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🕑 Added 2025-06-12 16:26:34 +0000 UTCChapter 51: Unforeseen Calamity
Tsunade just scoffed at Shindai's cries for help. I mean, who would dare try and stop her around here?
Jiraiya, with his two black eyes and currently being treated by two medical ninja, let out a huge sigh of relief. Even though Tsunade still punched him twice before she left, at least he was alive! Jiraiya was so moved, he felt like crying, truly feeling like he'd escaped a disaster.
On the other side, Shindai was also crying, especially when he saw Tsunade pull the black cloth back over her eyes after momentarily lifting it. He cried even harder. Shindai practically flew at her, hugging Tsunade's leg, bawling and begging for mercy.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm just a kid! What bad intentions could a kid like me possibly have? Lord Jiraiya forced me to make that puppet! I couldn't say no! Please, just because I'm a child, let me off the hook this time! Lady Tsunade, you can ask Obito, wasn't Lord Jiraiya the one who insisted I make the puppet?"
Obito was absolutely stunned by this. What did he have to do with any of this?!
Tsunade turned her head to face Obito again. Even though she didn't speak, and her eyes were covered by the black cloth, Obito felt a chill run down his spine.
"I, I..."
Tsunade's emotionless voice cut through the air: "Tell the truth."
Obito immediately stood ramrod straight and answered honestly, "That day, Lord Jiraiya really did come to Shindai's tent and suddenly asked if Shindai could customize something. Then Shindai said, 'Of course, he can customize anything...'"
Obito spilled everything he knew, like spilling beans from a bag. Shindai was completely numb, cursing Obito to no end in his mind. The way Obito said it, without any embellishment, made it sound like he and Jiraiya were in cahoots! Even though, well, they kind of were in cahoots... couldn't he have sugar-coated it a little?
Shindai quickly continued begging Tsunade for mercy, interrupting Obito's explanation. "I promise, from now on, if Lady Tsunade says go east, I'll never go west! If you tell me to chase a chicken, I'll never hit a dog! I'll be your most loyal servant from now on!"
Tsunade ignored Shindai and beckoned to Obito. Obito, being a bit dense, just walked right up to Tsunade. Tsunade smiled and said, "Don't worry, it'll be over soon."
Obito, still oblivious to the severity of the situation, asked doubtfully, "Huh? What will be over?"
But he found out soon enough. Tsunade started swinging, her massive, pot-sized fists landing directly on Shindai and Obito. Shindai and Obito immediately started wailing like banshees. Even though Tsunade didn't use her full Byakugou strength, it still hurt like crazy! Obito was completely bewildered. Why?! Why was he getting beaten too? What did this have to do with him?!
A large crowd gathered around to watch Tsunade pummel Shindai and Obito, everyone hissing and sucking in cold breaths. It just looked so painful. But no one dared to break up the fight. Who would dare? Anyone who tried would be asking for a beating themselves, no doubt about it.
Fifteen minutes later, the brutal beating finally ended. Shindai and Obito's heads were swollen like pigs' snouts, and their entire bodies were puffed up. Blood hung from their noses and the corners of their mouths; they looked absolutely miserable.
"Phew, that feels good," Tsunade sighed, feeling completely refreshed.
Tsunade waved over to the medical ninja, and two of them quickly scurried over. Tsunade waved them forward. "Take these two brats for treatment."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
The two medical ninja looked at the bruised and swollen Shindai and Obito, shaking their heads helplessly. Of all the people to provoke, why did they have to provoke Tsunade? The two medical ninja carried Shindai and Obito to a tent for treatment.
Tsunade took off the black cloth covering her eyes and suddenly froze. Tsunade slapped her forehead. "Blast it! I forgot about the letter the old man wanted Jiraiya or Minato to see!"
