The next day.
Minato Namikaze gathered with Shindai at the Konoha main gate.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara arrived to meet them and were very surprised to see Shindai.
Because from Shindai's appearance, it seemed he was going to act with them.
In their opinion, Shindai was a spy and should have been kept in Konoha under surveillance, then given false intelligence to be conveyed to the Third Kazekage of Hidden Sand Village via his Ren'ying.
Minato Namikaze smiled and said to Kakashi and the other two, "The Third Hokage has agreed. From today onwards, Shindai will act with us. I have decided to vouch for Shindai; as long as Shindai contributes to Konoha, he will join Konoha and truly become one of us.
Although Shindai was a Ninja from Hidden Sand Village before, I hope everyone can treat him as a true comrade."
Kakashi and the two others nodded, believing that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze must have had some special arrangement for Shindai to bring him along.
"Then let's set off."
Shindai, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara followed Minato Namikaze to the Land of Hot Water.
Six days later.
Shindai and his group arrived at the Konoha Garrison in the Land of Hot Water.
The commanders at the Konoha Garrison in the Land of Hot Water were Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
Tsunade was also there, but because she suffered from hemophobia, she couldn't fight directly, and she also couldn't perform medical treatment as she was afraid of blood.
Therefore, Tsunade's main role here was to guide Medical Ninja in treating the wounded.
As commanders, Orochimaru and Jiraiya did not directly participate in combat.
After all, the current skirmishes with Kumogakure Ninja were minor, and it wasn't yet time for them to directly engage.
Moreover, in their opinion, the Third Shinobi World War was imminent, and Konoha would likely be targeted by multiple Ninja villages.
So, the Leaf's Sannin were only temporarily gathered. Once full-scale war officially broke out, they would separate and fight independently.
Jiraiya's face immediately lit up with a smile when he saw his favorite disciple return. He walked up to Minato Namikaze and patted his shoulder: "Minato, you're finally back. Those Kumogakure guys, when they found out you weren't here, they started counterattacking us like they were pumped up."
Minato Namikaze apologized, "Something happened that exposed my presence in the Land of Rivers, causing trouble for you, Lord Jiraiya. I'm truly sorry."
Jiraiya waved his hand, "It's fine, it's fine. Orochimaru commanded a Ninja unit to launch a surprise attack on the Kumogakure Garrison, forcing them to retreat and defend, and their offensive has been neutralized."
While Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya were conversing, Shindai was also curiously observing Jiraiya.
Shindai had thought Jiraiya would be rather perverted, but he looked quite handsome at first glance.
Jiraiya's gaze also turned to Shindai, and he asked Minato Namikaze, "Minato, who is this child?"
Minato Namikaze explained to Jiraiya, "This child was rescued by me when I went to the Land of Rivers. Originally, Hidden Sand Village and Iwagakure intended to form an alliance, planning to sacrifice this child, who possesses a Bloodline Limit, to exchange for some military supplies from Iwagakure, and also as proof of their alliance.
However, their plan was discovered in advance by our comrades in the Land of Rivers, and I happened to be there at the time, so I intercepted this child.
Now this child is with me and will act together with Kakashi and the others."
Jiraiya looked at Shindai in surprise: "Oh? A Bloodline Limit... Hidden Sand Village is truly generous, using a Bloodline Limit to form an alliance with Iwagakure."
Shindai somewhat timidly greeted Jiraiya, "Lo-Lord Jiraiya, hello."
Jiraiya asked in surprise, "Oh? You know me?"
Without Shindai having to say it himself, Minato Namikaze helplessly called out, "Lord Jiraiya..."
Jiraiya felt a bit awkward.
Oh right, Minato Namikaze had just called him Lord Jiraiya.
Minato Namikaze said to Kakashi and the other two, "You three take Shindai to find an empty tent to stay in. Lord Jiraiya and I need to talk privately."
Kakashi and the two others took Shindai and left. Jiraiya gazed at Shindai's retreating back and asked, "Minato, is it alright?"
Minato Namikaze naturally knew what Jiraiya was asking, but he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he said, "Lord Jiraiya, let's talk in your tent."
Jiraiya immediately realized that Shindai might be a special case, so he went to his tent with Minato Namikaze.
Minato Namikaze said to Jiraiya, "Lord Jiraiya, that child is a spy sent by Hidden Sand Village to Konoha."
Jiraiya wasn't surprised, as he had already guessed this possibility on the way to the tent.
Jiraiya asked, "Since you brought this child here, you must have already discussed it with Hiruzen Sarutobi when you were in Konoha, right? Did Hiruzen Sarutobi tell you to bring this child here?"
Minato Namikaze shook his head, "No, I requested it from the Third Hokage."
Jiraiya asked, puzzled, "You requested it yourself? Why? Is this child very special?"
Minato Namikaze told Jiraiya the whole story.
After listening, Jiraiya showed an interested expression: "So that's how it is. If a highly talented Magnet Release Bloodline Limit Ninja joins Konoha, it would indeed be a good thing for us. But Minato, are you confident that child will acknowledge Konoha?"
Minato Namikaze showed a gentle smile: "I believe I can. The biggest problem with Shindai is his lack of security. As long as we treat him well, let him feel the warmth he never felt in Hidden Sand Village, and let him feel secure, I believe Shindai will acknowledge Konoha."
Seeing Minato Namikaze so confident, Jiraiya was also convinced that Minato Namikaze could achieve it, and at the same time, he felt a little proud—this was an excellent disciple he had trained.
Minato Namikaze asked, "So, Lord Jiraiya, what's the situation like in the Land of Hot Water now?"
Jiraiya told Minato Namikaze, "Although Kumogakure launched an offensive when you were away, after Orochimaru dealt with it, they became much more subdued. However, it's hard to say how long they'll stay quiet.
This war is primarily for your generation of young Ninja. Now, in the eyes of Kumogakure Ninja, your name, Minato, is an invincible presence. It's even possible that after this war, your title, Yellow Flash, might surpass the Leaf's Sannin."
Minato Namikaze sighed, "Actually, being unknown is quite good, because it means peace."
Hearing Minato Namikaze say this, Jiraiya lamented, "That's true, after all, our titles were earned through killing."
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