111-115

Chapter 111: It's Kurama 

Shindai and Minato Namikaze are currently recovering in the Ninja Hospital. 

Jiraiya left to go on a mission the very day Minato woke up. 

Meanwhile, Kushina Uzumaki was keeping her promise and started taking care of both Shindai and Minato. 

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara also visited Shindai and Minato at the Ninja Hospital every day. 

Shindai, being curious, asked Minato about the Rasengan, which still had the rather awkward name, "Lighting Wheel Ice Pop Whirlwind Jiraiya Two-Style Orb." 

Minato, without holding anything back, directly told Shindai how to train in this jutsu. 

After getting the training method for the Rasengan, Shindai planned to try learning it when he returned home. 

Kushina Uzumaki was peeling fruit for Minato and Shindai. Obito, sitting on a chair, curiously asked Shindai, "Shindai, what did you mean by 'Kurama' the other day? It seemed like after you said it, Lady Kushina, who was about to punch Minato-sensei's head, suddenly stopped her fist." 

Kakashi recalled the incident and chimed in, "It really does seem like Obito said. Lady Kushina was covered in that dark red chakra and shouldn't have been able to see, but at that moment, I think I saw an expression of disbelief in her eyes." 

Minato also started to think, "You're right. If Kushina hadn't paused then, my head might have been knocked off. And it was clear that the guy inside Kushina was distracted at that moment, which gave me the chance to resonate with Kushina's chakra and enter her consciousness." 

Kushina Uzumaki frowned and said, "So you're saying... at that time, in my consciousness, I clearly saw the Nine-Tails' fox face looking very shocked." 

Shindai, hearing their discussion, guiltily buried his head in the blanket, not daring to speak. 

Kushina Uzumaki pulled the blanket off Shindai's face. "Hey, Shindai! Since you're the one who said it, you must know why, right?" 

Everyone in the ward looked at Shindai—five people, six pairs of eyes. 

Why six pairs of eyes? Because Kushina Uzumaki still had a pair of eyes inside her. 

The Nine-Tails, now firmly sealed away again, glared at Shindai. It wanted to know more than anyone how Shindai knew its name. 

Seeing that he couldn't hide, Shindai decided to use his specialty: bluster. 

"Oh, you guys have quite the imagination! You heard wrong. What I yelled was 'Laba' (喇叭), not 'Lama' (喇嘛). Isn't the Tailed Beast inside Lady Kushina called the Nine-Tails? It's really noisy when it yells, really unpleasant, like a loud speaker, so I just yelled 'Nine-Laba' (九喇叭). 

Besides, that was the first time I met Lady Kushina, and the first time I knew the Tailed Beast inside her was the Nine-Tails. How could I know anything? Maybe the Nine-Tails glared at me because it heard me insult it, saying it sounded like a speaker." 

Minato and the others thought what Shindai said made sense. 

After all, as Shindai said, that was his first time meeting Kushina Uzumaki and learning about the Nine-Tails. There was no reason for him to know anything special. 

It seemed they might have genuinely misheard. 

However, the Nine-Tails, through Kushina Uzumaki's vision, stared intently at Shindai. 

The Nine-Tails was certain it hadn't misheard, and neither had Minato or the others. Shindai definitely said 'Kurama' (九喇嘛), not 'Nine-Laba' (九喇叭)! 

Suddenly, 

a sentence popped into the Nine-Tails' mind: 

"The green-eyed boy who playfully calls out the names of the nine beasts." 

The Nine-Tails gazed at Shindai. He was a boy, but Shindai had black eyes, which didn't fit the "green-eyed" description. 

The Nine-Tails was incredibly frustrated right now. It really wanted to pin Shindai down with a claw and force him to reveal why he knew its name, and if he knew the names of the other Tailed Beasts too. 

--- 

Time flew by quickly; a week had already passed. 

Ninjas are amazing! No matter how serious the injury, as long as they don't die, they recover pretty fast. 

Shindai and Minato's injuries were mostly healed. 

Shindai felt like these seven days had been paradise. 

