131-135

Chapter 131: Something's Not Right 

It seems like Pakura, the user of Scorch Release, never imagined that the Magnet Release user who was traded from the Hidden Sand Village to the Hidden Stone Village would actually be Shindai. This whole situation is wild! 

Pakura looked at Shindai, her expression troubled. "So... you were disillusioned with the Hidden Sand Village, and that's why you joined the Hidden Leaf?" 

Shindai shook his head. "Pakura, listen to me. That's not why I was disillusioned. This was all just a plan, a scheme by the higher-ups in the Hidden Sand Village. Being traded to the Hidden Stone was a lie. The real goal was for me to be intercepted by the Hidden Leaf, then planted there as a spy." 

"Uncle Kaito doesn't have the brains to come up with a plan like this, so it must have been a decision by the higher-ups, led by Elder Chiyo's brother Ebizo. I didn't want to go, but Uncle Kaito didn't give me a choice. He said I was a Hidden Sand ninja, his clansman, and if I refused, he'd throw me in prison. You know how stubborn Uncle Kaito is; if I didn't agree, he really might have locked me up, and you know what kind of place that prison is... 'survival of the fittest' is the norm there." 

"Just as planned, I successfully became a spy. During that time, I sent many letters to Uncle Kaito, hoping he'd let me return, that I could fight for the Hidden Sand. I didn't want to be a spy. But my letters practically vanished without a trace, no replies at all. What could I do? I could only keep spying." 

Meanwhile, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, who were secretly listening in, felt a pang of guilt. Of course, the letters went nowhere—they had intercepted them! 

Pakura stared blankly at Shindai. She couldn't believe Shindai was a spy for the Hidden Leaf. 

Shindai continued, "Even then, I never intended to betray the Hidden Sand Village. Though the mental pressure was heavy, a spy is a spy, right? I still thought that after my mission was over, I'd return to the Hidden Sand and go back to living my simple life in my dilapidated house." 

"But after Uncle Kaito disappeared, everything changed. I couldn't summon my communication ninja hawks, meaning I was completely cut off from the Hidden Sand Village. Yet, even completely cut off, I still believed they would contact me. I trusted them so much, I never thought they'd abandon me. But what did I get? I found out that I had supposedly been 'converted' by the Hidden Leaf, that they used my connection as Uncle Kaito's clansman to lure him out of the village, letting Hidden Leaf ninja ambush and kill him, then framing the Hidden Stone Village." 

"And they even issued an order: any Hidden Leaf ninja found using Magnet Release was to be killed, no matter the cost. Pakura, tell me, what should I do? Did I betray the Hidden Sand Village? They're the ones who sent me to spy, they're the ones saying I betrayed them, and they're the ones who want to kill me. What do you think I should do?" 

Pakura's mouth moved, but she couldn't utter a single word. 

Shindai stepped closer to Pakura, just a step away. "Pakura, Rasa and I are from the same clan. That guy Rasa is a truly despicable and shameless person. He'll do anything to achieve his goals; he only cares about profit, nothing else." 

"Such a malicious plan must have been his idea. He became the Kazekage due to Uncle Kaito's disappearance, so he wanted to shift the Hidden Sand Village's internal conflicts and solidify his position as Kazekage, which is why he initiated this war. I'm just a sacrifice. Chiyo and Ebizo, those old geezers, definitely helped plan this too. Pakura, on the day Uncle Kaito disappeared, do you know who else went missing?" 

Pakura shook her head. "I... I don't know. Everyone was frantically searching for the Third Kazekage, no one noticed anyone else." 

Shindai scoffed. "They kept it secret pretty well. I can tell you, but don't tell anyone else. If that old hag Chiyo finds out, she might target you prematurely. On that day, besides Uncle Kaito disappearing, Chiyo's precious grandson, Sasori, also vanished." 

Pakura was stunned. "You mean... the Third Kazekage's disappearance was Sasori's doing? But, you weren't in the Hidden Sand Village at the time, how would you know?" 

Shindai replied, "Don't worry about how I know. If you doubt whether what I'm saying is true, it's actually easy to verify. You just need to do me one favor." 

