Everyone who had come out of the meeting room turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
They felt that Konoha had set a trap for them today, intending to keep the Kage of all four villages here.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, are you planning to take on all four of our shinobi villages at once? You're seriously underestimating us!"
Karatachi Yagura, who already resented Hiruzen Sarutobi, was the first to challenge him.
If possible, he wanted to pool everyone's strength and take down Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo first.
The Sannin's appearance startled Hiruzen Sarutobi as well. It had completely ruined his plan. What had Orochimaru and the others come here for?
But his most pressing concern was to explain himself to the people beside him, who were staring at him with dangerous looks in their eyes.
He could not let them get the wrong idea. With so many elite shinobi around him, all standing so close, his old bones would never withstand it.
He could not beat even the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, alone, let alone all these people together.
If he died here, Konoha's future would be finished too.
"Don't look at me with such suspicion. I don't know why they're here either. They stopped following my orders long ago."
Hiruzen Sarutobi hurried to explain, even airing his village's dirty laundry to clear himself of suspicion.
His explanation brought everyone present some relief. As long as this was not a carefully orchestrated plot by Konoha, Orochimaru and his two companions alone posed no threat to them.
"In that case, Lord Hokage, please resolve your village's internal problems first! Don't let them disrupt our meeting, and certainly don't bring your disputes into our Land of Iron."
Mifune, the Admiral of the Land of Iron, stepped forward and addressed Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As the Admiral of