The Fallout 2

The smoldering aftermath of the explosion painted Konoha's skyline in crimson hues and drifting columns of smoke. Ash rained gently from the sky, like funereal confetti for the dead. Buildings stood in broken silhouettes against the dying light of day — scorched, twisted, some still smoldering. The stench of fire, ozone, and blood hung thick in the air.

In the center of it all, Hiruzen Sarutobi — aged, battered, his robes stained with soot and blood — staggered forward. His left arm was gone, reduced to a hastily bandaged stump. Yet he moved with deliberate care as he approached Minato Namikaze's lifeless body.

The Fourth Hokage is laying still, his blond hair matted with ash and blood. His eyes were closed. Peaceful. In his arms, cradled tightly to his chest, was the village's newest orphan.

Hiruzen dropped to one knee with a ragged grunt and gently lifted Naruto from Minato's arms.

 "I'll protect him. I swear it."

Behind him, rubble shifted. A young ANBU — barely more than a boy, his mask cracked, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and three fingers missing from one hand — stumbled toward him.

 "Lord Third! The beast... Did the sealing work?" Asked an ANBU standing by Hiruzen.

"It worked... or it appears to have. The seal is holding. For now."

He stood slowly, Naruto secure in his remaining arm.

"We lost contact with the deployed squads. Root's gone silent. Only four squads seem more or less intact. Should we call for reinforcements from the Land of Iron?"

"No. We handle this here. We rebuild here. This is Konoha. We don't kneel. Like fire we rise." Instructed quitely the Hokage.

He turned back his attention to the seal.

"Even at death's door… he sealed it flawlessly. He used the Kyūbi's own hatred to cage it—its own power, its own chains. Gods… what a loss. Minato… you gave everything."

A shuffling sound came from behind. Another ANBU — older, with deep scars and a gravelly voice — stepped forward.

"Sir… we found no trace of Danzō. Nothing. Not even blood."

"Then he's alive. And watching. But I doubt this time we will have to worry about him for a while."

The youngest of the surviving ANBU stepped forward, his hands trembling, eyes wide beneath a cracked mask.

What do we tell the people?"

Hiruzen looked around.

The streets were lined with the dead — civilians, shinobi, even children. Entire families had been wiped away in an instant. Smoke curled from what had once been homes, and the great stone faces of the Hokage Monument were cracked. Minato's newly carved visage bore a fresh wound: a long, blackened scar across the left cheek.

He looked down at Naruto.

A baby. Silent. Eyes closed.

"We'll tell them Minato died for the village, and that the demon was sealed again. Everything about Naruto's identity shall be S rank classified, 2 squands of ANBU will take turns to protect and surveil him. From now on... he is Naruto Uzumaki."At the end his voice could not help but crackle a bit with emotion, Hiruzen felt his heart crushed. Today he lost nearly everything.

A long silence followed.

Even the wind seemed to pause.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. As if things could get even worse.

The ANBU all turned toward the sky instinctively, weapons drawn, breathing heavily, still undershock. But it was only the storm rolling in late — the one that hadn't come in time.

The 3rd Hokage rallied the remaining ANBU and started comanding the apt workers who got in time to the shelters to clear the rubbles. The worst was not over yet.

Outside, the village burned low and quiet. A drizzle began to fall, washing blood into the gutters. Children cried in the distance, their homes gone. Medical-nin darted between makeshift shelters and tents. The Hyūga compound had taken damage, but they were organizing recovery efforts.

For the first time in many years, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the weight of the hat not as a symbol of strength — but as a crown of ash.

Konoha had not fallen. But it had been broken.