"What favor?" 

"Just quietly spread the contents of this scroll. Then, you'll naturally know if what I'm saying is true." 

Shindai handed Pakura a scroll. Pakura opened it and, seeing the contents, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Is all this true?" 

Shindai told her honestly, "No, most of it is fake. I just want to get back at Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizo. But the part about Sasori is true." 

Pakura frowned. "Human puppets... turning living people into puppets, that's just too cruel! Do such puppets really exist?" 

Shindai immediately began instructing Pakura. "Yes, and it was definitely Sasori's human puppet that killed Uncle Kaito. Pakura, perhaps Chiyo and those guys will say these are just rumors, but there are clues to follow. The most direct way to verify is this: after the contents of this scroll are spread, you go find Chiyo. But don't ask her directly if it's true, because even I think some of the things in here are outrageous. If you ask her directly, it might make her suspicious. Instead, ask her what to do about these rumors, how to handle them. Since it involves her grandson Sasori and human puppets, I don't believe she'll be able to stay calm. Just observe her expression, understand?" 

"I understand! Wait!" 

Pakura suddenly felt something was off. How did she so easily agree to help Shindai spread rumors? She had just been saying she was going to break Shindai's limbs and drag him back to the Hidden Sand Village! 

However, Pakura was willing to trust Shindai this one time. She had known Shindai since he was four years old; she had practically watched him grow up. So, Pakura knew exactly what kind of person Shindai was. If it weren't absolutely necessary, Shindai would never leave home, nor would he do anything that was a hassle for him. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, still eavesdropping, were completely speechless. It seemed... Shindai knew who killed the Third Kazekage. Turning living people into puppets—that's just too terrifying and cruel! And this Pakura, her attitude changed so quickly, believing Shindai after just a few words. But this just goes to show how deep Shindai and Pakura's bond is. Even with Shindai rumored to be a heinous criminal who abandoned his home and country, Pakura was still willing to believe him. 

--- 

Chapter 132: Instructions 

Pakura gazed at the scroll in her hand, her heart a mix of emotions. 

She looked up at Shindai, her eyes filled with complex feelings. "Shindai, I truly hope you haven't lied to me. I really... I don't want you to be using me, and I don't want us to become enemies." 

Shindai raised his arm, wiping away Pakura's tears. She was a head taller than him. "Of course, I don't want to be your enemy either. You're a grown-up, stop crying like a baby! Always keep your wits about you, don't be so naive and trust everyone. What if I really turned bad? I could set a few traps here, and you'd be finished. 

If you confirm that what I've told you is true, don't be foolish enough to go asking them why they did what they did. You're just a ninja. Even if your reputation is high now, you're still just a ninja. You hold no power. 

If Rasa or Chiyo want to mess with you, you'd be completely helpless, just like me. I was helpless. If I hadn't been so clever, I might have been dead already." 

Pakura sniffled, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "You little brat, don't act like a grown-up! I'm your elder sister!" 

Shindai pouted. "Tch, elder sister? You're just a bit older than me, that's all. In every other way, I'm far more mature than you. To me, you're no different from a little kid, incredibly naive." 

Pakura promptly delivered a powerful smack to Shindai's head. "You're the one who's incredibly naive! Phew... that felt good, it's been a while since I felt that!" 

Shindai clutched his head, glaring at Pakura in annoyance. 

Seeing Shindai puffed up like a hamster, Pakura burst into laughter. 

That feeling of strangeness gradually faded, and familiarity returned. 

Shindai grumbled, "What's so funny?" 

"Alright, alright, I'll stop laughing." Pakura took a few deep breaths, calming her laughter, then asked, "Are you doing well? Have those Leaf ninja been bullying you?" 

Shindai shook his head. "Bullying? Not at all. They've all been very good to me, treating me as a comrade. They haven't bullied me or discriminated against me because I used to be a Sand ninja. It's just... I can't go back to those comfortable days of just staying home all day, and that's a bit of a pain." 

Pakura sighed helplessly. "You, you know I used to always tell you to go out more. But seeing that you're doing well, I'm relieved. It seems the Leaf ninja are somewhat decent people." 

