky, their peaks rising toward the heavens.

"Those who did die in the battle. They fought defending their home. That's a good way to die, for us. That kind of death is worthy of a seat in the heavens, so I wouldn't weep for them."

"I see." Sarutobi tapped his chin, wordlessly. How should I respond...? I can't say I don't understand his meaning; to me it appears quite clear. It's not dissimilar to that Will of Fire.

"So… Sarutobi-jii. Have you put some thought into your replacement?" Unmei questioned.

Sarutobi chuckled. "You call me that, though we're the same age." He sighed after a moment. His eyes stared up at the clouds. "Of course I've thought of that, but…" He lowered his hand. "It's hard, letting go this position of authority twice."

"I see." Unmei nodded peacefully.

Sarutobi paused. "Why do you do that, anyway? Ask about replacements, I mean," he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"You grew up. I still haven't, you know. By that logic, you should be considerably more responsible."

Sarutobi smirked. He puffed on the pipe, his brown eyes staring up at the sun.

Unmei stared at the sky. He wiped off the pipe, setting it back within his possessions.

Unmei's shadow clones set the bricks up rapidly with the twin katana, blurring around the streets in a motion of swift action.

"Eh…heh." Unmei chuckled. "Well, my techniques are a little strange… They're not suited to repair. I take it you're working on it, then?"

"The Shadow Clones, right?"

"Right."

"I can't manage as much as I did in the old days…" Sarutobi paused. "Rather, Naruto-san's doing a lot of it."

"I thought at the time he was a really interesting kid." Unmei inclined his head, briefly running one hand through the hair.

Sarutobi smiled. "That he is."

"It's a real shame you're not in your prime, anymore." Unmei smiled, staring up at the sky.

"What would change?"

"You'd finish that kid a lot quicker, using that Professorial knack you possess. That much is for certain." Unmei paused. "You won mainly by outwitting that kid."

Sarutobi remained silent.

"But the guy in my youth—the guy I knew—wouldn't have had a problem with having to seize up the sand the kid used or whatever."

Sarutobi smiled. "I got old."

"You grew up. You got serious."

"In a way, I imagine that isn't wrong…" Sarutobi frowned.

The sky darkened. The sun dipped behind the mountains, the city darkening as the sun faded from the sun.

"At any rate, we're still old dogs. Our experience is quite complicated…"

The clouds passed over the sky.

"Someone like Orochimaru… he's rather foolish."

Sarutobi blinked. "How do you figure?"

"This whole attack was nothing more than a child's game. Reclaim the victory? Claim the immortality I possess? Absurd!" Unmei chuckled. "It's a completely absurd motive for sacrificing so much of his power."

Sarutobi frowned.

"This act was a grandiose performance. A complete sacrifice, all for my cells…" Unmei's lips curled upward. "In that light, we lost less than he did. He had to reveal a lot of information regarding his capabilities. The soldiers he possesses, the spies he has—anyone could tell you it's a stupid move."

Sarutobi nodded quietly.

The clouds drifted over the sky.

"Yet, that old man's afraid." Unmei paused. "He's gotten old… and he's afraid of being old."

Sarutobi chuckled. "It's not a bad thing to grow old."

Unmei shrugged.

"But, I suppose that for you, you are in the space where that no longer matters. You can heal to a degree where age will no longer strike you as a threat."

"A little pitiful that you say that, the god of shinobi yourself." Unmei smiled. "Well, it's for the best, I'm sure. Honestly, I think your way is better. At the least, it is less like a shinobi to become a god."

"The role of shinobi… In this world, it is not a bad thing to grow old." Sarutobi smiled.

The smoke rose through the sky, ascending into the heavens.