Two days later, at the entrance to Konoha.
Shimura Danzō and Mitokado Homura stood together, welcoming the visitors from Kirigakure.
When they spotted the three figures in the distance, the two stepped forward together to greet them.
"You three must be the guests who have come from afar."
"Won't you introduce yourselves?"
Though Mitokado Homura had come forward to welcome them, he needed to ascertain their identities before deciding how formally they should be received.
"Thank you both for coming out to welcome us. This man standing beside me is the captain of the Kirigakure ninja squad—Chōjūrō."
"The other two are members of his team. We hope you'll excuse any shortcomings."
Ao swiftly stated their identities and directly placed Chōjūrō in the position of their highest-ranking leader.
Although Chōjūrō had met Ao before, hearing it said aloud still made him feel tremendous pressure.
"Y-You... hello..."
"I'm Chōjūrō. Please take care of me..."
His halting manner of speech made him seem even more shy, and Shimura Danzō felt a flicker of disdain in his heart.
Naturally, both Ao and Mei Terumi noticed the shift in his attitude.
"Kirigakure really has declined. Someone like this can actually become a squad captain?"
Shimura Danzō's words were as sharp as ever. They had agreed beforehand that Mitokado Homura would play the good cop while Shimura Danzō played the bad cop, to knock the wind out of their opponents' sails.
"You're mistaken to say that, sir. After all, quite a few Root ninja are still imprisoned in Kirigakure's water prison."
"If we're making comparisons, then Root ninja are the more useless ones."
Mei Terumi's words reached Shimura Danzō's ears without missing a beat, nearly causing him to lose control of his emotions.
"We're all here to learn from one another. Why make things so tense?"