Naruto: Puppet Master Undercover in Konoha

Pakura never expected that the Magnet Release ninja exchanged by Sunagakure with Iwagakure would actually turn out to be Shindai.

Pakura looked at Shindai with a conflicted expression. "So… you were disillusioned with Sunagakure and defected to Konoha?"

Shindai shook his head. "Pakura, hear me out. That wasn't why I left. It was all part of a plan—a high-ranking Sunagakure scheme. The exchange with Iwagakure was fake; its real purpose was for me to be intercepted by Konoha and placed there as a spy.

Uncle Kaito isn't the kind of person who could devise a plan like this—it must have come from Elder Ebizō and other high-ranking officials. I didn't want to go, but Uncle Kaito gave me no chance to refuse. Since I was a Sunagakure ninja and his clansman, if I refused, he threatened to throw me into prison.

You know how stubborn Uncle Kaito is—if I had resisted, he likely would have actually locked me up. And you know exactly what kind of place that prison is. People eating people was common practice.

As planned, I successfully went undercover. During this time, I repeatedly sent letters to Uncle Kaito, hoping he'd allow me to return. I told him I could fight for Sunagakure—I never wanted to be a spy.

But nearly all my letters vanished without a trace, receiving absolutely no reply. What else could I do? I had no choice but to continue my mission."

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin Nohara, eavesdropping nearby, felt uneasy.

Of course those letters vanished—Kakashi and the others had intercepted every one of them.

Pakura stared blankly at Shindai, shocked beyond belief that he had become Konoha's spy.

Shindai continued, "Even under those circumstances, I never intended to betray Sunagakure. Sure, it weighed heavily on my mind, but being a spy wasn't the end of the world. I thought that once the mission was done, I could return to Sunagakure and live quietly in my modest, run-down home again.

But everything changed when Uncle Kaito disappeared. I couldn't summon my Ninja Hawk anymore—which meant I had completely lost contact with Sunagakure. Even so, I kept believing they would reach out to me eventually.

I trusted them so much, never thinking they'd abandon me. But what did I get instead? I later discovered that I had already been used by Konoha, manipulated through my family connection to Uncle Kaito to lure him outside the village, where Konoha ninja assassinated him, faking the attack as though it came from Iwagakure.

They also issued an order—Konoha ninjas are to kill any Magnet Release user on sight.

Pakura, tell me, what should I do now? Did I ever betray Sunagakure? They were the ones who forced me into espionage. They accused me of betrayal. They're the ones hunting me down now. What do you think I should do?"

Pakura opened her mouth slightly, yet not a single word came out.

Shindai walked forward and stood right in front of Pakura, just one step away: "Pakura, Rasa and I are from the same family. That guy Rasa is despicable—he'll do anything to achieve his goals. There's nothing but self-interest in his eyes; he doesn't care about anything else.

"This vicious plan was definitely his idea. He only became Kazekage because Uncle Kaito disappeared, so now he wants to divert internal conflicts within Sunagakure and consolidate his position. That's why he wants to start a war willingly—and I'm just a scapegoat here.

"Those two old bastards, Chiyo and Ebizō, must've plotted alongside him too. Pakura, do you remember who else disappeared on the day Uncle Kaito went missing?"

Pakura shook her head. "I don't know. Everyone was desperately searching for The Third, so no one really noticed anyone else."

Shindai sneered coldly, "They covered it up very well. I can tell you, but promise not to tell anyone else. If that old hag Chiyo finds out, she might target you beforehand. Besides Uncle Kaito, Chiyo's favored grandson Sasori also vanished that day."

Pakura was stunned. "Are you implying... The Third's disappearance was done by Sasori? But you weren't even in Sunagakure back then—how would you know?"

"How I found out isn't important," Shindai replied. "If you doubt whether what I said is true, there's an easy way to verify. Just help me with one small favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"Quietly spread what's written here. Then you'll naturally discover whether I'm telling the truth or not."

Shindai handed a scroll over to Pakura.

Pakura unrolled the scroll. After reading its content, her eyes nearly popped wide open. "Is all this actually true?"

"Not exactly," Shindai admitted. "Most of it's fabricated—I want revenge against Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō. However, the part about Sasori is genuine."

Pakura frowned, "Human Puppets… turning living people into puppets? That's extremely cruel. Do such puppets truly exist?"

Shindai immediately began explaining, "They do, and whoever killed Uncle Kaito must've been Sasori's Human Puppet. Pakura, even if those guys like Chiyo call this mere rumor-mongering, there are still traces we can follow.

"The most direct way to confirm this is once people see what's written in this scroll. At that time, go approach Chiyo, but don't directly ask her whether it's true—Even I think it sounds unbelievable. If you ask her outright, she might become suspicious. Instead, simply ask her how these rumors should be handled—what measures should be taken.

"She'll get involved since this concerns her grandson Sasori and the Human Puppet issue. I don't believe she'll remain calm and collected. Just observe her expression carefully. Got it?"

"I understand! Wait!"

Pakura suddenly felt something was off. How could she be so ready to help Shindai spread rumors?

She had just said she would break Shindai's arms and legs and take him back to Sunagakure.

Still, Pakura decided to trust Shindai—just this once.

She'd known him since he was four—she'd practically watched him grow up.

Therefore, Pakura knew exactly what kind of person Shindai was.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, Shindai would never leave home, nor get involved in things he found too much trouble.

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, who were hiding and peeping, listened in stunned silence.

It seemed...Shindai actually knew who had killed the Third Kazekage.

Turning living humans into puppets? That was simply horrifying and cruel.

And as for Pakura herself, her attitude had changed rather quickly. She had been convinced by just a few words from Shindai.

But this also showed just how strong the bond between Shindai and Pakura truly was—even though Shindai was rumored to have betrayed his family and country, Pakura still believed in him.

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>