Shindai walked aimlessly down the street alone, going over his budget in his head.
He had originally planned to get some funding from Jiraiya and make a decent profit from this charity event—it should've been more than enough to open his shop.
But with everything thrown off, even getting Jiraiya's investment might not be enough.
Although Minato Namikaze promised him a great spot, a prime location would surely have high rent. Plus, he'd also have to front the cost of the puppets as merchandise. This way, he just wouldn't have enough money.
Still...
Shindai pulled out a scroll from his pocket and opened it. It read: "There is treasure at Kannabi Bridge."
The handwriting was clearly his own.
Yet Shindai couldn't recall when he had written this.
Treasure at Kannabi Bridge? He remembered the bridge had already been destroyed—who would leave treasure there now?
He found it all quite confusing.
Shindai sighed, "Guess I'll have to come up with another plan. Kushina said she had plenty of money, but I just turned down help so firmly—I don't think I can ask her again… Well, better focus on getting Lord Jiraiya's investment first."
As Shindai turned to head home, he suddenly spotted Asuma Sarutobi with a swollen head like a pig's behind him in the distance.
Shindai narrowed his eyes at Asuma and taunted, "What? Back for revenge? Bring it on—I'll take you on full force, just don't call your parents this time!"
Asuma shouted angrily, "You're talking nonsense! I didn't call my parents! Back then, I was getting beaten up by you—I didn't even have time to call anyone!"
Shindai paused.
Huh? That actually makes sense!
Then maybe it was just a coincidence?
Feeling slightly uneasy, Shindai avoided Asuma's furious gaze and asked, "Then why are you getting in my way now? Want another fight?"
Asuma growled, "You're wrong! You're the one blocking me! I want to leave Konoha, so get lost!"
Shindai replied in surprise, "Huh? You want to leave Konoha? For what?"
"None of your damn business!"
Shindai gave a strange look and said, "I mean… judging by how you look, aren't you running away from home? How old are you, still playing this game?"
"Mind your own business!"
Asuma walked toward Shindai, and as he passed him, gritted his teeth and declared, "Once I return to Konoha, I'll show you just how strong Asuma Sarutobi really is!"
After throwing those words out, Asuma quickly walked away.
Shindai rubbed his nose thoughtfully. Forget it, what's the point of getting mad at a kid running away from home?
Inside a pavilion in Konoha,
Tsunade sat on a bench inside the pavilion, slowly sipping from a sake bottle, gazing blankly at the water.
Tsunade's gaze suddenly sharpened as she glanced to the right. "How come you're here?"
Jiraiya leaned casually against a pillar. "I heard from the old man that you're planning to leave Konoha? Why?"
Tsunade replied softly, "I'm just exhausted."
Jiraiya asked in confusion, "But the war's over. Isn't this the perfect time to take a break?"
Tsunade turned her eyes toward the water again. "Staying in Konoha constantly reminds me of them. I want to go traveling."
Jiraiya sighed helplessly. "Looks like I can't talk you out of it then. Minato's wedding is coming up soon—why don't you stay until after that? Maybe we could travel together by then."
Tsunade eyed him suspiciously. "Minato is your apprentice. After he becomes Hokage, aren't you staying in Konoha to support him?"
"Of course I'll support him," Jiraiya answered. "But you know my personality. I'm a drifter—I can't settle down in one place. So I was thinking about going out to gather inspiration for writing after Minato gets married. Oh, by the way, this is my new book—it just finished, hasn't been published yet."
Jiraiya handed the book to Tsunade.
After taking it, Tsunade checked the title: The Legend of Enduring Willpower.
She flipped briefly through the pages. "Oh? I remember you mentioned this before, but I didn't expect you'd already finished writing it."
"Yeah," Jiraiya smiled. "You're actually the first one to read it."
Tsunade put the book away. "Alright, I'll make sure to read it carefully."
...
Days passed.
Orochimaru's Science Division base was already under construction.
However, since it was still under construction, Orochimaru and Shindai continued doing their experiments in the old research base.
Inside one lab:
Shindai looked at the beautiful woman before him. Her flawless pale skin, stunning features, and alluring figure earned a satisfied nod from him.
"Mm, absolutely amazing. This must be exactly Jiraiya-sama's type."
Shindai pressed a button. The female puppet struck a striking pose and purred, *"Master… At your service."*
"Tsk tsk, there's no way Lord Jiraiya won't fall for this beauty puppet."
Since this puppet wasn't meant for combat, Shindai only needed to focus on making it lifelike.
He had made several improvements—the touch sensation was extremely realistic. He even added a constant-temperature heating system so it wouldn't feel cold to the touch, perfectly simulating human warmth, feeling incredibly real.
In addition, Shindai installed an intelligent control system that enabled basic conversations and allowed the puppet to perform actions based on verbal commands.
Battery life has also been upgraded—you get six hours of operation from just one hour of charging.
Since this was only a prototype model, Shindai intentionally kept its functions relatively simple.
When officially released, though, the AI system would need major upgrades to be more user-friendly.
Shindai wasn't an unscrupulous merchant—his principle in business was to give customers the best possible experience.
"What should I name her~? Hmm… Maria No.1 sounds perfect!"
After sealing Maria No.1 into the scroll, Shindai grabbed it and ran out of his hideout to find Jiraiya.
"Hokage-sama!"
Since he didn't know where Jiraiya was, Shindai decided to head straight to the Hokage Building and ask Minato Namikaze.
He had connections now—he could walk straight into the Hokage Building to see Minato, and no one would stop him.
When Shindai walked into the office, he found Minato Namikaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Jiraiya all there together.
Minato asked, "Shindai, what brings you here today?"
Noticing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was also there, Shindai glanced around and said, "It's nothing urgent—I just wanted to talk to Master Jiraiya and the Third in private. Mind stepping out with me for a moment?"
Jiraiya, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Minato Namikaze exchanged glances. Both Jiraiya and Sarutobi nodded and agreed to follow Shindai.
They moved to an empty meeting room.
Jiraiya asked curiously, "What do you need to discuss with me and the old man, Shindai?"
Shindai spoke mysteriously, "Don't blink now, okay?"
He unrolled the scroll and summoned Maria No.1.
The summoned smoke swirled around Maria No.1, adding an aura of mystique and charm to her appearance.
Shindai pressed a button. Maria blew a kiss toward Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Master~you can command Maria however you like~"
Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened instantly. Their cheeks flushed bright red, their nostrils flaring wide—and then... blood burst from their noses.
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