Her smile faded a bit at those words, and she sighed as she shook her head, "Hard not to. It happened so fast, but I still can't help thinking 'what if I had paid more attention' or 'what if I had pestered the council more over the rumor'. Even 'I shouldn't have been walking there at that time'. But it's too late to do anything about it now except move forward."

After a beat, she added, "I can't just be Hokage for myself. It's a huge responsibility and... Now more than ever, I owe the village. I owe everyone here for the life I can live. They deserve a wonderful leader, one who can help keep the village prosperous and peaceful. A strong leader who can help defend the village against any peril... That's who I want to be."