Pakura gave Shindai a heavy slap on the back of his head before immediately slipping away, leaving Shindai standing there stunned for quite some time.
By the time Shindai snapped out of it, Pakura had long vanished without a trace.
Shindai angrily stuffed five pieces of sushi into his mouth to vent his frustration.
"Damn it! This is way out of line! And here I was, racking my brain trying to figure out how to help her survive future crises—this is how I get repaid? What if I end up getting knocked in the head and turn stupid? What would I even do then?"
No matter how angry he got, there was nothing he could do about it. There was absolutely no way he'd go outside looking for Pakura to take revenge.
After finishing the remaining sushi, Shindai lay on the bed with one leg casually crossed over the other, lost in thought.
"So bored… Now that I think about it, do they even have TVs in the ninja world? What a joke—Sunagakure's so broke you can't even find a place that sells TVs around here. If they did, I'd definitely make a few puppets to earn some cash and buy one. Seriously, even if you've got cash here, it's basically worthless. There's absolutely nothing to do for fun."
After lying around for a while, Shindai sat upright again on the chair, starting to mess around with spare parts on the table.
...
Days passed one after another.
Since that day, Pakura hadn't shown up again—she must've gone off on a mission. Otherwise, if she were still in the village, she would've visited him daily.
On a certain night half a month later.
Shindai was sound asleep in bed when suddenly the door burst open.
Traps inside the room activated immediately, firing a barrage of poisoned Senbon toward the doorway, instantly waking Shindai from his slumber.
"Who!"
Shindai had already attached Chakra Threads to the Puppet 'Kannazuki.' The previously closed eyes of Kannazuki slowly opened.
However, as soon as he recognized who was standing at the door, Shindai immediately cut the Chakra Threads and flashed a kiss-up smile.
"Oh! Uncle Kaito! It's you! What brings you here?"
The Third Kazekage stood at the doorway, staring at the scattered Senbon on the floor with a grim look, and asked, "Why are you setting traps in your own home?"
Shindai forced a laugh and replied, "This is just precautionary preparation. You know, Uncle Kaito, my abilities are weak—I'm not really good for much. One little mistake and I might die, so better safe than sorry. But...why are you visiting me so late at night? Do you have something important to say?"
The Third Kazekage stepped inside, speaking to Shindai, "Get up first. This time, there's an extremely important task for you to carry out."
Shindai's heart skipped a beat, a sudden sense of unease rising within him.
He was just a total pushover—what kind of important mission could they possibly assign to someone like him?
Don't tell me they're sending me off to fight again?!
With anxious thoughts swirling, Shindai climbed off the bed, walked over to the chair by the table, and sat down.
The Third Kazekage took the seat opposite Shindai and spoke solemnly, "Shindai, it's time for you to contribute to Sunagakure!"
Shindai's eye twitched as he heard the Third Kazekage speak. He immediately realized something was terribly wrong—what the Third Kazekage was about to say would definitely be a huge problem.
Shindai immediately said, "Uncle Kaito, I think it's about time I started contributing to Sunagakure. From now on, I'll work overtime making puppets to strengthen our village's puppet masters!"
Right now, Shindai was racking his brain, trying to figure out how to weasel his way out of this.
However, the Third Kazekage waved his hand and said, "No need. From now on, you won't have to make puppets anymore. I plan to send you to Konoha as a spy."
Shindai's head went *buzz*, nearly frying his brain.
Send him to be a spy? Where—exactly?
Was he supposed to find a bridge in Konoha and live under it?
After regaining his senses, Shindai quickly stood up, stammering nervously, "U-Uncle Kaito, I don't even know the first thing about being a spy! And I'm a light sleeper—who knows if I'd even get any rest in a new place? Plus, I can't handle the local food or water—once I get to Konoha, I'll probably be stuck on the toilet with a stomach bug! There's no way I could pull off being a spy!"
"You know too, Uncle Kaito," Shindai continued frantically, "I'm just not cut out for this—so weak that not just any Genin—hell, even a basic Ninja Academy student could wipe the floor with me. I can't go; sending me would only endanger the village. No way, absolutely no way!"
The Third Kazekage's voice turned heavy. "Shindai, this isn't a request you can refuse. You're a ninja of Sunagakure, and my own descendant. Right now, Sunagakure needs you to act as a spy, so you must go. We don't expect you to fight either—all you need to do is successfully infiltrate Konoha."
Shindai was nearly in tears. "Please, Uncle Kaito, I really can't do this. I don't even know how to lie—I'd get caught in no time. How about you find someone else? Please, I'm begging you."
Although Shindai indeed had some slight longing for Konoha, it wasn't much.
At such a critical moment, going to Konoha as a spy was basically signing his death warrant.
Right now, Konoha has already begun localized clashes with Kumogakure—there's no way they'd just let some random guy walk in.
Even if he somehow managed to infiltrate Konoha, since the Third Great Ninja War hadn't fully erupted yet, once it did, Konoha being so prosperous meant it would surely come under attack.
When that happened, Konoha would face manpower shortages and might forcibly conscript civilians like him to serve on the frontline.
As an outsider with unclear affiliations, he'd definitely be among the first chosen.
Absolutely no way—he couldn't go.
SLAM! The Third Kazekage slammed the table and barked, "Shindai, do you realize what you're saying right now? As a ninja, this is considered evading duty—desertion!"
Shindai whined pitifully, "But I never wanted to become a ninja in the first place. It's you, Uncle Kaito, who forced me into being a Genin."
A flicker of embarrassment briefly crossed the Third Kazekage's expression.
Back then, when he had given Shindai the rank of Genin, it was because he saw great talent in puppet-making within Shindai, mistakenly assuming his other abilities were equally outstanding, so he directly granted Shindai the status of Genin.
Normally, one would have to attend the Ninja Academy for several years and pass the exams to officially become a ninja.
But the Third Kazekage hadn't expected Shindai's other skills to be... practically indefensible.
Still, that brief moment of awkwardness quickly disappeared. The Third Kazekage tightened his expression and declared sternly, "This isn't up for discussion—it's an order. Even if you aren't a ninja, you're still part of Sunagakure. Moreover, we belong to the same clan—you're my heir. Therefore, if Sunagakure demands your sacrifice, you will give it. That is your duty!"
Shindai looked at the Third Kazekage in disbelief—was he really going to use righteousness to pressure him like this?
But… they were just relatives. Wasn't this too overbearing?
He had contributed to Sunagakure too! Those two puppets he made, although hastily crafted, contained techniques that—if understood by other puppet masters—could significantly improve their skills.
Shindai tried to push back, but the Third Kazekage gave him absolutely no chance.
The Third Kazekage snapped harshly, "I already said—it's an order. You have no choice. If you insist on making one, then here it is: Either infiltrate Konoha as a spy, or be imprisoned for life as a defector!"
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