126-130

Chapter 126: I'm Here to Beat Up Sand Ninja! 

In his tent, Shindai was figuring out how to completely ruin Chiyo's reputation. 

The easiest way to do that was to spread rumors. 

But if he was going to spread rumors, why not include Rasa and Ebizo too? 

The mischievous Shindai had a whole plan cooking in his mind. 

"Tsk, I don't have Shadow Clones. And using Iron Sand Clones is a bit risky." 

Shindai thought about using Shadow Clones to spread the rumors. If something went wrong, like getting discovered, a Shadow Clone could just disappear in a puff of smoke, leaving no trace. 

But if he used Iron Sand Clones, they'd leave behind iron sand when dispelled, making it easy to trace back to him. 

"I need to think this through carefully." 

--- 

The next day, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara returned. 

When they submitted their mission report, they learned that Shindai had already arrived at the outpost and would be joining their team for future missions. 

The three immediately asked for Shindai's tent location and rushed over. 

"Shindai, you finally made it!" Obito yelled loudly as soon as he entered the tent. 

Shindai, who had stayed up late planning the night before, was still asleep and was startled awake by Obito's shouting, practically springing up like a fish out of water. 

"Obito, are you sick? Why are you always so jumpy? Do you want me to kill you?!" Shindai glared at Obito, looking like he wanted to devour him whole. 

Obito wasn't scared at all; in fact, he was excited. Kakashi, while brooding, was usually quite serious. And Rin, sweet Rin, was always so quiet. Only Shindai would actually argue and goof around with him like this, and he loved it. 

Kakashi asked, "Shindai, when did you arrive?" 

Shindai hopped off his bed, took a drink from his water bottle, and replied, "Yesterday." 

Rin looked puzzled. "But, these are all Sand Ninja here, Shindai, you..." 

Shindai scoffed. "Sand Ninja? I'm here to beat up Sand Ninja! Especially that old hag Chiyo who's commanding them. I'm telling you, Shindai and that old woman are sworn enemies!" 

Obito rubbed his chin, examining Shindai. "Huh, Shindai, you seem... Oh, right! You mentioned 'going dark' before! Are you, like, dark now?" 

Shindai rolled his eyes. "Dark my butt, I'm not dark! I'm telling you three, from now on, you better be polite to me and do whatever I say!" 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin all felt like Shindai was acting crazy again and simultaneously blurted out, "You're crazy~" 

Shindai put his hands on his hips and yelled at the three, "You guys are so ungrateful! You have no idea what I'm going to do for you three later. If you don't treat me well, how can you live with yourselves?!" 

Obito picked his nose and casually asked, "Well, then tell us, what are you going to do for us?" 

Shindai pouted. "I do good deeds without leaving my name, so I'm not telling! Anyway, you just got back from a mission, so you probably won't be going on another one right away, right?" 

Kakashi, who had already figured him out, gave a subtle smile. "Heh, your plan to be lazy is out the window. We just submitted our mission report, and the ninja who gave us the mission said that since you're joining us, he's already given us a new one." 

Shindai puffed out his chest. "Tch, lazy? I'm full of motivation now! I'll show you the power of the new generation of Kannazuki! So, when do we leave?" 

Kakashi replied, "We leave in three hours. The mission is to intercept a Sand Ninja supply transport." 

Shindai raised an eyebrow. "Tsk, tsk, we got intercepted when we were delivering supplies before, and now it's our turn to intercept someone else's. Alright, I'll see you in three hours. I'm going back to sleep. I slept late yesterday and I'm still tired." 

Shindai burrowed back into his blanket, showing them his back. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin stared at Shindai with black lines on their foreheads. They were leaving for a mission in three hours, and he was going back to sleep?! 

But they had just returned themselves and wanted to rest too. Even an extra hour of sleep would be good. 

--- 

Three hours later, at the outpost gate. 

"Aww~ That nap was really nice." Shindai yawned, stretched contentedly with his small backpack on. 

