11-15 (jindai become Shindai)

Chapter 11: Memories Restored 

Shindai was knocked out by Minato Namikaze and held in his arms. 

Kakashi had already searched all the Sand and Stone ninja corpses. 

Obito's injuries had been treated and bandaged by Rin Nohara's medical ninjutsu. 

Minato Namikaze's team was reunited. 

Obito curiously looked at Shindai, whom Minato held: "Sensei, who is he?" 

Minato glanced at the unconscious Shindai in his arms and said, "He's the primary target of our mission: a Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai user. He was traded by the Hidden Sand Village to the Hidden Stone Village to secure an alliance." 

Rin Nohara found it hard to believe: "What? Trading a person? And one of their own ninjas?" 

Minato surmised: "The impoverished Hidden Sand Village probably couldn't offer anything valuable enough to the Hidden Stone Village for an alliance, so they resorted to using a precious Kekkei Genkai user as a trade. 

Kekkei Genkai users possess special abilities, and all major nations and ninja villages highly value them. Some Kekkei Genkai can even influence the outcome of battles, like our Hidden Leaf Village's Byakugan, which allows us to see objects within a one-kilometer radius. 

That means within one kilometer, no person or thing can hide; we can see what they're doing and use that information to devise battle plans, significantly increasing our chances of victory. 

As for Magnet Release, the user can freely manipulate gold or iron in the natural sand and soil using magnetic force. Oh, right, the Third Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village also possesses the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai. The Third Kazekage is known as the 'Strongest Kazekage' in the Hidden Sand Village." 

Despite Minato's explanation, Rin still struggled to accept the idea of trading a person like an object. 

Looking at Shindai, who was roughly their age, Rin felt a pang of pity. 

Minato asked Kakashi: "Kakashi, did you find anything on them?" 

Kakashi shook his head: "No, nothing useful besides some ninja tools." 

Minato announced: "Then let's take those six scrolls containing military supplies and evacuate from here." 

Kakashi took the six scrolls of military supplies that the Stone ninjas had brought for trade. Minato, carrying Shindai, left with Obito and Rin, heading towards the Hidden Leaf encampment. 

--- 

Two hours later. 

Shindai slowly regained consciousness, looking around to find himself inside a tent. 

He clearly understood that he had been captured. 

Shindai felt like crying; he hadn't done anything, so how did he end up like this? 

Just as Shindai was lamenting his unfair fate, he heard two sets of footsteps approaching him. 

Shindai quickly closed his eyes. 

Minato looked at the 'unconscious' Shindai on the ground and said, "No need to pretend. I know you're awake; your breathing is erratic." 

Shindai was startled and immediately held his breath, continuing to feign unconsciousness. 

Minato and the person beside him both raised an eyebrow. 

This kid... isn't very smart. 

Minato and his companion quietly watched Shindai. 

As time ticked by, Shindai's face turned red from holding his breath, feeling lightheaded from lack of oxygen. 

Minato spoke up to remind him: "If you keep holding your breath, you'll pass out again. There's no point in doing this. This is within the Hidden Leaf encampment, so you can't run. As long as you cooperate, we won't harm you." 

Shindai, who was nearly at his limit, heard Minato say they wouldn't harm him if he cooperated and immediately gulped in large breaths. 

After recovering, Shindai yelled hysterically: "I'll cooperate! I'll absolutely cooperate! From today on, I'm abandoning the darkness for the light! To hell with the Hidden Sand Village! I was loyal to them, and they actually knocked me out and brought me here to trade with those bastards from the Hidden Stone Village for six boxes of junk! 

From now on, I'm your subordinate! If you say east, I'll never go west. If you tell me to hit a dog, I'll never chase a chicken! Just don't kill me; I'm really powerful, it would be a shame to kill me!" 

Minato looked at Shindai with a subtle expression. 

It was clear that Shindai was both very angry and very scared. 

Minato looked at the man beside him and asked, "Soichi, are you free right now?" 

"Yes, Minato, you want me to probe his memories, right?" 

"Yes, that's right. We need to be careful, just in case." 

This 'Soichi' was a ninja from the Yamanaka clan, full name Soichi Yamanaka. 

