Baki, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were arrested by the Konoha Military Police Force.
Shindai shouted joyfully, "That was awesome!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, along with Konohamaru and his group, gathered around Shindai, curiously asking about his grudge with Sunagakure.
Puffing out his chest proudly, Shindai dramatically claimed how he once knocked out the old hag Chiyo's teeth and even spread rumors that Rasa was Chiyo's illegitimate child.
Naruto and Konohamaru's group listened in awe, their admiration never ceasing.
Sasuke and Sakura felt something odd—why did all of it sound like Shindai toying with people from Sunagakure without ever clearly explaining the actual reason for his feud with the village?
But Shindai had no intention of revealing the truth behind it all—it was too embarrassing.
Inside the Hokage Building,
Akimichi Tsubaki reported the incident to Minato Namikaze.
After learning about what happened, Minato sighed, "It's definitely something only Shindai would do."
Tsubaki asked, "Yes, Hokage-sama. Those four Suna ninja have been detained by the police force, but three of them are the Kazekage's children. We don't know how to handle this…"
Minato replied, "Release them. During the official matches of the Chunin Exams, the Kazekage will be visiting anyway—we shouldn't make things too tense. Besides, one of those three kids is special; pay extra attention to Gaara."
Tsubaki nodded, "Yes, Hokage-sama."
After Tsubaki left, Minato grew serious, holding Gaara's file.
"This jinchuriki from Sunagakure has come to participate in the Chunin Exams… Is this a show of Sunagakure's strength, or is there another hidden purpose?"
...
Time passed day by day.
The Chunin Exams began as scheduled.
Hinata had already submitted her name list and arrived at classroom 301 to wait.
Shindai said to Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha, "Let's go. It's just a written test anyway. For Hinata, this'll be a piece of cake."
As Shindai and the others were about to leave, they coincidentally encountered Baki bringing Gaara and his siblings.
When Baki saw Pakura beside Shindai, he was utterly stunned, thinking to himself, "Pa-Pakura?!"
"Pakura?"
Kankuro and Temari echoed, their eyes widening in shock as they stared at her. They had heard stories about her before—Pakura was a hero of Sunagakure who died fighting against the Rock ninja.
But… why was this legendary hero of Sunagakure now in Konoha, standing alongside someone as ruthless as Shindai?
Gaara didn't look at Pakura at all. His eyes locked onto Shindai, filled with intense hatred.
Pakura's expression turned cold as well—she clearly recognized Baki. "Heh, long time no see, Baki."
"Baki, why are you stammering? How... how are you still alive? You were supposed to be dead!"
Shindai placed his hand on Pakura's shoulder and gave Baki a smirk filled with contempt. "As long as I'm here, how could Pakura ever die? Still don't get it just by looking at her? Then maybe you should go ask your Kazekage-dono about exactly what happened back then."
"But I'm sure he won't tell you anything—he considers that incident his greatest disgrace. Like I said before, don't give me a chance. If I get the opportunity, I'll definitely kill Rasa and those two old bastards."
Taking the hands of Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha, Shindai turned and left the Ninja Academy.
Baki's expression kept shifting. As one of Rasa's closest confidants, he actually knew the truth about what happened years ago.
Back then, Rasa and Sunagakure's higher-ups had decided together with Kirigakure to use Pakura as a sacrificial pawn in an attempt at reconciliation. To ensure the deed was done properly, Rasa even dispatched three ninja—if Kiri failed to carry it out, these three would finish the job themselves.
However, the Kiri ninja couldn't kill Pakura, and the three shinobi sent by Sunagakure never returned either. Rasa worried for some time afterward, sending many other ninja to investigate Pakura's fate, but she vanished without a trace, leading everyone to assume she had perished.
Yet now, here she was in Konoha, alongside Shindai—this news needed to reach Rasa immediately.
Turning to Gaara and his companions, Baki said, "You three can enter on your own. Remember, keep a low profile—we have a mission to complete. Our priority must always be the assignment. Also, Shindai holds deep hostility toward our village. If he catches us again, things might get even worse next time."
After giving them further instructions, Baki left. He wrote a message detailing the discovery of Pakura in Konoha, entrusting it to a summoned beast to deliver directly to Rasa.
Once Shindai safely escorted Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha home, he went straight to the Hokage's office and met Minato Namikaze.
"Hokage-dono, we need to be extra cautious during this year's Chunin Exams."
Minato asked curiously, "What's wrong, Shindai? Did you discover something?"
"One of Sand's genin—a red-haired boy—is the host of the One-Tail," Shindai replied.
Although uncertain whether the invasion plan originally orchestrated by Orochimaru would proceed without him, Shindai believed caution was always better than regret.
Smiling gently, Minato nodded. "Indeed. Lately, Konoha has been growing stronger and more prosperous, so clients naturally tend to hire Konoha over Sunagakure. This Joint Chunin Exam isn't just a test for genin—it's also a chance for allied nations to measure their strength. For Suna, it's an important opportunity to show off their power."
"I actually know a bit about the situation in Sunagakure (the Hidden Sand Village). The Daimyo of the Land of Wind has been consistently reducing the village's military budget. Without the Kazekage's Gold Dust, they would've gone bankrupt already. If we can demonstrate Sunagakure's strength during this Chunin Exam, we'll secure some mission assignments and relieve their financial pressure."
Shindai added cautiously, "Still, we need to be careful. Rasa, the Kazekage, is a typical schemer. Who knows what dirty tricks he might be planning?"
"I understand," Minato replied. "That's why the Konoha Military Police Force has been conducting strict patrols recently. Oh, I know you dislike Sunagakure ninja, but please exercise some restraint. According to Tsubaki, you beat up Baki pretty badly. It gives ninja from other villages the wrong impression that everyone from Konoha is just a bunch of bullies."
After hearing Minato's words, Shindai snapped off a quick salute. "Understood! Next time I'll aim somewhere besides the face. See ya!"
With that, Shindai vanished instantly.
Minato smiled helplessly and continued handling his paperwork.
Meanwhile, Shindai arrived at the Scientific Research Division looking for Orochimaru. Currently, he is collaborating with Orochimaru and Kabuto, who serves as their assistant, on research into Tailed Beast Chakra.
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