Tsunade had come to Shindai's tent specifically to find Jiraiya. A Hidden Leaf ninja had rushed from the village to the Hidden Leaf's outpost. This ninja was the one Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent to deliver the letter. However, he was injured because there were many traps left over in the Land of Hot Water, which had become a battlefield between the Hidden Leaf and the Cloud Village. He accidentally triggered one and was quite badly hurt. After arriving at the outpost, the ninja fainted from excessive blood loss. The medical ninja at the outpost found him and immediately took him for treatment.
Once the ninja woke up, he immediately tried to get up to find Jiraiya, because the letter absolutely had to be delivered by hand to either Jiraiya or Minato Namikaze. But the ninja was severely injured, and the medical ninja were still treating him, preventing him from getting out of bed. Because of the commotion, Tsunade, who happened to be passing by, overheard. The ninja told Tsunade about the letter, and Tsunade promised to deliver it to Jiraiya so he could focus on his treatment. Since it was Tsunade, the ninja confidently handed her the letter.
Tsunade went to Jiraiya's tent but couldn't find him, then she ran into Rin Nohara, who had just seen Jiraiya heading towards Shindai's tent. Finally, Rin led Tsunade to Shindai's tent, which led to everything that had just happened.
Tsunade immediately headed to the tent where Jiraiya was now, hoping to get him to read the letter. Jiraiya's bloodstains had been cleaned, and medical ninja were treating him.
Tsunade asked, "How is he?"
"Uh... fractured right shoulder blade, fractured right arm, and several ruptured internal organs."
The medical ninja were stunned after examining Jiraiya's injuries. Her blows were far too heavy! Anyone who didn't know might think Jiraiya and Tsunade had some deep-seated grudge.
Tsunade pursed her lips and then asked, "Is he awake?"
The medical ninja replied, "He's unconscious..."
Tsunade felt a headache coming on. She should have gone easier on him, or at least let Jiraiya read the letter first before laying into him. Just as Tsunade was about to personally begin treating Jiraiya, she heard voices from outside the tent.
"Minato's back!"
"Yeah, I just saw him, he's still so handsome!"
"Right, if only I could be Minato's girlfriend!"
"No way! I'm going to be Minato's girlfriend!"
Tsunade immediately abandoned the idea of treating Jiraiya and walked straight out of the tent, asking the lovesick female medical ninja who were arguing about being Minato Namikaze's girlfriend.
Tsunade asked, "Where's Minato?"
The female medical ninja immediately became serious when they saw Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, Minato should be reporting on his mission to Lord Orochimaru right now."
Tsunade nodded and then headed towards Orochimaru's location.
Chapter 52: Seems Pretty Simple
At this moment, Minato Namikaze was in the command center, reporting to Orochimaru.
"Lord Orochimaru, the Hidden Cloud Village gathered forces to encircle us, so we ended our mission. However, it seems the Hidden Cloud isn't planning to send more ninjas to the Land of Hot Water for now. We attacked their supply convoys twice, and since we couldn't take the goods, we destroyed them on the spot."
Orochimaru nodded. "It seems the Hidden Cloud isn't as impulsive as we thought; they're not planning further retaliation. It looks like we might have a short period of rest now."
The fact that the Hidden Cloud gathered forces to encircle Minato indicated they didn't have other pressing matters, which is why they wanted to deal with the constant nuisance Minato was. The deaths of nearly a hundred Cloud ninjas had already hit them hard; they wouldn't engage in any aggressive friction with Konoha anytime soon.
After reporting, Minato excused himself.
An Unexpected Encounter
As Minato left the command center, he ran into Tsunade, who was looking for him.
"Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade urgently said, "Minato, you're back just in time! The old man sent an urgent letter for you."
Tsunade handed the letter to Minato, who immediately opened and read it. Seeing the contents, Minato's expression turned very serious.
Tsunade noticed his grave face and frowned, asking worriedly, "Did something happen in Konoha?"
Minato nodded. "This isn't the place to talk, Lady Tsunade. Where's Master Jiraiya?"
"Uh..." Tsunade answered awkwardly, "Jiraiya is currently unconscious. The medical ninjas are treating him."
