151-155

Chapter 151: Lord Minato, Do You Believe Me? 

Shindai, sporting a massive bump on his head, sat with Obito, Kakashi, Rin, and Minato Namikaze at the dining table, waiting for Kushina Uzumaki to finish making dinner. 

"...It was with that unwavering belief that I pulled off that absolutely groundbreaking, unprecedented feat that truly stunned the entire ninja world!" 

Just as Obito and the others had suspected, Shindai, as soon as he walked in, couldn't wait to start bragging to Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. 

Minato Namikaze exclaimed in admiration, "Shindai, you're truly… cough, incredibly resourceful!" 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin gave Minato Namikaze their best deadpan stares. 

Of course, even Minato Namikaze thought Shindai was shameless! 

Kushina Uzumaki, however, wasn't one for subtlety. "You're seriously a rotten kid! That person named Chiyo must be absolutely furious!" 

Shindai retorted, clearly annoyed, "What do you mean 'rotten kid'? I call it fully utilizing my wisdom and talent! Intelligence is part of strength too, you know!" 

"Heh." 

Kushina Uzumaki gave him a dismissive 'heh' and went back to preparing the ingredients. 

After that, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin also talked about what they'd been up to recently. 

Shindai glanced at the busy Kushina Uzumaki, his eyes darting around. He leaned in and whispered to Minato Namikaze, "Lord Minato, are you and Big Sister Kushina living together?" 

Minato Namikaze's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to speak, Shindai quickly interjected, "Lord Minato, keep your voice down! If Big Sister Kushina hears us, I'll get clobbered again!" 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin nearly rolled their eyes out of their heads. He knows he's going to get hit, but he's still asking! 

Still, they were curious too, and perked up their ears to listen. 

Minato Namikaze's face flushed slightly. "No, no such thing. Kushina just thought I might be bored, so she came over to chat." 

Shindai clicked his tongue. "Lord Minato, you actually believe that? That's Big Sister Kushina's glaringly obvious hint to you!" 

Minato Namikaze looked confused. "A hint? What kind of hint?" 

Shindai said with a very serious expression, "That hint means you need to launch a full-on attack!" 

Minato Namikaze was bewildered. "Huh? Shindai, what in the world are you talking about?" 

Shindai whispered, "Let me break it down for you. Big Sister Kushina was worried you'd be bored, so she came to chat, and she's even making you dinner? If it was just chatting, when it's time to eat, shouldn't you go out or you make dinner? Lord Minato, it's not like you can't cook, and I'm guessing Big Sister Kushina was the one who offered to cook for you, right?" 

"Uh... yes." 

Minato Namikaze nodded. Shindai's guess was spot on; Kushina Uzumaki had indeed offered. 

"And it's probably been more than just one day, hasn't it?" 

Minato Namikaze nodded again. "Yeah, it's been several days in a row." 

Shindai continued, "I'm guessing that ever since Big Sister Kushina lost control and you said you liked her, you haven't said anything like that again, have you?" 

Minato Namikaze softly hummed in agreement. 

Shindai stated matter-of-factly, "Well, there you go! Big Sister Kushina is giving you a chance! For Big Sister Kushina, your confession to her last time was basically confirming your relationship. But then, Lord Minato, you didn't make any further moves, which must have made Big Sister Kushina incredibly anxious, thinking that maybe what you said last time wasn't true..." 

Minato Namikaze anxiously interjected, "Of course it wasn't false!" 

Shindai twitched his lips. "What good is telling me that?! Big Sister Kushina is waiting for you to make a move, Lord Minato!" 

Minato Namikaze rubbed his chin, asking, "A move? What kind of move should I make?" 

Shindai looked helpless. "Lord Minato, you're a master at charming girls! You don't know what kind of move to make?" 

Minato Namikaze looked puzzled. "Charming girls? Who have I charmed?" 

"..." 

Shindai was silent for a moment, then a smirk spread across his face. "Lord Minato, do you believe me? If you do, I can help you out, ya know?" 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin simultaneously and discreetly waved their hands frantically at Minato Namikaze. 

Don't you dare agree! 

Even though Shindai's analysis sounded incredibly logical, Shindai himself was totally unreliable! 

