The "Third Hokage" was escorted to the Daimyo's Mansion by two men Danzō had assigned.
The carriage swayed along the road, taking two days to cover barely more than half the journey. The "Hokage" remained seated inside the carriage the entire time, never showing himself casually.
The large conical hat on his head obscured his face.
Unable to hold back any longer, the two guards exchanged glances and instantly understood each other's thoughts. It's time to act.
The two guards did not act rashly. Instead, they quietly withdrew. It was unrealistic to expect two small fry like them to assassinate the Third Hokage. The Anbu Lord Danzō had sent, disguised as wandering Ninja, were already in position.
The "Hokage" in the carriage seemed to notice only belatedly that the two guards had vanished. He slowly climbed down, apparently intending to look for them.
When he looked up, he found himself surrounded. Every Ninja wore a Mask; one look was enough to tell that they certainly had not come here sightseeing.
Before the Hokage who had just stepped down from the carriage could react, all the Ninja attacked at once. They had no intention of giving the "Hokage" a chance to cast any ninjutsu. The Professor of Ninjutsu had earned his name for good reason.
Countless Shuriken bearing Explosive Tags shot toward the "Hokage" below. A string of explosions instantly erupted along the once-quiet road, with no sign of stopping.
They intended to blow the "Hokage" to death with Explosive Tags. It was indeed a viable plan: strike first, prevent him from forming Hand Seals and casting ninjutsu, then simply kill him with Shuriken and Explosive Tags.
Unfortunately, the one who had stepped out of the carriage was merely a Clone Jutsu.
The prolonged explosions finally ended. One of the Root