Jiraiya finished reading the letter written by Minato Namikaze imitating Shindai's handwriting.
Rubbing his chin in thought, Jiraiya said, "Hmm, considering Onoki's personality, after confronting Konoha, he will definitely bring Sunagakure into it. That guy never fights battles without confidence.
So if Onoki declares he'll launch an attack on Konoha, he must be trying to get Sunagakure involved. But if his invitation to Sunagakure receives no response, then he certainly won't take rash action either. In the end, this matter would likely come to nothing."
Minato asked, "Then do we need to add anything else? If there are no problems, I'll bind this letter onto Shindai's Ninja Hawk and have it deliver the message."
Jiraiya nodded, "No need to add more details. Sometimes being too detailed might actually cause suspicion. Leaving some room for imagination would be better. Attach it already, Minato."
After Minato tied the letter onto the unconscious Ninja Hawk, Minato and his four companions immediately vanished from the scene.
Five minutes later, the Ninja Hawk slowly regained consciousness.
The hawk remained dazed for thirty seconds before smoothing its feathers with its beak and taking flight.
He was used to it by now. It didn't matter anymore.
Wishing Shindai would just bite the dust already.
Hidden nearby, Minato and his team of five saw the Ninja Hawk take off and collectively sighed in relief.
Minato prayed, "I hope Shindai's Ninja Hawk has smooth sailing and can successfully deliver this letter into Third Kazekage's hands."
Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Rin nodded in agreement, sharing the same hope that Shindai's Ninja Hawk would successfully complete its delivery mission.
Jiraiya took a deep breath and spoke, "We've handled the false intelligence matter. Now let's deal with that brat. Who wants to participate? Raise your hand."
Obito raised his hand first, followed closely by Kakashi and Rin.
Minato was still somewhat conflicted because they had just taken advantage of Shindai's Ninja Hawk, giving him a feeling of kicking down the bridge after crossing it.
Obito snorted coldly, "That bastard Shindai called you a sissy, Sensei."
Rin chimed in, "Yeah, Sensei, he also said you always hang out with kunoichi!"
Kakashi added mockingly, "He even said Sensei goes to the bathroom and takes baths together with female ninja."
A vein throbbed on Minato's forehead as he raised his hand as well, still hesitating slightly.
This rumor Shindai spread was simply going too far!
Since when did he look like a sissy!
Led by Jiraiya, the group quickly agreed on how to deal with Shindai after discussing briefly.
...
Soon another three days passed.
Shindai spent these three days in constant anxiety. He knew the Ninja Hawk definitely hadn't reached Sunagakure yet—maybe it hadn't even made it halfway. Still, he couldn't stop himself from wondering if it had arrived yet.
These three days, Shindai had been holed up inside the tent without going anywhere.
Only twelve days left. In twelve days, he'd be heading off on a suicide mission to Iwagakure.
Shindai struggled to think through what would happen if the Third Kazekage refused to end his undercover operation.
If he simply abandoned his cover and fled back to Sunagakure, he might end up locked away in that hellish prison.
The Third Kazekage was definitely capable of doing something like that.
What if he ran away elsewhere?
But Shindai didn't even know where he could escape to.
"Sigh~"
Shindai let out a deep sigh.
His stomach growled loudly.
No one had visited him these past few days. He only got meals when the Medical Ninja came to check on him and brought food along.
Although Shindai was socially awkward around strangers, he was outgoing and charming with people he knew—quite the smooth talker.
With the Medical Ninja visiting his tent daily for body checks, it wasn't hard at all for Shindai to get familiar with her.
So after making a small request, the Medical Ninja readily agreed—perhaps finding him agreeable enough.
However, today's visit from the Medical Ninja was late. His body check hadn't happened yet, and Shindai was starving—his ribs clinging tightly to his belly.
"Well, guess I should go find some food myself."
Getting up from his bed, Shindai exited the tent, planning to check the supply station for something to eat.
"Tsk, this kid finally came out, huh? He sure can stay cooped up inside—three entire days, not even stepping outside once."
Jiraiya and Obito were leaning against the trunk of a tree.
As for Kakashi, Nohara Rin, and Minato Namikaze, they weren't this bored—they still had their own duties to handle.
Therefore, the task of monitoring Shindai fell to the only two with nothing better to do—Obito and Jiraiya.
Obito guessed, "I bet that guy finally came out because no one brought him food—he must be starving. Otherwise, he could've stayed inside that tent for an entire month."
Jiraiya suddenly turned his head sharply toward Obito and asked, "What did you just say?"
Not understanding why Jiraiya suddenly seemed so excited, Obito repeated what he had said earlier.
Jiraiya gave Obito a complicated look: "Why didn't you mention this sooner? We could've just stopped anyone from bringing him food, and he'd come out by himself! All these days of waiting were pointless!"
Obito pondered for a moment and realized Jiraiya was right. Laughing nervously, he apologized, "Sorry Lord Jiraiya, I didn't think about it."
Sighing, Jiraiya then firmly stated, "Forget it. You quickly go find Minato and the rest. I don't want to miss this opportunity. I've already let him have three comfortable days. This time, it's an eye for an eye, a grudge for a grudge!"
"Got it! I'll go right away!"
Obito excitingly sprinted off to find Minato Namikaze and the others.
Not long after, Obito reunited with Minato Namikaze, Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and Jiraiya.
Obito narrowed his eyes, watching Shindai in the distance, holding food and heading back to the tent. "Lord Jiraiya, I'll leave this to you."
A 'cruel' smile spread across Jiraiya's lips. "No trouble at all. In fact, I'm quite willing to do this. Just don't make a sound later, okay?"
Jiraiya performed the Transformation Jutsu, transforming into an unfamiliar stranger, then executed the Shifting Body Technique to appear in front of Shindai.
Shindai looked puzzled at the 'stranger' before him. "Who are you?"
Jiraiya rapidly formed hand seals with both hands.
In the next instant, Shindai's eyes completely lost their light, as if he had been plunged into a suffocating darkness.
The technique Jiraiya cast on Shindai was the Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
When activated, it created a pitch-dark environment that deprived the opponent of sight, allowing only the caster and his allies to see clearly.
That meant Shindai was now practically blind, while only Jiraiya, Minato, and Kakashi could still see.
Seeing Shindai's panic, Jiraiya and Obito wore knowing smiles.
Though Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and Minato didn't react as exaggeratedly, they all smirked slightly.
Now comes the fun part!
<><><><><><><><>
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
<><><><><><><><>