He just lay in bed every day, taken care of by Kushina Uzumaki, without needing to lift a finger. 

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, as usual, came to visit Shindai and Minato at the Ninja Hospital before their training. 

"Lady Kushina, why is this food so bland today?!" 

"Lady Kushina! I'm so thirsty, I want water!" 

"Lady Kushina, could you please grab the scroll from my bedside table and unroll it in front of me?!" 

"Lady Kushina..." 

Kushina Uzumaki, having reached her limit, roared, "Brat! Don't push your luck! I said I'd take care of you, not be your servant! And don't think I don't know your injuries are practically healed, so cut it out already!" 

Shindai said with a pitiful expression, "Alright, alright. My life has been so tough~ betrayed by my own village, then 'stolen' by Minato-sensei, living day-to-day on dangerous battlefields before officially joining Konoha, facing life-threatening dangers several times. 

Finally, I joined Konoha and thought I was safe, but then I almost lost my life again. But it's okay, I don't blame anyone, I just blame my own bad luck, sigh. Lady Kushina, please don't overthink it, I'm just purely sighing~" 

Several veins popped out on Kushina Uzumaki's forehead, and Minato also had a helpless look on his face. 

Kushina Uzumaki gritted her teeth and said, "Water, huh? Unroll a scroll in front of you, huh? Just wait!" 

Soon, Kushina Uzumaki prepared the water and handed it to Shindai. 

Kushina Uzumaki asked with a forced smile, "Do you need me to feed you?" 

"Oh, that'd be too much trouble, but thank you, Lady Kushina!" 

Kushina Uzumaki's voice, barely escaping her teeth, said, "You're welcome. Drink well, and feel free to tell me if you have any other requests!" 

Kushina Uzumaki picked up the cup to feed Shindai water. 

Minato watched from the side with his heart pounding, afraid that Kushina Uzumaki would smash the cup on Shindai's head. 

Minato looked at Shindai, who was enjoying himself, with an indescribable expression. He wouldn't even dare to order Kushina Uzumaki around like that. What a brave soul! Truly a warrior! 

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, standing at the doorway, heard the whole exchange and saw everything through the window glass. 

Rin Nohara asked, wide-eyed, "Is that Shindai guy... trying to get himself killed?" 

Kakashi was also stunned by Shindai's audacity. "Who knows? Maybe Shindai just wants to live it up for these few days?" 

Obito broke a sweat for Shindai. "I have a feeling Shindai might be back here right after he's discharged." 

Kakashi's deadpan eyes looked at Shindai in the ward through the window glass. "Take 'might' out of that sentence. If he keeps acting like this, he'll definitely be back here right away." 

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were all utterly shocked that Shindai dared to order Kushina Uzumaki around. 

--- 

It seems Shindai is quite the character, even daring to push his luck with Kushina, the Red-Hot Habanero! It's almost like something Naruto would do, isn't it?  

Chapter 112: Discharged from the Hospital 

Two more days passed. 

A medical ninja came into the hospital room to check on Shindai and Minato Namikaze. 

"Your injuries have recovered," the ninja said. "You can be discharged, but don't overexert yourselves for the next week, okay?" 

"Woo-hoo! Finally discharged!" Shindai cheered, leaping off the bed. While his time in the hospital had been comfortable, it had gotten a bit boring after a while, as there wasn't much to do besides reading. Besides, he needed to put the inspirations he'd gained from his reading into practice, and his Kaminari (Thunder) also needed repairs. Right now, it was still just a pile of fragments. 

Minato Namikaze also smiled. After all those days in the ninja hospital, he felt like his body was starting to rust. 

Kushina Uzumaki, her face radiant with a smile, turned to Shindai. "Shindai, to celebrate your discharge, I'll treat you to a meal!" 

Shindai looked at Kushina with surprise. "Really? That's awesome! Obito, Kakashi, Rin, you guys are in luck because of me! We're about to have a feast!" 

Kushina looked at the three genin, narrowing her eyes as she asked, "Oh? You guys want to eat?" 

"Ah, no, no, no, I have something to do!" 

"I still need to go train!" 