Soichi Yamanaka nodded: "Alright, should I do it now?" 

Minato replied: "Let's do it now." 

Shindai looked at Soichi Yamanaka in horror; this guy was going to probe his memories? 

Before Shindai could beg for mercy, Soichi Yamanaka formed hand signs and placed his hand on Shindai's head. 

"Ninja Art: Mind Reading!" 

Shindai felt his thoughts stop as Soichi Yamanaka read the memories in Shindai's mind. 

--- 

Half an hour later, Soichi Yamanaka withdrew from the Mind Reading Jutsu. 

The moment he withdrew, the Mind Control Sand Jutsu in Shindai's head automatically dispelled, the inserted needles vanished, and Shindai's missing memories were restored. 

Shindai stared blankly at Minato and Soichi Yamanaka. 

He was processing the fact that he was actually an undercover agent. 

Soichi Yamanaka excitedly said to Minato: "Minato, we seem to have found a treasure!" 

Minato asked, puzzled: "What's going on?" 

Soichi Yamanaka explained: "This child is a genius! Without any instruction, he learned Magnet Release ninjutsu and Puppet Jutsu just from ninjutsu scrolls. His Magnet Release mastery is very high, and while I don't fully understand Puppet Jutsu, the puppets he's created seem to far surpass those of the Hidden Sand Village's puppeteers!" 

Minato, however, frowned deeply: "Soichi, what you're saying doesn't quite add up. Why would the Hidden Sand Village be willing to give away such a talent to the Hidden Stone ninjas?" 

Soichi Yamanaka smiled and said, "Let me finish. I was about to say that this child seems to be very afraid of combat. He's afraid his uncle, the Third Kazekage, would discover his talent and strength and force him onto the battlefield, so he's been hiding it. 

Therefore, the Kazekage probably thought this child was useless, which is why he was traded to the Hidden Stone Village for military supplies and an alliance." 

Upon hearing Soichi Yamanaka's words, Minato's frown eased, and he examined the dazed Shindai: "It seems... this child we intercepted from the Hidden Stone ninjas will be of great value to our Hidden Leaf Village." 

Soichi Yamanaka affirmed: "I believe so. It's safe to say that the Hidden Sand Village suffered a huge loss by losing this child! His value to our Hidden Leaf Village is definitely significant!" 

Shindai, having come back to his senses, heard Soichi Yamanaka and Minato's conversation and unconsciously pursed his lips. 

It sounds like... things are going pretty smoothly. 

Chapter 12: Almost Discovered Before Even Becoming a Spy 

Shindai, whose mind had just been cleared by the Mind Body Disturbance Jutsu, now remembered everything. 

But honestly, Shindai was terrified. 

Minato Namikaze! The Yellow Flash, one of the top ninjas in the world! If Minato wanted him dead, just a flick of his pinky finger would be enough. 

Even though Shindai was forced into becoming a spy, it was his first time. He had zero experience and no idea what to do next. The Third Kazekage told him that after the plan succeeded, he should just act like a Konoha ninja and gather intel, jutsu, and secret techniques. 

"Act like a Konoha ninja" sounded easy, but it was incredibly difficult. He felt like a thief caught red-handed, and there was no way he could truly see himself as one of them. His mind simply wasn't that strong. 

As for gathering intel, jutsu, and secret techniques, he'd need to actually enter Konoha first, wouldn't he? And they hadn't even said he could join! 

Shindai suddenly felt lost. 

He thought being a spy would be better than going to war, but now it seemed like going to war might actually be better. The psychological pressure was immense. His life wasn't his own, and he was directly facing an incredibly powerful individual. The stress was so overwhelming it nearly shut down his brain; he could barely think. 

Minato Namikaze had been observing Shindai closely, and his eyes narrowed slightly at Shindai's current state. There was a significant difference between Shindai's earlier behavior and now. Just moments ago, he was frantically begging for mercy, but after Yamanaka Soichi probed his memories, he suddenly became flustered and incredibly nervous. 

"Are you alright?" Minato asked. 

Shindai looked up guiltily at Minato's question, stammering, "I... I'm fine." 

Minato's eyes narrowed as he watched Shindai, then he smiled and said, "Good, then." 

