The story began. "I knew it was an important mission, but… I never expected this to happen. All we wanted was to avoid a war. We hoped for an easy resolution, but knew better than to expect that.

"But you already know all of this, so I guess I better start from when we left. We were expected, so thought that crossing the border would be easy, and indeed it was, although the border guards kept casting suspicious glances toward us. But we thought nothing of the glances. After all, in this day and age, everyone is suspicious. We were to learn our folly too late… but I go too far ahead. Everything was routine for the next three days. Then, in the darkness of that third night, we were ambushed.

"They used a portion of the scroll of destruction's spell to paralyze the camp. Only a few managed to fight the spell off, of which I was one of them. The enemy nins went straight for the Hokage, spreading death and destruction in their wake. We few who fought off the spell did our best to guard the Hokage, but all but me were utterly annihilated. I guess my sharigan eye must have helped to protect me, though I suffered from multiple burns. Then the real fighting started. I was cut up too badly to help much, but the spell of paralysis had worn off enough to let a few more free.

"They slaughtered the helpless and the fighting indiscriminately. The Hokage was shocked, so paralyzed by disbelief she couldn't even defend herself. A flying shuriken killed her.

"With the last Hokage's death, the nins grouped together again, then each headed off in a different direction to loot, maim, torture, and murder. They tied me to a tree, and then… and then…" here he broke down, looking to the Captain of the Guard for support. "Naruto, you know I had a promising youngster under my control named Tsuki, correct? They killed him, right in front of my eyes, but first they tortured him. It wasn't even to get information. It was just for fun. They killed him, and I was helpless to stop them, to protect him, just like I couldn't protect Obito. Naruto, they all die in the end!" He couldn't stop his voice from raising, couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"After a while, some of my chakra returned. I used it to cut my ropes, then went after the nins, having memorized the paralysis spell, as well as the burn spell that they had used upon my colleagues. I was barely able to catch them, weak as I was from blood loss.

"The paralysis worked for a few minutes, nothing more, but it was enough time to grab the scroll and kill them. You know the rest. I stumbled home, and they found me. So here I am, a Hokage, after I couldn't protect the last one. I could have saved them! Why did you make me Hokage, Naruto? You deserved it more than I did. WHY?" Then Kakashi collapsed.