"I have to go help an old lady later!" 

Obito and the others quickly refused, as if afraid to speak a moment too late. 

Minato Namikaze gave Shindai a sympathetic look, but still tried to persuade Kushina. "Uh, Kushina..." 

However, Kushina's eyes turned sharp as she looked at Minato. "What? You want to eat too?" 

Minato instantly stood ramrod straight, denying it. "Uh... no, I just ate, so I'm good." 

Shindai wasn't an idiot; he could tell something was off and quickly backed away a few steps. "I think I'm pretty full too!" 

Kushina hooked her arm around Shindai's neck, smiling sweetly. "How can that be? Didn't you say you weren't full from your last meal? Soon, I'll make sure you're stuffed!" 

All the hairs on Shindai's body stood on end, and he quickly tried to explain, "Lady Kushina, you said you'd take care of me! I didn't force you!" 

Kushina's smile was dazzling. "That's right, I volunteered. And I never said you forced me! Alright, let's go, I'm going to make sure you're absolutely stuffed." 

Kushina held Shindai by the neck and practically dragged him out. 

Shindai looked at Minato and Obito's group with pleading eyes. 

Minato and the three genin resolutely turned their heads, pretending not to see anything. It served Shindai right for acting up so much these past few days. Their retribution was coming. They had tried to warn him before, but Shindai wouldn't listen, so there was nothing they could do now. 

And Shindai knew he was being troublesome; he was doing it on purpose. After all, Kushina had smacked him right after they met and landed him in the hospital. The petty Shindai thought that since he was injured, it wouldn't be a big deal to cause a little trouble during his recovery, especially since he got hurt protecting Minato and Kushina! 

However, Shindai had overlooked Kushina's fiery temper. Minato himself found it incredible that Kushina had held back for so many days. There were several times Minato thought Kushina wouldn't be able to stand it anymore, but she still managed to grit her teeth and continue taking care of Shindai. 

Shindai struggled desperately, shouting at Kushina, "You can't do this! You're repaying kindness with enmity! You're the one who smacked me into the hospital with a tail!" 

Kushina stated matter-offactly, "That's right, which is why I've been silently enduring and taking care of you in the hospital these past few days. Now that you're discharged, your 'debt of gratitude' is paid off." 

"How can it be that simple? I also helped Lord Minato suppress... Mmph!" 

Minato instantly appeared and clapped a hand over Shindai's mouth. "Shindai, you can't say that!" 

The fact that Kushina was a jinchuriki was a secret, and it would be a huge problem if Shindai blurted it out. 

Since he couldn't talk about that, Shindai changed his approach. "If the debt's paid off, then we have nothing to do with each other! So why are you still trying to get revenge on me? Let go!" 

Kushina grabbed Shindai by the back of his neck and pulled him close, smiling very 'gently'. "I'm just simply inviting you to eat! There are no other factors involved." 

Shindai realized Kushina was dead set on beating him, so he pleaded with Minato, "Lord Minato, aren't you going to stop her? She's completely lawless! I'm your benefactor!" 

Minato looked conflicted as he said to Kushina, "Kushina, maybe..." 

Kushina turned her head to look at Minato, her red hair moving without a breeze, and her eyes glowing like lightbulbs. 

Obito and the others recoiled in terror at the sight. 

Not just Obito's group; Minato was scared too, and he instantly shut his mouth. 

Kushina dragged Shindai into the alley outside the ninja hospital and began to 'feed' him. 

"Mmm~ Ah! Oh~ Ow!!" 

Half an hour later, a 'full' Shindai, bruised and swollen, emerged, trailing behind Kushina. 

Kushina wore a genuinely joyful smile on her face. The frustration of the past few days had finally dissipated; she felt refreshed! 

Unlike Shindai's initial bad impression of Kushina, Kushina actually had a good impression of Shindai. When Minato talked about Shindai, Kushina found him quite interesting. Plus, Shindai was somewhat similar to her, both arriving in Konoha alone. Unlike her, who had Mito Uzumaki, Shindai had only himself. 