Minato took out his kunai, cut the ropes binding Shindai, and freed him. He then turned to Yamanaka Soichi. "Soichi, report this to the Third Hokage immediately." 

"Yes, I'll go right away!" Yamanaka Soichi didn't dare to delay, leaving immediately, eager to report this windfall to Hiruzen Sarutobi. 

After Soichi left, Minato asked, "What's your name?" 

"Shi... Shindai." 

"Shindai, huh? I think you understand now that you've become a casualty of the alliance between the Sand and Stone Villages. And you've been intercepted by our Hidden Leaf. What are your thoughts on this?" 

Minato asked for his thoughts, and Shindai tried desperately to calm himself down and figure out how to answer. After a pause, Shindai replied with a 'vexed' expression, "I'm furious! So angry! I can't believe the Sand Village would treat me like this! Since Lord Minato saved me, I want to ask you to take me in! I don't want to go back to that inhumane village anymore!" 

Minato was now certain: Shindai definitely had a secret. Shindai's expression was too stiff, and his words were too flat. Even though he added a few emphases, there was no real sense of anger in his voice. So... Shindai's anger was fake. 

While Minato didn't know how he managed to fool Yamanaka Soichi's mind-reading jutsu, he suspected Shindai might be on a mission for the Sand Village, aiming to infiltrate the Stone Village. However, one thing puzzled Minato: why would the Sand Village choose a child like Shindai for such a task? This kid clearly had no experience and practically had "I'm suspicious" written all over his face. 

Minato recalled every detail of Shindai's behavior since he and Yamanaka Soichi arrived at the tent. First, Shindai desperately begged for mercy, saying he'd cooperate. Then, after Yamanaka Soichi read his memories, Shindai suddenly changed, freezing for a long time, and then becoming incredibly guilty. 

Minato considered a possibility: what if the memories Yamanaka Soichi read were real, but Shindai had a missing part of his memory that wasn't read? That missing memory might be why Shindai was chosen as a sacrifice. And when Yamanaka Soichi read his memories, that missing part suddenly came back to him. This could explain Shindai's sudden change in demeanor. 

Minato then found another suspicious point: the meeting place for the Sand and Stone Villages' transaction. Why choose the Land of Rivers? The Land of Rivers is to the left of the Land of Wind and to the right of the Land of Fire. To trade with the Stone Village, it would be much safer to choose the Land of Birds, which connects the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. 

Minato then considered another possibility: Shindai might not have been trying to infiltrate the Stone Village at all. His real target might actually be the Hidden Leaf! Minato, being incredibly smart, was now very close to the truth. 

Shindai was a nervous wreck. During Minato's silence, Minato's expression had changed several times. Now, Minato was looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze again, making Shindai's heart pound. 

Could it be... he wouldn't be able to join Konoha? But didn't that Yamanaka clan member just say he was very valuable to Konoha? Even with so much value, it wasn't enough? Were they that strict? 

Shindai, unaware that he was almost exposed before even starting his spy mission, was now squirming with anxiety. 

After a long silence, Minato finally showed a warm smile and said, "Joining Konoha isn't something to rush. After all, you were a ninja from the Sand Village, and the procedures for joining Konoha are quite complex. Outsiders must make a certain contribution to Konoha and require a guarantor. 

Oh, by the way, Soichi said you're quite skilled with Magnet Release ninjutsu. Would you mind demonstrating it?" 

Shindai's body trembled. 

Did... did Minato want to see his strength, then make him go to war and contribute? No way! He only became a spy because he didn't want to go to war! If Minato made him fight, wouldn't he be a spy and a warrior? What would be the point of coming here then? He might as well have revealed his strength to the Third Kazekage and just gone to war in the first place. 

But since Yamanaka Soichi read his memories, Minato already knew he wasn't weak, so there was no way to lie to him. Shindai looked miserable, on the verge of tears, and said, "Lord Minato, I'm a technical type! I'm not suited for combat! My jutsu are all just flashy moves; they look powerful but they're actually really weak! They can't kill anyone!" 