Listening in, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin's faces darkened. 

"Somewhat decent people?!" 

Didn't she see how well-fed and healthy they'd made Shindai? 

When he first arrived, he was so skinny, they thought he'd been mistreated in the Sand Village. 

Shindai then asked, "Oh, right, do you have the scroll I gave you?" 

Pakura nodded, pulling it from her ninja pouch. "Yes, I've kept it with me." 

"Let me see it, I'll upgrade and improve it." 

Shindai took the scroll from Pakura and summoned its contents. 

It was a black, watermelon-sized sphere. 

The moment it was summoned, the sphere tried to transform, but Shindai quickly pressed a button, stopping its change. 

Pakura asked curiously, "By the way, what is this thing?" 

Shindai disassembled the sphere as he explained, "It's something that can save your life. This sphere is filled with poisoned senbon and iron sand. The propulsion device inside allows the iron sand to carry you for a certain distance. It automatically activates the moment it's summoned, which is why I specifically warned you in my previous letter not to summon it unless absolutely necessary." 

After disassembling the sphere, Shindai summoned several small missiles from his Lightning Blade and began modifying the sphere. 

Pakura heard Shindai say it was for her to save her life. She couldn't deny she was touched, but she still feigned toughness. "I am Pakura of the Scorch Release, do I need your little toy to save my life?" 

"Oh, come on. When danger strikes, no one cares about 'Pakura of the Scorch Release.' Even shouting to the heavens won't help you. Alright, it's done." 

After Shindai's modifications, the sphere had doubled in size. 

Shindai resealed the sphere into the scroll and handed it to Pakura. "Again, don't use it unless it's absolutely necessary." 

Pakura grumbled under her breath, "I won't need it at all!" 

Still, Pakura honestly took Shindai's scroll and tucked it into her ninja pouch. 

Shindai reiterated his instructions. "If you confirm that what I've told you is true, don't do anything unnecessary. Obey orders as usual, and act as if nothing happened. Just be aware of the situation and keep your guard up. 

Even if I was betrayed by the village, I'm a Leaf ninja now, and we are enemies. Don't try to speak up for me; that will only make your life in the Sand Village harder. 

As for the future, we'll see. Perhaps... perhaps after the war ends, the Sand Village and the Leaf might restore their alliance, and you could even come visit me in the Leaf." 

Pakura gently hugged Shindai, resting her chin on his head. 

Pakura's heart ached. She had no other family and considered Shindai her younger brother. 

But now... because of the war, she and Shindai were on opposing sides. 

Pakura softly said, "Take care of yourself, Shindai." 

Shindai didn't speak, because he felt very strange right now. 

Why strange, you ask? 

Pakura was now a head taller than him, so when she hugged him, his head was buried in her chest. 

"Tch, I remember it being quite flat before..." 

Pakura was a little puzzled by Shindai's murmur, but when she heard his next one, her face immediately turned crimson. 

"What did you eat? It's been over a year since we last met, how did you grow so much?" 

Shindai even shamelessly rubbed against her. 

Pakura's face went from red to purple, her chest heaving with anger. 

And that made Shindai exclaim he couldn't take it. 

"Die!" 

Pakura suddenly lifted her head, then slammed it down with force, her chin hitting Shindai's head. 

"Ugh..." 

Shindai and Pakura both gasped in pain. 

The three eavesdropping, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, also winced; it looked incredibly painful. 

Shindai and Pakura both stumbled back several steps, one clutching his head, the other her chin, tears welling up from the pain. 

Shindai furiously rubbed his head. "No, what was that for?!" 

Pakura furiously rubbed her chin. "You really have learned bad habits in the Leaf! You've turned into a pervert!" 

Shindai retorted, "Who's a pervert?! Everyone knows I, Shindai, am the most upright person there is!" 

Pakura gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, utterly mortified. "You just, you just... groped me!" 

Shindai rolled his eyes. "Groped what?! If anyone's groping, it was clearly you first! Weren't you the one who hugged me? Don't try to frame me!" 

