Minato Namikaze noticed that Shindai was reluctant to fight, but he still wanted to confirm his Magnet Release ninjutsu abilities.
"Shindai, you don't need to be nervous," Minato Namikaze reassured him gently. "I'm not asking you to fight right now. I just want to see your Magnet Release ninjutsu."
Looking pitifully at Minato Namikaze, Shindai asked, "Right now? Does that mean you'll make me fight later?"
Smiling kindly, Minato Namikaze replied, "That depends on how you perform. You mentioned earlier that you're a technical person, right? If your techniques truly meet Konoha's needs, then there won't be any need for you to fight. So, may I see it now?"
Pouting slightly, Shindai nodded and slowly performed hand seals before pressing his palms together.
[Magnet Release: Iron Sand Triangular Pyramid!]
Using magnetic force, Shindai extracted large amounts of Iron Sand from the ground and shaped them into a triangular pyramid.
After maintaining it for a while, the trihedron collapsed into a pile of iron sand scattered across the ground.
Gasping for breath, Shindai exclaimed, "Phew, Minato, that's already my limit! I can't squeeze out another drop of chakra. I'm completely exhausted!"
Minato Namikaze's eye twitched continuously.
Sure… Who are you trying to fool?
One moment you're gasping for breath like that—just how weak could you possibly be?
Even if someone were pretending, they should act more convincingly, shouldn't they?
Who in their right mind pants heavily without breaking a sweat and still looks rosy-cheeked and energetic?
Minato Namikaze began seriously doubting one thing: How exactly had Shindai managed to trick the Third Kazekage into believing he was useless?
Didn't the Third even notice such a transparently bad act?
Sighing softly, Minato Namikaze said, "Since you're tired, Shindai, go ahead and rest. This tent will serve as your temporary shelter. It's getting late anyway, so get some good rest."
Once Shindai saw Minato Namikaze leave the tent, he exhaled deeply with relief.
Though Minato Namikaze appeared approachable and spoke gently,
just standing there gave Shindai an indescribable sense of pressure, making him extremely nervous.
Thankfully, his cleverness allowed him to avoid revealing his spy identity, successfully deceiving Minato Namikaze.
However, the next issue was how to join Konoha Village.
Shindai wanted no part in going to the battlefield, so he needed to impress Konoha Village with his technical skills.
Yet, the Third Kazekage had told him before that Konoha had absolutely no interest in puppet techniques.
Moreover, Orochimaru, a renowned researcher, was already in Konoha,
and other scientists likely existed too.
While his techniques might seem advanced in Sunagakure, they would probably seem outdated in Konoha.
Feeling troubled, Shindai had absolutely no idea what to do.
"Oh well, let's forget about it for now and just lie down for a nap. I'm exhausted. Maybe I'll think of something after a nap."
Shindai carelessly lay down on the bedding on the ground and fell asleep with his eyes closed.
...
When Minato Namikaze left the tent, he subtly signaled with his eyes to the ninja guarding at the entrance.
The two guards immediately caught on and followed Minato into the shadows.
Minato ordered them, "From now on, don't stay by the tent entrance. Hide yourselves in secret and keep watch. If he shows any unusual behavior, report to me immediately."
"Yes!"
Minato returned to his own tent.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara were already inside Minato's tent.
As soon as Obito saw Minato come back, he quickly asked, "Sensei, what about that person? Is there a problem?"
Minato replied seriously, "There's definitely something wrong—it's no small issue. He might not simply be a casualty of Sunagakure. His true purpose could very well be to infiltrate Konoha!"
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin looked extremely shocked.
"Huh? To infiltrate Konoha? Does that mean the deal between Sunagakure and Iwagakure was fake?"
Minato shook his head. "Right now it's just a guess. But that child is definitely suspicious. It's quite possible that Sunagakure arranged for him to infiltrate Iwagakure to carry out a secret mission.
"And it's highly likely that Sunagakure intentionally allowed us to intercept him precisely to give this boy a chance to infiltrate Konoha.
"My guess is that the Scroll we intercepted earlier—regarding the alliance between Sunagakure and Iwagakure—was also deliberately planted for us to find."
Rin looked unconvinced. "Are you really suggesting they'd send someone our age to try infiltrating Konoha?"
Minato warned solemnly, "Never underestimate anyone just because they're around your age. Take Kakashi here—he graduated from the Ninja Academy at five and became a Chunin at six. Any ninja, even a three-year-old, should never be taken lightly. This boy might even be stronger than all of you."
Kakashi coldly asked, "Sensei, should we eliminate him?"
Minato recalled how inexperienced Shindai seemed and shook his head. "No, not yet. His motives are still unclear—we need to find out exactly what he wants. He might provide valuable intelligence.
"That's why I've had the guards hidden. If he really isn't dangerous and notices no one watching him, he'll probably try to escape.
"But if he does have ulterior motives and his objective is Konoha, then even if he gets a chance to run, he won't take it.
"Also, I plan to send a ninja disguised as an Iwagakure ninja to test him during the late hours. If his actual mission is tied to Iwagakure, he'll follow that ninja without hesitation."
Minato Namikaze immediately devised a plan to test Shindai's true intentions.
Obito asked Minato, "Sensei, can we watch the test? You said that guy is stronger than us, but I don't believe someone my age could be stronger than me!"
Kakashi shot a sidelong glance at Obito and said, "Do you think I'm not here *because* I'm quiet?"
Obito irritably frowned. "You don't actually think you're my match, do you?"
Kakashi scoffed. "Have you ever beaten me?"
Obito's face turned beet red as he stubbornly retorted, "That's because I was holding back before! If I give it my all, there's no way you'd stand a chance against me!"
Seeing Obito and Kakashi about to argue again, Rin Nohara quickly intervened, "Come on, you two, stop fighting."
Obito and Kakashi exchanged glances, both let out a scoff in unison, then turned their heads away.
Minato let out a helpless smile and said, "Since you want to see, Obito, I'll bring you along. What about you, Kakashi and Rin?"
Kakashi nodded and replied, "I want to see too, sensei."
With both Kakashi and Obito going, Rin also said, "I'm coming too."
Minato nodded in agreement. "Alright, then the three of you can come along with me now."
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