Kakashi looked at the mission scroll in his hand. "Let's hurry up. According to the intel on the scroll, the Sand Ninja supply team will reach the designated location in seven hours, and it'll take us about two hours to get there." 

Led by Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and Shindai set off towards their target. 

--- 

Two hours later, Shindai and the others arrived at the designated location. 

Kakashi was about to set up traps, but Shindai stopped him. "Hey, no need for traps. Just watch me perform!" 

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Shindai. "Haven't seen you in over two months, and it seems you've gotten a bit overconfident, haven't you?" 

Shindai retorted, "Overconfident? That's called confidence, alright! Later, I'll show you what a true 'killing machine' looks like. Also, I need to confirm something." 

Rin asked curiously, "Confirm something?" 

"Mm." Shindai's voice showed no emotion. Obito was about to ask what, but Kakashi stopped him. "Since Shindai wants to perform, let's just watch him." 

--- 

Five hours later. 

The Sand Ninja supply team arrived. There were five of them. 

Shindai turned to Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, extended two fingers, pointed to his own eyes, then to theirs, signaling them to open their eyes wide and watch his performance. 

Shindai took off his Hidden Leaf headband and instantly appeared in front of the five Sand Ninja with a Body Flicker Jutsu. 

Seeing Shindai suddenly appear, the Sand Ninja squad leader immediately shouted, "Enemy! Prepare for battle!" 

The five Sand Ninja immediately tried to form hand signs to attack Shindai, but he raised his hand. "Wait!" 

The five Sand Ninja all stopped their movements. 

Obito confusedly asked Kakashi, "Kakashi, why did those Sand Ninja actually stop when Shindai said wait?" 

"Uh... Who knows?" Not only was Obito bewildered, but Kakashi was too. 

Shindai unrolled a scroll and summoned a large amount of iron sand. The iron sand, in plain sight, formed into the shape of Kannazuki. 

The Sand Ninja captain's expression immediately changed when he saw Shindai's jutsu. "Magnet Release? Puppets? You're that traitor!" 

Shindai looked at the five Sand Ninja in front of him expressionlessly. "Traitor? So what? What are you going to do about it?" 

All five Sand Ninja glared at Shindai with hatred. "Of course, we're going to kill you, you traitor who betrayed our village!" 

Hearing their answer, Shindai smiled, a very happy smile. 

"Now I can truly sever all ties. There's nothing to feel bad about anymore.". 

Chapter 127: Crushing Them 

The five Sand Ninja, upon discovering Shindai's Magnet Release and the Kannazuki, glared at him with pure hatred. In their eyes, Shindai had not only caused the Third Kazekage's death but also dragged the Hidden Sand Village into war. 

Shindai burst out laughing, even clutching his stomach. Obito, whose mind was already a bit slow to catch on, was even more confused. "What's Shindai laughing about? There's nothing funny! They're about to kill him, what's he laughing at?" 

Kakashi and Rin glanced sideways at Obito, pressing their lips together. 

Rin explained to Obito, "Didn't you hear what Shindai said just now? He's 'severed all ties,' and there's 'nothing to feel bad about anymore.' That's what Shindai meant by 'confirming something' earlier. Shindai is now completely opposed to the Hidden Sand Village." 

The five Sand Ninja simultaneously formed hand signs, preparing to unleash their jutsu on Shindai. Meanwhile, Shindai's right hand's five fingers rapidly moved. 

"Kannazuki! Missile Barrage!" 

Kannazuki's right arm transformed into a cannon. The cannon had five small-caliber muzzles. At the same time, the "Lightning Release: Sword Creation" activated, instantly loading five small missiles into each muzzle. The cannon began to spin, and missile after missile rocketed toward the five Sand Ninja. After firing, five new small missiles were instantly loaded and fired again. 

Shindai directly bombarded the five Sand Ninja. In this ninja world, missiles were rare because they were bulky and required a launch cannon, making them very inconvenient. Although they had more destructive power than explosive tags, explosive tags were far more practical, so no one really used missiles. 