Shindai's shameless declaration left Pakura, and even Obito and the others, dumbfounded. 

Chapter 133: They're All Warriors! 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were absolutely stunned by Shindai's audacious remarks. While it was true that Pakura hugged Shindai first, it was clearly a pure, innocent embrace. And they saw with their own eyes that Shindai's head was rubbing against her. So, from their perspective, Pakura, as a girl, was definitely being 'taken advantage of,' and her reaction was completely normal. 

Kakashi and Rin both looked at Obito. "Obito, didn't you say we wouldn't understand? So, why don't you analyze it for us? Is Shindai really secretly in love with Pakura?" 

Obito hemmed and hawed for a long time, unable to utter a single word. It didn't seem like Shindai was secretly in love with Pakura at all. If he were, could he say such a shameless thing? Was it really just pure friendship? This kid Shindai must be dense. How could he not be captivated by such a beautiful kunoichi? 

But since he'd already made the claim, Obito didn't want Kakashi and Rin to accuse him of bluffing and question his expertise. After all, he was a master of secret crushes! 

Obito cleared his throat and stubbornly retorted, "Look at how gently Shindai wiped away Pakura's tears just now. What do you think? That was just a slip-up from Shindai, he just couldn't keep up the act for a moment." 

Kakashi and Rin looked at him strangely. "Couldn't keep up the act?" 

Obito, with a straight face, spouted nonsense. "In front of someone you like, you'll definitely want to show your best side. Shindai just accidentally exposed his true nature. Yes, that's it." 

Watching Obito ramble on, Kakashi and Rin really wanted to laugh. "Couldn't keep up the act," "exposed himself." Did he think they couldn't tell if Shindai was putting on an act or not? 

"Who's there?!" Pakura threw a few kunai towards Obito's location. 

The three of them gasped in surprise and immediately dodged the kunai, inevitably landing on the ground. Seeing the Hidden Leaf headbands on their foreheads, Pakura looked at Shindai. Since this area was a primary battleground between Sand and Mist ninja, there usually wouldn't be any Hidden Leaf ninja around. So, these three Hidden Leaf ninja were clearly with Shindai. 

Shindai's eye twitched as he looked at the three of them. Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were incredibly awkward; who wouldn't be embarrassed after being caught spying? 

Shindai narrowed his eyes at the trio. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me where you were? Don't tell me you got lost and ended up here!" 

Kakashi and Rin both looked at Obito. "You're the one who talks so much, so why don't you talk more now?" Since it was Obito's idea to come spy, it was only right for him to come up with an excuse now that they were caught. 

Cold sweat beaded on Obito's forehead. Why were they looking at him like that? They all agreed to come spy, so why should he be the only one to take the fall? It wasn't fair! 

Shindai impatiently grunted, "Hmm?" Feeling Shindai's malicious gaze, and Kakashi and Rin's skepticism about his expertise, Obito made a bold decision. 

Obito closed his eyes and shouted, "We... we just wanted to see what your secret crush looked like, Shindai!" 

As soon as Obito blurted that out, not only were Kakashi and Rin dumbfounded, staring at Obito, but even Shindai and Pakura's mouths dropped open, looking at him in utter astonishment. Kakashi and Rin both secretly gave Obito a thumbs-up. He was a warrior. 

Pakura looked at Shindai with a strange expression. "You're secretly in love with me? That's the first I've heard of it." 

Shindai's face instantly flushed crimson. "Don't listen to his nonsense! Me, secretly in love with you? Don't be ridiculous! That's a hilarious joke, ha! I like someone gentle! Gentle, understand?!" 

Kakashi and Rin's thumbs-up now shifted to Shindai. He was a warrior too. 

Pakura, angered and embarrassed, hit Shindai on the head again. "I'm not gentle, am I?! All this time I've taken care of you for nothing!" 

Shindai quickly explained, "Uh, that's not what I meant at all! You are gentle, you're the gentlest, there's no woman in this world gentler than you." 

Pakura suddenly placed her hand on Shindai's head and said earnestly, "Shindai, you know, I think of you as my little brother. Even if I'm the gentlest woman, it wouldn't work out, you know. In my eyes, you're just a little kid." 

