Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
At dawn, the first ray of light pierced the clouds and spilled across the land.
Four enormous ceremonial cannons fired from the four directions of Konoha, soaring into the sky and bursting into fireworks that seemed ready to blanket the vast village.
All of Konoha began to boil with excitement.
The grand festival had officially begun.
Konoha Avenue was packed with people, stretching all the way from Konoha Gate to the front of the Hokage Building.
Everyone wanted to stand at the very front and witness the Fourth Hokage's splendor from the closest possible distance.
But the plaza before the Hokage Building was not large, capable of holding only a few thousand people at most.
So the ninja displayed their traditional talents. Some climbed buildings, some perched in trees, and some even squatted atop utility poles...
Fortunately, the surrounding buildings were all lower than the Hokage Building, sparing them the awkwardness of looking down upon the succession ceremony.
Even Danzo had no interest in causing trouble during such a grand occasion. No matter how great his personal ambitions were, he did not want Konoha to lose face before the other ninja villages.
The Second Hokage's administration had indeed left Konoha with a large number of ninja who possessed an exceptionally strong sense of belonging to the village.
"In such a solemn and dignified occasion, those women..."
This time, Hyuga Wuye had entrusted Nara Shikaku with full responsibility for organizing the festival.
The entirety of Konoha cooperated fully, especially when it came to security, where every precaution had been taken to the utmost.
Something could go wrong during the ceremony, but it had to be resolved within three minutes. That was Nara Shikaku's demand at the jonin meeting.
For a time, Konoha appeared relaxed on the outside