The Hidden Sand Village, with its significantly less advanced technology, had never seen anything like this. So, the five Sand Ninja thought these were some kind of ninja tools, and two of them even tried to block them with kunai. 

That "block" led to an immediate explosion, obliterating them without a trace. Fortunately, the five Sand Ninja were spread out, and the power of a single small missile was limited. After the two ninja who tried to block the missiles were blown to dust, the remaining three were sent flying by the shockwaves of the explosions. 

Shindai manipulated Kannazuki, unleashing a barrage of fire on the remaining three Sand Ninja, forcing them to frantically flee. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin stared dumbfounded, mouths agape, as Shindai unleashed his bombardment. They had seen Shindai's missiles before, but it was always just one at a time, and then it was gone. They had never seen such a continuous, indiscriminate bombardment. 

Shindai eventually stopped his assault. While he had made quite a few missiles, he didn't have an endless supply; a bit of fun was enough. 

The three surviving Sand Ninja were now dazed from the explosions, their ears ringing so loudly they couldn't hear anything else. Among these three, two were puppet users, and they sent their puppets charging toward Shindai. 

Shindai scoffed and hooked a finger, sending Kannazuki rocketing forward. Kannazuki didn't dodge, allowing the attacks from the two puppets to hit its body directly. With a "clink," the puppets' attacks simply bounced off Kannazuki, unable to penetrate its defenses. 

At the same time, some of the iron sand from Kannazuki began to spread onto the two puppets. Not only were the puppets paralyzed and unable to be controlled, but the parts covered in iron sand also made grinding noises as they were crushed. To the astonished gaze of the two Sand Ninja puppet masters, their puppets were instantly ground into dust right before their eyes. 

"These trash puppets? I'd be embarrassed to even bring them out!" 

Shindai's fingers moved rapidly, and Kannazuki charged towards the three Sand Ninja. The three Sand Ninja unleashed their ninjutsu, striking Kannazuki's body. Kannazuki's body developed holes from the jutsu, but in the next second, the iron sand would gather and reform, as if it had never been attacked. 

The three Sand Ninja's eyes widened in disbelief. 

"This... how is this possible?" 

"Is that a puppet? What kind of puppet is like that?!" 

"This puppet is indestructible, how can we fight it?" 

The three surviving Sand Ninja felt their will to fight vanish and turned to run. 

"Can you escape?" 

"Kannazuki: Iron Sand Dispersion!" 

A flicker of electricity ran across Kannazuki's body, then its entire left arm explosively dispersed. The arm scattered into tiny iron sand projectiles. Enhanced by the electricity, their launch speed became incredibly fast, instantly riddling the three Sand Ninja like a sieve. These launched iron sand projectiles then returned to reform Kannazuki's left arm. 

The battle ended, and Shindai easily claimed victory. 

Shindai brought Kannazuki back to his side and struck a pose for Obito and the others. "Victory is within reach!" 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin jumped down from the tree branch and circled around Shindai's Kannazuki, examining it. 

Obito marveled, "Shindai, you actually managed to develop it?" 

Shindai huffed. "What do you mean 'actually managed'? Of course I could develop it, it's only natural! I... am a genius!" 

Rin curiously poked Kannazuki's arm. "So, does that mean your Kannazuki is invincible, Shindai?" 

Kakashi stated confidently, "Nothing is invincible. Everything has a weakness, just like the five nature transformations counter each other. So Kannazuki definitely has weaknesses too." 

Shindai pouted at the three of them. "I'm telling you three, can't you just praise me properly? Don't be so insensitive! This was the first battle for my generation of Kannazuki, and it performed so well, easily crushing those Sand Ninja. Isn't that worth praising?" 

Obito and the others gave a few half-hearted compliments to Kannazuki, then went back to discussing what Kannazuki's weaknesses might be. Shindai was speechless; it would have been better if they hadn't praised him at all. 

