package contest190322;
import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.PrintWriter;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.InputMismatchException;

public class C {
	InputStream is;
	PrintWriter out;
	String INPUT = "";
	
	void solve()
	{
		int n = ni();
		int[] from = new int[n - 1];
		int[] to = new int[n - 1];
		for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {
			from[i] = ni() - 1;
			to[i] = ni() - 1;
		}
		int[][] g = packU(n, from, to);
		int[] dia = diameter(g);
		out.println(n-1-dia[0]);
	}
	
	public static int[] diameter(int[][] g)
	{
		int n = g.length;
		int f0 = -1, f1 = -1, d01 = -1;
		int[] q = new int[n];
		boolean[] ved = new boolean[n];
		{
			int qp = 0;
			q[qp++] = 0; ved[0] = true;
			for(int i = 0;i < qp;i++){
				int cur = q[i];
				for(int e : g[cur]){
					if(!ved[e]){
						ved[e] = true;
						q[qp++] = e;
						continue;
					}
				}
			}
			f0 = q[n-1];
		}
		{
			int[] d = new int[n];
			int qp = 0;
			Arrays.fill(ved, false);
			q[qp++] = f0; ved[f0] = true;
			for(int i = 0;i < qp;i++){
				int cur = q[i];
				for(int e : g[cur]){
					if(!ved[e]){
						ved[e] = true;
						q[qp++] = e;
						d[e] = d[cur] + 1;
						continue;
					}
				}
			}
			f1 = q[n-1];
			d01 = d[f1];
		}
		return new int[]{d01, f0, f1};
	}


	public static int[][] parents3(int[][] g, int root) {
		int n = g.length;
		int[] par = new int[n];
		Arrays.fill(par, -1);

		int[] depth = new int[n];
		depth[0] = 0;

		int[] q = new int[n];
		q[0] = root;
		for (int p = 0, r = 1; p < r; p++) {
			int cur = q[p];
			for (int nex : g[cur]) {
				if (par[cur] != nex) {
					q[r++] = nex;
					par[nex] = cur;
					depth[nex] = depth[cur] + 1;
				}
			}
		}
		return new int[][] { par, q, depth };
	}

	static int[][] packU(int n, int[] from, int[] to) {
		int[][] g = new int[n][];
		int[] p = new int[n];
		for (int f : from)
			p[f]++;
		for (int t : to)
			p[t]++;
		for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
			g[i] = new int[p[i]];
		for (int i = 0; i < from.length; i++) {
			g[from[i]][--p[from[i]]] = to[i];
			g[to[i]][--p[to[i]]] = from[i];
		}
		return g;
	}

	
	void run() throws Exception
	{
		is = INPUT.isEmpty() ? System.in : new ByteArrayInputStream(INPUT.getBytes());
		out = new PrintWriter(System.out);
		
		long s = System.currentTimeMillis();
		solve();
		out.flush();
		if(!INPUT.isEmpty())tr(System.currentTimeMillis()-s+"ms");
//		Thread t = new Thread(null, null, "~", Runtime.getRuntime().maxMemory()){
//			@Override
//			public void run() {
//				long s = System.currentTimeMillis();
//				solve();
//				out.flush();
//				if(!INPUT.isEmpty())tr(System.currentTimeMillis()-s+"ms");
//			}
//		};
//		t.start();
//		t.join();
	}
	
	public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { new C().run(); }
	
	private byte[] inbuf = new byte[1024];
	public int lenbuf = 0, ptrbuf = 0;
	
	private int readByte()
	{
		if(lenbuf == -1)throw new InputMismatchException();
		if(ptrbuf >= lenbuf){
			ptrbuf = 0;
			try { lenbuf = is.read(inbuf); } catch (IOException e) { throw new InputMismatchException(); }
			if(lenbuf <= 0)return -1;
		}
		return inbuf[ptrbuf++];
	}
	
	private boolean isSpaceChar(int c) { return !(c >= 33 && c <= 126); }
	private int skip() { int b; while((b = readByte()) != -1 && isSpaceChar(b)); return b; }
	
	private double nd() { return Double.parseDouble(ns()); }
	private char nc() { return (char)skip(); }
	
	private String ns()
	{
		int b = skip();
		StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
		while(!(isSpaceChar(b))){ // when nextLine, (isSpaceChar(b) && b != ' ')
			sb.appendCodePoint(b);
			b = readByte();
		}
		return sb.toString();
	}
	
	private char[] ns(int n)
	{
		char[] buf = new char[n];
		int b = skip(), p = 0;
		while(p < n && !(isSpaceChar(b))){
			buf[p++] = (char)b;
			b = readByte();
		}
		return n == p ? buf : Arrays.copyOf(buf, p);
	}
	
	private int[] na(int n)
	{
		int[] a = new int[n];
		for(int i = 0;i < n;i++)a[i] = ni();
		return a;
	}
	
	private long[] nal(int n)
	{
		long[] a = new long[n];
		for(int i = 0;i < n;i++)a[i] = nl();
		return a;
	}
	
	private char[][] nm(int n, int m) {
		char[][] map = new char[n][];
		for(int i = 0;i < n;i++)map[i] = ns(m);
		return map;
	}
	
	private int[][] nmi(int n, int m) {
		int[][] map = new int[n][];
		for(int i = 0;i < n;i++)map[i] = na(m);
		return map;
	}
	
	private int ni() { return (int)nl(); }
	
	private long nl()
	{
		long num = 0;
		int b;
		boolean minus = false;
		while((b = readByte()) != -1 && !((b >= '0' && b <= '9') || b == '-'));
		if(b == '-'){
			minus = true;
			b = readByte();
		}
		
		while(true){
			if(b >= '0' && b <= '9'){
				num = num * 10 + (b - '0');
			}else{
				return minus ? -num : num;
			}
			b = readByte();
		}
	}
	
	private static void tr(Object... o) { System.out.println(Arrays.deepToString(o)); }
}