Shindai, still sporting a large bump on his head, sat at the dining table with Obito and the others, along with Minato Namikaze, waiting for Kushina Uzumaki to finish cooking.
"...It was precisely this sense of belief that allowed me to complete an unprecedented feat back then—one so astonishing it shocked the entire ninja world!"
As Obito and the others had guessed, sure enough, as soon as Shindai walked in, he couldn't wait to start bragging about his exploits to Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
Minato exclaimed, "You really are cheeky... Uh, I mean cunning."
Obito, Kakashi, and Rin Nohara gave Minato dead-fish stares.
So even Minato thought Shindai was shameless!
Kushina wasn't nearly as polite: "You're such a scoundrel! That Grandma Chiyo must've been furious!"
Shindai protested unhappily, "What do you mean by 'scoundrel'? I simply made full use of my intelligence. After all, IQ is part of one's strength too!"
"Hehe."
Kushina let out a half-hearted chuckle before returning to her cooking.
Then Obito, Kakashi, and Rin each briefly shared what they'd been up to recently.
Shindai glanced at Kushina, who was still busy preparing food. A sly glint came to his eyes as he quietly asked Minato, "Lord Minato, are you living together with Sister Kushina?"
Minato's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to reply, Shindai hurriedly whispered, "Speak softly, Lord Minato! Otherwise Sister Kushina will hear us and beat me up again!"
Obito and the others rolled their eyes so hard they nearly flipped backward. If he knew better, why ask in the first place?
Still, they were also quite curious and began eavesdropping intently.
Minato's face slightly reddened as he said, "No, not at all. Kushina just came here because she was afraid I might feel bored. She only wanted to chat with me."
"Tsk!" Shindai tsked. "Minato, you actually believe that? That's an obvious hint from Kushina!"
Minato looked puzzled, "A-a hint? What kind of hint?"
Shindai spoke very seriously, "This hint means you should go all out and make your move already!"
"What?" Minato was completely confused. "Shindai, what the heck are you talking about?"
Shindai continued whispering, "Listen carefully while I analyze it for you. Kushina was worried you would get lonely, so she came over to chat. But if she was just chatting, why would she cook for you as well? If that's truly all there is to it, wouldn't she have suggested going out for dinner or letting you cook instead when mealtime came around? Don't tell me you didn't notice—she insisted on cooking for you herself, right?"
"Uh... Yeah."
Minato nodded. Shindai was spot-on—indeed, Kushina had insisted on cooking voluntarily.
"And this hasn't just been going on for one day either, has it?"
Minato nodded again. "Yes, it's been several days in a row."
Shindai continued, "I'm guessing that ever since Kushina lost control and you, Minato, said you liked Kushina...you haven't said anything like that again, right?"
Minato Namikaze softly responded with a "Hmm."
Shindai naturally replied, "See? Kushina is giving you a chance. For Kushina, your confession to her was equivalent to establishing a relationship. But then you didn't follow up at all, which definitely made Kushina really anxious. She must be wondering whether what you said last time was genuine..."
Minato said urgently, "Of course it's not fake!"
Shindai twitched his lips, "What's the point of telling me? Right now Kushina is waiting for you to make a move, Minato-sama!"
Minato rubbed his chin thoughtfully, asking, "Take action? What kind of action should I take exactly?"
Shindai sighed helplessly, "Minato-sama, aren't you supposed to be an expert at winning ladies' hearts? Are you really telling me you don't know what to do next?"
Minato asked curiously, "Winning ladies' hearts? When did I ever flirt with anyone?"
"...Wait."
After a moment of silence, Shindai suddenly smiled slyly, "Minato-sama, do you trust me? If you do, let me help you out?"
Meanwhile, silently, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin Nohara were frantically waving their hands behind Minato's back.
Whatever you do, don't agree!
Although Shindai's analysis made perfect sense, Shindai was extremely unreliable!
Especially from Obito's perspective, every time Shindai claimed he would help him win Rin Nohara's heart, nothing ever came of it in the end.
Minato suspiciously asked, "And how exactly are you planning to help me?"
Shindai spoke mysteriously, "If I told you now, it wouldn't work anymore. Just trust me, Minato-sama! I'm actually very reliable and trustworthy! Starting tomorrow, I guarantee you and Kushina will live happily ever after in [shameless bliss]!"
[Shameless bliss]...
Minato stole a glance at the busy Kushina Uzumaki, his already red face turning even redder.
Minato stared straight into Shindai's eyes and said seriously, "Shindai, I truly trust you!"
Obito, Kakashi, and Rin Nohara sighed in unison.
He bought it. We're doomed.
Kushina Uzumaki carried the dishes she had just finished preparing to the table and exclaimed, "Huh? Minato, why is your face so red? Is it hot in here? Isn't the weather quite pleasant today?"
Minato's mind was a little hazy now, feeling inexplicably guilty and avoiding Kushina Uzumaki's gaze, "Ah, maybe I'm just wearing too many layers… I'll be fine in a moment."
"Too many layers?"
Kushina looked at Minato strangely as he stood there wearing only a short-sleeved shirt.
You seriously think that's a lot of layers? If you wore even less, wouldn't you just be naked?
However... Minato Namikaze's abdominal muscles were really sexy. She wanted to see them again!
Kushina Uzumaki couldn't help but blush.
Obito and the other two looked at Kushina in confusion. They could understand why Minato was blushing, but why was Kushina blushing too?!
The meal ended up being slightly quiet for everyone.
Minato Namikaze was thinking about how Shindai would help him later.
Shindai was thinking about how he should perform later.
Obito and the others were wondering what they would do if things got completely out of hand later.
As for Kushina Uzumaki, she had been completely figured out by Shindai. She had come here specifically to set up an opportunity for Minato Namikaze. It had already been so long, yet Minato Namikaze hadn't reacted at all—this made her so anxious.
After finishing the meal, Kushina Uzumaki went to do the dishes. Shindai secretly slipped a small item into Minato Namikaze's hand.
Shindai whispered instructions: "Lord Minato, wear these earbuds and listen to me later. First, I need to create a special moment just for the two of you!"
"Hey, Obito, Kakashi, Rin Nohara, let's go! Why are you still hanging around after finishing your meal? Time to leave!"
Shindai ushered Obito and the others out of Minato's house.
"Alright, I'm going home now. You two should go home too!"
After saying this to Obito and the others, Shindai immediately slipped into his own house next door.
Just as Shindai was preparing to observe through his left eye—the [Third Eye] he had secretly embedded within Minato's house—he glanced silently to the right and asked, "What are you three doing coming over here instead of going home?"
Obito sounded self-assured as he responded, "Go home? Not a chance. We're staying here too! We're worried Lord Minato will be taken advantage of by you later!"
Kakashi and Rin Nohara didn't speak, but their expressions made it clear—they definitely weren't leaving either.
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