Kannazuki naturally had weaknesses, and quite a few of them. Since Kannazuki was made of magnetic iron sand, its most obvious weakness was magnetism itself. High temperatures could destroy its internal magnetic structure, causing it to lose its magnetism. Also, a strong magnetic field could alter the direction of the magnet's magnetic moment, causing it to lose magnetism, though only another Magnet Release user could do this. Strong vibrations could also change the internal structure of the magnet, achieving demagnetization. So, in terms of magnetism alone, Kannazuki had quite a few weaknesses. One could say Kannazuki's success was due to magnetism, and its downfall could also be due to magnetism. 

However, this was only the first generation of Kannazuki. Shindai would naturally find ways to address these weaknesses in the next iteration. 

Kakashi found the supply scrolls that the five Sand Ninja had been transporting, which had been blown far away. "Alright, three supply scrolls in total. Same as always, Obito, Shindai, we each carry one back to the outpost." 

After Shindai, Kakashi, and Obito took the supply scrolls, they returned to the Hidden Leaf outpost with Rin. For the next period, Shindai and the three of them repeatedly took on, executed, and completed missions, which was quite monotonous. 

After over a month of this, Shindai didn't hear from Chiyo. Instead, he received news about someone else. 

Chapter 128: Six Years Isn't a Dealbreaker 

For over a month, Shindai and Kakashi's team of three had been on missions, mostly focusing on sneak attacks. 

With only four of them, there was no way Shindai's squad could take on Sand ninja forces head-on. 

And the Sand ninja weren't looking for direct confrontations either. They'd attack if they found small groups and retreat if they encountered larger ones, since the Sand ninja were currently in a chaotic free-for-all with both Leaf and Mist ninja, and they didn't have the numerical advantage. 

The Leaf, Sand, and Mist Villages were all mixed up in a tangled mess along the border. For instance, Sand and Leaf ninja might be fighting, and suddenly a squad of Mist ninja could jump into the fray. 

Shindai and his three teammates had just finished a mission, taking out three Sand ninja. Now, they were back at base, planning to rest after submitting their report before taking on another mission. 

However, just as they finished submitting their report, Shindai overheard some ninja talking nearby. 

"Did you hear? There's a Sand ninja who's really good with Fire Style, fighting fiercely with the Mist ninja. They've killed a lot of Mist ninja, and the Mist ninja are absolutely furious about it." 

"What Fire Style? I heard it's a legendary Kekkei Genkai, something called Scorch Style!" 

"Oh right, I think it was..." 

Shindai rushed over to the talking ninja, asking anxiously, "Pakura of the Scorch Style, right?!" 

"Ah, yes! That's the name!" 

After getting confirmation, Shindai froze in place. 

Kakashi and the others walked up to Shindai. Kakashi asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Shindai? Do you know this person?" 

Shindai snapped back to reality and nodded. "Yeah, she was my only friend when I was in the Sand Village." 

Hearing Shindai say that, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara fell silent. 

His only friend was now an enemy. Shindai must be having a tough time. 

Kakashi thought to himself that for their next mission, he'd have to try and avoid Pakura. 

However, Shindai suddenly turned to Kakashi, serious, and said, "Kakashi, let's take a mission that gets me close to Pakura." 

Kakashi looked at Shindai, bewildered. "Why?" 

Shindai explained, "It's been a long time. I want to see her; there are some things I want to tell her." 

Obito tried to persuade Shindai, "Shindai, you're on opposing sides now. Meeting might lead to a fight. Why don't you wait until the war is over? There shouldn't be any trouble meeting then." 

Shindai shook his head. "No, I need her help. If it's her, she should be able to do it!" 

"Huh? Are you crazy?!" 

Obito couldn't hold back, utterly disbelieving that Shindai would ask an enemy for help. 

Kakashi and Rin also felt that Shindai had lost his mind, and it wasn't a minor case. 

Shindai twitched his mouth. "I'm perfectly sane, not crazy. I really do need her help. If I try to do this alone, it'll be incredibly difficult, but with Pakura's help, it can be done!" 

