Naruto: Puppet Master Undercover in Konoha

Shindai and Kakashi's four-member team had been on missions for over a month, nearly all of them ambush-type tasks.

Shindai's squad consisted of only four members. Direct confrontations with Sand ninja forces were out of the question.

Moreover, the Sand ninja wouldn't start an open war against Konoha either—they typically attacked when outnumbering their foes and retreated when faced with superior numbers. After all, in the current chaotic conflict with both Konoha and Kiri, the Sand lacked numerical superiority.

Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kiri were now locked in messy, chaotic fighting along the border areas.

For example, while Sand and Leaf ninja were locked in battle, a squad of Mist ninja might charge in and join the fray.

Shindai and his three companions had just completed a mission in which they assassinated three Sand ninja and had now returned to the Stationed Camp, planning to submit their mission report, rest briefly, and take another assignment.

However, right after submitting their mission report, Shindai overheard some nearby ninja conversing.

"Did you hear? There's a Sand ninja who excels at [Fire Release] techniques. They fought fiercely against Mist ninja and killed many of them. Now the Mist ninja absolutely hate this Sand ninja."

"You mean fire techniques? I heard that was actually a legendary Kekkei Genkai! Something like [Scorch Release]."

"Oh yeah, wasn't their name something like..."

Shindai rushed over to the group of talking ninja and anxiously asked, "Pakura using [Scorch Release], right?!"

"Yeah! That's exactly the name!"

Receiving confirmation, Shindai stood frozen in place.

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin approached Shindai. Kakashi asked puzzledly, "What is it, Shindai? Do you know this person?"

Shindai snapped out of it and nodded. "Yes. She was my only friend back when I was in Sunagakure."

Upon hearing Shindai say this, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara all fell silent.

Their only friend had now become an enemy. This must be difficult for Shindai.

Thinking about this, Kakashi decided he should avoid taking any missions involving Pakura in future assignments.

Yet suddenly Shindai seriously said to Kakashi, "Kakashi, let's take a mission that will allow me to approach Pakura."

"Why?" Kakashi asked, confused.

Shindai explained, "We haven't seen each other for a long time. I want to meet her. There are still some things I need to say to her."

Obito tried persuading Shindai, "Shindai, you two are on opposing sides now. If you meet, it might lead to combat. Why not wait until after the war ends? Then meeting shouldn't cause any problems."

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

"Huh? Are you out of your mind?"

Obito couldn't hold back his reaction. He found it hard to believe that Shindai wanted help from an enemy.

Kakashi and Rin Nohara also thought Shindai had completely lost it.

Shindai twitched his lips. "I'm perfectly lucid, no illness involved. I really need her help. If I do this alone, it would be very difficult. But if Pakura helps me, we can make it happen!"

Rin Nohara asked curiously, "What kind of help do you need from Pakura exactly?"

Shindai quickly outlined his plan.

Obito and the other two stared with wide eyes.

"Hey, that's seriously underhanded!"

"Yeah, that's playing way too dirty!"

"If she gets caught, she won't be able to stay in Sunagakure anymore. Why would she ever help you?"

Shindai snorted, "Weren't they already slandering me behind my back? Isn't that underhanded enough? I'm simply giving them a taste of their own medicine! Besides... Well, whether Pakura will help me or not can only be determined by meeting her."

After all, Pakura was destined to be betrayed eventually. The harder she fought against Kiri's ninja now, the more brutally Sunagakure would stab her in the back later.

So right now, he was just helping Pakura collect some interest in advance.

But whether Pakura would assist him or not, Shindai himself wasn't too confident either.

Even Shindai, who always claimed he didn't care much about Sunagakure, had given the village multiple chances.

Whereas the current Pakura loved Sunagakure deeply.

Kakashi frowned, weighing whether to go along with Shindai's suggestion.

As the current team leader, he needed to be responsible for the entire squad, so thorough consideration was necessary.

Shindai addressed Kakashi, "Kakashi, if Pakura is willing to help me, then that old hag Chiyo definitely won't have the face to continue leading. This will greatly benefit Konoha.

Furthermore, even if Pakura actually attacks us, we can just run away. For us few, escaping will be quite easy unless some abnormal ninja like Minato blocks our path."

Obito now stood on Shindai's side: "Kakashi, let's do it. It's obvious that Shindai is serious this time."

Rin Nohara also chimed in, "Right, that girl is Shindai's only friend. He must miss her a lot."

Obito and Rin Nohara started imagining scenarios.

Obito sighed, "I can feel how eager Shindai is to meet this Pakura girl. I can totally relate..."

He cast a sidelong glance at Rin Nohara.

Rin didn't notice Obito's expression as she said wistfully, "Yeah, Shindai must really like that girl. Otherwise, why else would he—who normally avoids danger—take such a big risk just to meet her?"

Obito sighed again, shaking his head slowly, "I hope there won't be tragedies like that later—two people in love forced to fight just because they're on opposite sides."

At first, Shindai had been quite happy hearing Obito and Rin speak up for him.

"This is getting weirder and weirder!"

Shindai wore a strange expression as he looked at Obito and Rin Nohara, "Are you two out of your minds? Pakura and I are just friends. She's six years older than me—she'll be eighteen already! Although I see her as a close friend, she sees me as her little brother!"

Obito and Rin Nohara both turned visibly embarrassed.

Oh, so they got it all wrong.

But Obito wasn't done yet, "Six years isn't that bad. When you're eighteen, she'll only be twenty-four. That doesn't sound too bad, right? Just a six-year difference, not sixty. So..."

Without hesitation, Shindai smacked Obito's head. "Cut out those hopeless romantic fantasies! You think everyone's like you?"

Shindai then turned to Kakashi, who was still deep in thought, and asked, "Kakashi, have you decided yet?"

After a moment, Kakashi replied, "Well, about the six years... Actually, if that's the case, then fine. I guess I'll take a mission that gets me close to Pakura."

Shindai's face turned as dark as a charcoal briquette. Kakashi, that quiet type—he had assumed Kakashi was thinking about whether to accept the mission, but he hadn't expected that Kakashi had been harboring the exact same goofy romantic notions as Obito and Rin all along.

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