Now, Minato was sure that Shindai's emotions were genuine this time, which further confirmed that the memories Yamanaka Soichi read were indeed true. Yamanaka Soichi's reading showed that Shindai was terrified of combat and feared the Third Kazekage finding out about his talent and strength and sending him to the battlefield, which is why he always hid it. 

It seemed the Third Kazekage really didn't know about Shindai's talent, which is why he was willing to send a highly talented but completely inexperienced Shindai on a secret mission. Because if Shindai was a ninja with poor talent, his death wouldn't have been a loss to the Sand Village. 

Chapter 13: Very Suspicious 

Minato Namikaze realized Shindai was afraid of fighting, but he still wanted to confirm Shindai's Magnet Release ninjutsu. 

"Shindai, you don't need to be nervous," Minato reassured him. "I don't plan on making you fight right now. I just want to see your Magnet Release in action." 

Shindai looked at Minato pitifully. "Right now? So, later you'll make me fight?" 

Minato replied gently, "That depends on your performance. You just said you're a technical expert, right? If your skills are truly what our Hidden Leaf needs, then you won't have to fight. So, can you show me now?" 

Shindai pouted and nodded, then slowly began forming hand seals before pressing his palms together. 

"Magnet Release: Sand Iron Triangular Pyramid!" 

Using magnetism, Shindai gathered a large amount of sand iron from the ground, forming a triangular pyramid. After maintaining it for a moment, the pyramid disintegrated into a pile of sand iron that collapsed onto the ground. 

Shindai began to pant heavily. "Phew, Lord Minato, that's my limit! I can't squeeze out another drop of chakra! I'm so exhausted!" 

Minato's eye twitched uncontrollably. Was he trying to fool a ghost? How weak must he be to be panting like that after such a small effort? If he was going to fake it, he should at least make it believable! Who pants heavily without breaking a sweat, all while having a healthy, glowing complexion? 

Minato now seriously doubted one thing: How exactly did Shindai manage to deceive the Third Kazekage into thinking he was useless? Did the Third Kazekage really fall for such a clumsy act? 

Minato sighed softly. "Well, Shindai, if you're tired, you should rest. This tent will be your temporary resting place. It's getting late anyway, so get some good rest." 

Shindai breathed a huge sigh of relief as Minato left the tent. Minato seemed approachable and spoke softly. But just standing there, he exuded an indescribable pressure that made Shindai incredibly nervous. 

Fortunately, he was clever and didn't expose his spy identity, successfully fooling Minato. However, the next problem was how to actually join Konoha. Shindai didn't want to go to war, which meant he needed Konoha to be impressed by his technical skills. 

But the Third Kazekage had told Shindai that Konoha wouldn't be interested in his puppet techniques. Plus, Konoha already had Orochimaru, a top-tier scientist, and surely other scientists as well. Shindai's techniques might be advanced in the Sand Village, but in Konoha, they might be outdated. 

Shindai was a bit frustrated, completely at a loss for what to do. "Forget it, I'll just lie down and sleep. I'm exhausted. Maybe I'll figure it out when I wake up." 

With that thought, Shindai, being quite unconcerned, lay down on the bedding on the ground, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. 

As Minato left the tent, he subtly gestured to the ninja guarding the entrance. The two guards understood and followed Minato into the shadows. Minato commanded them, "From now on, don't guard the tent entrance. Hide in the shadows and monitor him. If he makes any suspicious moves, notify me immediately." 

"Yes, sir!" 

Minato returned to his own tent, where Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara were waiting. 

Upon seeing Minato return, Obito immediately asked, "Sensei, how's that guy? Is he suspicious?" 

Minato's expression was serious. "Yes, he's very suspicious, extremely so. It's highly probable he's not just a casualty of the Sand Village; his goal might be to get close to the Hidden Leaf!" 

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were all shocked. 

"Huh? To get close to the Hidden Leaf? Does that mean the Sand and Stone Villages' transaction was fake?" 

Minato shook his head. "Right now, it's just a guess. But that kid definitely has something going on. There's a possibility the Sand Village wanted to use the trade to get him into the Stone Village for some secret mission. And there's a strong possibility that the Sand Village deliberately wanted us to intercept him, allowing him to successfully approach our Hidden Leaf. I'm now guessing that the scroll about the alliance between the Sand and Stone Villages, which our Konoha ninja intercepted earlier, might also have been intentionally left for us to find by the Sand Village." 