Rin asked curiously, "Shindai, what kind of help do you need from her?" 

Shindai roughly outlined his plan. 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin's eyes all widened in shock. 

"Whoa, isn't that too sinister?" 

"Yeah, that's playing dirty!" 

"If she gets caught, she won't be able to stay in the Sand Village. Why would she help you?" 

Shindai snorted. "Is it not sinister or dirty for them to spread rumors about me like that? I'm just giving them a taste of their own medicine! Besides... forget it. Whether Pakura helps me or not, I'll only know once I see her." 

After all, Pakura was going to be set up anyway. The harder Pakura fought the Mist ninja now, the harder she'd be backstabbed by the Sand Village later. 

So, he was just helping Pakura collect some interest. 

But Shindai wasn't entirely sure if Pakura would help him. 

Even Shindai, who considered himself to have no feelings for the Sand Village, had given them several chances. 

And the current Pakura loved the Sand Village very deeply. 

Kakashi frowned, pondering whether to follow Shindai's suggestion. 

As the squad leader, he was responsible for the entire team, so he needed to think it through carefully. 

Shindai told Kakashi, "Kakashi, if Pakura is willing to help me, then that old hag Chiyo will definitely be too humiliated to continue commanding, which would be a huge help to Konoha." 

"What's more, even if Pakura really tries to fight us, we can just run. It's pretty easy for us to escape, as long as we're not being held back by a monstrous ninja like Lord Minato." 

Obito now sided with Shindai. "Kakashi, let's do it. Shindai seems really serious about this." 

Rin also chimed in, "That's right. She's Shindai's only friend. Shindai must really miss her." 

Obito and Rin had already started imagining things. 

Obito said wistfully, "I can feel Shindai's eagerness to see that girl, Pakura. That feeling... I can really empathize with it." 

Obito glanced at Rin. 

Rin didn't notice Obito's gaze, sighing, "Yeah, Shindai must really like that girl. Otherwise, why would Shindai, who's usually afraid of danger, be willing to take such a big risk to see her?" 

Obito sighed and slowly shook his head. "I hope a tragedy like that doesn't happen, where two people who like each other are forced to fight because of their opposing sides." 

Shindai was initially happy to hear Obito and Rin speak up for him. 

But why did it start sounding more and more off? 

Shindai looked at Obito and Rin with a strange expression. "Are you two the ones who are crazy? Pakura and I have a purely platonic friendship! She's six years older than me, almost eighteen now. While I see her as a good friend, she sees me as a little brother!" 

Obito and Rin's expressions immediately turned awkward. 

So, they had completely misunderstood. 

But Obito immediately twisted it again. "Six years, that's not impossible! When you're eighteen, Pakura will only be twenty-four. That sounds much better, doesn't it? It's only a six-year difference, not sixty years, so..." 

Shindai didn't hesitate to smack Obito on the head. "Stop thinking with your heart! Do you think everyone is like you?!" 

Shindai looked at Kakashi, who was still deep in thought, and asked, "Kakashi, have you made up your mind?" 

Kakashi mused for a moment before saying, "Six years, huh... Ah, no, in that case, fine. I'll take a mission that can get us close to Pakura." 

Shindai's face was as black as coal. That stoic, secretly perverted Kakashi! He thought he was thinking about whether to agree to the mission, but it turned out he was just like Obito and Rin, getting the wrong idea! 

Chapter 129: Finding Pakura 

Kakashi approached the ninja assigning missions and took on a familiar task: material transport. The area where Pakura was located was a chaotic battleground with Hidden Leaf, Sand, and Mist ninja clashing. Given Kakashi's team's rank, they weren't assigned direct combat missions in that region. 

Once the mission was accepted, Shindai impatiently urged, "Let's go, let's go! Hurry up and move out!" 

On the way, Shindai walked at the very front, with Obito, Kakashi, and Rin behind him. The three were currently whispering. 

Obito: "I think something's fishy." 

