Main World.
Konoha Year 30, summer.
Outside the Elite School in Konohagakure.
After Jiefang finished that last sentence, Kushina still did not move. She stood at the edge of the barrier, her gaze resting on Jiefang, as though confirming whether she had really heard what he had just said. Jiefang did not hurry her. He simply stood there, waiting for her to take those few steps.
Then people poured out from both sides of the street.
They were not gathering. They were surrounding them. They appeared simultaneously from side alleys, corners of walls, and the edge of the training ground, their steps in unison, without a shout or a warning. There were roughly a hundred or more of them, dressed in the attire of different ninja clans, but their positions already formed a complete encirclement. Jiefang recognized all the people at the very front-or at least knew their names.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the forefront, his hat pulled low, though his outline remained clear. Behind him, Orochimaru stood to the left, and three middle-aged men wearing different clan clothing stood to the right. One row farther back, Jiefang spotted Uchiha Fushan standing diagonally behind the Hyuga Main Family Clan Head, as though he had been assigned that position. The encirclement stopped about twenty paces from the barrier. They did not press any closer, but neither did they loosen their formation.
Jiefang's gaze swept across their faces one by one. He looked for a long time, then laughed. The sound was quiet, trembling first in his throat before spilling out, as though those words had finally found their moment to emerge. "Hehehehe! Hahahaha! So you've got plenty of people!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not move. His voice came from beneath his hat, quiet but carrying the weight of someone saying, "I have