"I..." Shindai was about to argue, but Pakura gave him no chance, smiling sweetly as she said, "Alright, let's stop here. This area is very dangerous, with our village's ninja and Mist ninja all around. It's too dangerous for you here, so take your comrades and leave quickly." 

Shindai was grinding his teeth in frustration, his hands clenched tightly together. He was so incredibly vexed! 

Pakura looked at Obito and the others. Unlike her gentle tone with Shindai, her voice was chilling as she said, "For Shindai's sake, I'll let you off this time. But... there won't be a next time!" 

Pakura turned back to the sulking Shindai and flicked his forehead. "When you grow from a little kid into a man, maybe I'll consider it~" 

After speaking, Pakura used the Body Flicker Jutsu and disappeared from the spot. 

Shindai froze for a moment, then clutched his forehead, glaring at Obito with extreme resentment. That aura of pure vexation sent a chill straight from Obito's spine to his very core. This was bad! And not just a little bad, but a really, really bad kind of bad! 

Obito looked to Kakashi and Rin for help. Kakashi glanced around and said, "Shindai, it's really unsafe here. Let's get out of here first." 

Shindai nodded, but his gaze never left Obito for a second. Obito felt a chill down his spine, like he was constantly being watched. He had a feeling Shindai might just end him at any moment. 

Under this constant apprehension, Obito, along with Kakashi, Shindai, and Rin, successfully left the area. Obito thought Shindai would beat him up as soon as they left, but surprisingly, he didn't. Even after returning to the Hidden Leaf outpost, Shindai didn't lay a hand on him, or even scold him. He just kept staring at him with that resentful look. This tortured Obito mentally; he would have preferred a good beating to get it over with! 

Kakashi and Rin were also curious. Knowing Shindai's personality, it was unlike him not to punch Obito. Three days passed like this. During that time, Kakashi and Rin also asked Shindai why he wasn't beating Obito. 

Shindai's answer was, "Beating him would be a release for Obito. As long as I don't lay a hand on him, he'll be worried sick, constantly dreading whether I'll beat him up today. That way, Obito will live in torment every single day!" 

Hearing this, Kakashi and Rin could only sigh in admiration. When it came to tormenting people, Shindai was truly a professional. 

Another three days passed like this. Obito couldn't take it anymore and timidly approached Shindai. "Shindai, I was wrong, why don't you just beat me up!" 

Shindai smiled brightly. "You're not wrong, Obito. How could you be wrong? It turns out I've been secretly in love with Pakura all this time. Thanks to you for saying it that day, I wouldn't have known about it if you hadn't." 

Shindai's sarcastic words made Obito's hair stand on end. Clearly, after all these days, Shindai was still very angry. 

It seems like Shindai has found his own unique way of dealing with Obito, a mental jutsu, if you will! What do you think will happen next between these two? 

Chapter 134: As a Son? Or as a Dad? 

Every day, Obito lived in dread, never knowing when Shindai would come to beat him up. Tormented by this anxiety, Obito decided to put himself out of his misery and sought out Shindai for the anticipated beating. 

However, even though he was ready to take a pounding, Shindai didn't seem to want to hit him. 

Yet, Obito could sense that Shindai was truly angry. 

Obito cautiously asked, "Shindai, aren't you angry?" 

Shindai smiled brightly. "Angry? How could I be angry with you? You did everything so right, I said you weren't wrong, so how could you be wrong?" 

Obito's heart sank. "He's not angry? If he's not angry, I'll twist my head off and let Kakashi use it as a soccer ball!" 

Obito's face fell as he pleaded with Shindai, "Shindai, I really was wrong. Just hit me once, please. I'll let you hit me, I won't even fight back." 

Shindai eyed Obito sideways. "You really know you were wrong? Tell me, what did you do wrong?" 

Obito pouted, admitting his mistakes. "I shouldn't have encouraged Kakashi and Rin to spy on you guys, and I shouldn't have said you had a crush on Pakura..." 

Shindai narrowed his eyes slightly. "Come to think of it, I really don't understand. Why would you think I had a crush on Pakura?" 

