Naruto was sleeping soundly and was not woken up.
Namikaze Minato put his arm around his wife's shoulder: "You've been through a fright, Kushina. I will work hard to become stronger to protect you and our child."
Kushina had only just recovered some of her strength. She leaned into Minato's embrace and nodded. She had been terrified today, thinking she would never see her child again. She never expected that people from another world would save her. Among them was the Minato from the alternate world. They said that the alternate version of her would only give birth to Naruto a month from now.
It was truly fascinating, a world identical to their own.
"Minato, they are our family's saviors. If you have the chance, please try your best to repay our debt of gratitude."
Namikaze Minato understood this naturally, but now that he was the Hokage, some things that used to be simple were now difficult. Nevertheless, he would try his best: "Okay, I promise you."
The night passed like this. The entire Konoha Village was essentially sleepless. With the Nine-Tails appearing in the village, how could anyone sleep?
Early in the morning, the villagers all rushed to the area the Nine-Tails had destroyed last night to observe. All the houses in that area were damaged to varying degrees, and the ground was full of ravines. Yet, no one was seen dead, and no news of casualties had spread. Most people hid in their home cellars last night and completely dared not come out. Even fewer people had the courage to check the situation, aside from spies.
Torifu also woke up early. The inn arranged by Sarutobi Hiruzen was quite decent, a little better than camping outside the village, but the difference was not huge. However, Minato and Yahiko had not slept well at all. They found the old-fashioned bedding of Konoha Village hard to adapt to. Having long been accustomed to soft beds, sleeping on hard planks for two consecutive days naturally made their bodies ache a bit.
"Alright, time to get up. I wonder when Konoha Village's high command will come to see us."
Torifu clapped his hands to wake everyone up. They quickly washed up, changed their clothes, and sat in the room, waiting for the people from Konoha Village.
After about half an hour, there was a knock on the inn door. It was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"How did you all sleep?"
Apart from Torifu and Naori, Minato and Yahiko forced a smile. Sarutobi Hiruzen understood immediately: "I sincerely apologize. I arranged the rooms at the last minute last night, and I regret putting you all out."
"Once we're done here, I will arrange for the best inn in Konoha Village to vacate rooms for you all."
There was no need to refuse such an offer. Torifu could endure it, but since Yahiko and Minato were uncomfortable, why make things difficult for themselves?
"Then thank you very much."
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand at this: "Compared to the help you all gave Konoha Village, this is nothing." Then he continued: "If it is convenient for you all, would you be able to come to the Hokage Office this afternoon to discuss matters in detail?"
"Convenient, of course, it's convenient," Torifu replied.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked pleased: "Very well. I will await you all in the Hokage Office Conference Room at 1:30 PM."
Then, he departed.
"Big Brother, after we talk with Konoha Village's high command, how much longer will we stay here?"
Torifu pondered: "We can leave after the discussion. We might even bring a few people back to our side for a visit."
Minato understood this. Give them a shock to facilitate smoother progress later. Torifu estimated that if he were to bring anyone, it would be Sarutobi Hiruzen or Namikaze Minato. These two were the highest-ranking and most influential figures in Konoha Village. That old fellow Shimura Danzō was too cunning, and Torifu was reluctant to communicate with him. Furthermore, Sarutobi Hiruzen would certainly not let Danzō interfere in this matter. This included the various clans of Konoha Village; Sarutobi Hiruzen would definitely not allow them to inquire about it.
This was exactly the result Torifu was hoping for. It was not good to let the matter become widely known all at once. After all, even in his own world, he hadn't told the villagers about the existence of alternate worlds yet.
Inside the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Namikaze Minato, Shimura Danzō, and the two Elders were gathered.
"Such a huge incident happened last night, why did Root take no action?" Hiruzen immediately interrogated Danzō.
But Danzō had already prepared his response: "The Nine-Tails was dealt with so quickly! Root mobilized immediately after receiving the news, but as soon as we arrived in the village, everything was already over. Who can be blamed for that?"
"And I have a question as well! Why were there so many ANBU, yet they failed to prevent this incident from happening?"
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura acted as mediators, and the entire conference room was in chaos. No one could clearly articulate anything; it was just about who could shout the loudest. This made Minato's position in the middle extremely difficult. He wanted to offer his own opinions, but he couldn't get a word in. He could only sigh helplessly.
"I have one more thing to ask! The Nine-Tails is so powerful, why was it resealed so quickly? Hiruzen, you've blocked the news, but what are the facts!"
Danzō was desperate to know the details. He had intentionally not shown up, hoping Minato would die so he could legitimately become Hokage! But now, not only was Minato alive, but he wasn't even injured. That was the Nine-Tails! The strongest Tailed Beast in the ninja world! Could that cranky old man Sarutobi Hiruzen and an inexperienced Hokage seal the Nine-Tails? Don't make him laugh! Danzō absolutely did not believe that Minato and Hiruzen alone had sealed the Nine-Tails.
"Hmph. Root may be slow to move, but your intelligence is quite sharp. Of course, the Nine-Tails was sealed by the two of us. If you don't believe me, you can ask the ANBU who were present."
Danzō gnashed his teeth in anger upon hearing this. Ask the ANBU? The ANBU are all your people, why would I ask the ANBU!
The two mediators, seeing that the argument was about to escalate again, intervened once more. Since they had grown up together, their words carried some weight. As soon as they spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō fell silent.
"The incident has already happened. Arguing is meaningless. Let's think about how to rebuild Konoha Village. Our funds are not exactly sufficient."