Rin: "I feel like something's definitely off too." 

Obito: "Usually, Shindai won't budge until the very last minute before a mission. But this time, he's practically jumping to go right after getting the assignment." 

Rin: "Exactly! And normally, Shindai walks behind us, but now he's leading the way." 

Kakashi: "Just look at the curve of his lips. You can tell he's really looking forward to meeting this Pakura." 

Obito: "I figured something out!" 

Rin: "Spill it, spill it! What did you figure out, Obito?" 

Obito: "Shindai just said he sees Pakura as a good friend, but Pakura sees him as a little brother! Could it be that Shindai likes Pakura, but she only sees him as a brother? Maybe Shindai's got a secret crush and is too embarrassed to say it, so he calls it 'pure friendship'!" 

Rin: "Hey, that makes a lot of sense!" 

Kakashi: "Tsk, tsk, no wonder Shindai has so many theories about relationships. Turns out he has experience, but only with unrequited love." 

Shindai turned around, looking puzzled at the three of them. "What are you three muttering about? Why are you walking slower? Hurry up!" 

Obito: "Coming, coming! Don't rush us." 

Kakashi: "I know you're in a hurry, but don't be. These things can't be rushed." 

Rin: "While things might not change instantly, I believe you'll definitely achieve it when you're older, Shindai! Go for it, Shindai!" 

Shindai's brows furrowed. "What gibberish are you talking about?!" 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin said in unison, "Nothing!" 

Shindai unhappily twitched his lips. He had a feeling... these three were talking bad about him. 

The journey was quite long; it would take more than a day to reach their destination. Shindai's group wasn't rushing to find Pakura yet, as it would be useless at this point since they didn't know her exact location. Recklessly searching throughout the battlefield would be very dangerous. 

Perhaps the ninja at the frontline camp would know, especially since even the ninja at the main outpost were talking about Pakura. 

Shindai and his team arrived at the frontline camp, handed over the supply scrolls to the receiving ninja, and then Kakashi helped Shindai inquire about Pakura. 

"Oh, you mean Pakura of the Scorch Release? We're quite surprised that the Hidden Sand Village has a ninja like that. Fortunately, her targets are mostly Mist Ninja; otherwise, she would definitely cause us a lot of trouble." 

Kakashi asked, "So, where is Pakura now?" 

"She should be in the southeastern area right now. That region is the main combat zone between the Sand and Mist Ninja. You shouldn't go through there; it's very dangerous." 

Kakashi nodded. "I understand. Thank you." 

Kakashi led Shindai, Obito, and Rin away from the frontline camp. 

Kakashi said to Shindai, "You heard him. The southeastern area is where the Sand and Mist Ninja are fighting." 

Shindai rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Now, how do we find her safely? How about this: when we reach the edge of that area, let's not go in right away. I'll use my Third Eye to observe. First, I need to confirm Pakura's location. Once I do, you guys wait for me. I'll go meet Pakura alone. If she sees you guys, we might not even get a chance to talk." 

Initially, Obito and the others thought it would be too dangerous for Shindai to go alone. But then they reconsidered; Shindai was right. They were Hidden Leaf Ninja, and while Shindai might have a chance to talk with Pakura, it would be impossible if they were with him. 

Kakashi cautioned, "We'll set up traps in our hiding spot. If anything unexpected happens, run back here." 

Shindai nodded in agreement. "Alright!" 

Upon reaching the edge of the southeastern area, Shindai and his group found a place to hide. Shindai used his iron sand to form an eye, which floated into the air, using various covers to discreetly search for Pakura's location. 

During his search, Shindai found many Sand and Mist Ninja in the area, and intense battles were ongoing in several spots. Several hours passed, and Shindai had found nothing. Although Pakura was somewhere in this region, it was quite large, and Pakura wasn't a static object; she would move around and wouldn't stay in one place. 

Just as Shindai finished searching a small section and was about to move to another area, he suddenly spotted what looked like several human figures on the ground. Shindai's Third Eye moved closer for a detailed look. 

