Chaos was the theme of the day.
The Chunin Ninja Exams had been forced to a halt.
Orochimaru, a former member of the Konoha Sannin, had joined forces with the Sand Ninja to launch a surprise attack on Konoha.
But Orochimaru and the Sand Ninja had not actually caused much damage.
The Sand Ninja had only torn down a section of the perimeter wall before the Konoha Ninja quickly joined forces to subdue them.
Orochimaru had merely taken the Hokage hostage and summoned a forest.
The main problem was that Shukaku, the One-Tail, was still inside the village.
Compared with the Nine-Tails, Shukaku really did not pose much of a threat to Konoha.
But the place where Shukaku had appeared was far too critical-practically the center of Konoha.
That left Shukaku free to run wild, while they had to hold back for fear of collateral damage.
Once the Konoha Ninja had swiftly escorted the nearby civilians to safety, however, everything changed.
Then, with Naruto taking the lead and Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi, and the others assisting, Shukaku's consciousness was forcibly suppressed.
With that, the Konoha Crush Plan devised by Orochimaru and his Sand Ninja allies was completely foiled.
Meanwhile, White Zetsu, who was hiding outside Konoha, sighed.
He had thought that the chaos would give him a glimpse of the mysterious Su Yu's true capabilities.
But he had not expected Orochimaru to be so useless, or Shukaku to be so useless either, getting dealt with by a few Konoha Genin.
Though the strength of those Genin had shocked even him.
Still, strong as they were, they were not enough. If their Akatsuki's plan succeeded, then no matter how powerful those few people in Konoha were, it would make no difference.
He took one last look at Konoha, which had already quieted