Obito, especially, had plenty to say about it. Every time Shindai offered to help him with Rin, nothing ever came of it. 

Minato Namikaze asked suspiciously, "How do you plan to help me?" 

Shindai said conspiratorially, "If I tell you now, it won't work its magic, Lord Minato! Just trust me! I'm super reliable, super trustworthy! I guarantee that starting tomorrow, you and Big Sister Kushina will be living a perfectly shameless, blissful life!" 

A perfectly shameless, blissful life... 

Minato Namikaze stole a glance at the busy Kushina Uzumaki. His already flushed face turned even redder. 

Minato Namikaze looked at Shindai with a serious expression. "Shindai, I trust you completely!" 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin sighed. 

He's fallen for it. It's over. 

Kushina Uzumaki brought the finished dishes to the table. "Huh, Minato, why is your face so red? Are you hot? Wasn't it pretty cool today?" 

Minato Namikaze's mind was a bit muddled, and he inexplicably felt guilty, not daring to look at Kushina Uzumaki. "Ma-maybe I'm just wearing too many clothes. It'll be fine in a bit." 

"Wearing too many clothes?" 

Kushina Uzumaki looked strangely at Minato Namikaze, who was wearing a short-sleeved shirt. 

This is wearing too many clothes? So if he wore less, he'd be naked?! 

But... Minato's abs are really hot. I'd love to see them again... 

Kushina Uzumaki's face couldn't help but turn red as well. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin looked at Kushina Uzumaki in confusion. They could understand Minato Namikaze's blush, but why was Kushina Uzumaki blushing?! 

Dinner was eaten in slightly more silence than usual. 

Minato Namikaze was thinking about how Shindai would help him later. 

Shindai was thinking about how he would perform later. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were thinking about what to do if things got out of hand. 

And Kushina Uzumaki, whose thoughts Shindai had guessed perfectly, was indeed there to give Minato Namikaze a chance. It had been so long, and Minato Namikaze hadn't reacted at all, which was driving her crazy. 

After dinner, Kushina Uzumaki went to wash the dishes. Shindai slipped a small object into Minato Namikaze's hand. 

Shindai instructed, "Lord Minato, wear this earpiece and listen to my commands later. The first thing we need to do is create a private space for just the two of you!" 

"Hey, Obito, Kakashi, Rin! Let's go! Dinner's done, what are you still doing here? Time to clear out!" 

Shindai pushed Obito and the others out of Minato Namikaze's house. 

"Alright, I'm heading home, you guys go home too!" 

After telling Obito and the others that, Shindai dove into his own house next door. 

Just as Shindai was about to press his left eye to observe through the 'third eye' he had secretly left in Minato Namikaze's house, he looked to his right with exasperation. "Why aren't you three going home? What are you doing at my place?" 

Obito said righteously, "Go home? No way! We're staying here too! We're worried you're going to trick Minato-sensei!" 

Kakashi and Rin didn't say anything, but their expressions made it clear they weren't going anywhere either. 

Chapter 152: Directing Minato Namikaze 

Shindai looked exasperatedly at the three freeloaders who refused to leave his house. 

"Hey, you guys are really messing with my flow here!" 

However, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin Nohara just scoffed. 

"I'm afraid if we leave, you'll totally run wild! Sensei Minato is seriously too naive, believing your nonsense!" 

Shindai indignantly retorted, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, clarify that! What do you mean 'nonsense'? I'm absolutely genuine and confident, alright?!" 

Kakashi sneered, "Confident? Then tell us, what's your confidence based on?" 

Shindai confidently declared, "My confidence comes from the fact that Minato-sensei and Kushina-neechan like each other! So, all I have to do is help them break the ice. For me, it's no challenge at all! I'm not talking to you guys anymore. You three can stay here if you want, but don't disturb me! If this goes south, you won't need me to deal with you; Kushina-neechan alone will be enough to cause you trouble!" 

Shindai pressed his left eye, beginning to observe through the 'third eye' he had placed in Minato Namikaze's house. 

In Minato Namikaze's living room, Kushina Uzumaki had already finished washing the dishes. 

