Naruto: Puppet Master Undercover in Konoha

Shindai was in turmoil. He'd felt this way before but had been unable to resolve it, so he had deliberately buried it deep in his mind.

But now the moment was approaching fast, and those events were about to unfold. Shindai could no longer bear to ignore them.

Truth be told, changes had already occurred because of Shindai.

Take for example Obito's Sharingan.

Originally, Obito should have awakened his Sharingan during the Kannabi Bridge battle, but now it had awakened earlier because of Shindai.

Obito had activated his Sharingan, causing his strength to skyrocket rapidly. He was no longer that talentless Obito.

This might very well alter the course of the upcoming Kannabi Bridge battle.

It wouldn't be surprising if Madara Uchiha, the "Dance King", had already set his sights on Obito and begun plotting how to drag him into darkness.

Come to think of it, why would Madara Uchiha target Obito?

After all, previously Obito had been nothing but a failure, so how could he catch Madara Uchiha's attention?

Could it be that Madara had foresight and already known that Obito's [Mangekyo Sharingan] would awaken an ability like Kamui—an overwhelmingly overpowered technique?

As for Black Zetsu, that mother-fixated oddity probably wouldn't have looked favorably on Obito at first either—he didn't even possess Indra's or Ashura's chakra.

Shindai racked his brain trying to figure it out until suddenly inspiration struck—he finally understood why Madara had taken interest in Obito.

Madara hadn't chosen Obito for his latent abilities; rather, it was his personality that intrigued him.

Right now, Obito overflowed with kindness toward others. When witnessing weakness, he would go all out to assist without hesitation.

The Uchiha clan strongly believed in love, yet they were also extreme—when love was lost, it transformed into intense hatred. Once consumed by vengeance and blinded by rage, one easily fell into extremism, making them much easier to manipulate.

Moreover, since the Sharingan mirrored the heart, it could awaken and evolve through intense emotional stimulation, eventually developing into the [Mangekyo Sharingan].

In other words, no matter how weak Obito's innate talent was, as long as he harbored intense hatred in his heart, he could awaken the [Mangekyo Sharingan], unleashing an immediate surge in strength.

Therefore, Madara cared little about Obito's actual strength. What mattered was that a kind-hearted Obito was far more likely to be driven to extremes and manipulated—that was exactly why he became Madara's target.

Shindai sighed in frustration. Knowing all this still didn't seem particularly helpful.

Although Obito had awakened the Sharingan and grown significantly stronger, bringing noticeable change, his character remained unchanged. That meant he would inevitably still draw unwanted attention.

Should he simply stand by and do nothing?

But what kind of friend would look the other way when fully aware of the impending disaster awaiting his close companion? What kind of friend would that make him—was he even human?

Shindai grabbed his head in frustration. "I should've just stayed hidden away somewhere without ever coming out! That way, I wouldn't be this conflicted!"

Kushina Uzumaki looked at Shindai in confusion, unable to understand why he was suddenly so worked up.

Didn't she just mention the current situation of the ninja world to him? Was it really that big of a deal?

"Hey, Shindai, what are you doing?"

Shindai sighed deeply, clearly troubled as he asked, "Sister Kushina, can I ask you a question?"

Kushina raised her eyebrows curiously. "What kind of question?"

After thinking briefly, Shindai replied, "Uh...something related to emotions."

Instantly, Kushina sat upright with full attention.

An emotional issue! She wondered which girl had caught Shindai's attention.

Could it possibly be Rin Nohara?

After all, among the girls his age in Konoha that Shindai knew, Rin seemed to be the only one.

But Obito liked Rin Nohara too. Could it be that Shindai was feeling conflicted because both he and his good friend Obito liked Rin, and he didn't know what to do about it? Was he seeking advice from her?

Kushina got super excited, like someone about to enjoy juicy gossip.

She cleared her throat and said seriously, "You ask. I'll definitely help you think it through carefully!"

Shindai hesitated for a moment before saying, "I have a friend..."

Hearing this opening line, Kushina almost burst out laughing.

Got it! What would follow was probably exactly what she was guessing.

"I have a friend who knows his friends might be facing something really bad. My friend is very conflicted about whether he should help them or not. Because helping them might lead to even worse consequences. My friend just wants to live in peace and focus on things he enjoys, without getting dragged into any vortex. But at the same time, not helping feels too heartless."

"So...what would you do, Sister Kushina?"

Kushina's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Shindai in disbelief. "Why would you ask this? Shouldn't you be asking about..."

Kushina hurriedly clamped her hand over her mouth—she'd almost let something slip.

Shindai looked puzzled. "What should I be asking about?"

Kushina removed her hand and forced a laugh. "Ah, forget it. It's nothing."

Shindai asked again. "Sister Kushina, if it were you, what would you do? If my friend helps them, he might get completely sucked into a vortex and never escape. He could face countless troubles and perhaps never return to peaceful days again."

Kushina thought for a moment before tilting her head, puzzled. "But don't you already have your own answer anyway?"

"Ahh?" Shindai responded, confused.

"When did I ever give you an answer? I'm the one asking you!"

"You mean to say that..."

Kushina Uzumaki was just about to explain when Shindai quickly interrupted, "No, no, no—it's not me! It's my friend's problem, not mine!"

Kushina slammed the table hard. "Let's just say *you* are that friend! You know your friend is going to face something terrible. You have the power to change it, but you're scared it'll shatter your peace if you get involved. Yet at the same time, you feel bad for not helping, right?"

Shindai nodded. "Yeah, exactly."

Kushina smiled as she continued, "If you were really worried about shattering your peaceful life, you wouldn't have asked this question in the first place. The fact that you're asking means you've already braced yourself for your peace to be broken."

"So really, you aren't hesitating over whether to help at all. You're just missing a reason—one strong enough to push you out of your peaceful life and into action."

Shindai knit his brows, still clearly dissatisfied with Kushina's answer.

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