Suddenly, a faint sound shattered the calm, like some kind of signal, prompting many people who had been hiding in the shadows to spring into action.
Uchiha Yato, who had been livening up the atmosphere as the chief examiner, reacted swiftly as well.
His voice exploded through the crowd like thunder. "No one move! We suspect that criminals have infiltrated Konoha with the intent to cause trouble!"
There was an undeniable authority in his words that inspired instinctive awe. Then he added, "Anyone who moves will be regarded as declaring war on Konoha!"
Uchiha Yato's words were like a military order, instantly silencing the ninjas from the many minor ninja villages present.
They looked at one another, unsure how to respond.
After all, compared to Konoha, these minor ninja villages were vastly inferior in strength. Faced with such a forceful warning, they naturally did not dare provoke them lightly.
Thus, most of them wisely chose to remain where they were and wait to see what happened.
However, one or two ninjas from the smaller villages might have been so nervous that they completely lost the ability to react.
They stood stiffly in place like wooden statues, not even daring to blink for fear of causing an unnecessary misunderstanding.
The sight made the corners of the mouths of several people nearby who truly harbored ill intentions twitch.
They had clearly not expected Uchiha Yato's warning to be so effective, and their planned actions had consequently been obstructed.
Mei Terumi had always done her utmost to maintain her aloof, queen-like image before others, but this time, she had nearly failed to keep it up.
At the same time, Uchiha Obito, who was observing from the shadows, nearly lost his balance and fell straight out of the tree when he saw the reactions