Kushina wiped her wet hands and said to Minato, "Alright, it's getting late... I'll head home now." 

Kushina looked at Minato intently, secretly hoping he would say something. 

However, to Kushina's slight disappointment, Minato didn't say what she wanted to hear. He simply uttered, "Huh? Oh, okay, see you tomorrow." 

Minato was actually quite anxious. Didn't Shindai say he'd be giving him instructions? Where was the guidance? Why was there no sound from his earpiece at all? 

Thanks to Shindai's earlier hints at the dinner table, Minato, now enlightened, could clearly see the expectation in Kushina's eyes. So, Minato wanted to say something, but remembering Shindai's promise to guide him and lead them to a happy, uninhibited life, he held back. 

A bit disappointed, Kushina walked to the door, her hand already on the doorknob, ready to leave. 

Minato panicked. He anxiously whispered, "Shindai, where's your command?" 

But there was still no response from the earpiece. 

"Huh? Why won't the door open?" 

Kushina twisted the doorknob several times, pushing the door forcefully, but she couldn't open it. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, who were listening intently from next door with their ears pressed to the wall, all looked at Shindai when they heard Kushina say the door wouldn't open. 

"You did that?" 

Shindai smirked, "Of course! I blocked the door with iron sand. Kushina-neechan can't escape. There's no way I'd let her leave! Now, it's showtime!" 

Finally, Shindai's voice came through Minato's previously silent earpiece. 

Upon hearing Shindai's instructions, Minato's face immediately turned crimson. He stammered to Kushina, "Ku-Kushina, s-since the door is broken, why don't you stay here for the night?" 

Kushina spun around to face Minato, looking at him with a pleasant surprise. He finally got the hint! 

But she didn't expect him to use such a clumsy excuse as "the door is broken." If the door's broken, there's always the window, right? 

Still, it was rare for Minato to finally clue in, so she wouldn't be unromantic. If she missed this chance, who knew how long she'd have to wait? 

Kushina's cheeks were also flushed scarlet. She lifted her chin and said, "The door's broken, so there's nothing for it, I guess I'll reluctantly stay here for the night!" 

Kushina sat back on the sofa, shyly lowering her head, not daring to look at Minato, waiting for him to say something. 

However, after a while, Minato still hadn't spoken. Kushina secretly peeked up and saw sweat pouring down Minato's face as if a dam had burst. 

Kushina could even hear Minato muttering, "Do I really have to do this?" 

Kushina wondered, "Do what? Minato, why are you sweating so much?" 

Minato was startled by Kushina's voice. "N-no... it's just a bit hot. Kushina, could you get me a glass of water?" 

"Okay." 

Kushina felt very strange. Since earlier, Minato had been acting a bit odd, inexplicably nervous. Was he, perhaps, thinking about how to confess to her again later? 

At the thought of this, Kushina's heart swelled with joy. She got up to get Minato some water. 

At this point, Shindai's room was empty except for him. Obito, Kakashi, and Rin had gone to peek through the window. Only hearing sounds and not seeing the situation inside the room made them itch with curiosity. After all, they were professionals at spying. 

Kushina was pouring water for Minato, wondering how Minato would confess to her soon. 

Just as Kushina had poured the water and turned around, she found that Minato had somehow appeared behind her. She jumped in surprise, spilling water on his clothes. 

"Why did you suddenly come over without a sound? You scared me! Your clothes are wet, hurry and change..." 

Kushina hadn't even finished speaking when Minato pressed one hand against the wall behind Kushina with a thump, bringing his face close to hers. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin watched this scene, their mouths agape in shock. 

Was this still the Minato-sensei they knew? No, definitely not! This Minato Namikaze was being controlled by that evil guy, Shindai! But it looked really exciting! 

Obito exclaimed, "I shall name this move: Wall-Slam!" 

Kakashi and Rin felt that Obito's name was excellent, very fitting. 

Kushina stared blankly at Minato's face, so close to hers. Her mind was almost unable to process anything, and smoke seemed to be coming from her head. 

Not just Kushina, but even Minato was in a similar state. Because Minato felt so utterly embarrassed right now. 

And what he had to say next would be even more mortifying. 

