"My plan...?"
"Yes, it looked like someone saw through your plan, but we still have a chance to salvage it."
"...?"
"It is only a pity that Elder Danzo did not seem to fully grasp your wisdom. Going to the Land of Rain this time was instead somewhat superfluous."
"Yes, indeed..."
The Third Hokage put on a profound expression, while his mind was filled with question marks.
He had a plan? What plan did he have? When Danzo had berated him back then, he had even snapped back at Danzo to protect his own authority. He was regretting it now, yet somehow it was Danzo's fault instead?
Why did it feel like the whole world had changed after one night's sleep? Why had the Stone Ninja and Sand Ninja announced that they were forming a joint development front? Why had the Cloud Ninja and Mist Ninja announced a defensive alliance? And then everyone was lamenting that his scheme had failed? What scheme?
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was bewildered, Sosuke Aizen appropriately put on a regretful expression and explained:
"Trading space for time, using seemingly absurd actions to induce strategic complacency in the enemy—this truly was a genius-level strategy. I fear you had already planned it all from the death of Senior Sakumo, Third Hokage-sama."
"Senior Sakumo's death appeared bizarre, yet it happened to align with the Sand Ninja's major incident. That was one part of the plan you had begun to put into motion. After the Nameless Ninja incident in the Land of Rain, you recalled all external forces. It appeared that you were giving space to the Sand Ninja and Stone Ninja, but in truth, it was for Blut Arterie and the clan ninja."
"Faced with the power of Blut Arterie and the military strength of Konoha's ninja forces,