Recently, Shindai had been smiling more than usual, especially when even the Konoha ninja within Konoha's base camp began discussing the relationships among Chiyo, Rasa, and Onoki.
Just as Shindai's squad returned to the stationed base from a mission, a ninja approached him.
"Shindai, Lord Orochimaru wishes to see you."
"Huh?"
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara all looked at Shindai in surprise. The ninja only called for Shindai, indicating that Orochimaru wished to meet him alone, without the others.
When had Shindai ever spoken with Orochimaru? And how could he have drawn Orochimaru's attention like this?
At the mention of Orochimaru's summons, Shindai paused briefly but quickly regained his composure. It was almost certain that Orochimaru had something to do with news about Chiyo.
"I'll go immediately," Shindai said. "Then I'll head over to see Lord Orochimaru now."
With that, Shindai made his way toward the battlefield command tent where Orochimaru was stationed.
Stepping into the tent, Shindai once again laid eyes on Orochimaru. He hadn't changed—his presence still carried that same sneaky, unsettling aura.
To Shindai's surprise, Orochimaru actually praised him: "The rumors you spread were quite nicely done."
Shindai asked in confusion, "Lord Orochimaru, how did you know it was me who did this?"
Orochimaru explained, "It's simple—you deeply resent Chiyo, and the areas where those scrolls were spread happened to be the exact regions your squad was assigned to during their missions. It wasn't hard to figure out."
Shindai awkwardly scratched his head. "So that's how it was… I thought my work was completely undetectable."
Orochimaru, slightly curious, asked, "Still, the rumors originated from the Sand ninja's camp first. I'd like to know how exactly you managed to spread them there."
"Uh… Well, I got help from a former friend in the Hidden Sand Village."
Shindai didn't want to reveal too much about Pakura to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru noticed Shindai's reluctance and decided not to press further. Instead, he continued, "There's new information on Chiyo."
Shindai's eyes lit up eagerly as he stared at Orochimaru.
A faint smirk curved Orochimaru's lips. "The rumors you spread were absurd—yet surprisingly effective. Chiyo seems to have been affected by them. She has already left the stationed camp and is apparently heading back to the Land of Wind alone."
Shindai exclaimed joyfully, "Alone? That's perfect! This is my chance—I'll flush her out myself!"
However, Orochimaru added, "Chiyo took the route behind their stationed camp to leave. Attempting to send ninja to assassinate her would almost certainly result in failure. As the commander, I cannot possibly issue such a foolish order. Therefore, if you plan to attack Chiyo, I approve of your going—but I won't offer you any assistance."
Let me warn you one last time. Even if your puppets are stronger than Chiyo's, battles between ninja aren't decided by puppets alone. You may have puppet skills, but you're no match for her otherwise. In my opinion, you have a high chance of losing—and an even considerable probability of dying.
Jiraiya told me you're scared of fighting. If you really fear battle so much, why would you do something extremely dangerous like this?
Shindai suddenly chuckled sinisterly.
With a sinister chuckle, Shindai grinned, "Lord Orochimaru, I'm a man of righteousness… and also shamelessness."
Upon hearing Shindai's response, Orochimaru raised his eyebrows.
Righteous and shameless—can those two even go together?
Shindai explained with an ominous tone, "I behave righteously in daily life, but fight shamelessly during battles. I use every dirty trick imaginable. If I can't beat her, I'll just run away. I just want to get under that old hag Chiyo's skin before making my escape right away."
Orochimaru gazed at Shindai with a subtle expression. Suddenly, he had an inexplicable thought—the shameless Shindai might lose, but he definitely wouldn't die.
Nodding slightly, Orochimaru tossed a scroll toward Shindai.
After catching it, Shindai heard Orochimaru say, "This is the scroll predicting Chiyo's escape route. If you want to catch up with her, you should leave immediately, though I can't guarantee you'll actually catch her. And… didn't Minato Namikaze teach you anything? Eavesdropping on war councils is a serious offense!"
Shindai hesitated for a moment. That last sentence was clearly not directed at him.
When he turned around, his eyes instantly became blank and lifeless.
He saw half of Obito's masked face peeking through.
How did he immediately recognize it was Obito? Because only Obito had that distinctive pompadour hairstyle around here.
Obito, Rin Nohara, and Kakashi walked in with their heads lowered.
As they entered, Rin muttered softly, "Obito, I told you not to come eavesdropping."
Obito looked embarrassed—he had simply come out of curiosity.
Kakashi and Rin originally wanted to drag Obito away, but accidentally overheard Shindai's plan to ambush Chiyo, which made them unable to resist listening in briefly.
Kakashi apologized to Orochimaru, saying, "Sorry, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru had no intention of dwelling on this matter with Kakashi and the others. He'd rather spend time doing other things. "Since Shindai is part of your squad, I'll let this slide this time, but there won't be a next time."
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara exhaled in relief. They were also quite scared of Orochimaru.
Shindai bid farewell to Orochimaru, saying, "Lord Orochimaru, we'll take our leave first."
After speaking, Shindai approached the trio and pushed them outside while sarcastically commenting, "You three really love sneaking a peek, huh? Didn't anyone tell you that peeping gives you a stye?"
Suddenly raising his head, Obito asked Orochimaru, "Lord Orochimaru, can we go together with Shindai?"
Shindai smacked Obito on the back of the head. "Have you lost your mind? What are you talking about? Hurry up and leave!"
Orochimaru picked up a scroll and buried himself in reading it without looking up. "Shindai is part of your squad. Whether or not you go is your own decision."
Obito's eyes lit up, but before he could speak, Shindai clamped a hand over his mouth.
Shindai glared at Obito. "Keep talking and I'll rip your throat out!"
Then Shindai called out to Orochimaru, "Lord Orochimaru, this morning when Obito got up, I accidentally landed on his head with my butt. His brain nerves might be damaged from my butt sitting on him, so he's just babbling nonsense. Don't believe what he says! Lord Orochimaru, please continue your work. We won't bother you anymore!"
Shindai dragged Obito along with Kakashi and Rin Nohara out of the battlefield command room.
After they returned to Shindai's tent,
Shindai took her hand off Obito's mouth and glared at him angrily. "How could you talk nonsense like that in front of Lord Orochimaru? Are you trying to get yourself eaten alive by him?"
Obito rubbed his sore jaw and said, "Of course I'm scared, but I want to go with you. That Chiyo is the Sand ninja commander here, a senior advisor of Sunagakure. Even Lord Orochimaru said she's extremely powerful, and that you can't beat her. Isn't going alone too dangerous?"
"I can handle myself alone. It would be more dangerous if you all came along. That's settled—you're all staying behind. See ya."
Shindai began gathering supplies, planning to leave immediately once she was ready.
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