Minato asked, a little disbelieving, "Huh? Treating him? Master Jiraiya is injured? Who did this? But all the famous Cloud ninjas are in their base. Did the Hidden Cloud Village send powerful new ninjas to the Land of Hot Water?"
Tsunade guiltily looked away. "Minato, I did it. Don't ask for the specifics. Just come with me to see Jiraiya. Since it's urgent, I'll personally treat him to wake him up quickly."
Minato was utterly bewildered. "???"
Did Jiraiya try to peek on girls bathing again and get caught by Tsunade? Seriously, did he forget about getting six ribs broken by Tsunade back in the day?
Minato reluctantly followed Tsunade to see Jiraiya. Inside Jiraiya's tent, Minato was startled to see Jiraiya's pale face. It looked like this injury was just as severe as the time he broke his ribs. Did Jiraiya try to peep on not just one girl, but a whole group this time?
Tsunade told the medical ninjas treating Jiraiya, "Alright, you can rest. I'll take over the treatment."
"Yes, ma'am."
The medical ninjas stopped, and Tsunade rolled up her sleeves, immediately using the Mystical Palm Technique to heal Jiraiya. The Mystical Palm Technique is no simple jutsu; it's a high-level medical ninjutsu that can rapidly heal both internal and external injuries by releasing chakra.
After more than half an hour, Tsunade stopped the technique. Minato asked, "Lady Tsunade, how is Master Jiraiya?"
"Don't worry, he'll wake up any second now."
Jiraiya's Rude Awakening
No sooner had Tsunade spoken than she slapped Jiraiya across the face.
"Hiss~"
Minato involuntarily gasped, and his own cheek twitched as if he were the one who'd been hit. Under Tsunade's slap, Jiraiya woke up, slowly opening his eyes. Seeing Tsunade in front of him, he immediately became alert. Jiraiya instinctively tried to dodge, but the movement aggravated his injuries, causing him to grimace in pain.
Tsunade snorted coldly, then told Minato, "He's awake. You can tell him what you need to."
Jiraiya looked at Minato, surprised. "Oh, Minato, you're back?"
Minato replied helplessly, "Master Jiraiya, you're not getting any younger. Shouldn't you act more appropriately? Stop peeking on girls bathing!"
Jiraiya looked confused. "Peeking on girls bathing? Which time are you talking about? I didn't do it this time!"
"If you didn't, why would Lady Tsunade..."
Minato's voice trailed off, and he awkwardly glanced at Tsunade. Jiraiya immediately understood Minato's misunderstanding but couldn't explain. Because, honestly, peeking on girls bathing sounded a lot better than getting too friendly with a puppet that looked exactly like Tsunade.
Tsunade glared at Jiraiya, then told Minato, "I'll leave now."
Minato stopped Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, please stay and listen too."
Minato's expression turned serious. "The Third Hokage sent a letter. The Hidden Stone Village is pressuring us, Konoha. Either we hand over Shindai, or they declare war..."
Hearing Minato's words, both Jiraiya's and Tsunade's expressions became grim. Jiraiya said gravely, "If the Hidden Stone Village joins in, then the Third Great Ninja War will essentially have officially begun."
Minato nodded. "Exactly. The Third Hokage's letter says we can't hand over Shindai, but we also can't let the Hidden Stone declare war on us. If they do, Konoha will face attacks from the Hidden Cloud, Hidden Stone, and Hidden Sand. The pressure on us will be immense. And the key to stopping it..."
Jiraiya cut in, "The key is Shindai, right?"
Tsunade asked, confused, "That perverted brat is the key? How can he influence the Hidden Stone Village's decision while he's here?"
Minato raised an eyebrow. "Perverted brat? Shindai? How did Shindai end up being called a perverted brat by Tsunade after I left?"
Jiraiya explained to Tsunade, "Shindai has a ninja hawk, and that hawk can directly contact the Third Kazekage, Puppet Master. I think the old man's idea is to use Shindai's ninja hawk to send false information to Puppet Master, so he can help us solve this crisis."