They really were people – three dried corpses of Mist Hidden Ninja, their bodies completely dehydrated. Seeing this, Shindai's spirits immediately lifted. Pakura was incredibly skilled with a Scorch Release ninjutsu that could instantly evaporate the moisture from an opponent's body, turning them into a dried corpse. It was safe to say these three dried corpses perfectly matched the characteristics of Pakura's Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder. Seeing that the three corpses were still steaming meant they hadn't been dead for long, and Pakura couldn't have gone far. 

To get a better view, Shindai manipulated his Third Eye to ascend, expanding his field of vision to search. And indeed, from this vantage point, Shindai saw Pakura engaging four Mist Ninja. Pakura was fighting the four Mist Ninja in close combat, with four fireballs floating behind her. These weren't ordinary fireballs; they were fireballs created by combining Wind Release and Fire Release chakra, a new nature transformation unique to Scorch Release. 

When a Mist Ninja used Water Style, Pakura would send a fireball, and the water would instantly evaporate. The moment a fireball touched a Mist Ninja, their body's moisture would instantly evaporate, turning them into a dried corpse. Pakura was completely overwhelming them. With the four fireballs behind her, she quickly dispatched all four Mist Ninja, turning them into dried corpses. 

What excited Shindai even more was that Pakura was alone right now – it was the perfect opportunity! 

Pakura sighed in relief as the battle ended. The intense combat had left her extremely fatigued. Just as Pakura turned to leave, an eyeball appeared right in front of her, staring intently. 

Chapter 130: See You Again 

Just as Pakura was about to turn and leave, she noticed an eyeball staring intently at her. 

Pakura instantly felt goosebumps all over her body. 

An eyeball! That was seriously creepy! 

Pakura was about to destroy the eyeball when it started darting around erratically. 

Even though it was moving wildly, it didn't leave, as if trying to get her attention. 

Pakura's body suddenly tensed. She thought of a jutsu that most Magnet Release ninja in the Sand Village knew: 

The Third Eye! 

Could it be that a Magnet Release ninja from the Sand Village was sending her a secret signal? 

But this eyeball was shaking without any pattern at all. 

"You're an eye created by our village's Magnet Release ninjutsu, right?" 

"Are you trying to tell me something?" 

"I can't understand what you're doing by shaking like that!" 

On the other side, Shindai was speechless because of Pakura. 

"How did Pakura get so dumb? That's just an eyeball, it can't hear! What's she even talking about?!" 

Shindai manipulated the Third Eye to float in front of Pakura, then stopped and shook it at her again. 

Pakura seemed to understand a little. "You want me to follow you, right?" 

Shindai was getting frustrated with Pakura too. "This idiot, what's she mumbling about? Just follow me! It's so obvious!" 

Seeing Pakura take a few steps towards the eyeball, Shindai finally breathed a sigh of relief. "This idiot finally gets it." 

"Kakashi, Obito, Rin, wait for me here. I'll be right back, I'm just going nearby. Wait for me." 

Shindai pressed his left eye and hurried forward. 

Shindai had barely walked two steps when Obito excitedly shook Kakashi. "Quick! Let's move!" 

Kakashi looked at Obito in confusion. "Stop! Don't shake me! Move where? Isn't this Shindai's thing?" 

Obito asked mysteriously, "Kakashi, don't you want to know what Shindai and Pakura will talk about?" 

Rin was still a bit worried. "What if..." 

Obito didn't give Rin a chance. "Rin, don't you want to see what Pakura looks like?" 

Rin immediately choked. "Uh..." 

Yes! Of course she did! And she wanted to super badly! 

Obito urged Kakashi, "Hurry, Kakashi, we'll lose them!" 

Kakashi quickly made up his mind. "Make sure to hide your presence completely! Don't expose yourselves! Go! Let's follow them and see!" 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin secretly followed Shindai. 

Pakura followed the eyeball's guidance, walking forward. 

But Pakura was on guard now. 

