Naruto: The Puppeteer in Konoha

Minato Namikaze knocked out Shindai and carried him in his hand.

Kakashi had finished searching all the bodies of the Suna and Iwa ninja.

Obito's injuries had been treated with Nohara Rin's medical ninjutsu and were now bandaged.

Minato Namikaze's squad regrouped.

Obito curiously looked at Shindai, who was hanging limply from Minato's hand. "Sensei, who is he?"

Minato glanced at the unconscious Shindai and replied, "He is the primary target of our mission—the wielder of the Magnet Release bloodline limit. Sunagakure intended to trade him to Iwagakure in exchange for an alliance."

Rin was in disbelief. "Huh? They're using a person as a bargaining chip? And he's their own village's ninja?"

Minato speculated, "Sunagakure is poor and likely had nothing valuable enough to offer Iwagakure in exchange for an alliance. So, they decided to use a rare bloodline-limit ninja as leverage.

"Bloodline-limit users possess special abilities that all great nations and villages covet. Some of these abilities can even change the course of war. Take the Byakugan of Konoha's Hyuga clan, for example—it can see up to a kilometer in every direction, making it impossible for enemies to hide. With such a power, we can formulate battle strategies that greatly increase our chances of victory.

"As for Magnet Release, its user can manipulate gold or iron particles in the environment using magnetism. In fact, the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure was a wielder of Magnet Release. He was known as the 'Strongest Kazekage' in Suna."

Even after hearing Minato's explanation, Rin still couldn't accept the idea of treating a person as a mere object for trade.

Looking at Shindai, who seemed to be about their age, Rin felt a tinge of sympathy.

Minato turned to Kakashi and asked, "Did you find anything on them?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, just some ninja tools. Nothing useful."

Minato gave his orders. "Then take the six scrolls containing the military supplies, and let's leave."

Kakashi grabbed the six scrolls, which contained Iwagakure's military supplies for the trade. Meanwhile, Minato carried Shindai as he, Obito, and Rin left the area, heading toward Konoha's base.

Two hours later.

Shindai slowly regained consciousness and took in his surroundings. He was inside a tent.

It didn't take long for him to realize—he had been captured.

Shindai felt like crying. He hadn't even done anything—how did he end up like this?

As he lamented the unfairness of fate, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching.

Shindai quickly shut his eyes, pretending to still be unconscious.

Minato glanced at Shindai, who was lying on the ground, and said, "You can stop pretending. I know you're awake—your breathing is erratic."

Panicking, Shindai held his breath, continuing his act.

Minato and his companion both raised an eyebrow.

This kid… isn't very smart, is he?

The two simply stood there, watching Shindai in silence.

Seconds passed. Then minutes.

Shindai, having held his breath for too long, turned red in the face and grew dizzy from lack of oxygen.

Minato finally spoke again. "If you keep holding your breath, you'll pass out again. There's no point in doing this. You're inside Konoha's base—you can't escape. As long as you cooperate, we won't harm you."

Hearing that, and realizing he was about to pass out, Shindai gasped for air, taking in deep breaths.

Once he recovered, he suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs:

"I'll cooperate! I'll absolutely cooperate! From today onward, I renounce Suna! Screw Sunagakure! I was loyal to them, and they knocked me out and handed me over to Iwa like a damn trading good for six crates of junk!

"From now on, I'm your loyal servant! If you tell me to go east, I won't even glance west! If you tell me to fight a dog, I won't chase a chicken instead! Just don't kill me—I'm very talented! Killing me would be such a waste!"

Minato gave Shindai a strange look.

It was clear—Shindai was both furious and terrified.

Minato turned to the man beside him and asked, "Souichi, do you have time right now?"

Souichi, a member of the Yamanaka clan, nodded. "I do. You want me to check his memories, don't you?"

Minato confirmed, "Yes, just to be safe."

Souichi pressed his hand against Shindai's head, forming a hand seal.

"Ninjutsu—Mind Reading Technique!"

Shindai's thoughts came to a halt as Souichi sifted through his memories.

Half an hour later, Souichi withdrew his hand.

At that moment, a hidden jutsu implanted in Shindai's mind deactivated. The needles that had sealed parts of his memory disappeared, and his missing memories returned.

Shindai stared blankly at Minato and Souichi.

He was processing the shocking truth—he had been an undercover agent all along.

Meanwhile, Souichi excitedly told Minato, "Minato, I think we just picked up a hidden gem!"

Minato frowned. "What do you mean?"

Souichi explained, "This kid is a genius! Despite having no formal training, he managed to master both Magnet Release and puppetry just by studying scrolls! His Magnet Release is incredibly advanced, and while I'm not an expert in puppetry, the puppets he built seem far superior to those of Sunagakure's puppet masters."

Minato's frown deepened. "That actually doesn't make sense. If he's this talented, why would Sunagakure be willing to give him away to Iwa?"

Souichi chuckled. "Let me finish. This kid seems to be terrified of fighting. He was afraid his uncle—the Third Kazekage—would discover his talents and force him onto the battlefield. So, he deliberately hid his abilities.

"The Kazekage must have thought he was a useless failure and decided to use him as a bargaining chip to secure a military alliance with Iwagakure."

Hearing that, Minato's expression softened. He looked at Shindai, who was still in shock.

"In that case… the boy we intercepted from Iwa might become an invaluable asset for Konoha."

Souichi nodded confidently. "I'm sure of it. Losing him was a huge loss for Sunagakure. But for Konoha, his value is immense!"

Shindai, who had just snapped back to reality, listened to their conversation and instinctively licked his lips.

From the sound of it… things seemed to be going quite well for him.

...........

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