Naruto: Puppet Master Undercover in Konoha

Pakura looked at the scroll in her hands, a mixture of emotions swirling inside her.

She raised her head and gazed at Shindai with a complex expression. "Shindai, I hope you're not lying to me. I really... don't want you to be using me, and I don't want us to become enemies either."

Shindai lifted his arm and wiped away Pakura's tears, despite her being taller than him by a head. "Of course I don't want us to become enemies either. Come on, you're such an adult now, still crying easily. Be more cautious about everything, don't trust everyone so naively. What if I actually turned bad? If I had set up a few traps here, you'd be finished.

If you've confirmed what I said is true, don't do something stupid like confronting them and asking why they did it. Remember, you're just a ninja. Even if you have high prestige now, you remain only a ninja with no real authority.

If someone like Rasa or Chiyo wants to target you, there's absolutely nothing you can do. Just like me—I couldn't do anything either. If it weren't for my cleverness, I might have already lost my life."

Pakura sniffled and protested indignantly, "You little brat! Don't act so grown-up! I'm your older sister!"

Shindai scoffed, "Sister? Only because you're a bit older than me. Other than that, I'm much more mature than you. In my eyes, you're just as childish and naive as a little kid."

Pakura immediately gave Shindai a heavy slap on the back of his head. "You're the one who's too naive! Hmph... feels good, it's been a while since I did this!"

Shindai rubbed his head and glared at Pakura unhappily.

Seeing Shindai puffing his cheeks angrily like a hamster, Pakura couldn't help but laugh.

That sense of unfamiliarity gradually disappeared, and familiarity returned.

"What's so funny?" Shindai grumbled.

"Okay okay, I won't laugh anymore," Pakura took several deep breaths to calm her laughter before asking, "How have you been? Did those Konoha ninjas bully you?"

Shindai shook his head, "Bully me? Not really. They treated me quite well, considering me their comrade. No bullying or discrimination because I used to be a Sunagakure ninja. I just miss those comfortable days when I could stay home all day and night, which makes me a bit upset."

Pakura sighed helplessly, "You know, before I always advised you to go out more. But seeing that you've been doing well now, I feel relieved. Looks like those Konoha ninjas aren't half bad after all."

Listening in secret, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin Nohara frowned darkly.

What do you mean by "not half bad"?

Didn't they see how well they'd taken care of Shindai, making him look so chubby and healthy?

At first, Shindai was so skinny that they thought he must have been neglected in Sunagakure.

Shindai asked, "By the way, do you still have the scroll I gave you back then?"

Pakura nodded and took out a scroll from her ninja gear pouch, saying, "Yes, I've been carrying it with me."

"Let me have a look. I'll upgrade and improve it a bit."

Shindai took the scroll from Pakura and summoned the item from it.

It was a black orb about the size of a watermelon.

The moment it appeared, the orb attempted to activate, but Shindai quickly flipped a switch, halting the transformation.

Curious, Pakura asked, "By the way, what exactly is this thing?"

While disassembling the orb, Shindai explained, "It's something that can save your life. Inside were loaded poison senbon and Iron Sand. The internal mechanism allows the iron sand to carry you and let you fly for a short distance. Once summoned, it activates automatically, which is why I emphasized repeatedly in my letter to you—never summon it unless absolutely necessary."

After dismantling the orb, Shindai summoned several small projectiles from [Raikō Ken] and began modifying the device.

When she heard that this was meant to protect her life, Pakura couldn't help feeling touched, though she still stubbornly retorted, "I'm Pakura of [Scorch Release]. Do I really need your contraption to survive?"

"Come on, when danger hits, no one's going to care who 'Pakura' is. You could cry out to heaven itself and it wouldn't help. There—we're done."

The modified orb was now twice its original size.

After resealing the orb back into the scroll, Shindai handed it over to Pakura and said again, "Same advice—don't use it unless you absolutely have to."

Pakura muttered with her usual defiance, "I don't even need this!"

Still, she grudgingly accepted the scroll from Shindai and placed it carefully into her ninja pouch.

Shindai gave another warning: "If you confirm that what I told you is true, don't do anything unnecessary. Obey orders without question, act as if nothing happened, keep your own counsel, and stay vigilant."

"Even though I've been betrayed by my village, I am now a Konoha ninja, and we're enemies. Don't try to defend me—it'll only make things harder for you in Sunagakure."

"As for what happens in the future, well… maybe after the war ends, Sunagakure and Konoha might restore their alliance. Then you could come visit me in Konoha."

Pakura gently hugged Shindai, resting her chin on top of his head.

She felt heartbroken inside—she had no other family, and considered Shindai her own younger brother.

But now… because of this war, they found themselves on opposing sides.

Softly, she whispered, "Take care of yourself, Shindai."

Shindai didn't reply because he felt awkward right now.

Why did he feel strange?

Well… Pakura was a whole head taller than him. In this hug, his face was buried against her chest.

"Tsk, I remember it being flatter before..."

Pakura was slightly puzzled by Shindai's muttering at first, but his next words made her face go beet red.

"What've you been eating? How'd ya get so… stacked after not seeing each other for over a year?"

Shindai actually had the nerve to rub up against her.

Pakura's face shifted from red to purple. She was so furious her chest heaved visibly.

That got Shindai all worked up.

"You're dead!"

Pakura suddenly snapped her head up, then smashed it down, nailing him in the head with her chin.

"Hiss..."

Both Shindai and Pakura let out a sharp hiss through their teeth.

Obito and the other two eavesdroppers winced in unison—looked like it hurt like hell.

The two staggered backward several steps, one clutching his head while the other rubbed her chin, tears welling in the corners of their eyes.

Rubbing his head furiously, Shindai shouted, "What was that for?!"

Pakura was also rubbing her chin hard. "You picked up some weird habits in Konoha! Now you're a perv!"

Shindai shot back, "Who's the perv?! Everyone knows I'm the most honorable guy around!"

With tears of fury brimming in her eyes, Pakura shouted, "You just—you just grabbed me!"

Shindai rolled his eyes. "Grab what?"

"I didn't touch anything! If anyone felt someone up, it was you doing it to me! Didn't you hug me first? Don't play the victim now!"

Shindai's shameless comeback left Pakura—and Obito and the others—completely slack-jawed.

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