After that, Jiraiya asked Minato, "Minato, am I right?"
Minato nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what the Third Hokage meant. He also said we have one month. If it doesn't work, we'll have no choice but to abandon Shindai."
Jiraiya looked troubled. "One month? We're in the Land of Hot Water, separated by the Land of Fire, and then the Land of Wind to the Hidden Sand Village. Even a ninja hawk would take many days to fly there, and we also need to subtract the time it took for the letter to arrive from Konoha. We don't have much time."
Minato agreed. "Exactly. I just calculated it. We need to make Shindai summon his ninja hawk within a week, then intercept it and replace the real intel with fake information."
Minato and Jiraiya thought for a moment, recalling Shindai's past actions.
"This mission should be pretty simple."
Chapter 53: It's All Obito's Fault
Inside the tent, Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya were discussing how to get Shindai to summon his ninja hawk.
Minato suggested, "We can casually fabricate some information about our plans for the Hidden Sand Village, something they're preparing for. I think Shindai will immediately summon his ninja hawk to inform the Third Kazekage."
Jiraiya agreed. "Let's do that."
Minato stood up from his chair and told Jiraiya, "Then you should rest up, Master Jiraiya. I'll go to Shindai's tent now and get this done as soon as possible."
"Wait a moment, Minato."
Jiraiya and Tsunade simultaneously called out to Minato.
Minato turned, looking puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Jiraiya awkwardly said, "Shindai probably isn't in his tent right now, am I right, Tsunade?"
Tsunade replied expressionlessly, "No, that brat is right here."
Minato was surprised. "Shindai's here too? Did he come here to help out to avoid a mission?"
Jiraiya cleared his throat. "No, Shindai is also injured and is here recovering."
"Huh?"
Minato was full of questions. Shindai was injured too? Judging by Jiraiya's difficult explanation, it seemed Shindai's injury had something to do with both Jiraiya and Tsunade. What had happened during his absence?
Minato didn't think too much more about it and told Tsunade, "Lady Tsunade, please take me to see Shindai. Then, I'll need your cooperation."
Tsunade nodded in agreement and led Minato to the tent where Shindai and Obito were. Even before entering the tent, Minato could hear Shindai and Obito arguing.
"Does any of this have anything to do with me? It's all your fault, Shindai! You got me beaten up by Lady Tsunade!"
"What the hell does it have to do with me?! You're the one who, with your one-track mind, told her everything! Couldn't you have embellished it a little and blamed everything on Master Jiraiya? If you'd just thrown all the problems at Master Jiraiya, neither of us would have gotten beaten!"
"In that situation, who knew what to say?! And was I wrong for telling the truth?! It was clearly your and Master Jiraiya's problem! I'm completely innocent!"
"Innocent, my foot! You knew about the puppet too; that's covering up a crime, making your guilt even worse! You totally deserved that beating!"
A Hilarious Misunderstanding
Outside the tent, after hearing Shindai and Obito's argument, Minato, knowing Jiraiya as he did, already had a pretty good idea of what had really happened. It was probably Jiraiya who got Shindai to make some inappropriate puppet, which Tsunade then discovered, leading to everyone getting a beating.
Minato sighed. These guys were just too much trouble.
Even though he was mentally prepared, Minato was still shocked when he entered the tent and saw Shindai and Obito with faces swollen like pig heads. Just how badly had they been beaten?!
When Shindai and Obito saw Minato, their eyes lit up. Before Obito could even speak, a dark shadow darted out in a familiar way. Hmm... it was just like last time when Kakashi hadn't even finished talking about retreating, and Shindai had already bolted when they were discovered monitoring the Cloud ninjas.
Shindai pounced on Minato, wailing dramatically: "Lord Minato, you're finally back! I've been bullied here! Not only by Obito, but by Master Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade too! It was Master Jiraiya who did all the bad stuff, but he blamed it all on me! Lady Tsunade listened to Master Jiraiya's slander and beat me up so badly! It hurts so much! Waaah, Lord Minato, I'm so badly injured! You're the only one who's ever been good to me here. I want to ask Lord Minato for permission to go back to Konoha's ninja hospital for more thorough treatment!"