Rin sounded a bit disbelieving. "They'd send a kid our age to get close to the Hidden Leaf?" 

Minato's expression became stern as he cautioned them, "Rin, don't underestimate him just because he's around your age. Look at Kakashi, for example: he graduated from the Academy at five and became a Chunin at six. No matter the age, you can't underestimate a ninja, even a three-year-old. And that child's strength might even surpass yours." 

Kakashi asked coldly, "Sensei, should we eliminate him?" 

Minato remembered Shindai's complete lack of experience and shook his head. "No, not yet. His objective is unclear at the moment. We need to figure out what his purpose is as much as possible; we might even gain useful intelligence. That's why I had the guards hide. If he truly isn't a spy, he'll try to escape once he realizes he's not being watched. But if he is suspicious, and his goal is Konoha, he won't run, even if he has the chance. Also, I plan to have a ninja disguise themselves as a Stone Village ninja and test him out in the dead of night. If his goal is the Stone Village, he'll follow the Stone Village ninja away." 

Minato immediately laid out the plan to test Shindai's true intentions. 

Obito asked Minato, "Sensei, can we watch when you test him? You said that guy might be stronger than us, and I don't believe someone my age could be stronger than me!" 

Kakashi glanced sideways at Obito. "Are you acting like I don't exist when I'm not talking?" 

Obito retorted, annoyed, "You don't think you're my match, do you?" 

Kakashi sneered, "Have you ever beaten me?" 

Obito's face flushed crimson, and he stubbornly insisted, "That's because I was hiding my strength before! If I used my full power, Kakashi, you'd never be able to beat me!" 

Rin, seeing Obito and Kakashi about to start another argument, quickly intervened, "Alright, you two, stop fighting." 

Obito and Kakashi exchanged glances, both 'hmph'ed, and turned their heads away. 

Minato smiled helplessly. "Since you want to watch, Obito, I'll take you along later. What about you two, Kakashi and Rin?" 

Kakashi nodded. "Sensei, I want to see too." 

With both Kakashi and Obito going, Rin also said, "I'll go too." 

Minato agreed. "Alright, then the three of you can come with me later." 

Chapter 14: Attacking Shindai 

Shindai was sleeping in his tent, but he woke up in less than half an hour. 

Why? Because Shindai was hungry, ravenously hungry. 

Shindai patted his pockets. Nothing. Only the scroll containing Kannazuki. 

"I should have brought some military rations. I'm starving... Am I a prisoner now, or something else? Minato seems pretty nice; I should be able to get some food, right?" 

Shindai stood up and walked out of the tent. 

"Huh? There's no one here. Where is everyone? The security is way too lax!" 

--- 

Meanwhile, in Minato Namikaze's tent. 

A ninja, who had been ordered by Minato to observe Shindai from the shadows, arrived at Minato's tent. 

"Lord Minato, the prisoner left his tent, but his behavior is very strange!" 

Minato immediately asked, "What strange behavior?" 

"He's calling out 'Is anyone there?' It seems he's looking for us. We didn't dare to act rashly, so we came to report to you immediately, Lord Minato." 

Hearing the ninja's report, Minato's eyes narrowed slightly. 

Minato paused, then decided: "Oishi, you disguise yourself as a Hidden Stone Village ninja and pretend to take him away. If he's unwilling to go with you, attack him, but don't kill him." 

Oishi Kamiyama accepted the order and left the tent to carry out the mission. 

Minato said to Kakashi and the other two: "Come with me, and make sure to hide yourselves well!" 

"Yes, Sensei Minato!" 

--- 

Shindai shouted outside the tent for a long time, but no one came. 

Shindai frowned deeply: "No way? Something's not right. This is a Hidden Leaf encampment, isn't it? The security shouldn't be so loose. 

Even if they suspect me and worry I might gather intel on the Hidden Leaf ninja, and thus placed me at the edge of the encampment, I was still captured. They should at least have one or two guard ninjas outside my tent, right? 

Are they being so disrespectful? Or... have they already accepted me as one of their own, so they didn't assign any guards?" 

Shindai was a bit puzzled. 