Moreover, if Shindai hadn't made the Nine-Tails pause last time, both she and Minato would have been in danger. Kushina actually wanted to get along well with Shindai. It was just that sometimes Shindai was too annoying, and she almost lost her temper many times. 

Kushina looked at the bruised and swollen Shindai with a gentle smile. "Come on, I'll treat you to a meal." 

Shindai instinctively shivered and shook his hands, stammering, "No more, no more, I'm full, really full!" 

Kushina raised an eyebrow. "This meal isn't to beat you; it's a genuine treat to celebrate your and Minato's discharge." 

Shindai cautiously asked, "So, does that mean Lord Minato and Obito's group are coming too?" 

"Of course!" 

"Then... then alright!" 

Shindai rubbed his cheek. He'd already taken the beating, so there was no point in not getting a free meal. Since he couldn't beat Kushina, he might as well eat her out of house and home! 

Obito leaned in close to Shindai and poked the bump on his head. "A bump that big will probably disappear in a little while, just like it was never there. That's really amazing." 

Shindai grimaced in pain from Obito's poke. Just as he was about to curse at Obito, he suddenly froze. Obito's words sparked a faint, elusive idea in Shindai's mind. 

Chapter 113: Shindai's Inspiration 

Shindai was frozen in place by Obito's words, and an idea sparked in his mind. 

Shindai looked bruised and swollen right now, but with a ninja's recovery ability, he'd probably be back to normal in a bit. 

So... could Kannazuki be capable of self-recovery when injured? 

No matter what material is used, no matter how tough, it will always have a limit to what it can withstand. 

No matter how tough, can it withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb? 

Of course, that's just an analogy; a material that could withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb probably doesn't even exist. 

As a puppet, Kannazuki certainly couldn't recover like a human. 

Even if it could recover like a human, it wouldn't be much use, since recovering like a human takes time. 

What Shindai was thinking of was a way for Kannazuki to recover the instant it was damaged. 

As Shindai watched Obito step through a puddle, the water rippled and then quickly returned to its original state. 

Suddenly, Shindai felt all the threads in his mind connect into one. 

Obito saw Shindai still standing still and asked confusedly, "Huh, Shindai, why are you still just standing there? Let's go." 

Shindai exclaimed with joy, "Ahahaha, I get it! I get it! I know what to do!" 

Shindai took off running towards his home. 

Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and Obito exchanged bewildered glances, completely not understanding what had suddenly gotten into Shindai. 

Kakashi looked at the sprinting Shindai and guessed, "Could it be... that Lady Kushina knocked Shindai silly?" 

Kushina Uzumaki pursed her lips, "That shouldn't be right. I actually hit him pretty lightly, it wasn't hard at all." 

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara stared at Kushina Uzumaki, dumbfounded. 

Shindai was all bruised and swollen, and that was "lightly"?! 

Minato Namikaze worried, "Let's go check on him. We don't want anything serious to happen." 

Back at his house, Shindai eagerly pulled out a lump of iron sand. 

Shindai used his Magnet Release ninjutsu to control the iron sand. 

The iron sand continuously changed shape under Shindai's control. 

At that moment, Minato and the others arrived at Shindai's house and saw him manipulating the iron sand. 

Just as Obito was about to speak, Shindai interrupted, "Don't bother me! I need to concentrate completely right now! I have so many ideas! If I don't seize this inspiration now, who knows when it'll come again!" 

Obito closed his mouth and quietly stood there, watching Shindai manipulate the iron sand. 

They realized Shindai was probably going to create something, so they didn't dare to disturb him, not even moving a muscle. 

An hour quickly passed. 

Kakashi and the others seemed as if they were under a binding jutsu, not moving an inch. 

But their expressions started to grow stranger and stranger. 

Because for this entire hour, Shindai had just been continuously manipulating the iron sand, changing its shape. It felt... like he was just playing. 

Another two hours went by. 

Obito's feet were numb from standing, and he was starting to lose his balance. It was incredibly boring. 

Because he was afraid of disturbing Shindai, he had to stand still. 

Just as Obito was about to quietly shift his weight and try to leave, Shindai suddenly shot up from his chair. 