Obito stared wide-eyed at Shindai's antics. When had he ever bullied Shindai?! Just as Obito was about to retort, he suddenly saw the person behind Minato, immediately shrank his head back, lay down on the bed, and pulled the blanket over his head, pretending to be dead.
Minato was also pretty awkward now. When you're spouting nonsense, shouldn't you at least look to see who's around?
"Shindai, could you please get off me first?"
Shindai clung tightly to Minato's clothes, refusing to let go. "No! If Lord Minato doesn't agree, I won't get down!"
"Heh, I bullied you? Jiraiya blamed everything on you? I listened to slander?"
Hearing that familiar, sarcastic voice, Shindai's pig-like face immediately twisted in terror. Shindai scrambled off Minato, eyes tightly shut, swaying as he mumbled as if in a dream, "Oh, it's all Obito's fault. He used his Sharingan to cast a genjutsu on me, making me talk in my sleep. I'm asleep right now, so no matter who heard it, those words were caused by Obito's genjutsu, they have nothing to do with me. It's all Obito's fault..."
Shindai shuffled over to his own sickbed, then quickly hopped onto the bed, wrapping himself in the blanket and trembling.
Obito immediately panicked. There's no way he was taking the blame for this! Obito quickly threw off his blanket and explained, "I didn't cast any genjutsu on Shindai! Besides, I haven't even awakened my Sharingan! Sensei Minato, Lady Tsunade, you have to believe me!"
Minato sighed, helplessly saying, "I believe you, Obito." Then Minato turned to Tsunade and said, "Lady Tsunade, for my sake, please don't hold this against them."
Tsunade let out a heavy "Hmph!"
Minato breathed a sigh of relief. Tsunade hadn't said anything, just a "Hmph," which meant she was giving him this favor. Otherwise, if Tsunade were to beat Shindai again, Minato really wouldn't have been able to stop her.
Minato told Obito, "I just came to tell you I'm back, Obito. I'll take you to another tent, so you don't end up arguing with Shindai again."
Obito immediately agreed. "Okay!"
Obito was more than happy not to be in the same tent as Shindai. Who knew what crazy stunts Shindai would pull next, causing him to get pummeled by Tsunade again? Right now, Obito held one phrase as absolute truth: "When there's no danger, Shindai is the biggest danger!" So, for his own safety, he decided to cherish life and stay far away from Shindai.
Then Minato told Shindai, "Shindai, I'll take Obito to another tent. I won't disturb your rest. Get some good rest, and I'll come visit you tomorrow."
Shindai poked his head out from under the blanket and waved goodbye to Minato. "See you tomorrow, Lord Minato!"
Minato hoisted Obito onto his back, then gave Tsunade a meaningful look. Tsunade understood and followed Minato out of the tent.
Chapter 54: The 'Patient' Wait
After Minato Namikaze dropped Obito off at another tent, he and Tsunade didn't leave. Instead, they stayed right outside Shindai's tent, talking loud enough for Shindai to hear them.
"Lady Tsunade, since Lord Jiraiya is unconscious, there's something I need to report to you immediately. I received intelligence from the Leaf Village. They're planning to move on the Sand Shinobi in the Land of Rivers. It's a preemptive strike to force them back into the Land of Wind."
"Oh? Moving on the Sand Shinobi, are we? And when will this happen?"
"In half a month. The Leaf is currently gathering shinobi and secretly sending them to the Land of Rivers. Once the ninja forces arrive, they'll launch a surprise attack on the Sand. Depending on the situation, we might even be sent to the Land of Rivers as support."
"Alright, I understand."
Inside the tent, Shindai heard every word of Minato and Tsunade's conversation clearly. Then... Shindai scratched his rear, rolled over, and closed his eyes, intending to catch some sleep. He was exhausted from the beating and from arguing with Obito all morning; he was utterly worn out.
