"Is she planning a surprise for us?"
Hiruzen paused.
Wait…
This didn't really seem like Chinatsu's personality.
The image of Chinatsu from his memories flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.
Although it wasn't impossible for Chinatsu to prepare a surprise, Hiruzen still couldn't imagine the Chinatsu he knew going out of her way to prepare a celebration for him.
Just as Hiruzen was thinking about this, Yugito, who was standing beside him, suddenly looked at him curiously.
"By the way, I heard Konoha is sending a delegation soon. But aren't you the Hokage? Can the Hokage just leave the village and travel with a delegation?"
Hiruzen subconsciously explained, "I'm not the Hokage anymore. I've held that position for long enough. Kakashi is an excellent candidate, so I've already handed the position over to him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hiruzen suddenly froze.
A plausible explanation immediately surfaced in his mind.
That's it!
Perhaps this was why Chinatsu had prepared a surprise.
Because he wasn't part of the Konoha delegation she had originally expected!
Although Chinatsu's relationship with Hiruzen wasn't particularly close, there were plenty of people in Konoha who were on good terms with her.
Might Guy.
Kakashi.
And several others.
It was perfectly reasonable for Chinatsu to prepare a surprise for their arrival.
Hiruzen nodded to himself, secretly praising his own wisdom.
Even if the surprise wasn't specifically for him, he could still enjoy the festive atmosphere.
And, more importantly…
He was becoming increasingly curious about what kind of magnificent statue was hidden beneath that enormous white sheet.
After thinking it over, Hiruzen bid farewell to Yugito.
He planned to return the way he had come and inform the Konoha delegation that the covered statue was actually a surprise prepared by Chinatsu.
Everyone should pretend they hadn't noticed it.
That way, they wouldn't accidentally ruin Chinatsu's surprise.
Hiruzen's actions genuinely helped Chinatsu and the others.
Nobody had anticipated such a development.
Naruto, Sasuke, and the Akatsuki members were still desperately trying to figure out how to distract the Konoha delegation from the statue.
And then Hiruzen had unknowingly solved the problem for them.
Naruto, Sasuke, and the Akatsuki members:
👍
Bro!
However, solving one problem only created another.
The statue still had to be remade.
Naruto, Sasuke, and the Akatsuki members gathered together again, discussing their next plan.
"Don't worry about the raw stone. I'll just go back to Iwagakure and get another one. I'll be back in no time."
Naruto patted his chest confidently and raised his head.
Sasuke immediately shook his head.
"Naruto, don't bring the stone directly back to the Land of Whirlpools."
He pointed at a location on the map.
"Leave it on a deserted beach in the Land of Fire, somewhere closer to us. We can carve it there without being seen, then transport the finished statue back to the Land of Whirlpools much faster."
Naruto immediately nodded.
That made sense.
Besides, getting the stone itself wasn't a problem.
And carving a statue wasn't particularly difficult for them either.
The only reason their previous attempt had turned into such an abstract masterpiece was because…
They had been far too enthusiastic.
After a brief discussion, the plan remained largely the same as before.
Everyone turned toward Konan.
Under their expectant gazes, Konan slowly produced a newly drawn blueprint.
"This time, we'll sculpt the statue according to this design."
She spread the blueprint out before everyone.
"Does anyone have any objections?"
The group stared at the drawing.
Silence.
A strange silence descended over the room.
Konan frowned slightly.
Something felt wrong.
She looked up at everyone.
"What? You don't like it?"
"No, no, no!"
Sasuke quickly waved his hands.
"It's not that we're dissatisfied."
He hesitated.
"It's just…"
Sasuke sighed helplessly.
"I still feel like this doesn't quite capture my sister's beauty."
Konan blinked.
Sasuke continued.
"I know you're in charge of the sculpture this time, and I don't want to interfere."
"My sister would definitely prefer a realistic statue rather than another abstract one."
"But…"
Sasuke looked at the blueprint again.
He couldn't help feeling that a statue placed in the center of the Land of Whirlpools, specifically to showcase his sister's beauty, couldn't be so…
Ordinary.
Konan didn't know Chinatsu particularly well.
She was one of the later members to join Akatsuki, together with Nagato, when Chinatsu gathered the former members and established the new organization.
Nagato had at least spent a considerable amount of time discussing the concept of world peace with Chinatsu.
Konan, on the other hand, had simply been persuaded by Nagato.
Nagato followed Chinatsu.
So she followed Nagato.
That was basically it.
Because of this, the veteran members could immediately tell that something was missing from Konan's blueprint.
They couldn't see the "soul" of Chinatsu in it.
At best…
60 points out of 100.
A passing grade.
But nothing more.
Seeing the hesitant expressions around her, Konan lowered her head and carefully examined her own blueprint again.
She genuinely believed that if the statue were carved exactly according to her design, Chinatsu would be satisfied.
But their original goal wasn't simply to make a statue.
It was supposed to be a surprise.
Konan slowly closed her eyes.
She took a deep breath.
When she opened them again, something had changed in her gaze.
A new understanding had appeared.
"I understand how you all feel."
Konan stood up straight.
"In that case, everyone should line up one by one."
She clenched her fist.
"Tell me your own vision of Chinatsu."
"I'll take everyone's ideas into consideration and redraw the blueprint."
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
Konan was serious.
Extremely serious.
She had accepted the responsibility of creating the statue, and she absolutely refused to disappoint anyone.
She would combine everyone's ideas.
She would create a blueprint that captured the essence of Chinatsu.
It would satisfy everyone…
Without turning the statue into another abstract disaster.
Just thinking about it made the task sound ridiculously difficult.
Konan didn't have absolute confidence that she could accomplish it.
But she had to try.
She couldn't fail.
She had to succeed!
The moment Konan announced her decision, the expressions of everyone around her immediately changed.
Their previous looks of frustration disappeared.
One after another, they lined up obediently.
"Me first!"
"I have an idea!"
"My version of Sister Chinatsu is…"
"My idea is…"
The room quickly became lively.
Konan listened carefully to every person.
She took notes.
One after another.
And with every new idea she recorded, the expression on her face became increasingly strained.
At first, she had looked calm and composed.
Then came a few beads of sweat.
Then several more.
Soon, her forehead was practically covered in them.
What… is all this nonsense?
Trying to understand their ideas without completely adopting their strange thought processes was incredibly difficult.
Some people's descriptions made no sense.
Others were somehow even worse.
And yet…
Konan didn't give up.
She was determined to stay up all night if necessary and produce a completely new blueprint.
Finally, she placed her pen down.
She leaned back.
Then she gently patted both cheeks.
"Come on, Konan…"
Her eyes burned with determination.
"You can do it!"
The battle for the perfect Chinatsu statue had officially begun.