"Uh... because, because I told Kakashi and Rin that I 'understood things,' so..." 

Obito's voice grew softer and softer until Shindai could barely hear what he was saying. 

But even without hearing the end, Shindai pretty much guessed the gist of it. 

Shindai was so exasperated he actually laughed. "So, to show off how 'knowledgeable' you are in front of Kakashi and Rin, you just went ahead and said I had a crush on Pakura, huh?" 

Obito quickly chimed in, "Actually, I really did feel like you liked Pakura, that's why I thought that. It wasn't purely baseless rumor!" 

Shindai's teeth ground audibly. "I liked Pakura? Of course I like her! We've known each other for six or seven years; she's my only friend in the Sand Village. If I don't like her, should I hate her? 

Besides, do you think I'm like you, brat? If I really liked her that way, I wouldn't secretly pine for her. I'd just go straight for it! Who wants to play that 'secret crush' game?!" 

Obito chuckled nervously. "Is that so? Shindai, you're amazing. Besides, you didn't really lose anything, did you? How about you just give me a couple of punches, and we call it even?" 

Shindai roared at Obito, "Lost nothing?! Do you know how amazing I am?! What if Pakura actually fell for me when I grew up? My dream is to marry two wives in the future—one to massage my shoulders and one to rub my legs! 

If my future wife turns out to be Pakura, not only would I not get two wives, but I'd have to massage her shoulders and rub her legs! Do you understand, you idiot?!" 

Obito stared blankly at Shindai. 

Just how shameless could a person be to say something like that?! 

And with that, Shindai pounced on Obito, delivering a righteous lesson. 

An hour later. 

Inside Kakashi and Rin Nohara's tent. 

Obito, bruised and swollen, strutted into the tent with a triumphant air. "Now do you understand my expertise? I wasn't just bragging; Shindai definitely likes Pakura! Pakura even said she'd consider him when he grows up!" 

He might have cowered in front of Shindai, but since he'd already taken the beating, Obito needed to get his confidence back from somewhere else. 

Like, making Kakashi and Rin clearly recognize his expertise! 

Kakashi spoke with a mocking tone, "Oh, so after getting beaten by Shindai, you're all cocky again, huh?" 

Obito snorted. "Tch, I'm telling you, Shindai was just annoyed because I exposed his true feelings. He was a little embarrassed, but deep down, he was totally happy when Pakura said she'd consider him once he became a man!" 

Rin pursed her lips and told Obito, "I think, Obito, it might be better if you don't talk right now." 

Obito confidently declared, "Why not talk? You guys doubted me before, didn't you? You can't doubt me now! For her to say she'd 'consider him when he becomes a man' means she's definitely not just seeing Shindai as a little brother!" 

"Oh? Then what does she see me as? Her son? Or her dad?" 

"Of course, she sees you as... WHOA!~" 

Obito shrieked, his hair standing on end. 

Obito stared in horror at Shindai standing behind him, stammering, "When... when did you get here?" 

Shindai's voice was chillingly cold. "So Pakura sees me as her mom, huh? It seems that beating earlier didn't teach you a lesson. Still spouting nonsense here, looks like I'll have to rip your mouth open!" 

Obito quickly clamped his hands over his mouth, shaking his head frantically. 

Shindai rolled his eyes at the terrified Obito. "You know you're scared, but you still run your mouth. You've got a thick skull, alright. I'm tired from beating you today, so we'll continue this next time." 

Kakashi inquired, "Shindai, I've been meaning to ask you, that 'Sasori' you mentioned the other day, did he really kill the Third Kazekage of the Sand Village?" 

Shindai sat down in a chair, took a sip of water, and replied, "That's him." 

Kakashi looked confused. "But how did you know?" 

Shindai answered, "Because, I guessed." 

"Huh? You guessed?" 

Kakashi was a bit bewildered. 

Shindai said matter-of-factly, "Yeah, because I've always thought he was a bad apple since I was little, so I just guessed he did it." 

With no actual proof, Shindai could only respond that way. 

