Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite thrilled upon hearing that Shindai might convince Pakura to join Konoha.
After all, Pakura of Scorch Release had proven herself as an elite ninja during this Great Ninja World War.
And such a powerful ninja was actually Shindai's fiancée!
Wait... Fiancée?!
Hiruzen looked at Shindai with curiosity. "Shindai, isn't Pakura around eighteen years old? And you, at best and rounding up, are only thirteen. You two..."
Shindai repeated verbatim what Obito had once told him to Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, try thinking of it this way—I'll be eighteen and she'll only be twenty-four. Doesn't that sound much better?"
Hiruzen thought for a moment and replied, "Actually, that does make sense. Still, I didn't expect those rumors to have been spread by Pakura of Scorch Release from Sunagakure. But are you confident enough? Don't end up risking yourself over this."
In Hiruzen's eyes, Shindai was a national treasure—the future of Konoha's Magnet Release ninja unit hinged entirely on how well he performed.
If they could bring Pakura to Konoha, they might be able to develop a Scorch Release unit in the future.
But if there was any risk involved, even trading Shindai for Pakura would be unacceptable to Hiruzen.
First, Shindai was already one of their own. Second, even without his Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, he was still an exceptional talent.
Lastly… Hiruzen was also eager to hear Shindai explain in detail this so-called custom-made puppet—what exactly it was all about.
Shindai confidently assured, "Hokage-sama, rest assured. I'm not just bragging. Back when we were in Sunagakure, she wouldn't even think of disagreeing with me—if I said east, she wouldn't dare go west!"
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, "Oh? So authoritative, huh?"
Shindai lifted his eyebrows as well, smirking, "Of course. A man's dominance—this kind of household authority is fundamental!"
Hiruzen couldn't help but feel envious.
Although others might see the Hokage position as prestigious, he held no authority at home—Biwako Sarutobi was the one who made the decisions.
Orochimaru, who hadn't spoken for quite some time, suddenly asked, "Since she listens to you so well, why don't you simply tell her to leave Sunagakure and join Konoha directly?"
Shindai nearly lost his composure.
Why? Obviously, because he had just been bluffing earlier!
Shindai coughed lightly before replying, "Orochimaru-sama, that's because Pakura holds deep feelings for Sunagakure itself, just like I do. We're both deeply loyal to our villages. If I just told her outright to abandon Sunagakure and come with me to Konoha, she'd absolutely refuse."
So she'll go to great lengths to get me to return to Sunagakure. Pakura wouldn't leave Sunagakure unless someone had been hurt by it like I was.
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a moment and said, "But... if that's the case, then like you said, Rasa must make a move against Pakura first. Only after Pakura completely loses faith in Sunagakure will you have the chance to persuade her to join Konoha. But even if you give this transmitter to Pakura, there's still a good chance it might be too late, right?"
Shindai explained to Hiruzen, "Pakura is already quite well-known within Sunagakure. That scheming bastard Rasa is just an interim replacement—a puppet who took power after The Third Kazekage.
"If he makes his move directly inside Sunagakure, there's a possibility of being discovered. Once exposed, he can forget about remaining Kazekage! So I believe Rasa won't attack Pakura within Sunagakure itself, but instead will use ninja from enemy villages to do his dirty work.
"For instance, he could send Pakura on a mission and secretly leak her location to enemy ninja. This way, if Pakura dies at the hands of enemy ninja, it won't appear connected to Rasa at all.
"This method is simple and safe. Therefore, Rasa has no need to take such a significant risk by attacking Pakura directly within Sunagakure.
"As for this transmitter I gave Pakura, I modified it using Minato-sama's radio. It not only lets us track Pakura's location anytime, but also receives special signals. When Pakura gets any secret mission orders from Rasa, she can send me a special signal to let me know immediately."
Orochimaru raised a question: "But how can you be sure that Rasa will go after Pakura?"
Shindai started spouting nonsense with complete seriousness: "Orochimaru-sama, have you heard of danger sensors—like a sixth sense for danger? One night, I suddenly dreamed that Rasa double-crossed Pakura. Besides, Rasa is a real schemer whose position as Kazekage wasn't obtained through normal means originally. If Pakura wants to challenge for the Kazekage title, how could Rasa not get anxious?
"Therefore, I conclude! Rasa will definitely target Pakura. So Hokage-sama, if we have a Konoha undercover agent within Sunagakure, I beg you to deliver this transmitter to Pakura. Please!"
Shindai bowed respectfully to Hiruzen.
If there were no Konoha spies in Sunagakure or if Hiruzen refused, there was absolutely no way Shindai would follow Orochimaru to the border region.
Pakura was extremely important. If Hiruzen declined, he'd simply turn to Minato Namikaze.
He'd ask Minato Namikaze to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport him to Sunagakure—Zoom zoom zoom!
Hiruzen pondered briefly.
Frankly speaking, although Hiruzen could tell part of what Shindai said was nonsense, the parts that weren't made up did contain some logic.
Still, there was absolutely no way he'd allow Shindai to go alone.
Konoha's future Magnet Release ninja still need Shindai to develop.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Orochimaru and made a decision: "This transmitter, I'll have someone deliver it into Pakura's hands. But if what you described really happens, Orochimaru, you'll need to accompany Shindai when the time comes."
Shindai hurriedly said: "There's no need to trouble Orochimaru-sama. Orochimaru-sama already has plenty on his plate already..."
Before Shindai could finish speaking, Orochimaru had already agreed: "Fine, I understand."
Shindai was immediately left speechless: "Uh... Then thank you very much, Orochimaru-sama."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly: "Although Pakura is on your side, there might still be other unexpected situations. Therefore, having Orochimaru accompany you makes me feel much more at ease. Remember this—under no circumstances should you go alone. Otherwise, if you find yourself isolated and helpless, no one will be able to rescue you."
Shindai promised and thanked him: "Alright, thank you Hokage-sama, thank you Orochimaru-sama. I'm sincerely grateful!"
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