Shindai failed to summon a Ninja Hawk, sitting on the ground like a statue, unsure what to do next.
He had no way of contacting Sunagakure through the Ninja Hawk. Then what exactly was he without an undercover mission assigned by his superior?
A Sunagakure ninja?
No, strictly speaking, he wasn't one either. After all, during his departure for this mission, the Third Kazekage had specifically told Shindai to act as if he were a Konoha ninja.
Then a Konoha ninja?
Not that either. He was still under probation and hadn't officially joined Konoha yet.
So... was he now a rogue ninja with no village?
What the hell happened?! How did everything fall apart like this all of a sudden?!
What truly unsettled Shindai was the fear that if he couldn't contact Sunagakure for too long, they might end up forgetting all about him entirely.
After all, if those who knew of his undercover mission forgot about him, then the only person aware of his true identity would be Pakura alone.
Originally, if he had been able to summon a Ninja Hawk, he could've used it to contact Pakura, and she could've helped contact the Sunagakure leadership to find someone new to become his superior.
But now, without even the Ninja Hawk at his disposal, Shindai had absolutely no other way of reaching Pakura or any other Sunagakure ninjas.
Shindai pressed his right hand to his forehead, deep in thought.
There must be a solution. There has to be a way. If I just calm down and think, surely it'll come naturally.
"Like hell there is!"
Frustrated beyond words, Shindai hurled the rock clenched in his left hand.
"Ow! Who the heck threw a stone?!"
A familiar voice called out as Obito rushed over, holding his head and looking furious.
Seeing it was Shindai, Obito exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Shindai? What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be hiding in your tent fiddling with your gear by now?"
Shindai shoved the letter into his pocket and snapped, "I just felt like it! Got a problem with that?"
Obito frowned, "Why are you talking so harshly? It was you who threw the damn rock at my head! I'm the one who should be angry!"
Shindai looked at Obito, suddenly shifting his gaze mischievously, his expression changing like a mask dropped from his face as he broke into a smile, calling out, "Hey, come here for a second, Obito. I need to ask you something."
Obito sat down beside Shindai, puzzled, asking, "You want to consult me? About what?"
Shindai carefully chose his words in his mind before finally asking, "Hey, Obito, imagine there's someone trapped in another ninja village, unable to contact anyone back in his own. What do you think he should do?"
Obito's eyes behind his goggles instantly took on a strange look.
The way Shindai phrased it made it incredibly easy for Obito to imagine himself in that exact situation.
After all, everyone around already knew about Shindai's messy little cover operation.
Suddenly, inspiration struck Obito like lightning.
If Shindai himself were to apply those words he had just spoken to himself, it would become: "I'm stuck here and can't contact anyone from Sunagakure."
Didn't Shindai have a Ninja Hawk? How come he couldn't reach anyone from Sunagakure?
Could it be...his Ninja Hawk has encountered a problem!
Obito felt like his brain was working particularly well today, as if something had just clicked inside.
Obito felt it was quite necessary to figure out what was going on with Shindai.
But while figuring things out, he needed to be careful—absolutely must not be discovered by Shindai.
Obito paused, then came up with an airtight question to ask Shindai: "Shindai, could that person possibly have some sort of communication ninja beast?"
If Kakashi or Minato Namikaze were here, they might have tripped over themselves upon hearing Obito's question.
Wasn't this question pointing in an extremely obvious direction?
A communication ninja beast? Why not just flat-out mention the Ninja Hawk already?
However, Shindai didn't suspect anything—he might suspect anyone, but not Obito.
After all, at this point in time, Obito hadn't yet obtained Kamui to hide his tears—he was simply a clueless, honest fool.
Upon hearing Obito's words, Shindai responded with annoyance, "Didn't I already say I can't contact anyone from the village? Of course I don't have a Ninja Hawk...uh, I mean communication beast!"
Obito's eyes lit up.
No Ninja Hawk available for communications? So the Ninja Hawk really had problems?
That's wonderful!
Obito genuinely liked Shindai as a friend. Yet because of Shindai's undercover status, Obito always worried that one day Shindai might leave them and return to Sunagakure, perhaps even becoming their enemy in the future.
Now, without a Ninja Hawk, Shindai couldn't contact Sunagakure at all. That meant he couldn't return home and would have to stay in Konoha!
"That's great!"
Out of sheer excitement, Obito blurted out exactly what he was thinking.
Shindai's expression turned increasingly displeased: "Obito, let me tell you—I'm in a terrible mood right now. If you're deliberately provoking me into a fight, your wish is about to come true immediately!"
Obito hurriedly waved his hands and said, "Y-you hear me out... I-I mean, let me explain! I didn't mean to provoke you at all—it's just that I remembered how Rin helped me with my swollen cheek recently, and I got so excited I couldn't help shouting 'That's great!'"
Shindai twitched his lips slightly: "Look at how pathetic you are! Hurry up and answer properly—I'm seriously asking you a question!"
After considering it for a moment, Obito continued asking: "So, how's that person holding up trapped in another village? Is he in a desperate situation?"
Shindai shook his head: "No, the people in that village have been quite nice to him."
Obito continued: "Then how about people from that person's own village?"
Shindai thought back to his days in Sunagakure before answering, "Um... It was okay. Not great, not bad either. Mostly because he didn't like going out much and barely knew anyone. Life was a bit tough, but I got by."
Obito looked straight into Shindai's eyes and said seriously, "To put it plainly, imagine it's you we're talking about! So if you had the choice of living in a village, would you choose the trapped ninja village or your own village?"
Shindai stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Hmm... If I had the choice, definitely the trapped ninja village. After all, the living conditions there are really great—with lots of delicious food and nice people. And most importantly, that village has things I want to learn."
Obito clapped his hands together, "See? Then problem solved. If you're already living so well in that trapped ninja village, then why go back? If you can't get in touch, then just leave it at that."
Shindai corrected him, "I meant if there was someone else—not actually me!"
Obito shrugged his shoulders, "I was only speaking hypothetically too, imagining we're talking about you, Shindai. Makes sense, right?"
Shindai pondered briefly then nodded, "It does make a little sense. But what if that person has lived in his own village since childhood? Maybe one day his home village and the village where he's trapped might end up in conflict—who knows? Then what should that person do?"
Obito was momentarily speechless. What if someday Konoha and Sunagakure really went to war—asking Shindai, who was born in Sunagakure, to fight against his birthplace alongside Konoha? That indeed sounded awkward...
As Obito struggled for a response, Shindai suddenly stood up from the ground and muttered with a pout, "Ugh, I must've gone crazy talking about this kind of stuff with you, you big idiot. I'm tired—I'm going back to sleep."
He brushed himself off and left the grove, heading toward his tent.
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