The "exercise" continued even though the battle was already over.
Inside the shelters.
"What exactly happened outside?"
The speaker looked deeply uneasy.
"Was it Orochimaru?"
"Didn't they say Orochimaru was killed by Sasuke?"
"It must be Hidden Rock Village from the Land of Earth."
Hidden Rock Village had been the first to launch a surprise attack on Konoha during the Third Shinobi World War. Only a little over ten years had passed since then, and Konoha's people still remembered it.
"So all those previous drills were to prepare for something like today. Lord Hokage was wise indeed."
"Tch, as if you weren't the one complaining before."
"What did I complain about?" His voice abruptly rose, drawing everyone's attention. He muttered in a lower voice, "It wasn't really complaining. I was just saying it casually."
Those who knew him understood that he meant no harm. He was merely a small businessman whose work had been delayed by the drills, so he had grumbled a little. They simply smiled without saying anything.
The somewhat stifling atmosphere immediately eased.
At that moment, Ninja Academy students acting as volunteers brought over small cups of hot water, improving the mood even further. More people began speaking quietly, and the occasional soft laughter could be heard.
In truth, the actual battle, including the cleanup afterward, had taken less than half an hour. The evacuation drill continued according to plan.
Hayato and Jiraiya arrived at the basement where Root's transport formation had been set up.
The space-time formula had already been destroyed.
Jiraiya had the greatest mastery of such formulas and studied it carefully for quite some time.
"It's the Heavenly Transfer Technique."
"The Heavenly Transfer Technique?"
"Yes," Jiraiya said. "It's a Hidden Cloud Village technique. Konoha doesn't have it. I don't know where Danzo got it—perhaps