For Shindai, the information Minato and Tsunade were discussing was completely unimportant. In his eyes, there was no point in the Sand Village sending ninja into the Land of Rivers anyway. The Sand Village's shinobi simply weren't as strong as the Leaf's. The Leaf ninja stationed in the Land of Rivers were mostly ordinary shinobi, not like the Legendary Sannin were there leading them. To put it plainly, the Leaf Village didn't even take the Sand Village seriously. Even with just these ordinary Leaf ninja stationed there, the Sand Shinobi in the Land of Rivers were at a disadvantage.
So, Shindai figured, whether this intelligence made it back to the Sand Village or not, the outcome was already set. As long as the Leaf Village sent ninja to reinforce the Land of Rivers and fight the Sand, the Sand would definitely retreat back into the Land of Wind. Since the outcome was certain, why bother going through all that trouble? He even thought that if his intelligence proved accurate, and the Third Kazekage eventually died, others who knew his spy identity might want him to keep spying for the Leaf.
Speaking of which, the ninja world seemed to be getting tense. The Third Kazekage should be ambushed and killed by Sasori pretty soon, right? He wondered who all knew about his spy identity. It was also the Third Kazekage's own fault for trusting Sasori so much. No, wait, the Third Kazekage didn't really trust Sasori; he trusted Chiyo. He had already warned them, so if the Third Kazekage didn't listen, there was nothing Shindai could do. Lost in thought, Shindai drifted off to sleep.
Minato Namikaze and Tsunade waited patiently a short distance from Shindai's tent. They waited from day into night, and from night into day again. After all that waiting, Shindai hadn't made a single move. But how could he? Shindai hadn't taken any of it seriously to begin with.
Tsunade frowned and asked, "Minato, did that brat even hear us?"
Minato wasn't so sure anymore. "Probably... maybe not, I guess. If he had, Shindai would have already summoned a ninja hawk to send the intel back to the Sand Village."
Tsunade 'tsk'ed. "Then go check on that brat's situation, and I'll back you up again."
Minato nodded and entered Shindai's tent. Seeing Shindai sprawled out on the bed, sleeping soundly, made Minato's eye twitch. Now Minato was sure: Shindai definitely hadn't heard anything yesterday. How could anyone sleep so soundly if they had?
Minato gently shook the sleeping Shindai. Shindai woke up groggily. "Lord Minato, is that you?"
Minato asked, "I came to ask you, what do you want to eat?"
Shindai instantly perked up. "Can I really order something?" He'd been at the outpost for so long, eating whatever was available. He'd never heard of being able to order what you wanted. Perhaps this was the privilege of the strong.
Minato replied, "Hmm, I'll try my best. It depends on whether they can make it here at the outpost."
Shindai raised his hand, full of energy. "I want sukiyaki!"
Minato's brow darkened. "This is an outpost! How would we have sukiyaki?!"
Shindai looked disappointed. "No? That's too bad. I've never even had sukiyaki. What about tempura? You can make that, right?"
Minato agreed. "Tempura is possible. Just wait for me a moment, I'll go have them make it and bring it to you."
"Thank you, Lord Minato!"
Minato waved his hand. "Don't mention it. In fact, I should be thanking you. I heard that you managed to lead Kakashi and the others to retreat when the Cloud ninja weren't paying attention. Otherwise, Kakashi and the others would have been in grave danger."
Shindai proudly puffed out his chest. "Heh, it's just what I should do as a member of the Leaf!"
Minato smiled at Shindai. "I'll be right back."
Minato left the tent and rejoined Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, I'm going to get Shindai some food now. While he's eating, we'll do our routine again, just like yesterday." Minato's idea was that Shindai couldn't possibly not hear them while he was eating!
Minato had someone make tempura and brought it to Shindai. "Shindai, eat slowly here. Just leave the empty plates on the table, someone will clean them up later. I have to go now."