Because... the Magnet Release ninja using the Third Eye to lead her might not be an ally. 

Over the past month, Pakura had heard reports from other battlefields about the rogue Magnet Release ninja from the Sand Village killing many Sand shinobi. 

So, Pakura's right hand remained tucked inside her ninja pouch, ready to attack at any moment. 

Suddenly, 

The eyeball turned into iron sand and fell to the ground. 

A familiar voice spoke. 

"Long time no see, Pakura." 

Shindai emerged from behind a tree, looking at Pakura, who was not far away. 

The moment Pakura saw Shindai, she froze in place. 

Shindai smiled and said to Pakura, "It's only been a little over a year since we last met. You haven't forgotten me, have you? Our friendship can't be that shallow, can it?" 

Pakura, coming back to her senses, saw Shindai with reddened eyes, her voice choked. "When I returned to the village, you were gone. I thought you had died! What's wrong with you, kid? Why did you just disappear without a word? Do you know how worried I was about you?! And the letter you sent me by ninja eagle was so confusing, saying you were on a special mission. You should have been clearer!" 

Obito, overhearing Shindai and Pakura's conversation, exclaimed, "Woah~! I told you their relationship wasn't ordinary!" 

Kakashi wondered, "Not ordinary? I just feel like it's exactly as Shindai said, Pakura sees Shindai as a younger brother, like a sister's concern for her sibling." 

Rin agreed. "I feel the same way. It seems like the bond between Shindai and Pakura is truly pure. But, Pakura is so beautiful." 

Obito disagreed. "Kakashi, Rin, you don't understand. Only someone like me is qualified to speak on this. This is the touching reunion, you see." 

Pakura started to run towards Shindai. 

But then Pakura suddenly stopped, looking at Shindai's forehead in disbelief. "A Leaf Village forehead protector? The rogue Sand ninja... that's you? How could it be you? Weren't you the one most afraid of fighting? Tell me, Shindai, this isn't true, right?" 

Shindai sighed. "Pakura, it's true, but I didn't betray the Sand Village. The Sand Village betrayed me..." 

Seeing Pakura already tearing up and pulling out a kunai, ready to attack him, Shindai hastily said, "Can't you wait and let me finish?" 

Pakura said with a pained expression, "I don't want to, but... you've already killed many comrades, Shindai. I can't let you keep making mistakes! I won't kill you, but I'll break your arms and legs and bring you back to the village. I'll plead for you, beg Lord Kazekage to spare your life." 

Shindai rubbed his throbbing temples and spoke seriously to Pakura. "Pakura, you should know what kind of person I am. You know I'm afraid of fighting, so much so that I hid my abilities and didn't want to leave the house. Do you really think I would leave the Sand Village without reason, just to join the Leaf, lead them to Uncle Kuuto, and let them kill him?" 

"Even if Uncle Kuuto wasn't particularly kind to me, at least he gave me shelter and kept me from starving. Do you really see me as such an ungrateful, backstabbing traitor?" 

"If that's the case, why would I take such a big risk to meet you? I could have just lured you here, set a trap, ambushed, and killed you, couldn't I?" 

"So, I hope you'll listen to my explanation. It's not too late to make your decision after you've heard me out, is it?" 

Pakura stopped her movements. After a moment of silence, she wiped her tears with her sleeve, her eyes red as she looked at Shindai. "Tell me." 

Shindai breathed a sigh of relief. Good, at least Pakura was willing to listen to his explanation. 

Shindai's biggest fear was that Pakura, who currently loved the Sand Village so deeply, would simply attack him without listening to his explanation. 

Shindai told Pakura, "In the letter I had the ninja eagle deliver to you, it said I was going on a special secret mission. You probably heard at that time that the Sand Village was going to trade a Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai user to the Stone Village, and that Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai user was me." 

Pakura's eyes widened, her expression utterly shocked. She had actually suspected at the time if that person was Shindai, especially since Shindai had gone missing around that period. She never thought it was truly Shindai!