The morning after the Konoha Crush was a somber tableau of destruction and grief. The once vibrant Chunin Exams stadium was a skeletal ruin, its concrete and metal twisted and shattered, resembling the ribcage of a fallen beast. Dust motes danced in the shafts of sunlight that pierced the smoke-filled air, illuminating the scale of the devastation.
Inside a makeshift morgue, hastily erected within a damaged section of the village, the air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and death. Konoha Shinobi, their faces etched with weariness and grief, moved with a quiet solemnity, identifying the bodies of their fallen comrades. Medical-nin, their hands stained crimson, worked tirelessly, their expressions grim, trying to save the wounded.
Civilians, their eyes hollow with sorrow, huddled together, comforting each other amidst the ruins of their homes. The silence was broken only by the occasional sob or the somber murmur of condolences.
"Over fifty Shinobi... gone," a weary Anbu murmured, his voice barely audible, his masked face betraying no emotion. "And over a hundred civilians."
The Chunin Exams stadium, a monument to the village's strength, was now a symbol of its vulnerability. The rooftop where the final battle raged was a blackened scar, littered with shattered tiles and scorch marks, a testament to the ferocity of the clash.
Inside Konoha Hospital, the atmosphere was a chaotic blend of urgency and despair. The Konoha 12 were gathered, some heavily bandaged and pale (Kiba, Choji), others with minor injuries (Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Lee), and some, miraculously unscathed (Shikamaru, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, Shino, Tenten), were assisting the medical-nin.
Kiba, his face gaunt, lay on a cot, his body swathed in bandages. "It feels like... like every bone in my body is broken," he groaned, his voice weak.
Choji, his large frame still and pale, was hooked up to an IV, his breathing shallow. "I... I never thought..." he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Naruto, his expression a mix of exhaustion and concern, watched his friends, his blue eyes filled with a rare seriousness. "We'll get through this," he said, his voice firm. "We always do."
In a dimly lit interrogation room, Ebisu and Anko, their faces grim, questioned a captured Sand Shinobi. The man, his eyes filled with fear, stammered out information about the invasion.
"They... they infiltrated before we could stop them," Ebisu said, his voice tight with frustration. "We were overwhelmed."
Anko, her expression dark, turned to a silent figure sitting in the corner. "And you," she hissed, her voice laced with venom. "You won't say a word, will you?"
The woman, one of Orochimaru's subordinates, stared blankly ahead, her eyes devoid of emotion.
______
"A subordinate of Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked, his voice laced with shock. "Alive?"
In the Hokage's office, damaged but still standing, Hiruzen Sarutobi, his left arm bandaged, sat wearily at his desk. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, their faces grim, stood before him.
"Hiruzen," Koharu said, her voice grave, "we must discuss the future of the village."
"Without Jiraiya," Homura added, his voice heavy, "you would have perished. Konoha would have been destroyed."
"Your age, and now your injury," Koharu continued, "prevent you from continuing as Hokage."
"We need Jiraiya," Homura said, his voice pleading. "The village needs his strength."
Hiruzen, show no rejection to this but a thought of Danzo wasn't present in today's meeting and no root anbu was seen on the chunins finals exam day, full him with sadness.
Jiraiya, his expression a mix of grief and determination, stood before them. "I appreciate your concern," he said, his voice firm, "but I cannot accept the position. I will.
.try to find Tsunade and convince her. She will become the Godaime Hokage."
He thought of Naruto,"And I will take Naruto with me," he said, his voice resolute. "He needs to be trained."
_________
After a week Later
Hiruzen watched them leave, his eyes filled with a deep sadness. "Be careful," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. "Both of you."