Shindai looked at the cubic iron sand in his hand with a surprised expression. "Finally, I succeeded! It really works this way!" 

"Phew!" 

Hearing that Shindai had finally succeeded, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin Nohara all breathed a sigh of relief. 

It wasn't just Obito; Kakashi and Rin were also getting restless. 

Obito immediately leaned in to examine the cubic iron sand in Shindai's hand and asked, puzzled, "It feels... not that special. Isn't it just changing the shape of the iron sand? Shindai, you can do that easily, right? Was it really necessary to spend three hours on this?" 

Kakashi also walked closer, looking at the cubic iron sand and guessing, "Shindai spent three hours on this, so it definitely can't just be about changing the shape. There must be something special about it, right?" 

Shindai snapped his fingers. "Exactly! Kakashi, hit this cubic iron sand and scatter it." 

Without a word, Kakashi punched the cubic iron sand, and it instantly scattered. 

However, the very next second, the scattered iron sand reassembled, forming the cube shape again. 

Rin Nohara asked, confused, "That's not special either. Isn't it just that after Kakashi scattered it, you re-gathered the scattered iron sand, Shindai?" 

Kushina Uzumaki rubbed her chin. "I think I see something, but I don't know how to explain it. It seems like the cube itself is a bit strange." 

"Mmm-hmm, Lady Kushina got a little bit of it right. Minato-sensei, did you figure it out?" 

Shindai was incredibly pleased right now. If even Minato Namikaze couldn't figure it out, then it was a huge success! 

However, as a genius among geniuses, Minato Namikaze had already seen the trick. "After this cubic iron sand was scattered by Kakashi, you didn't control the iron sand to reassemble into a cube. Instead, it automatically reassembled into a cube, right?" 

Even though Minato Namikaze figured it out, Shindai wasn't disappointed; he was still incredibly excited. 

Shindai nodded and explained, "That's right, I didn't control the iron sand. It automatically reassembled into a cube. 

Magnet Release can give non-magnetic objects magnetism. So, I applied magnetism to this iron sand, layer by layer, from strong to weak, finally forming a cube. 

When Kakashi shattered this cube, the strongest magnetic iron sand gathered first from the center, and then the layers continued to gather, finally reforming the cubic iron sand." 

Obito smacked his lips. "It feels... still not that great." 

Shindai grumbled, "If you don't understand, then shut up! The stronger the magnetism, the harder this cube becomes, even tougher than ninja tools. But even the toughest material will be destroyed if it exceeds its limit. 

The downside of puppets is that if a part is damaged, that part becomes unusable. If the whole thing is broken, then it can't fight at all. 

But if I use the principle of this cubic iron sand to create a puppet, then..." 

Kakashi immediately understood what Shindai meant. "Then even if this puppet is completely destroyed, it can use magnetism to reassemble itself, right?" 

Shindai's grin stretched almost to the back of his head. "Exactly! This means I'll have a puppet that can't be destroyed, and I can do many things using the properties of magnetism, like changing its form during battle by rearranging the order of the iron sand, or using the principle of positive and negative poles to suddenly launch iron sand as projectiles and so on. 

I'm confident that once I develop this puppet, it will be incredibly powerful!" 

Minato and the others were somewhat surprised. Listening to Shindai's explanation, the puppet Shindai was about to create really seemed to have a lot of potential! 

Wow, Shindai's really getting creative! It sounds like he's on the verge of inventing something truly revolutionary for the ninja world, perhaps even rivaling some of the techniques we've seen from the likes of Sasori! 

Chapter 114: Big Sister 

Shindai had gotten his inspiration from the bump on his head and Obito stepping in a puddle. 

He'd even had initial success with his first try, and Shindai was incredibly excited now. If he continued to develop it with this idea, his Kaminari would be an unstoppable force, just like a cockroach! 

However, this was just an initial attempt, and there were many problems still to solve. For instance, the stability of the magnetism, the arrangement and combination of the iron sand, and how to install mechanisms in such a unique puppet. These were all challenges Shindai needed to overcome. 