"Ku-Kushina, I do one thing every single moment. Do you know what it is?" 

"Wha-what is it?" 

"Th-thinking of you~" 

Kushina's already red face immediately deepened in color, turning blood red in an instant. 

"I, I think our friendship can only last until today..." 

"Eh? Why?" 

"B-because... I want it to turn into love..." 

Kushina looked at Minato, utterly shocked. Was this truly the somewhat shy Minato Namikaze she knew? 

It seems Shindai is quite the matchmaker, though perhaps a bit heavy-handed! What do you think will happen next in this "Wall-Slam" encounter? 

Chapter 153: Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki 

"Do you know the coldest place in the world? It's any place without you." 

"Do you know why I caught a cold? Because I have no resistance to you." 

Minato Namikaze recited what Shindai instructed him through the earpiece, word for word. 

Obito and his team, who were secretly observing, had increasingly strange expressions and began to whisper their complaints. 

"You don't even need to think about it; Shindai definitely made Sensei Minato say those things. Sensei Minato would never come up with lines like that." 

"The first line was pretty good, but he's saying too much! I feel like it's getting cheesy and making me sick." 

"That idiot Shindai, doesn't he know that too much of a good thing can backfire?" 

Kushina Uzumaki went from being touched, to feeling weird, and now she was just unfazed, narrowing her eyes at the still-chattering Minato. 

Minato also noticed Kushina's gaze and chuckled dryly, "Ku-Kushina, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" 

Kushina suddenly reached out and cupped Minato's face. 

Now it was Minato's turn to freeze. 

Next door, Shindai grew anxious. 

"Are they going to kiss? No, no, no! According to my plan, after a dozen more of my best pick-up lines to set the mood, Sensei Minato was supposed to make the move. Now Kushina-neechan is taking the initiative, what about my future plans?" 

Shindai steeled himself and said to Minato, "Sensei Minato, slap Kushina-neechan's hands away! Sensei Minato! Sensei Minato! Hey, don't fall for her charm! It's a trap!" 

Minato couldn't hear Shindai's voice at all now; his eyes were completely fixed on Kushina Uzumaki. 

Just as Shindai was panicking, Minato was stunned, and Obito and the others were filled with anticipation, Kushina Uzumaki made a move that surprised everyone. 

Kushina's hands, which were cupping Minato's face, suddenly reached into his ear and pulled out Shindai's earpiece. 

Seeing this, both Shindai and Minato felt like their world had collapsed. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin felt that Shindai and Minato's world had collapsed. 

Kushina looked at the earpiece in her hand, her eyelid twitching violently. "I knew it! You weren't acting like yourself at all, you were like a completely different person! So, someone was directing you, huh? The broken door, pinning me against the wall, and all those lines just now..." 

Minato saw Kushina's hair begin to float, and his heart turned cold. If he didn't say something soon, he was in big trouble! 

Minato's words came out jumbled. "Li-listen to me, I can explain..." 

Kushina smiled sweetly, looking at Minato, "Oh? Then explain away?" 

"Uh... uh..." 

Minato felt his scalp tingle. If he explained, he'd essentially be selling Shindai out. No matter what, Shindai had good intentions; Minato simply couldn't bring himself to betray him like that. 

"Aha, I caught you three! You dared to damage Sensei Minato's door and were peeking through the window! Are you trying to cause trouble?!" 

Minato and Kushina both looked out the window at the same time. 

Shindai, in a righteous display, was scolding Obito, Kakashi, and Rin. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were stunned. That scoundrel Shindai was trying to blame them for his own mess! 

Shindai had no choice. If he didn't take action, he'd be the one in trouble. As the saying goes, if he beat Obito and the others, then he wouldn't get beaten himself. 

Shindai looked through the window at Kushina inside, flashing a fawning, dog-like smile. "Kushina-neechan, I've caught them all! They're yours to deal with!" 

Obito was about to speak when Shindai clapped a hand over his mouth. 

Shindai glared at Obito, "You still dare to make a fuss?!" 

Rin Nohara also tried to speak, and Shindai covered her mouth too. 

Shindai now glared at both of them, "I'm telling you two, don't say anything stupid, or I'll punish you with Kushina-neechan!" 