They couldn't possibly trust him that quickly, could they? 

"Never mind, I'll put that question aside for now." 

Shindai planned to summon his ninja hawk to try and negotiate with the Third Kazekage about switching his undercover assignment. 

If he had to be both an undercover agent and a combatant, Shindai would rather just go back to the Hidden Sand Village. 

Plus, Shindai currently had no idea how to gain Minato's trust and enter the Hidden Leaf Village. 

The pressure right now was immense; Shindai felt like he had lost a lot of hair. 

Shindai definitely didn't want to go bald at such a young age. 

Just as Shindai was about to walk away, halfway there, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. 

Shindai initially thought it was a Hidden Leaf ninja who had heard his calls and come looking for him. 

But when Shindai clearly saw the person in front of him, his pupils sharply constricted. 

The guy in front of him was wearing a Hidden Stone Village forehead protector. 

Oishi Kamiyama had his face completely covered, with only his eyes showing. 

Because his mouth was covered by cloth, Oishi Kamiyama's voice was muffled: "You are the Kekkei Genkai ninja the Hidden Sand Village traded to us. Come with me immediately." 

Shindai looked at the ninja in front of him in disbelief. 

Seriously, is the Hidden Stone Village crazy? Sending a ninja into the Hidden Leaf encampment to find him? Are they tired of living?! Minato Namikaze is here! 

Shindai suddenly looked to his left: "Hey? Lord Minato, you're here!" 

Oishi Kamiyama subconsciously looked to his left. 

However, there was no one there at all. When Oishi Kamiyama turned his head back, Shindai was already running towards the Hidden Leaf encampment. 

Kakashi, hidden in the shadows, saw Shindai running towards the Hidden Leaf encampment and confirmed: "It seems Sensei was right. His target is most likely our Hidden Leaf Village." 

Obito asked blankly: "Huh? That's confirmed already?" 

Kakashi analyzed: "First, there were no guards on him. He left the tent but called out to our ninjas. Now, encountering a 'Hidden Stone ninja' trying to take him away, he didn't choose to follow the 'Hidden Stone ninja,' but instead ran towards the Hidden Leaf encampment. 

This shows that he doesn't want to leave and go back to the Hidden Sand Village, nor does he want to go to the Hidden Stone Village. So his only goal can be the Hidden Leaf." 

Obito speculated: "But... maybe he really did abandon the darkness for the light?" 

Kakashi rolled his eyes at Obito: "You're really naive. Abandon the darkness for the light? Think about it. He was just brought back by us yesterday. There's no way he'd abandon the darkness for the light so quickly. And if it were you, would you be like him, shouting for people in an unfamiliar place, especially in a Hidden Leaf encampment that doesn't have a good relationship with his village?" 

Obito thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No, I wouldn't." 

Minato agreed: "Kakashi's analysis is correct. This child's goal seems to be to approach our Hidden Leaf Village. Next, we'll have to see his abilities. Soichi's mind probe showed that this child is a genius." 

Oishi Kamiyama realized Shindai was running towards the Hidden Leaf encampment and immediately understood that Shindai was trying to call for help. 

But... for Shindai, a Hidden Sand Village ninja, to call on Hidden Leaf ninjas to deal with him, wasn't that a bit much? 

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" 

Oishi Kamiyama formed hand signs, then pressed his hands on the ground, creating a wall of earth that rose in Shindai's path, blocking his escape. 

"Earth Release: Fissure!" 

Oishi Kamiyama concentrated chakra in his palms, struck the ground, and caused the earth to crack, attacking Shindai. 

However, Shindai simply kept dodging, with no intention of fighting back. 

Oishi Kamiyama kept attacking Shindai, and Shindai just kept running. 

Because he wasn't familiar with the Hidden Leaf encampment, Shindai ran and ran, gradually moving away from the encampment and into a forest. 

Oishi Kamiyama continued to pursue Shindai relentlessly. 

Meanwhile, Minato, with Kakashi and the others, continued to observe the battle from a distance. 

Obito saw Shindai only dodging and felt confident again: "That's it? Sensei Minato, you must have judged him wrong. That guy just runs; his strength must be really weak!" 

