Sāra suddenly interrupted Minato Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki's exchange of intelligence with emotional outbursts, accusing them of lying.
Sāra fiercely defended An Lushan, saying, "Six years ago, the one who came to this country wasn't some ninja named Gatai, but a remarkable man named An Lushan!
Now serving as minister, An Lushan has inherited Mother's will (the late queen's legacy) and is working diligently for this town!
That man who loved peace would absolutely never develop the kind of weapon you're talking about!"
Minato Namikaze obtained important information from Sāra's words.
If it was An Lushan who arrived in Loulan six years ago, then this An Lushan could almost certainly be confirmed as Gatai.
Minato seriously said to Sāra, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid you've been deceived by that person."
Sāra angrily replied, "I can't believe such words! You people are more suspicious!"
After saying this, Sāra turned and walked away.
Naruto asked, "Hey, where're you going?"
Without turning her head, Sāra continued walking quickly forward, "I must confirm it myself!"
Naruto shouted after Sāra, "You were just nearly assassinated not long ago! Isn't this exactly what that Anlu… no, Gatai is secretly plotting?"
But now Sāra wouldn't listen, marching off stubbornly.
Minato proposed, "Let's split into two teams. I hope you can protect Your Majesty well."
Naruto looked at Sāra's retreating figure and said, "Protecting Sāra is indeed important, but I also have to capture Gatai. It was our fault letting that guy escape, causing things to become so complicated."
Minato solemnly said, "It would be more efficient for us who are more familiar with this place to search for Gatai. Also, you can't join midway through the mission execution, right? As a Konoha ninja, you should understand this. Protecting Sāra's life is also extremely important."
Scratching his head, Naruto said, "Well, if it's Dad's order… there's really nothing I can do about it. I get it. We can't just abandon Sāra either."
Shindai thought for a moment, then volunteered, "I'll go with him. This guy clearly seems reckless, and I can keep an eye on him to prevent him from acting recklessly. Also, if Gatai tries to harm that foolish queen, we can look out for each other, right?"
Kakashi sneered, "Shindai, don't think we don't know what you're up to!"
Obito also agreed with Kakashi, "Yeah, come on, it's totally obvious!"
Rin Nohara didn't say anything, but her contemptuous gaze seemed to speak volumes.
Shindai jerked his head up defiantly and said, "What are you guys doing! How could you think so poorly of me! Now I'm making a reasonable suggestion for this mission, yet you're questioning your own teammates like this. Is there any teammate like you guys?"
Naruto Uzumaki quietly corrected, "It's 'comrade,' not 'accomplice.' 'Accomplice' makes it sound like we're about to do something shady."
Shindai glared at Naruto Uzumaki. "Shut up!"
Naruto Uzumaki immediately closed his mouth and stood as stiff as a board.
Minato Namikaze, Obito, and the other two looked at Naruto Uzumaki and Shindai with great confusion.
Naruto Uzumaki was much taller than Shindai. After receiving that glare, he acted exactly like a child caught misbehaving—it was quite an awkward sight.
Minato thought for a moment before speaking, "Alright then. But listen—Shindai, you absolutely cannot ask Naruto anything related to the future. And Naruto, don't tell Shindai anything about the future either. If you both agree, I'll let you go together!"
"I agree!" Shindai immediately replied.
Then he stared intently at Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto Uzumaki nodded in agreement. "I'm fine with it too."
Minato Namikaze took out a Flying Thunder God Kunai and handed it to Naruto Uzumaki. "This kunai is specially made by me. As long as you carry it, I can instantly reach your side no matter where you are. Shindai already has one, so I won't give him another. Alright, hurry off now. Time is pressing. Sāra is in your hands."
"Leave it to us, Sir Minato. Then we'll be going!"
Shindai and Naruto Uzumaki left to search for Sāra.
Kakashi suspiciously asked, "Sensei, you clearly know Shindai won't actually listen and will definitely ask about the future. Why would you still allow him to go along?"
Minato chuckled. "Don't worry. In the end, I'll set up a jutsu that erases each other's memories. So even if Shindai finds out more, it won't matter."
...
Sāra was shooting up the elevator shaft at high speed.
Inside the elevator, Sāra muttered, "They clearly don't understand An Lushan at all. Whether it's that Naruto or those ninjas, they just keep babbling on their own!"
Shindai and Naruto Uzumaki were searching for Sāra.
Naruto Uzumaki grumbled, "Where did that guy run off to? Big bro Shindai, why don't you check with your Third Eye?"
Shindai glanced toward a direction. "I can see without needing my Third Eye. Sunagakure—Hidden Sand—is so poor they can't even provide electricity throughout the entire village. And yet, the technology from Loulan is surprisingly advanced—elevators, no less! Look, she's over there."
Naruto Uzumaki followed Shindai's gaze. "I see her too. Let's go quickly!"
Shindai impatiently asked, "No rush. Tell me first about the future. How's my life in the future? Did my career develop well? Did I get married? Do I have kids?"
Naruto Uzumaki's expression turned odd. "But didn't Dad just clearly say we shouldn't tell you anything?"
Shindai urged, "Oh come on, just whisper it to me secretly. Hurry up already!"
"No way, I'm not telling!" Naruto Uzumaki muttered, covering his mouth with his hand. "What if the future changes? No matter how hard you push me, Aniki, I absolutely won't give in this time!"
Shindai narrowed his eyes and asked again, "You really won't talk?"
Naruto Uzumaki replied firmly, "I won't talk!"
Seeing how stubborn Naruto was, Shindai found himself at a loss. "Why are you keeping your mouth shut like this? It's not like what you're talking about will definitely happen anyway!"
Afraid that Shindai would take revenge on him somehow, Naruto tried to comfort him by saying, "Well, whatever's going to happen in the future will happen anyway, right? You'll see for yourself when the time comes. So why ask me now? This is Dad's order; there's nothing I can do about it."
Shindai asked, "Did you just say it was my future self who kicked you here?"
Naruto sighed as he replied, "Yeah, he said he needed someone to deliver a letter, but I have no idea who it's meant for."
Shindai extended his hand toward Naruto. "Let me see the letter. If it's from my future self, it must be meant for me."
"Huh? Oh, maybe it really is for you."
Naruto reached into his ninja gear pouch and pulled out a scroll for Shindai.
As Shindai opened the scroll, one glance at the handwriting told him immediately it must have been written by himself.
[Hey, super-sexy me~]
A faint smirk curled up on Shindai's lips. My future self sure has manners.
But the next sentence made Shindai's temple twitch violently.
[You clueless twerp, can you even handle this or not?]
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