Was she actually trying to give us a surprise?
Wait, that doesn't sound like Chinatsu...
Hiruzen Sarutobi pictured the Chinatsu he remembered. It made logical sense if she was preparing a surprise for them, but he still didn't believe the Chinatsu he knew would be kind enough to arrange a celebration for him.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered this, Yugito looked at him in confusion and asked, "By the way, I heard Konoha would be sending an envoy delegation here soon, but aren't you the Hokage? Can the Hokage leave the village and come along with a delegation?"
Hearing her question, Hiruzen Sarutobi instinctively explained, "I'm no longer the Hokage. I'd held that position for far too long anyway. Kakashi is very capable, so I've already passed the position on to him..."
As his words trailed off, Hiruzen Sarutobi froze. He had suddenly thought of a perfectly reasonable explanation for why Chinatsu would prepare a surprise.
Because Chinatsu hadn't expected me to be part of the Konoha Envoy Delegation!
Although Chinatsu wasn't exactly on good terms with him, there were people in Konoha she did get along with, such as Might Guy and Kakashi. It made perfect sense for her to prepare a surprise for their arrival.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with a smile, silently congratulating himself on his wisdom. Even if the surprise wasn't meant for him, he could at least share in the festivities. Now he could relax and look forward to seeing just how magnificent the statue beneath that white cloth would be.
Having reached that conclusion, Hiruzen Sarutobi said goodbye to Yugito beside him. He planned to retrace his steps and tell everyone in the Konoha Envoy Delegation that the statue covered in white cloth outside was a surprise. He would ask them to pretend they hadn't noticed