Minato and Tsunade met up at their old spot from last night.
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Orochimaru already knows that the Leaf Village is preparing to attack the Sand Shinobi in the Land of Rivers. Lord Orochimaru is currently tallying the ninja at the outpost. If the situation isn't good after half a month, we'll need to send a portion of our ninja to the Land of Rivers."
"And if the situation in the Land of Rivers isn't good, we'll also need to send some medical ninja there, right?"
"That's right. Once you've finalized the list of medical ninja, just give it directly to Lord Orochimaru."
After Minato and Tsunade finished speaking, they once again hid, observing Shindai's tent, patiently waiting for him to make a move.
Meanwhile, inside the tent...
"Ugh, this tempura can't compare to what I eat in the Leaf Village at all. But it's barely acceptable, I guess. It's not like I'm in the Leaf. If this were the kind of tempura they served in a shop back in the Leaf, I'd flip the whole place over."
"It's just about driving the Sand Shinobi back from the Land of Rivers to the Land of Wind, right? Do they really need to make such a big fuss? Huh? What the heck, is this a steamed bun? Steamed bun tempura? This is too much!"
Looking at the steamed bun tempura in his hand, Shindai angrily stuffed it into his mouth, took two bites, and swallowed it whole. "Phew, good thing. Another chew and I would've tasted it."
Outside the tent, Minato Namikaze and Tsunade continued their 'patient' wait for Shindai to take action.
Chapter 55: Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya's Troubles
Another four days had passed.
During these days, Minato Namikaze had tried various methods to get Shindai to summon his ninja hawk, but every single attempt failed. This left Minato completely stumped, and he even started to suspect that Shindai had already known the information was fake all along.
However, seeing the clear, innocent foolishness in Shindai's eyes, Minato was sure that Shindai definitely didn't know the intel was false. So why wouldn't Shindai send the information back to Sunagakure?
Now, Jiraiya was the one by Minato's side. In fact, he'd taken over three days ago. That's because Tsunade, convinced that Shindai was messing with them, nearly burst in to give him a good beating. Luckily, Minato stopped her in time. Just to be safe, and to prevent Tsunade from actually beating Shindai up, Minato had asked Jiraiya, who was now able to move around, for help.
But Minato and Jiraiya tried several times too, and Shindai remained completely unmoved, leaving Minato utterly frustrated.
Jiraiya squinted at Shindai's tent nearby. With a serious look, he told Minato, "Minato, let's give that kid, Shindai, a little shock."
Minato asked, "What kind of shock?"
"Just follow my lead and cooperate. Come with me!"
In the familiar spot, with the familiar faces, Jiraiya exaggerated his expression and said to Minato, "Minato, I just received some top-secret intel! Kirigakure is making a big move, I hear they're planning a sneak attack on Sunagakure, supposedly in about half a month!"
Minato feigned surprise, "Really? If Sunagakure isn't prepared, couldn't they suffer heavy losses?"
Jiraiya sighed dramatically, "Indeed, if Sunagakure doesn't get this intel, they're doomed."
Jiraiya and Minato went back and forth, detailing how perilous Sunagakure's situation was. Inside the tent, Shindai clutched his mouth, his expression looking quite pained. But this pain was from trying to stifle his laughter.
Kirigakure attacking Sunagakure? Was the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure getting senile? Attacking a barren, desolate place like Sunagakure, for what? For a mouthful of sand? Everyone in the ninja world knew how poor Sunagakure was. Even if a surprise attack succeeded, what would they gain? Honestly, it was always Sunagakure pulling stunts on others, not the other way around. There was just no benefit.
Phew, these past few days have been so comfortable. Just lying in bed every day, with the medical ninja-sisters bringing him meals. He could have left ages ago, his superficial wounds had healed, but Shindai stubbornly refused to leave, claiming he had internal injuries. The medical ninja-sisters couldn't do anything about the sly Shindai.