Shindai suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way, Lord Minato, do you know the 'Lightning Blade Transformation' jutsu?" 

"Lightning Blade Transformation?" 

Minato Namikaze thought for a moment, then replied, "I do know about Lightning Blade Transformation. It's a type of summoning tag that can quickly summon tools, right? You don't need hand signs; you just touch the seal on your hand to instantly summon ninja tools." 

Shindai quickly affirmed, "Ah, yes, yes, yes, that's the one! Lord Minato, do you know where I can get my hands on some of these Lightning Blade Transformation summoning tags?" 

Minato replied, "Those summoning tags are strategic resources, so ninja tool shops don't sell them. But if you want them, I can help you get a few Lightning Blade Transformation summoning tags." 

"That would be a huge help, thank you!" 

With Lightning Blade Transformation, Shindai wouldn't need to load a ton of weapons onto Kaminari. He could just store them within the summoning tags and retrieve them whenever he needed. The biggest advantage of Lightning Blade Transformation is the incredibly short time it takes from drawing a ninja tool to throwing it, allowing for lightning-fast throws that can give him the upper hand in a fight and control his opponent's movements. Plus, the summoned ninja tools aren't limited by shape or size. This means Shindai could store shuriken, kunai, or even missiles – it's super convenient. For Shindai, having Lightning Blade Transformation versus not having it made a massive difference. 

"Alright, you guys can leave now; I've got work to do!" Shindai was already itching to start his research. 

Obito looked confused. "Aren't we going to eat?" 

"I don't have time to eat now! I need to start my research immediately. Oh, right, Lord Minato, I'll need to take some leave soon. Don't call me for any missions unless my puppet is finished. If I'm interrupted halfway through, losing my inspiration would be a huge problem." Shindai planned to build the new Kaminari all in one go; he had no time for missions. 

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Shindai. "Are you just making up an excuse to avoid missions?" 

Obito and Rin also looked at Shindai suspiciously. 

"What are you talking about?! What kind of talk is that?! I'm a straightforward, honest person; I don't have such vile thoughts!" Shindai's face turned beet red. In the past, he had indeed come up with various excuses to avoid missions, but this time he was genuinely going to develop a new puppet and had no intention of dodging work. So, Shindai, whose truth wasn't believed, was very angry! But his anger was useless, given his long history of past offenses. 

Minato then said, "Alright, Shindai, if you're going to develop a new puppet, then you can focus on your research. If there are missions later, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, the three of you will go first, and Shindai can join you once his puppet is complete." 

With Minato's backing, Shindai instantly straightened up. "See? Lord Minato understands! You all should learn from him!" 

Obito and the others looked at Shindai speechless. What did this have to do with understanding anything? 

Shindai rubbed his hands, a little embarrassed. "Lord Minato, I have one more humble request..." 

Minato raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything else? Just say it all at once." 

"Well, Lord Jiraiya gave me some basic Konoha technology data before, and I've finished reading all of it. I was wondering if Lord Minato could help me get some more advanced technology data?" 

Minato readily agreed. "Sure, I'll ask around for those technology documents and give them to you along with the summoning tags." 

"Hehe, thank you so much, Lord Minato!" Shindai was smiling so widely his gums showed, a clear sign of how happy he was. 

Kushina asked, "Shindai, are you really not coming to eat? It wouldn't take that much time, would it?" 

Shindai shook his head. "No, I'm really not going. While this inspiration is still fresh, I need to write down my research plan. If I eat, I'll just want to sleep, and then I'll definitely forget everything." 

This time, everyone truly believed that Shindai was eager to research. Otherwise, with his love for food, there was no way he'd refuse. 

Kushina said, "Alright then, we'll head off first. When Minato comes home later, I'll have him bring you some food." 

Shindai didn't expect Kushina to be so kind now, even thinking of bringing him food. "Thank you, Lady Kushina!" 

Kushina put her hands on her hips and stared at Shindai. "Call me Big Sister!" 

Minato, Kakashi, and the others all looked at Kushina in surprise. This was the first time they'd heard Kushina ask someone to call her "Big Sister." 