Kakashi and Rin twitched at the corners of their mouths. Was it really that arbitrary? 

Obito asked curiously, "Then if you guessed wrong?" 

Shindai's tone was incredibly firm. "No chance of being wrong! It's definitely him. If it's not him, I'll eat this table!" 

But no matter how confident Shindai sounded, without any proof, they couldn't believe him for a second. 

Rin frowned and asked, "Then, was the human puppet thing also a guess?" 

"Not that, no. I once saw his puppets, and I could spot some clues from the subtle details of his work." 

This time, Kakashi and the others believed Shindai's fabrication. 

They didn't know anything about Shindai's past in the Sand Village, so whatever he said, they had to believe. 

Obito asked curiously, "Making puppets from living people, how do you do that? Do you hollow them out and put parts inside?" 

Shindai scoffed with a laugh. "If it were that simple, he wouldn't be a genius puppet master second only to me. But no, you don't need living people, that was just something I said to mess with Pakura. Corpses are enough. I just wanted Pakura to know how twisted Sasori truly is." 

Kakashi, Rin, and Obito stared speechlessly at Shindai. He truly didn't have a single truthful word in his mouth, and could he please stop emphasizing that he's the greatest puppet master? Their ears were practically calloused from hearing it! 

It seems Shindai always finds a way to cause a ruckus, even if it's just to mess with Obito! Do you want to hear more about Shindai's "brilliant" schemes, or perhaps something about Kakashi's training? 

Chapter 135: It Needs to Be Eye-Catching Enough 

When Shindai said that human puppets didn't need living people, only corpses, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were completely speechless. 

Obito, ever curious, asked, "Shindai, what's the difference between a human puppet and other puppets?" 

Shindai nodded. "Of course there's a difference! Otherwise, why would Sasori break such a massive taboo to create human puppets? The biggest difference between a human puppet and a regular puppet is that human puppets can use ninjutsu." 

"Human puppets are made from living beings who once had life, and they're created while the person's chakra is still present. This allows them to perfectly retain all of that person's ninjutsu and even their Kekkei Genkai from when they were alive. This means you need to make human puppets while the body is still 'fresh,' or else the chakra will disappear, and it'll be worthless." 

"For regular puppets, if an enemy knows their internal mechanisms and functions, that puppet becomes useless, even worthless. But the main offensive power of a human puppet comes from the ninjutsu it had in life. Even if the opponent knows its internal mechanisms, it's no use because human puppets don't rely on those mechanisms; they rely on the ninjutsu from their living days." 

"The advantage of human puppets is that they can use ninjutsu indefinitely. As long as their chakra isn't completely depleted, a human puppet can continuously use the ninjutsu it had in life, so there's no problem with reusing jutsu. Of course, human puppets are worthless in my eyes! My 'Kamigetsu' is way more powerful than any human puppet! After all, my Magnet Release is the ultimate counter to puppets, even human puppets!" 

After saying this, Shindai proudly puffed out his chest. 

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin's veins twitched on their foreheads. "Can this guy not speak without praising himself?" 

Kakashi asked Shindai another question. "But Shindai, I'm not saying Pakura won't help you, but will anyone actually believe that stuff you wrote? Some of it is just too outrageous." 

Shindai scoffed. "What does it matter if they believe it or not? As long as it's eye-catching enough!" 

Kakashi looked puzzled. "What do you mean?" 

Shindai thought for a moment before replying, "Let me give you an example. Jiraiya-sama goes to a red-light district, gets his clothes stolen, and then runs naked through the streets. Do you believe that story?" 

Kakashi and the other two shook their heads simultaneously. "We believe Jiraiya-sama goes to red-light districts, but we don't believe he'd get his clothes stolen and run naked through the streets. Jiraiya is one of the Sannin, such a powerful ninja; even if his clothes were stolen, he wouldn't run naked." 

Shindai snapped his fingers. "Exactly! No one would believe it. But it would spread like wildfire. Jiraiya-sama's name alone draws attention. A red-light district, clothes stolen, naked streaking – these three elements combined are enough to be super eye-catching." 