Shindai's hands were now occupied, so he couldn't cover Kakashi's mouth. 

Just as Kakashi opened his mouth, Shindai's deadly scissor-kick came flying in: "Shut up!" 

Shindai's legs tightly clamped around Kakashi's neck, preventing him from making a sound. 

"Kushina-neechan, I've helped you subdue all three of them! No need to thank me, it's what I should do!" 

Minato Namikaze stared blankly at Shindai. What was Shindai doing? He must be framing them... yes, he's framing them! 

But immediately, Shindai's expression turned to one of extreme horror. Because Kushina Uzumaki was walking towards the window, holding his "third eye" in her hand. 

Kushina smiled at Shindai, "You're quite the righteous one, huh? Do you take me for an idiot? The moment I saw this earpiece, I knew it was you. After all, only you could pull something like this off." 

Kushina directly crushed the "third eye" in her hand, the iron sand flowing from between her fingers to the ground. 

Shindai turned to run, but Kushina directly smashed through the window, grabbed Shindai by the collar of his shirt, and dragged him into the room. 

Shindai was thrown next to Minato by Kushina. Then, one by one, she grabbed Obito, Kakashi, and Rin and tossed them next to Minato as well. 

Looking at Kushina Uzumaki, whose hair was wildly flailing and whose appearance was utterly terrifying, everyone nervously swallowed. 

Obito tried to explain, "Lady Kushina, it has nothing to do with us!" 

Kushina rubbed her wrists and smiled 'gently,' "It has nothing to do with you? The fact that you were peeking means you three were also in on it. You're not getting away either!" 

Half an hour later. 

Minato Namikaze, Shindai, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were all sitting obediently on the sofa. All five of them had large bumps on their heads. 

Shindai had the most bumps on his head because when Kushina Uzumaki was beating him, Obito and the other two joined in. 

Kushina warned Shindai, "If you ever lead Minato astray again, I'll make sure you regret it dearly!" 

Shindai mumbled softly, "Sensei Minato is an adult, how could a kid like me lead him astray? If Sensei Minato agreed, it means he wanted to do it too. I was just trying to help you two, and you were clearly happy at first, even giving him chances. Why are you pretending now?" 

Minato was extremely embarrassed. Why was Shindai speaking such blatant truths? The most important thing now was to appease Kushina, or he'd get another beating. 

Kushina glared fiercely at Shindai, "What did you say? Speak louder!" 

Shindai closed his eyes and shouted, "I said I was wrong! I won't do it again!" 

Kushina snorted, "Good that you know your mistake. Don't let it happen again. You can go home now!" 

Shindai and the other three scurried out of Minato Namikaze's house. 

Now, only Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were left in the living room. 

Minato stood up from the sofa and apologized to Kushina, "Sorry, Kushina, I..." 

"Idiot." 

"Huh?" 

Kushina looked up, her gaze piercing into Minato's eyes. "I said you're a big idiot." 

Kushina grabbed Minato by his collar, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him. 

Minato's eyes instantly widened. After he came to his senses, he took control, wrapping his arms around Kushina and passionately kissing her back. 

And outside the broken window, four pairs of eyes were secretly peeking in, slyly watching. 

--- 

Looks like Kushina knows how to take charge, even after some awkward interventions! What a turn of events, a true Konoha power couple in the making! 

Chapter 154: Impending Changes 

"Tsk, tsk, it really takes me to light this kind of fire! This dry wood meeting a raging blaze, they're gonna burn the whole house down!" 

Shindai's eyes were practically popping out of his head. When he saw Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki planning to move their "operations," Shindai even tried to conjure his third eye to follow them. 

But suddenly, three fists simultaneously landed on Shindai's head. 

"Just watching them kiss is enough, already!" 

"You actually wanted your third eye to follow them into the room?!" 

"Do you want to live or not?! If you don't, we can gladly take care of it for you!" 

Under the fierce condemnation of Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, Shindai's little 'reconnaissance mission' was forcibly cut short. 

To prevent Shindai from doing anything utterly shameless after they left, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin decided to just crash at Shindai's house for the night. Three pairs of eyes were glued to Shindai, giving him absolutely no opportunity to cause trouble. 

