In the ravaged Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally led the village's shinobi to Rin, who was slowly emerging from the ruins with Naruto in her arms.
Seeing Rin wearing a mask, everyone jumped in alarm.
"An enemy!"
"Wait."
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a hand to stop the agitated Ninja beside him.
Regardless of whether she was an enemy, the child in her arms alone meant they could not attack rashly.
"Third."
Rin looked at the Third and the Ninja beside him with displeasure. Why? Because from beginning to end, she had never seen them come to Minato-sensei's aid.
Even if they had a thousand reasons, she had not seen them offer Minato-sensei a helping hand. That alone left Rin deeply dissatisfied with them.
"May I ask who you are? Where are Minato and the others?"
"The Fourth Hokage and his wife... gave their lives. They were heroes."
"Gave... their lives!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth. He had so much to say, yet for a moment, he found himself unable to utter a word.
The Fourth Hokage, Konoha's strongest and finest Ninja, had died just like that.
"This is the Fourth Hokage's child, the son of heroes. I'm leaving him in your care. Look after him well. He will be Konoha's future. Oh, and his name is Naruto."
As she spoke, Rin stepped forward and placed Naruto in Hiruzen Sarutobi's arms.
If she knew how to care for a baby, she would certainly have tried to persuade her master to let her take the child back to the Limbo of Life and Death.
Of course, that depended on her master agreeing.
The Third looked at Naruto, still swaddled in his arms. Sensing the powerful chakra within that tiny infant, he immediately realized that Minato had sealed the Nine-Tails inside the child.
In other