His eyes closed at her final words and he stopped walking entirely. His village. His people. The Uchiha had been his to guard and protect as Hokage just as surely as any other clan in the village. And so while he understood the need to protect the village as a whole at any cost, even the loss of part of it... the tragedy, the unnecessary tragedy, echoed hollow down the inside of his soul and beat in the empty parts.

His people. His Uchiha.

He exhaled and it was long and silent. So much lost the night of Kyuubi and so much more of it than he'd even realized. Shinobi knew they would die for their village and yet -

With a soft tug to her hand, he hoped to draw her back toward him and his free hand reached out to touch her cheek lightly.

"I am sorry, Mikoto. For you, your clan... and for your sons."