Shindai muttered under his breath, complaining that he worked so hard, so what if he took a peek? It's not like he'd lose a limb. 

The Next Morning 

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki opened the door, laughing and chatting happily. 

Kushina Uzumaki affectionately linked her arm through Minato Namikaze's, talking to him nonstop. 

Minato Namikaze, smiling, patiently listened to every word Kushina Uzumaki said. 

"Good morning, Minato-sensei, Lady Kushina!" 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin stood by the door, energetically greeting Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. 

"Good morning to you too! Oh, where's Shindai?" 

"I'm right here! You two sure look refreshed and full of spirit, huh?" 

Shindai, sporting a pair of dark circles under his eyes, leaned against his own doorframe, yawning listlessly. 

Kushina Uzumaki asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with you?" 

Shindai glared fiercely at Obito, Kakashi, and Rin. "Ask these three! They did nothing all night but stare at me, and it kept me from sleeping! Big Sister Kushina, Lord Minato, you two must be going on a date, right? I'm begging you, please take these three goons with you!" 

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki looked at Obito, Kakashi, and Rin in confusion, not understanding why they'd spent the whole night watching Shindai. 

"Minato-sensei, Lady Kushina, hurry up and go on your date! Don't mind him. Shindai always talks nonsense; you'll get used to it." 

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki felt a bit strange. Were they being rushed off to their date? 

After Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki left, Shindai turned to Obito, Kakashi, and Rin. "Don't come looking for me these next few days. I've got something to cook up! And don't even think about trying to pick the lock with a key, especially you, Obito! I've already jammed the keyhole with Iron Sand!" 

With that, Shindai slammed his door shut. 

Obito scoffed, annoyed. "Tch, like I even want to hang out with him." 

Kakashi and Rin exchanged glances with Obito. 

Oh really? 

Obito's favorite thing to do was cause trouble with Shindai. 

Rin asked, "Obito, Kakashi, what are you two going to do later?" 

Obito grinned mischievously. "Of course, I'm going to go sneak a peek at Minato-sensei's date! What about you, Kakashi, Rin?" 

Rin replied, "I'll be doing the usual, helping out at the Ninja Hospital." 

Kakashi also answered, "I'm going to train. I told you guys before, Minato-sensei's Rasengan gave me a lot of inspiration. The Rasengan isn't quite right for me, so I want to create a jutsu that suits me. I feel like I'm close to finishing it." 

Obito felt a little... no, he felt very awkward. 

Shindai was definitely tinkering with something, Rin was helping at the Ninja Hospital, Kakashi was creating a new jutsu, and he was going to spy on a date. 

This made him look incredibly unproductive! 

Obito cleared his throat. "I think, spying on a date probably isn't that interesting after all. While I have this free time, I'll go learn some Uchiha Fire Style jutsu." 

Unseen Threat Looms 

While everyone was busy with their own plans, at the Mountains Graveyard, 

The usually closed eyes of Madara Uchiha opened. A frail, weak voice echoed: "Well, did you bring Obito?" 

Black Zetsu emerged from the ground, bowing his head slightly. "Uh, not yet. There wasn't an opportunity to act." 

Madara Uchiha sighed in disappointment. "How useless. As the embodiment of my will, you haven't inherited any of my strength. What about that seal, then?" 

Black Zetsu's head dropped even lower. "Uh... couldn't find that either." 

Madara Uchiha looked at Black Zetsu with a scrutinizing gaze. "Are you truly the embodiment of my will?" 

Black Zetsu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be... Madara Uchiha has realized? 

Then, Madara Uchiha spoke with displeasure. "As the embodiment of my will, to be so utterly useless! If I could create another embodiment of my will, I would destroy you. You are a complete disgrace to me, Madara Uchiha!" 

Black Zetsu breathed a sigh of relief. So, he hadn't realized after all. 

But immediately, Black Zetsu got angry. He's just a pawn, what's with all the bravado?! 

Destroy him, huh? Try it! 

Madara Uchiha reminded Black Zetsu, "I don't have much time left. Hurry and bring Obito to me. If you can't, we'll have to consider the backup plan!" 

