Shindai woke up from his comfortable nap at home and got out of bed.
He was feeling a little hungry and decided it was time to grab something to eat. He checked the time—food should have already been delivered by now.
"I really hope today's food isn't flatbread again. The water here is already bitter and sour enough—pair that with flatbread, and it's like a double serving of nastiness."
Rubbing his eyes while muttering to himself, Shindai walked toward the door.
When he opened the door, he saw someone standing there. His heart skipped a beat.
Was this an assassin trying to kill him?
If it were the Third Kazekage, he wouldn't just stand there. That busy leader would've barged in without hesitation and gone straight to what needed doing.
Shindai instinctively tried to close the door, but the figure immediately stopped it with one hand.
Just as Shindai was about to fight back, a familiar voice spoke up: "Hey, long time no see—and you're still as socially awkward as ever?"
"Huh?"
Shindai looked up and saw a very familiar face—the only friend he had in Sunagakure, Pakura.
He immediately relaxed, relieved. It wasn't his fault though; the ninja world was terrifying, and Shindai had become a little jumpy lately.
He asked curiously, "Aren't you supposed to be on a mission outside the village?"
Pakura rolled her eyes at him. "Obviously I completed my mission and came back to the village. Brought you some good food too."
Pakura held a bag of food in her hand and casually pushed past Shindai into his house, placing the food on the table before flopping down onto Shindai's bed.
Looking around from where she sat, her eyes landed on the well-endowed puppet named Kannazuki standing at the foot of the bed. She looked down at her chest and frowned. "You know what? Try not to think about perverted stuff so much. Puppets are meant for battle, not for you to use them for your creepy fantasies. You should make male-looking puppets instead—it'd be way better."
Shindai took a look at the food Pakura brought and retorted, "Maybe you're the one who needs to stop jumping to weird conclusions. I think making a puppet look nice is totally fine. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it!
"If I made a male puppet, then I'd be the one acting crazy. I'm a guy myself—making another male puppet would just look weird. People might think I have issues with my sexuality or something. Look how beautiful and pleasant to the eye my puppet is! Just looking at it can instantly lift my mood when I'm feeling down.
"And also, let me tell you one thing—I'm not socially awkward! I'm just cautious!"
Seeing the food Pakura brought, Shindai's eyes lit up.
It was various types of sushi.
Without hesitation, he grabbed a piece with his hands and popped it into his mouth.
Such a rare taste of deliciousness—it was pure bliss.
Shindai almost cried from happiness.
After eating several pieces in a row, Shindai asked, "How long are you staying in the village this time?"
"Probably not for long. If it's urgent, I'll have to leave the village tomorrow to carry out a mission."
Shindai asked in surprise, "So sudden?"
Pakura shrugged helplessly, "Even you, who's been staying indoors all this time, should've heard about the current situation. The entire ninja world is on edge right now. A war could break out in our Land of Wind at any moment."
A corner of Shindai's mouth twitched. "War breaking out in the Land of Wind? They'd have to be out of their minds to dare attack our Land of Wind, which has practically nothing worth taking."
Pakura, who had strong feelings of belonging toward Sunagakure, immediately retorted, "Why do we have nothing worthwhile? Our Land of Wind has valuable resources too, you know!"
Shindai suddenly asked, "Like what?"
"Like! Like... like..."
Pakura's voice grew softer and softer, unable to actually name anything despite saying "like" for so long.
Seeing Pakura like this, instead of mocking her, Shindai sighed.
Pakura was six years older than Shindai.
This year, Shindai was ten years old while Pakura was already sixteen, and had become a Jonin.
Their meeting happened entirely by chance.
When Shindai was four years old, because his house was filled with too much garbage and it was too crowded during the day, he dared not go outside, so he chose to go out at night to take out the trash.
His suspicious behavior caught the attention of ten-year-old Pakura, who thought Shindai was planning something shady. Immediately, she rushed forward and pinned him onto the ground.
Later, after the misunderstanding was cleared up, through repeated encounters, Pakura and Shindai gradually got to know each other.
Pakura saw Shindai as her own younger brother.
While Shindai regarded Pakura as his closest friend.
Shindai knew that Pakura's future fate would be tragic. Seeing how devoted and proud Pakura felt toward Sunagakure now, he didn't know how heartbroken she would be when she eventually discovered that Sunagakure had betrayed her.
Shindai urged, "Don't always rush headlong into the most dangerous situations just because someone tells you to. Think more, and prioritize your own safety, okay?"
Pakura frowned, "Why does it sound like you think I'm stupid? Don't underestimate me. I'm already a well-known ninja now! [Scorch Release] Pakura — pretty impressive, right?"
As she mentioned her title, Pakura wore an expression full of pride and satisfaction.
After pursing his lips slightly, Shindai responded dismissively, "Yeah yeah, you're the greatest."
Pakura failed to detect Shindai's insincere tone and happily smiled upon hearing the praise.
Pakura asked curiously, "What about you, Shindai? Although your power is extremely strong, you keep hiding it and even forbade me from telling others. You know, Sunagakure really needs ninjas like you right now. We can fight together to protect the village! You'd surely become its hero."
Shindai waved a disinterested hand, "Forget it, I'm not interested. You know, I absolutely hate fighting. The moment I set foot on a battlefield, my legs start shaking and I pass out. That's basically just getting yourself killed for nothing. My dream isn't to become a hero. My dream is to marry two wives in the future. If you're willing, you could kind of be my second wife."
Pakura glared at Shindai angrily, "Why would I be the second wife?!"
Shindai replied matter-of-factly, "Because you're not exactly known for your gentle temper. If you were my first wife, you definitely wouldn't let me take a second. So my first wife has to be someone gentle and kind."
A somewhat yearning, dreamy look spread across Shindai's face.
You could call Shindai greedy for wanting more than one wife. Or you could say he was reasonable—he only wanted two, no more, because anything beyond that would be way too much hassle.
Pakura's face flushed red as she shouted, "In your dreams! I'd never agree to be your second wife! No! I'll absolutely never be your wife at all! I've always thought of you like a little brother!"
Glancing sideways at Pakura, whose face had turned bright red, Shindai tried hard not to laugh, "Yeah yeah yeah, I was just kidding. Why are you taking this so seriously?"
Her fists clenched tightly, Pakura finally couldn't stand it any longer. She got up from the bed and quickly strode toward Shindai in just a few steps, then landed a hard slap right across his face.
Hmph... Now she felt much better.
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