Konoha, the Chunin Ninja Exams arena.
The once-bustling arena was now deserted. Only a handful of workers remained in the stands, clearing away scattered debris.
Wind swept across the empty grounds, stirring up a few fallen leaves and a forgotten registration form, sending them tumbling down the steps into a corner.
With the Fourth Raikage, the Third Kazekage, and the other Kage-level figures all departing in haste, the Chunin Ninja Exams had been suspended.
Though all the participating ninja were full of questions, when they saw their villages' team leaders hurrying toward them with grim expressions,
not one of them asked a word-they simply packed their equipment in silence and followed their leaders out of Konoha, setting off on the journey home.
The next morning, a special edition of the Konoha Daily rolled off the presses and spread across the Ninja World like snowflakes, its ink barely dry.
The front-page headline read in large, bold letters:
"Akatsuki attacks four great ninja villages! Five Tailed Beasts fall at once! Third Tsuchikage killed in battle!"
Beneath the headline, rows of bold text read:
"The One-Tail, Two-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and Eight-Tails-six Tailed Beasts have fallen into the hands of the Akatsuki in succession!"
"Iwagakure suffers devastating losses! Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, his son Kitsuchi, Elite Jonin Bunya, Ittan, and others died heroically in the battle at Stone River Town!"
"Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, is missing! Sunagakure's One-Tail Jinchuriki, Gaara, has been abducted!"
Every word was like a blade piercing the heart of every ninja who read the paper.
The news exploded over the Ninja World like a thunderclap. Almost simultaneously, every village issued the same orders upon receiving it.
Except for those on emergency assignments, all ninja deployed on missions were to return immediately. Border defenses were pulled back across the board,