There had still been laughter and chatter in the village, but once they left, the mood of the column abruptly grew tense.
Especially among the important figures at the front.
Tsunade was lively by nature, yet she did not say a word. Shimura Danzō was just ahead of her to one side.
Shimura Danzō was cold and humorless, and he detested laughter and every other kind of noise.
He preferred sunless places like the Anbu headquarters. Ideally, they would never see daylight all year.
The column continued onward in silence. Even during breaks, everyone was careful not to make a sound.
Whenever someone did make a noise, the Anbu and Root members around Danzo would turn to look toward its source.
Ordinary ninja could not tell Anbu from Root. More than thirty masked ninja surrounded Danzo.
There were few Anbu ninja, and every one of them was an elite from Konoha whose loyalty to the village leadership was absolute.
Many thought things would improve once they reached the front and set up camp. Advisor Danzo would stay in the command tent, and they could relax a little when he was out of sight. At the very least, surely no one would bother them inside their own tents.
Once they crossed half the Land of Fire and entered the Land of River, they would be at the front.
The Sand Ninja had destroyed Konoha's outposts in the Land of River, but at the request of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, they had not attacked the Land of River's capital.
Once they defeated Konoha, the Sand Ninja would not hesitate to force the Land of River's daimyo to sign a new agreement on mission allocations.
Upon reaching the front, Shimura Danzō immediately convened a meeting of the frontline jonin commanders.