Minato, however, seriously disagreed: "No. Oishi is an elite Chunin. If he were truly weak, how long do you think he could keep running under Oishi's relentless pursuit?" 

Kakashi also looked grim: "That's right. Although his movements are chaotic and he seems panicked, he always manages to evade attacks. But... why isn't he fighting back? There's no one else around here besides us. If he wanted to hide his strength, there's absolutely no need to hide it here." 

Minato gazed at Shindai, who was constantly using trees and other cover to dodge in the forest, and said: "In Soichi's mind probe, he's very afraid of combat." 

Indeed, Shindai was very scared right now. He didn't dare to risk his life; there's always a risk in battle. 

So Shindai fled whenever he could, seeing no need to take risks. 

But now... 

Shindai was surrounded by several earth walls, with nowhere left to run. 

Chapter 15: Another One Appears 

Shindai didn't want to fight; he just wanted to run. But now, Koyama Daishi's four earthen walls blocked his escape route. 

After being chased by Koyama Daishi for so long, sticking to him like a persistent burr, Shindai, even if he were made of mud, would have a temper! Just as Koyama Daishi was about to rush into the earth walls to get him, Shindai, huffing with annoyance, unfurled a scroll and placed a hand on it. 

"Summoning Jutsu!" 

A puff of smoke appeared, and Shindai's Kannazuki puppet materialized. 

Obito's eyes widened. "Is that the Summoning Jutsu? You can summon a person? And a super beautiful big sister, too?!" 

Kakashi squinted at Shindai's scroll. "That scroll... it looks like a storage scroll." 

Minato Namikaze observed Shindai's Kannazuki. "That's not a human; it's a puppet." 

Rin Nohara was also surprised. "Such a realistic puppet?" 

Minato recalled what Yamanaka Soichi said after peering into Shindai's memories: that the puppets Shindai created seemed to far surpass those made by the Sand Village's puppeteers. However, Minato's first thought upon seeing Shindai's Kannazuki was... his teacher, Jiraiya, would probably love this one. 

Minato slapped his forehead. What was he thinking? 

But when it came to Puppet Jutsu, Minato didn't actually think much of it. In fact, no one in Konoha really did. In Minato's view, Puppet Jutsu had both a low floor and a low ceiling. The low floor meant that as long as you could connect chakra threads to a puppet, you could directly control it in battle. The low ceiling was because a ninja controlling a puppet wasn't judged by their own strength, but by how strong their puppet was. If the puppet was strong, then the ninja was strong, but that was as far as it went. If a puppeteer lost their puppet, their strength would be greatly reduced. 

And the biggest drawback of puppets was the need for chakra threads for control. This weakness made them easy to counter. Because of this limitation, very few ninjas became truly powerful solely through puppets. So even though Yamanaka Soichi said Shindai's puppets seemed to far surpass those of other Sand Village puppeteers, Minato wasn't particularly impressed. He was more interested in Shindai's Magnet Release kekkei genkai and Magnet Release ninjutsu. 

Shindai focused his chakra, and chakra threads appeared on his ten fingers, attaching to Kannazuki. Shindai's ring finger twitched. Kannazuki's eyes opened, and a glowing green, poisoned ninja blade appeared in her right hand. 

Koyama Daishi formed hand signs and pressed his palms to the ground. "Earth Style: Earth Rising Spears!" 

Numerous sharp rocks burst from the ground, shooting towards Shindai. Shindai controlled Kannazuki, who embraced Shindai with her left arm and leaped onto a tree branch, dodging the sharp rocks. Then, Shindai suddenly waved his hand, and Kannazuki, clutching her ninja blade, swiftly flew towards Koyama Daishi. 

"Earth Style: Earth Bullet!" 

Koyama Daishi used chakra to condense and fire earth bullets at Kannazuki. Under Shindai's control, Kannazuki was incredibly agile, constantly dodging the earth bullets in mid-air. In an instant, Kannazuki was almost upon Koyama Daishi. The ninja blade in Kannazuki's hand slashed towards Koyama Daishi. 

Koyama Daishi pulled out a kunai, clashing it against Kannazuki's ninja blade. Kannazuki, being made of metal, possessed considerable strength. The immense force sent Koyama Daishi stumbling back several steps. 