And these past few days, Shindai had finally been able to read in peace. Plus, he got to hear all sorts of gossip about Sunagakure from Minato, Tsunade, or Jiraiya every day, which was truly entertaining. Shindai secretly wished he could just stay in this tent forever.
As expected, Minato and Jiraiya failed again this time. It was now the sixth day, meaning they only had one day left. If they couldn't get Shindai to summon his ninja hawk by tomorrow, even if he did it later, it might be too late.
Jiraiya was utterly confused now. "What is wrong with that kid? I made it sound so serious, practically like Sunagakure was going to be wiped out, and he doesn't care about his village at all?"
Minato sighed helplessly, "According to Shindai's memories that Saiichi investigated, Shindai hardly ever left his house in Sunagakure and rarely interacted with anyone, so he probably doesn't have much attachment to the village." Minato sighed again, "Now we're in trouble, how do we get Shindai to summon that ninja hawk?"
Jiraiya thought for a moment, then suggested, "How about we ask your three students? They've spent much more time with Shindai than you have, so they definitely know him better. Maybe they have a plan."
Minato's eyes lit up. He agreed wholeheartedly, "That's a great idea!"
Minato and Jiraiya immediately summoned Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara. Minato quickly explained the situation to the three of them. Then Minato asked, "Kakashi, Obito, Rin, do you three have any good ideas to get Shindai to summon his ninja hawk?"
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin exchanged glances, then said in unison, "That's easy."
Minato looked at the confident trio and warned them, "I thought it was easy at first too, but we've all failed since then."
Obito adjusted his sunglasses and said coolly, "Sensei, you're just using the wrong approach."
Kakashi retorted to Obito, "Stop trying to look cool and help Minato-sensei solve this problem!" Then Kakashi said to Minato, "Minato-sensei, leave this to us. Obito, Rin, let's go."
Kakashi's team walked directly towards Shindai's tent. Minato and Jiraiya watched, eager to see how the three of them would solve the Shindai problem that had been plaguing them for six days.
Kakashi's team arrived at Shindai's tent. Seeing them, Shindai happily greeted them, "Yo, you guys came to see me!"
Kakashi's expression was serious. "Shindai, we have a mission."
Shindai saw Kakashi's stern face and grew wary. "A mission? What kind of mission? I'm still injured, you know!"
Obito continued his cool act, "If I'm good, you're good."
Shindai rolled his eyes at Obito. "Good for nothing!"
Kakashi spoke gravely, "This mission requires all four of us. It's a tough one. In 15 days, the four of us will head to the Land of Earth to ambush an Iwagakure supply unit."
Shindai was stunned, staring blankly at Kakashi. "The four of us? Ambush an Iwagakure unit? What about Minato-sensei?"
Kakashi replied, "Minato-sensei and the others will be drawing fire up front. This ambush mission is just for the four of us!"
Shindai immediately sprang up from the bed, his voice growing sharp. "Are you insane?! The four of us going to ambush an Iwagakure unit? Isn't that just a suicide mission?"
Kakashi put on a look of grim determination. "Indeed, this mission carries great risk. However, it's all for the Leaf Village. There's no room for discussion on this. Get ready, Shindai. We move in 15 days!"
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin left Shindai's tent directly, giving him no chance to speak. Shindai was completely numb. Just the four of them... only he and Kakashi were somewhat strong. How could they possibly succeed in ambushing an Iwagakure unit? An Iwagakure unit, not just a squad! A unit meant at least ten ninja!
Shindai anxiously paced back and forth in the tent. The Land of Earth seemed quite close to the Land of Wind... Should he just run? First of all, he wasn't sure if he could even escape. Even if he did, wouldn't the Third Kazekage severely punish him if he returned?
No, he needed to try writing a letter first, to see if the Third Kazekage would agree to end his undercover mission. If he agreed, great. If not, he'd figure something out then.
Minato and Jiraiya's mouths hung slightly open, dumbfounded, as they watched Shindai sneakily leave the tent shortly after Kakashi's team did.
It was that simple?
