Two days later.
"Flap, flap!"
In the quiet woods, a bird perched on a branch suddenly flapped its wings and flew away.
"Clop!" "Clop!"
The sound of footsteps rose and fell through the forest. In the distance, dozens of guards escorted several luxurious carriages along the road outside the forest.
A closer look revealed familiar faces from Konoha among the guards.
Some of the ninja had particularly sharp eyes. A strip of cloth bearing the character for "fire" was tucked into each of their waistbands, marking them as members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
The carriage at the front of the procession was especially lavish. Inside sat Shijimi Nobuo, one of the current six Feudal Lords of the Land of Fire, who had met with Sosuke several times before.
He was nothing like the amiable, chubby old man who had met with Sosuke back then.
Sitting upright in the carriage, he wore a slight frown. An imposing air seemed to emanate from his eyes, and he silently pondered the situation.
The Third Hokage had actually decided to hold this Chunin Ninja Exam in Konoha and had invited all the Feudal Lords to attend the grand event!
Could he have found out about what happened last time...? No, he couldn't have... If he had...
Danzo's side would surely have received some kind of news... No matter what, he would have to be cautious this time... It was time to discuss an alliance with the Mitai Clan...
At the rear of the procession,
one carriage looked rather plain. A closer look revealed that everyone outside it looked tense and frightened.
And it seemed they were afraid of the person inside the carriage!
Within sat a pretty young woman, poised and elegant. A faint smile played on her lips as she gently stroked