Minato quickly figured out why. First, Shindai had helped him and Kushina. Second, Kushina was originally from the Uzumaki clan of the Hidden Eddy Village in the Land of Eddies, and she was brought to Konoha because of her special constitution. Shindai, on the other hand, was originally a Hidden Sand Village ninja, also brought to Konoha due to his special kekkei genkai. Their similar experiences gave Kushina a special connection to Shindai. 

Shindai didn't think much of it. Calling her "Big Sister" wouldn't hurt him. "Big Sister Kushina." 

Kushina smiled brightly. "Alright then, you keep tinkering away. We'll be going now." 

After Minato and the others left, Shindai immediately pulled out paper and a pen and began writing down his plans. Shindai was full of energy now, perhaps from all the rest in the hospital, and wrote tirelessly. 

He didn't know how much time had passed. Shindai stretched, looking at the densely written papers on the table, feeling a great sense of accomplishment. 

"Are you finished writing?" 

"Mommy!" A sudden voice made Shindai jump three meters high, landing directly on the pool behind him. 

Shindai looked closely. "Obito? Is that you? Didn't you go eat?" 

Obito was sitting right across from Shindai, but Shindai had been so focused he hadn't even noticed him. Obito pointed at the food on the table. "I finished eating ages ago. It's late night now; I came to bring you food." 

Shindai jumped down from the pool, patting his chest. "You scared me! Didn't Big Sister Kushina say she'd have Lord Minato bring it? Why are you here?" 

Obito looked at Shindai with a mournful expression. "Shindai... did you forget something?" 

Shindai looked at Obito, utterly bewildered. "Huh? What?" 

"Rin's gift!" 

Shindai seems to have found a unique connection with Kushina, almost like a big sister. And it looks like Obito is here to remind him of a very important promise! What do you think Rin's gift could be? 

Chapter 115: The Gift 

After finishing his own meal, Obito arrived at Shindai's house with the food he'd prepared for him. However, because Shindai was so engrossed in his work, Obito didn't disturb him and just waited. Obito waited for several hours before Shindai finally put down his pen. 

Obito was now simmering with resentment. Sure enough, Shindai had completely forgotten about helping him pick out a gift for Rin Nohara. 

Shindai looked puzzled. "Huh? Didn't Rin's birthday already pass?" 

Obito's gaze grew even more sorrowful. "Yeah, it did. After what happened last time, basically everyone was injured. You and Minato-sensei were in the hospital for almost half a month, so Rin's birthday naturally got missed. Even though Rin's birthday passed, I can still give her a gift, right? I thought you'd been helping me think about it while you were in the hospital, but it turns out you completely forgot!" 

Shindai cleared his throat. No matter what, he'd act tough first. "I didn't forget! Actually, I've already decided. I was just seeing how important Rin was to you, so I was waiting for you to ask me. I was just pretending earlier!" 

Obito pouted. "Shindai, do you know? It's really obvious when you lie. Since you say you've already decided, then tell me. I want to see what you come up with." 

"Hah, underestimating me? Watch closely, I'm only doing this once!" 

Shindai pulled out a piece of wood, then a kunai. His kunai flew deftly in his hands, and in no time, a lifelike wooden雕 carved statue of Rin Nohara was complete. 

Shindai tossed the wooden statue to Obito. "How's that? Not bad, right?" 

Obito looked at the statue in his hand, absolutely delighted. "It's incredible, truly incredible! It's exactly like her! Rin will definitely love this gift, thank you, Shindai!" 

Just as Obito was about to leave, Shindai grabbed him. "I never said this was for you to give to Rin as a gift!" 

Obito looked confused. "Huh? Why not? Didn't you carve this for me to give to Rin as a gift?" 

Shindai scoffed. "This was carved by me, so it only counts as a gift from me. If you want to give her one, you carve it yourself." 

Obito stared blankly at Shindai. "But I don't know how!" 

"Didn't I just show you?" 

Obito's eyes widened. "You were so fast, who could see anything?!" 

