Konoha, once lined with row upon row of buildings, had been reduced to piles of rubble. Its usually bustling streets were now deserted.
It was not until noon that the people of Konoha began emerging from the shelters, one after another, searching for their homes by memory. Many of the shinobi had been assigned to reinforce the village's defenses early that morning and couldn't take part in its reconstruction. As the villagers busied themselves, a piece of news reached their ears.
"Have you heard? Lord Fourth Hokage was killed in battle last night!"
"What? Lord Hokage was killed? How could that be? He was a superstrong shinobi known as 'Konoha's Thunderclap.' Who could possibly have killed him?!"
"It's true. My son's a shinobi, and a friend of his friend told him personally."
"Is that so? Then it must be true. With Lord Hokage dead, Konoha's in turmoil again!"
Countless rumors spread from villager to villager. Strangely, although Konoha High Command sent people to deny them, the villagers—who hadn't seen Uzumaki Jiuming since the battle—were more inclined to believe the news that "the Fourth Hokage is dead." Already terrified, the people grew even more uneasy because they had not seen Uzumaki Jiuming since the battle.
Some people took note of all this and sent word beyond the village that "the Fourth Hokage's whereabouts are unknown."
"Lady Tsunade, how is Jiuming?"
Inside a cave outside Konoha, Kushina Uzumaki dragged her exhausted body over to Tsunade. Seeing Jiuming unconscious on the stone bed, she asked anxiously. She had just given birth to Naruto and, worn out, had gone to rest early. But when she woke, she was greeted by terrible news.
Her son Naruto had become a Jinchuriki, and her younger brother had been gravely wounded in the battle the previous night. Minato