Shindai thought he had blurted out the fact that he was an undercover agent, which scared him so much that he was at a loss.
However, Minato, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara all said they hadn't heard him say anything, which made Shindai let out a huge sigh of relief.
He had thought he was exposed.
Next time, he couldn't sleep so soundly; it scared him to death.
Shindai forced a strained smile and bluffed, "I didn't say anything just now. It's just that I'm about to go to Konoha and meet my idol, Hokage-sama. I'm so excited! I can't wait to shine and contribute to Konoha!"
Minato and the three others almost rolled their eyes.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara finally understood why Minato had specifically warned them not to let Shindai realize they had discovered his undercover identity when interacting with him.
This guy would self-destruct his identity; who could handle that?
Minato said with a smile, "Since you're so eager, let's depart immediately. Let's go, Shindai."
Shindai got up and followed Minato and the three others, leaving the Konoha Garrison to head for Konoha.
...
Three days later.
Shindai's Shinobi Hawk finally flew back to Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage took the scroll from the Shinobi Hawk and began to read its contents.
Seeing that Minato was also in the Land of Rivers, the Third Kazekage was very surprised. No wonder the Shinobi who were trading with Iwagakure had gone silent.
It seemed Iwagakure's supplies had been intercepted by Minato, which was a bit of a shame.
The Third Kazekage read on the scroll that Minato thought highly of Shindai and had already reported Shindai's matter to the Third Hokage of Konoha. If nothing unexpected happened, Shindai's undercover operation would be very smooth, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
"I had only intended to give it a try, but I didn't expect Shindai to seem quite talented as an undercover agent. It can be considered letting Shindai use his talent.
As long as Shindai is favored by Hiruzen Sarutobi, then Shindai will be like a nail hammered into Konoha, difficult to remove.
However, I imagine the undercover process must be quite difficult. It's tough on Shindai too. After all, it's his first time undercover, or rather, his first mission. I should send a letter back to encourage him and praise him."
The Third Kazekage wrote a letter, tied it to the Shinobi Hawk, and then had the Shinobi Hawk deliver the letter to Shindai.
...
It had been six days since Shindai left the Konoha Garrison.
They had now entered the Land of Fire and were about to reach Konoha.
For these six days, Shindai had honestly followed behind Minato and the three others.
Aside from Minato often speaking to him, Kakashi and the other two rarely spoke to Shindai.
After all, Shindai was an undercover agent. To Kakashi and the others, Shindai was an enemy, and to prevent exposure, speaking less was best.
Minato, on the other hand, used to ask about Shindai's past, but Minato no longer dared to ask.
Because Shindai had said things several times that were almost equivalent to blurting out, 'I am an undercover agent.'
Shindai himself felt nothing, but it scared Minato quite a bit.
Because what if Shindai realized he was exposed and wanted to run?
Shindai was a hot commodity. If Shindai was gone, where would they find such a'smart' undercover agent, and one who could directly contact the highest leader of a Shinobi Village?
Yet Shindai felt he was hiding very well.
Look how enthusiastic Minato was; whenever there was food or drink, he would ask him first.
He also always asked if he needed a rest.
What a good person!
If Minato knew he was an undercover agent, would he be so good to him?
If he knew he was an undercover agent, he would surely choke him to death; would he still give him good food and drink?
As night fell.
Minato stopped and said to Shindai and the three others, "Konoha isn't far from here. Let's rest here for the night and set off tomorrow. We should reach Konoha by tomorrow afternoon."
Everyone set up camp on the spot, preparing to rest.
Late at night.
Minato, leaning against a tree trunk, suddenly opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.
Then Minato looked at Shindai on the other side, who was sleeping soundly.
Minato disappeared from his spot.
The Shinobi Hawk, carrying the Third Kazekage's letter, was flapping its wings and flying towards Shindai's direction.
The next second, the Shinobi Hawk's eyes went black again, and it passed out.
Minato had already placed a mark on this Shinobi Hawk; as long as it approached within a certain distance, Minato could sense it.
Minato took the letter from the Shinobi Hawk and opened it to read.
[Shindai, you did very well this time. Since you are about to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi, you must find a way to gain Hiruzen Sarutobi's trust, and then report any information you obtain to me at any time.
Your time undercover won't be too long. Once the war breaks out, we will coordinate from inside and out. After obtaining Konoha's Ninjutsu and secret techniques, your undercover mission will end, and you will become a hero of Sunagakure.
Work hard. I have high hopes for you.]
Minato raised an eyebrow after reading the letter's content.
Now Minato finally knew what Shindai's mission as an undercover agent in Konoha was.
Minato began to modify the letter, changing only the first sentence.
[There's no room for discussion regarding being an undercover agent. As a Shinobi, you must endure even torture, and you must try every possible way to gain the trust of the Konoha Ninja, and then report any information you obtain to me at any time.]
After making the changes, Minato re-tied the letter to the Shinobi Hawk and left.
Minato returned to the resting place, acting as if nothing had happened, and leaned back against the tree trunk to rest.
Half an hour later, the unconscious Shinobi Hawk woke up.
The Shinobi Hawk's small hawk eyes were filled with confusion.
What's going on? He passed out again while flying?
This had never happened before.
Unable to figure it out, the Shinobi Hawk attributed the problem to Shindai.
Because the last time he passed out was when he was carrying Shindai's scroll and passed out not long after flying out.
And this time, he passed out just as he was about to reach Shindai's location.
What else could be the reason if not Shindai?
The Shinobi Hawk felt like he had been cursed for eight lifetimes to have met Shindai.
But the mission couldn't go uncompleted, so the Shinobi Hawk could only continue flying towards Shindai's location.
Shindai, who was sleeping, felt something pecking at his head and suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing the Shinobi Hawk, he was overjoyed: "You're finally back!"
The Shinobi Hawk looked at Shindai with disdain. He had called out several times from nearby, but Shindai hadn't reacted, so he had no choice but to risk approaching Shindai.
Shindai quietly glanced at Minato and the others, found them all sleeping with their eyes closed, and then led the Shinobi Hawk behind a nearby tree.
Kakashi and Rin Nohara suddenly opened their eyes and looked at Minato.
As for Obito, he was sleeping soundly, just like Shindai had been earlier.
Minato slightly opened his eyes and shook his head, signaling Kakashi and Rin Nohara not to worry.