Shindai gave Koyama Daishi no chance to breathe, controlling Kannazuki to press the retreating Koyama Daishi again, slashing at him with the ninja blade. Koyama Daishi blocked Kannazuki's blade with his kunai once more. But then, a blade suddenly extended from Kannazuki's right foot, kicking upwards at Koyama Daishi with force. Koyama Daishi's heart jumped, and he immediately tilted his head back, narrowly dodging the attack. 

As Koyama Daishi retreated, he formed hand signs, his gaze fixed on Shindai, who stood on the tree branch controlling Kannazuki. A common understanding when dealing with puppeteers is that there's no need to exhaust yourself fighting the puppet; just take down the puppeteer. Since the puppet is the puppeteer's primary offensive tool, the puppeteer themselves isn't usually that strong. 

"Fire Style! Dragon Fire Technique!" 

Koyama Daishi had both Fire and Earth chakra natures. While he was best at Earth Style, he knew a few Fire Style jutsu. After forming the hand signs, Koyama Daishi released a linear stream of flames that rapidly shot towards Shindai. 

Kannazuki immediately opened her mouth, revealing a pipe inside that sprayed a powerful jet of water, blocking Koyama Daishi's flames. This water jet was released through a ninjutsu scroll stored inside Kannazuki. However, the water stream released from this scroll wasn't particularly strong; it was quite ordinary. Shindai had asked the Third Kazekage to help him get them, and he didn't have many. They couldn't compare to Sasori's Scroll: Inferno Scorching Attack or Scroll: Thousand Hands Manipulation and couldn't be sustained for long. 

Kannazuki's internal water scroll was now depleted, so she closed the distance with Koyama Daishi once more, rapidly slashing with her ninja blade. At the same time, blades occasionally popped out from Kannazuki's joints for surprise attacks, and a hole opened in her chest, periodically shooting kunai. These various tactics made it impossible for Koyama Daishi to defend himself effectively. Koyama Daishi was now sweating, on the defensive and in a disadvantageous position. 

Obito watched the fierce offensive of Kannazuki in shock, exclaiming, "That's... that's an amazing puppet!" 

Kakashi's eyes were fixed on Shindai, filled with fighting spirit. 

Minato chuckled and asked, "What? Want to give it a try?" 

Kakashi nodded vigorously. 

"Then disguise yourself well, don't give yourselves away." 

"Thank you, Sensei!" 

Kakashi immediately used the Transformation Jutsu, disguising himself as an Iwa ninja. Kakashi then used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from his spot. 

Minato looked back at Shindai. Shindai's Puppet Jutsu was indeed impressive, but Minato was more interested in seeing Shindai's Magnet Release ninjutsu. 

Shindai, who was intently controlling Kannazuki, suddenly sensed several flashes of light heading towards him. Shindai narrowed his eyes and saw that they were kunai reflecting the moonlight. Shindai immediately retreated backward to dodge the kunai. The very next second after he dodged, Kakashi's short blade struck the spot where Shindai had just been standing. If Shindai had dodged any later, he might have been hit. 

Shindai saw another 'Iwa ninja,' and he was genuinely startled by the sudden attack. Because of Kakashi's surprise attack, Shindai couldn't immediately control Kannazuki to attack Koyama Daishi, allowing Koyama Daishi to catch his breath and distance himself from Kannazuki. 

After recovering, Shindai also got annoyed. "You guys just won't quit, will you?! I'm not some object for you to just take! You jerks!" 

Shindai twitched his index finger, and a slit opened on Kannazuki's smooth back. A large amount of sand iron emerged from Kannazuki's body, floating in the air. 

"Magnet Release: Sand Iron Shower!" 

After Shindai formed the hand signs, the sand iron formed into sharp projectiles and rapidly shot out in all directions. Seeing the massive sand iron attack spread out like shotgun pellets, Koyama Daishi and Kakashi simultaneously used Earth Style ninjutsu to block the sand iron. 

Shindai maneuvered Kannazuki back to his side, where she floated behind him, with sand iron swirling around Shindai's body. Shindai glared angrily at Koyama Daishi and Kakashi. 

"I'm not done with you two today!"