That was heartbreaking. Beautiful, powerful, and heartbreaking.

And I can see the bleed-through as well. I enjoyed and thought it was a good contemplation on an age-old question.

I just wanted to say I thought this was really good.

I like it but isn't Asuma the Hokage's son?

An unusual, yet very well-written fic. I commend you!

Darn. I didn't think I'd like Asuma this much until I read some of your fics. I could never really find a way past the smoking, lazy, but buff stereotype until I read some of these really great stuff of yours. I love the characterization you have for Asuma. Thanks, I'm now officially converted~:D

Wow. This was really great. I'm not a big Sandaime fan, but this was really good. His PoV really helped, I think, and the repititions (and I so spelled that wrong) were loverly. Especially Yondaime's repeated phrase, and how Sandaime adopted it at the end. Heck, how like, it was just the entire meaning behind the entire fic.

And Asuma is love. Seeing into his childhood like this was very very lovely.

Thank you for this fic.

This is powerful and moving. The reasons soldiers fight when we would all so much rather live lives of peace is beautifully illustrated here. Perhaps it is your background in the military that allows you to see so clearly, but it is your gifts as a writer that make it possible for you to communicate that vision to the rest of the world. And it is so nice to see a story from Sandaime's point of view. Seeing young Asuma, too is so touching. One really feels for these tragically young ninja, especially as you have written them.

i like this fanfic. its so deep. i also like the "ninja way" dying to protect someone. anyways. good job!

I always like the Sandaime. He was a really great Hokage. But are Asuma and Sarutobi really related?

Hm, love the Sandaime point of view. It's very rare, and even rarer to see it well done, like this one.