The Situation

Soon, the door swung wide open, and Ye Han saw several familiar faces standing before him. They were the friends he was closest to, and they had all come together.

"Hey! You're all here!" Ye Han raised a hand and greeted them.

They stared in surprise, then realized Ye Han had woken up. Delighted expressions appeared on their faces, and Hyuga Hiben hurried to his side. "Ye Han, you're finally awake. How do you feel? Does anything still hurt?"

"I'm fine now. I've completely recovered, so don't worry," Ye Han said with a smile.

Mikazuki Sora looked at him. "You've been unconscious for three days, like a corpse. How could we not worry?"

"Three days? I've been asleep for three days?" Ye Han asked, stunned. So he really had been unconscious for that long. That was quite a while.

"Ye Han, I heard you got caught up in the Nine-Tails incident. It's a miracle you survived," Cunxia Ye blurted out.

Shiba Bun shot Cunxia Ye an exasperated look. "Is that any way to talk? Go home and learn how to speak properly before you try again."

Ye Han smiled and waved a hand. "It's fine. The Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha really was a disaster. Anyone who survived that catastrophe was lucky."

"See? Even Ye Han says so. What's wrong with the way I put it?"

Shiba Bun saw how Cunxia Ye was acting and just shook his head, deciding not to argue with him. Instead, he asked Ye Han, "While you were unconscious, the whole village was drowning in grief. So many ninja sacrificed their lives to protect the village. Even the Fourth Hokage perished alongside the Nine-Tails..."

The others' expressions darkened at his words. Becoming Hokage was the goal of many ninja, but the Hokage was also the pillar of support for everyone in the village. The Fourth Hokage had visited their school many times and was admired by everyone there. They all felt his loss deeply.

Ye Han had been the first to learn the news, of course, but he still asked, "Really? The Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to protect the village? How are things there now?"

"The Third Hokage has come out of retirement and is overseeing repairs to the damaged buildings and arranging shelter for the injured and those whose homes were destroyed. Sigh! The damage to the village is just too great."

Ye Han could imagine it. The Nine-Tails rampaging through Konoha would have been like a wolf let loose among a flock of sheep. Every movement would have destroyed countless buildings and taken countless lives. In this world of ninja, those without power were utterly helpless.

"What about Itachi? Is he all right?"

"Itachi's fine. He came by a few times while you were unconscious, but now he seems to be home looking after his younger brother. His parents are helping with the village's reconstruction."

"Oh, right! Today's the funeral for the Fourth Hokage and the ninja who died in the battle. Do you want to go?" Cunxia Ye asked.

Ye Han was taken aback. The funeral was already happening? Thinking of how the Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina had looked after him, he felt he had to pay his respects.

"Let's go," Ye Han said. He quickly got dressed, and the group headed to the site together. Many people had already gathered there, dressed in black and holding white flowers. The Fourth Hokage was loved and respected by everyone in the village, so naturally, many had come to bid him farewell.

And it wasn't only the Fourth Hokage. Many other great ninja had also given their lives to protect the village. Their family members, friends, and comrades were gathered there, and grief hung over the crowd, spreading to everyone around them.

Ye Han spotted the Third Hokage there. Among those who had died was the Third Hokage's wife, Lady Biwako. After losing the woman he had shared his life with for so many years, the Third Hokage was naturally devastated. But he showed none of it on his face. He was the Hokage, and at a time like this, he had to be the village's pillar of support. He couldn't show weakness.

Before long, Ye Han stood before the gravestones. Looking at the names of the Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina, he felt conflicted. Don't worry. If your child is ever in danger, I'll save him.

The Third Hokage spotted Ye Han and said, "Ye Han, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I'm more or less fine now," Ye Han replied.

"Good. Come to the Hokage Office this evening. I'd like to ask you about a few things concerning Minato."

Ye Han nodded. He knew what the Third Hokage wanted to ask. He was the only one who had witnessed everything that happened, so naturally, the Third Hokage wanted to know all about the events surrounding the Fourth Hokage's death.

After the funeral ended that evening, Ye Han went to the Hokage's office. He knocked twice. "Knock, knock!"

The Third Hokage's voice came from inside. "Come in."

"Creak!" Ye Han opened the door and walked in. It was already night, but the Third Hokage was still seated behind his desk. Documents were piled high across it, and he was still working through them. Konoha had already been weakened by the Battle of Kikyo Pass; now the Nine-Tails' attack had left the village in even worse shape. Its ninja ranks had been severely depleted, leaving many missions impossible to complete. The village needed to carefully coordinate its remaining forces, and handling all of that was the Hokage's responsibility.

The Third Hokage looked up at Ye Han. "You're here, Ye Han. Have a seat. I'll finish this up in a moment."

"Yes," Ye Han replied, sitting down.

A little while later, the Third Hokage finished with the documents and came over to sit across from Ye Han. "Don't be nervous. I just want to understand what happened with Minato and Kushina. The Fourth Hokage and Kushina were taken from us so suddenly. Could you tell me what you know?"

Ye Han nodded and told the Third Hokage everything he knew. The Third Hokage listened closely. When Ye Han finished, he sighed. "I never imagined something so dangerous had happened. Minato and Kushina really suffered. Ye Han, tell me: was that masked man a member of the Uchiha clan?"