"No matter if the story is true or not, as long as the main character has enough fame and the incident is sensational enough, it will spread easily. The onlookers won't care if it's true or not. Even if they know it's fake, they'll treat it as real because it satisfies their desire for juicy gossip, understand?" 

Kakashi and Rin both nodded simultaneously; they understood. The truth didn't matter, as long as the story was attention-grabbing enough. 

Only Obito, however, shook his head, looking completely lost. 

Shindai sighed in exasperation. "Obito, when are you going to get it? Let me put it this way: Rin is going to confess to you today. That's a pretty outrageous thing, right? But if Kakashi and I knew about it, even if we knew it was fake, we'd still discuss it. Now do you understand?" 

Rin unhappily slapped Shindai's shoulder. "Shindai, what kind of example is that?!" 

Obito tilted his head slightly. Rin was going to confess to him today... that's not outrageous... right? 

"Heh, heh heh." Seeing Obito giggling foolishly, Shindai and Kakashi exchanged glances, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes. This idiot was truly hopeless. 

Shindai let out a soft breath. "Now, it's all up to Pakura." 

Half a month had passed since Pakura and Shindai parted ways. At first, Pakura was still hesitant about whether to spread the contents of the scroll. After all, it was truly explosive and absurd. 

But then she remembered how Shindai was framed, forced to become a rogue ninja, and had to leave his home to join the Hidden Leaf, unable to return—and that all of this was because of Rasa and the others. Pakura couldn't contain her anger. So, Pakura secretly began to spread the contents of the scroll. 

Pakura only spread it for five days, actually, because she had to go on a mission mid-way. When Pakura returned to the outpost, she was dumbfounded. All the Hidden Sand ninja in the outpost were secretly whispering. 

"Did you hear? Turns out the Fourth Kazekage became Kazekage because he's the son of Lady Chiyo! He's Lady Chiyo's illegitimate child!" 

"I never would've thought! No wonder the higher-ups all recommended the Fourth Kazekage. There was such a connection!" 

"And there's even more! I heard the Fourth Kazekage's father is Onoki!" 

"I know! Apparently, during the Second Great Shinobi War, Elder Ebizo, to get supplies from the Hidden Stone for our Hidden Sand Village, made his own sister, Lady Chiyo, humble herself to the Hidden Stone's Tsuchikage Onoki, and that's how the Fourth Kazekage came to be!" 

"No wonder the Hidden Stone Village could let bygones be bygones with our village and fight the Hidden Leaf together! It's because Onoki found out his illegitimate child was the Fourth Kazekage, so he partnered with our village to fight the Hidden Leaf!" 

"Tsk, tsk, I heard that Onoki is a red-nosed old geezer, short as a radish!" 

"Sigh, honestly, Lady Chiyo's sacrifice was huge, but that can't erase what her grandson Sasori did! Human puppets—for Lady Chiyo's grandson to research such a horrifying jutsu!" 

"Wasn't the village losing ninja sometimes for a while? Could it have been Sasori's doing?" 

"Very likely! It must have been Sasori! Maybe even the Third Kazekage..." 

"Hey, you can't just go around saying things like that!" 

Pakura's eyes slightly narrowed. It seemed the time was right. Pakura exhaled and then headed towards Chiyo's tent. 

Upon arriving at Chiyo's tent, Chiyo saw Pakura return and smiled, "You're back. Thank you for your hard work, Pakura." 

Pakura seemed somewhat 'unable to speak,' stammering, "Lady... Lady Chiyo... well, when I just came back, I heard many ninja in the outpost discussing you, Elder Ebizo, and the Fourth Kazekage. Aren't you going to stop them?" 

Chiyo's brow furrowed. "Discussing me?" Those ninja wouldn't be foolish enough to say such things in front of Chiyo. Chiyo had actually sensed something was off because whenever she went out, many ninja would lower their heads when they saw her, avoiding her gaze, but Chiyo hadn't thought much of it. Now hearing Pakura say this, Chiyo realized they must have been talking about something bad. 

Looks like Shindai's plan to stir things up is working, dattebayo! What do you think Chiyo will do when she finds out the full extent of these rumors?