"Obito is in the Leaf Village now. If he goes on a mission next, I'll directly use mental fusion to control the enemy's consciousness and personally make my move on him. I will definitely bring him." 

Black Zetsu was now stewing in his own frustration, thinking he absolutely had to bring Obito before Madara Uchiha to show him what he was capable of! 

Madara Uchiha looked up at Black Zetsu. "You don't need to tell me your plan. I only want results. Without results, no matter how beautiful your plan sounds, it's useless." 

Black Zetsu was practically fuming. He looks down on me that much? 

I really want to pull out Madara Uchiha's tubes! 

Madara Uchiha closed his eyes. "Now go. Don't disappoint me again. I hope that when I wake up again, I'll see a good result." 

Black Zetsu silently cursed Madara Uchiha to his heart's content, but his mouth obediently said, "Understood," before sinking back into the ground. 

A Week Later 

Seven days passed. 

Seven days of happiness for Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. 

Minato Namikaze was thinking about plans for their next date when Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly dispatched an Anbu ninja, ordering Minato Namikaze to report to the Hokage's office immediately. 

Minato Namikaze's expression grew serious. For an Anbu ninja to be sent so urgently to find him, it likely meant an emergency mission. 

After bidding farewell to Kushina Uzumaki, Minato Namikaze immediately headed to the Hokage's office. 

The first thing Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Minato Namikaze was, "Minato, something big has happened. Thousands of Stone Village ninja have entered the Land of Grass and are advancing towards the Land of Fire. We need you to fight!" 

There you have it! The tension is building, isn't it? What do you think will happen next, with the impending war and Madara's schemes? 

Chapter 155: Obito, the "Granny Magnet" 

Minato Namikaze arrived at the Hokage's office, and Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly briefed him on the current situation. 

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with gravity, "There's simply no time to mobilize enough ninja to block the Iwa ninja. Our only option is a surprise attack, Minato. I'm leaving it to you." 

Minato Namikaze understood the seriousness of the situation. He nodded, "I understand. I'll notify Kakashi and the others immediately, and then we'll depart." 

After leaving the Hokage's office, Minato Namikaze summoned three small toads to notify Obito, Kakashi, and Rin. Since Shindai lived right next door, he also needed to gather his own supplies and could pick up Shindai on the way. 

Minato Namikaze arrived at Shindai's doorstep and knocked. 

"Shindai, it's time for a mission!" 

"Coming!" 

Shindai opened the door, and Minato Namikaze was met with Shindai's wild, unkempt hair and bloodshot eyes. 

Minato Namikaze frowned and asked, "Shindai, how many days have you been awake?" 

Shindai scratched his head. "Uh, I don't know, but I'm feeling pretty energetic, so it won't delay anything." 

"Hurry up and get ready. We're heading out on an S-rank mission. We need to get to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass right away." 

Shindai's expression instantly became serious. 

The Land of Grass borders both the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. 

An S-rank mission, heading to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass... 

Is the Kannabi Bridge incident about to begin? 

"I understand, Lord Minato. I'll go get ready now." 

After notifying Shindai, Minato Namikaze returned home to pack his own belongings. 

Kushina Uzumaki worriedly asked, "Is it war again?" 

Minato Namikaze nodded. "Yes, the situation is pretty critical. I need to leave with Shindai and the others right away." 

Kushina Uzumaki watched Minato Namikaze pack in silence. 

Shindai, now packed, arrived at Minato Namikaze's house. "I'm ready, Lord Minato. Oh, Big Sister Kushina, you're here too." 

Minato Namikaze fastened his ninja pouch to his waist and said, "I'm ready too. Let's head out immediately. Kushina, Shindai and I are leaving." 

Kushina Uzumaki took a deep breath, then called out with a reluctant voice, "All of you, you must come back safely! I'll be waiting for you at home!" 

Minato Namikaze and Shindai both turned to look at Kushina Uzumaki, giving her bright, sunny smiles. "We will! We'll be back, Kushina (Big Sister)." 

Outside the Hidden Leaf Village 

Minato Namikaze, Shindai, Kakashi, and Rin had already arrived, just waiting for Obito. 

