Inside the barbecue shop.
Naruto and Choji were devouring the grilled meat hungrily.
Sasuke's temple twitched repeatedly as he glared furiously at Naruto and Choji, "Can't you two cut it out a little?!"
"Right!" Naruto swallowed the meat in his mouth and stopped Choji, saying, "Choji, stop eating. We're not here to eat!"
"I'm not smart enough. Just tell me what to do!"
Choji was actually very clear-headed. Thinking was Shikamaru's job—Choji just needed to follow Shikamaru's instructions. Eating was the most important thing!
Rin Nohara asked doubtfully, "So, what exactly did you call us for, Naruto?"
Naruto answered seriously, "We want to get Big Brother Shindai together with Big Sister Pakura and Big Sister Hikaku!"
Rin Nohara and Kakashi stared with wide eyes while Obito's chopsticks dropped the piece of meat he'd picked up.
Obito pursed his lips and asked cautiously, "Uh... Naruto, did you have some kind of shock or something?"
Naruto replied, "No shock at all! It's just that we couldn't stand it anymore. Mom said once Big Brother Shindai settles down and becomes mature, he won't play with us anymore. Plus, we'll have support behind our backs. If Big Brother Shindai bullies us again in the future, we can ask Big Sister Pakura and Big Sister Hikaku for help!"
As Obito was about to speak, Rin Nohara suddenly said, "He had to admit, Naruto's idea seemed pretty good."
Obito responded in disbelief, "Huh? That guy Shindai talks big as far as theory goes, but when it comes to himself, he acts like a fool. Do you really think he could pull this off?"
Rin Nohara replied, "Exactly because Shindai acts like a fool that we need to help him. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any need for us to get involved."
Kakashi stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, if this really went through, it might actually... be quite interesting."
Obito pondered for a moment and also showed a strange smile on his face, "Actually, now that I think about it, it does seem pretty amusing. That annoying guy Shindai will finally get tamed."
Obito asked curiously, "So then, what exactly are you planning to do?"
Now it was Shikamaru's turn to speak, "At the moment, we haven't come up with any plans at all, so we came to seek Big Brother Obito's help and brainstorm a solution together."
Rubbing his cheek, Obito said, "But honestly, I don't know how to approach this either. Rin Nohara, do you have any ideas?"
Rin Nohara shrugged awkwardly and replied, "Hmm… I don't have any ideas either. Kakashi, what about you?"
Kakashi was just about to say he didn't have any ideas either, but suddenly recalled a scene from Make Out Paradise he had recently read.
Kakashi suggested, "How about trying \"Be a Hero and Save a Maiden in Distress\"? Let Big Brother Shindai rescue Big Sister Pakura and Big Sister Hikaku."
Obito exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Big Sister Pakura and Big Sister Hikaku's strength isn't any less than Big Brother Shindai's—they might even surpass him in certain aspects. How could Big Brother Shindai possibly rescue them? Besides, I don't think Big Sister Pakura and Big Sister Hikaku would cooperate with this anyway, would they?"
Kakashi thought for a moment before speaking. "If we're going to do this, it has to look real. We should ask Kushina for help. Let her take care of Pakura and Hikaku."
Rin Nohara asked curiously, "How exactly are we going to do that?"
A mischievous smile appeared beneath Kakashi's mask. "Isn't there a puppet master that Shindai really dislikes? You know, Sasori no Akasuna. Let's make him the threat."
Obito also grinned wickedly. "Great idea! Then let's go find Kushina right away. It's been a while since I last fought against Shindai. I'm curious to see how strong he is now."
Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes suddenly lit up.
Were they going to get to see a fight?
They hadn't seen how Shindai and the others fight before.
After finishing their barbecue, Obito and the other two headed toward Minato Namikaze's house with Naruto and the five-man team.
When Kushina Uzumaki learned about their plan, she was very surprised. "Why did you suddenly think of doing this?"
Everyone turned their gaze toward Naruto, who immediately froze stiff.
Why were they looking at him? Wasn't this just like when Shindai did something bad and shifted the blame onto him? Although this time it was indeed his idea in the first place.
Naruto quickly came up with an explanation. "Didn't you tell me yesterday, Mom? You were worried about Shindai. So I thought I'd help out a bit. This way, you won't have to worry anymore, and Shindai can be together with Pakura and Hikaku."
Kushina Uzumaki replied affectionately, "Naruto has really grown up! Alright, I'll help you with this. When do you plan to carry it out?"
Since Kakashi had devised the current plan, he answered, "Tonight."
Kushina Uzumaki nodded. "Then let's proceed tonight!"
...
It was evening now.
Shindai, Pakura, and Hikaku Uchiha were having dinner at Minato Namikaze's house.
"Naruto, what's wrong with you?"
Minato looked puzzled as he observed Naruto eating rice without touching any dishes.
Naruto felt nervous, afraid his secret might be found out, so he kept his head down and ate heartily.
Smiling playfully, Shindai teased, "Hey, could it be that something's bothering you? Did you get rejected after confessing to Hinata? Want me to help you devise some strategies? Trust me, I'm legit—you can ask Obito!"
"No way!" Naruto hurried to respond. "I'm just not feeling very hungry today."
Kushina Uzumaki smiled as she spoke to Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha. "Pakura, Hikaku, try these desserts I specially made for you. Tell me what you think."
"Why don't I have one? I want to eat too!"
Shindai reached his chopsticks toward Pakura's nearby bowl, but Kushina Uzumaki immediately slapped them away.
"You eat what? These desserts were specially made for Pakura and Hikaku!"
These two desserts were spiked—there's no way she'd let Shindai eat them!
Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha felt that something was off about Kushina Uzumaki and Naruto today, but didn't dwell on it and continued enjoying their desserts.
"It's delicious!"
"If it tastes good, then finish it all."
Shindai muttered, "So petty. Not that I even wanted to eat it in the first place."
"I'm so sleepy."
After eating the specially-prepared dessert, Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha started yawning repeatedly.
Kushina Uzumaki glanced at the clock — the drug should be starting to work soon. She said, "Since you're tired, you two should go rest early."
Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha returned to the adjacent room to rest.
Kushina Uzumaki cast a sidelong glance at Shindai, who was amusing Naruto. "Both Pakura and Hikaku have gone to sleep. Why are you still lingering here?"
Shindai asked, puzzled, "Sister Kushina, why are you acting so strange today?"
Kushina Uzumaki snapped, "Strange? Just seeing you irritates me!"
Shindai was utterly baffled — what had he even done wrong? He hadn't done anything bad!
Shindai decided not to stick around either. No point sticking his neck out to get punched for no reason. He went back to the next room and lay comfortably on his personal bed, getting ready to sleep.
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