"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
At that moment, countless sounds of rushing wind rang out throughout Konoha.
One Konoha ninja after another raced through the streets and over the rooftops, hurrying toward the Hokage Building.
Some ninja had no idea what had happened, but seeing everyone else rushing in that direction, they followed suit.
Something major must have happened! That was what everyone thought.
When they approached the Hokage Building, they were stunned by the sight before them. A dense crowd of Konoha civilians and noble-clan ninja had gathered before the building. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood there as well, looking up at the blond-haired youth standing in midair.
They all recognized the silent youth hovering overhead. Only a few days had passed since the Chunin Exams, yet the sight of him smashing Orochimaru apart with his hammer remained vivid in everyone's minds.
And there had also been that battle at the village entrance, one that had lingered in their memories for a long time.
Such terrifying combat power had become a presence no one could afford to ignore—not even the Hokage.
Yet the villagers below occasionally looked toward the youth in the sky with concealed indifference in their eyes, while Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing before the Hokage Building, smiled up at him.
The atmosphere was like a battlefield standoff, making everyone feel a trace of tension.
What is going on?
That was what everyone was thinking at that moment. They had no idea about the grudge between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Naruto.
"Looks like something happened. Why is everyone heading over there?" In a training room, Kakashi, Anko Mitarashi, and Might Guy had just finished training and were resting as they chatted.
But the commotion outside had clearly caught their attention.
Kakashi and Guy had always been friends, and Guy often dragged