"New steps?"
Hada Ichiba frowned slightly as he looked at the beautiful, gentle woman before him, who had changed the subject and brushed aside his earlier probing. He repeated the key phrase from He Yin's words.
"Yes. Didn't you have something to discuss with me? Other than changes to the plan, what else could it be? We've already arrived in Konoha."
He Yin spoke as if it were only natural.
At this point, if it wasn't a change in the plan, what other matter could require her to be sought out for such a serious discussion? No! That's not right! It can't be that simple!
But upon hearing that, Hada Ichiba shook his head and repeatedly denied it.
It was not that simple.
There was definitely more to what He Yin had just said.
Then, after those repeated words, Hada Ichiba suddenly fell silent. His eyes swept over her before fixing on He Yin's, and a clear look of surprise flashed across his face.
"You anticipated this!"
The words burst from Hada Ichiba's mouth amid that surprise.
After blurting them out, however, his expression stiffened slightly, and his words caught in his throat.
Then he laughed—a sudden laugh tinged with helplessness—and spoke again. "And the reason you could anticipate it is because this was your scheme from the beginning. You set me up!"
"What are you talking about? I set you up? Why would I set you up?"
Watching Hada Ichiba's series of changes and hearing his words, He Yin blinked and spoke.
"Stop playing dumb. The reason the plan changed, the reason I came to discuss it with you, was because you added me to the Chunin Exams preregistration list and put me on a team with Long Yan and Anna. That raised Konoha's alertness, so all the intelligence