The sun was setting on the Hidden Leaf Village, casting long shadows across the rooftops and alleys. Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage, sat at his desk in the Hokage's office, pouring over a stack of reports from his ANBU agents. It had been a quiet few weeks, with no major threats to the village or its inhabitants. Naruto sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes.
Just as he was about to call it a day, there was a knock on his door. Naruto straightened up and called out, "Come in."
The door creaked open and in stepped his trusted advisor, Shikamaru Nara. Shikamaru's usually laid-back expression was serious, and Naruto knew that meant trouble.
"What's up, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, bracing himself for bad news.
"It's the Hokage before you, Lady Tsunade," Shikamaru said, his voice low. "She's gone missing."
Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Lady Tsunade had been one of the most powerful and respected Hokages in the history of the Hidden Leaf Village. Her disappearance was a serious matter.
"When did she go missing?" Naruto asked, his mind racing.
"Last night," Shikamaru replied. "She was supposed to attend a meeting with the Daimyo this morning, but she never showed up."
Naruto stood up from his desk and grabbed his coat. "We have to find her. Gather the ANBU and meet me at the Hokage Monument in ten minutes."
Shikamaru nodded, his expression grim. Naruto bolted out of the office and made his way to the monument, the symbol of the Hokage's power and authority. When he arrived, he found a group of ANBU agents waiting for him, clad in their black armor and masks.
Naruto wasted no time in giving orders. "We're going to split up and search the village. Shikamaru, you take the east side. Sai, you take the west. Hinata, you take the south. I'll take the north."
The ANBU agents nodded and dispersed, disappearing into the night. Naruto set off at a sprint, his senses on high alert. As he ran, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. The village was too quiet, too still. There were no sounds of people talking or laughing, no lights in the windows.
Naruto reached the northern outskirts of the village, where the forest began. He slowed down, scanning the trees for any sign of Lady Tsunade. Suddenly, he heard a twig snap behind him. He whirled around, his hand reaching for a kunai.
But it was too late. A sharp pain exploded in the back of his head, and everything went black.