Shindai earnestly told Obito, "That's your problem, Obito. Sometimes, whether a gift is good or not isn't important. What's important is your sincerity!" 

Obito frowned. "But didn't you say last time that I should give Rin something she likes?" 

"It means the same thing! Alright, you can carve one just like this statue and give it to Rin. I've taught you everything I can. The rest is up to you. I need to get back to work!" 

Shindai pushed Obito out of his house and shut the door. He looked at the newly written plan on his desk, his eyes gleaming as if he were seeing a beautiful woman. Finally, it was quiet. But this was just the plan; it wasn't even the warm-up! Shindai quickly shoveled down some of the food Obito brought, then began his research. 

Obito scratched his head and returned home. He lay on his bed, holding the wooden statue of Rin that Shindai had carved, staring at it intently. As he watched, Obito slowly brought the statue closer to his face, and then... 

"Mwah~" 

Obito's face instantly turned as red as a monkey's backside, and he shyly pulled the blanket over his head. "Obito, how could you do that? No, you can't, that's too perverted..." 

It took Obito a long time to calm down before he finally pulled back the blanket and looked at Rin's statue again. Obito remembered what Shindai said about sincerity being the most important thing... But those kunai and goggles he gave Rin before were also full of his sincerity. 

"Fine, I'll listen to Shindai one more time!" 

Obito sprang up from his bed, full of determination. "Alright! Let's begin! I'm going to carve a Rin that's even better looking than Shindai's, and then give it to her as a gift!" 

Obito found a piece of wood, grabbed a kunai, and began trying to carve. Soon, he had carved one. However, what Obito carved couldn't even be considered abstract; it couldn't even be called a person. Obito decisively threw it away and picked up another piece of wood to continue carving. 

Days passed. 

On the third day, Minato Namikaze brought Shindai the Lightning Blade Transformation tags and the advanced technology data he needed. When Shindai saw the technology data Minato brought him, he was stunned. This wasn't just advanced technology data; this could completely be called core technology blueprints! 

Because Minato didn't understand much about technology, he went directly to the head of Konoha's R&D department. The head, seeing that it was Minato who wanted it and that he, as the department head, was being asked personally, assumed it was for some important official business and directly handed over a portion of the core technology data to Minato. Minato then unknowingly brought these documents to Shindai. 

However, most of this technology data was actually from Orochimaru, discarded by him as unimportant. But even Orochimaru's discarded technology was still at the forefront of the current ninja world's technological advancements. With this data, Shindai's technology points would soar. 

Meanwhile, Obito had been stubbornly carving statues for these three days. He had carved no less than a hundred statues of Rin Nohara, progressing from initial unrecognizable blobs to something that vaguely resembled a person. Obito had just finished carving a statue. Looking at the statue in his hand, though very abstract, it was the best he had carved so far. And Obito felt that even if he tried harder, he probably couldn't do any better; he truly had no talent for this. 

Obito looked at the rather abstract statue in his hand, feeling somewhat speechless. "Rin... will she really like this?" 

With a nervous heart, Obito took the statue and left his house to find Rin Nohara. At this time of day, Rin should be helping out at the Ninja Hospital. So, Obito went to the Ninja Hospital and found Rin. 

"Hey, Obito, why are you here?" Rin, who had just finished treating an injured person with other medical ninjas, was surprised to see Obito at the Ninja Hospital. 

Obito didn't dare to look into Rin's eyes and stammered, "Uh, that, Rin, can you come with me for a moment?" 

Rin readily agreed. "Of course, I was just planning to go home anyway, and then we can train together this afternoon. Let's walk together." 

Obito and Rin walked side-by-side, leaving the Ninja Hospital. Because Obito was so nervous, he was walking awkwardly, his arms and legs moving in sync. He already looked a bit clumsy, but now he looked even more so. Obito was incredibly nervous inside, wondering whether he should really give Rin the statue he made. 

It seems Shindai is quite the craftsman, even if he uses it to trick his friends! And Obito, well, he's definitely got sincerity, but maybe not artistic talent. Do you think Rin will appreciate Obito's handmade gift, or will she be a bit confused by his "abstract" art?