October 5, Year 51 of Konoha. Kushina Uzumaki's due date was five days away.
The shops on the commercial street opened early that morning. Steam drifted up from breakfast stalls, mingling with the aromas of grilled rice cakes and miso soup.
Newsboys ran through the streets with bulging bags of newspapers slung over their shoulders, their clear voices rising one after another:
"Extra! Extra! An emergency notice jointly issued by the Hokage Notice Board and the Konoha Daily!"
As usual, the villagers gathered around, pulling out loose change to buy newspapers that still carried the fresh scent of ink.
Everyone froze.
On the front page was a bold, eye-catching headline:
"Notice Regarding a Village-Wide Konoha Fire Drill—Beginning at 6 p.m. today and lasting three days, all villagers must follow instructions and enter their designated shelters in an orderly manner."
"A fire drill?" A middle-aged man with a rice ball in his mouth read the words indistinctly, his brow furrowing deeply.
"What kind of nonsense is this? What the hell is a fire drill?"
"Three days?" A middle-aged woman beside him leaned in for a look, her voice rising several pitches.
"Is my little shop supposed to stay in business or not?"
More and more people crowded around, and the discussions spread like a tide. The news traveled quickly. In less than half an hour, all of Konoha knew about it.
And nowhere was more crowded than the Konoha Commerce Department.
The Ministry of Commerce building stood in the busiest part of the commercial street. It was a three-story stone structure, with two stone lions at its entrance and the words "Konoha Commerce Department" carved above the doorway.
At that moment, the lobby was packed solid, filled with merchants of every kind.
There were grain sellers, cloth merchants, ninja tool dealers,