"What's Obito doing? Fall into a toilet or something? He's so slow." 

Shindai leaned casually against a rock, idly chewing on a foxtail grass stalk. 

Kakashi was getting a bit impatient. "That idiot, always screwing up at the crucial moment." 

Rin guessed, "Obito must have been held up by something." 

"I'm coming! Wait for me... Oof!" 

Obito came sprinting, accidentally tripped on a tree root, lost his balance, and face-planted, sliding right in front of Shindai. 

Shindai saw Obito's head, dog-piled on the ground, at his feet. He couldn't resist and stepped right on it. 

"You're too slow, Obito." 

Obito did a quick kip-up, brushing the dirt from his hair, and grumbled, "Why'd you step on my head, you jerk?!" 

Shindai threw up his hands. "You delivered yourself right to my foot. It just didn't feel right not to step on you." 

Kakashi sighed. "You're late, Obito! Do you know what time we were supposed to meet?" 

"No, I ran into an old lady on the way who asked me for directions." 

Shindai scoffed. "Directions? Listen to yourself. She's an old lady, doesn't she know the village roads? Why would she need to ask you? Or maybe she fancied you, and used asking for directions as an excuse to flirt?" 

Kakashi chimed in, "Highly likely. After all, Obito is quite popular with the old ladies, I once heard an old lady say if she were a few decades younger, she'd marry Obito." 

Obito retorted, annoyed, "What are you two babbling about?!" 

Minato Namikaze even spoke up for Obito. "Don't say that. Obito surely escorted the old lady, right, Obito?" 

Obito nodded vigorously. "Exactly! The old lady had heavy luggage, so I helped her carry it over." 

Shindai gave Minato Namikaze a deadpan look. "Lord Minato, no wonder Big Sister Kushina has you wrapped around her finger." 

Kakashi also grumbled, "Sensei, you're too naive. Obito always 'encounters an old lady.' Like Shindai said, who'd believe that?" 

Minato Namikaze chuckled awkwardly. 

Obito grumbled, "Do you two have no such thing as kindness in your hearts?!" 

Rin also supported Obito. "Alright, stop bickering, you two. Obito is just a very helpful person." 

Kakashi sighed. "Rin, you spoil Obito too much. You'll ruin him. Besides, today is important for me too." 

Shindai asked, puzzled, "Important? What? Kakashi, are you pregnant?" 

A vein instantly popped on Kakashi's forehead. "Can you please just empty all the weird stuff out of your brain?!" 

Obito tilted his head in thought. "What was it... Oh, right, Kakashi, you became a Jonin, didn't you?" 

Shindai scoffed dismissively. "Tch, what's so important about that? I'm still a Genin, am I proud of it?" 

Kakashi's mouth twitched. "Why would you be proud of being a Genin?" 

Shindai proudly lifted his chin. "Haven't you heard? The strongest ninja are Genin!" 

Rin reminded him, "Shindai, you're not a Genin anymore, actually. Because you've been staying home all these days, you weren't notified, but you're a Chunin now, just like me and Obito." 

"Eh? A Chunin? Neither here nor there. No fun." 

Shindai felt that being a Chunin couldn't compare to being a Genin at all; he even preferred being a Genin. 

Minato Namikaze clapped his hands. "Alright, we need to get going. Let's talk as we walk." 

They set off on the road towards the border with the Land of Grass. 

Minato Namikaze told the four of them, "Kakashi is now a Jonin, like me. So, for mission efficiency, I'll be splitting from Kakashi's squad. Right now, the Leaf Village is facing the Iwa ninja, and our combat strength is unprecedentedly low because this battle was quite sudden." 

Obito asked, confused, "Split? You mean..." 

Minato Namikaze nodded. "Yes, that's right. Kakashi will be your squad leader, forming a four-person team with you, Obito, Shindai, and Rin. And I'll be going solo." 

Rin looked at Obito behind her and asked, "Didn't we talk about this before, Obito? About a present for Kakashi becoming a Jonin?" 

Obito froze. He had completely forgotten about the present! 

Looks like the team's dynamic is as chaotic as ever, even with a serious mission ahead! What do you think will happen now that the team is splitting and Kakashi is leading his own squad?