Inside Shindai's tent.
Shindai was packing his gear bag with supplies. This time, he had to give Chiyo a huge surprise and make that old man completely lose his composure!
Obito, who had been rejected by Shindai, stood with his hands on his hips and said, "Aren't we comrades? We're supposed to be a team—how can you go on a mission alone?"
Shindai replied casually, "This is a solo mission!"
Obito tugged at Kakashi beside him, "Say something, will you! Are you really going to let Shindai head off to his death?"
Shindai raised a fist toward Obito, "Like hell I will! Don't talk nonsense. I'm in a good mood today, otherwise I'd punch you already."
Kakashi actually felt quite worried about Shindai.
Because Orochimaru had said that Shindai faced a high risk of failure and even death.
Kakashi said to Shindai, "Your mission isn't really a solo one, because Lord Orochimaru said you're part of our squad. Whether we go or not is our own decision, and as squad leader, the final say is mine."
Obito, who usually always disputed Kakashi's leadership, didn't object this time. He agreed, "That's right, Kakashi is the leader—you have to listen to him."
Shindai looked at Kakashi sideways, "What? You also want to boss me around now?"
Kakashi sighed slightly, troubled. "You think I want this? First, Lord Orochimaru mentioned that Chiyo left via the route behind their Stationed Camp, which means you need to bypass the Sand ninja's post entirely and chase at full speed.
"This implies you won't be able to accurately assess your surroundings, and it's likely you'll end up surrounded by Sand ninja before even finding Chiyo, right?
"But if we're with you, the three of us—myself, you, and Obito—can move forward in a triangular formation, each watching one direction. That would make things much safer."
Shindai paused mid-pack. Kakashi's words did make some sense.
Rin Nohara raised an eyebrow, "Wait a minute... This doesn't sound right. You're not planning on leaving me behind, are you?"
Kakashi explained to Rin, "This mission is very dangerous, so..."
Rin immediately puffed up angrily, "So am I not part of your team anymore? Am I just extra baggage for your little trio?!"
Kakashi helplessly replied, "That's not what I meant at all."
Obito immediately acted first and reported later, "Then let's move out already!"
Shindai mumbled discontentedly, "Why are we rushing out already? I haven't even agreed yet... Fine, whatever."
Standing tall, Shindai declared to Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, "If you want to come with me, that's fine. But from now on, Kakashi is stripped of squad leadership—I'm taking over command. Do you all agree?"
Obito immediately responded, "I agree!"
"You're the captain from now on!"
Kakashi gave his trademark dead-fish stare to Obito.
Was he really just getting booted out of captain like that? Wasn't anyone going to ask for his opinion?
At least Rin would surely back him up...
"I agree too!"
Kakashi shot his dead-fish stare toward Rin. Now Rin wanted to take away his position too?
Before Kakashi could protest, Shindai cut in, "Since everyone agrees, I'm the captain now."
Kakashi: ...For real? Not even gonna ask me? Just yank me off captain like that? Come on!
Kakashi opened his mouth slightly but decided not to speak after all.
Whatever. It's temporary anyway, and right now, no one was listening to him in the first place, so his opinion didn't matter at all.
Shindai declared, "Now that I'm the captain, everyone follows my lead. Got it? If you don't get it, stay behind!"
"Got it!"
Obito and Rin responded enthusiastically.
Then Shindai, Obito, and Rin all turned their eyes to Kakashi, who hadn't said anything yet.
Kakashi reluctantly muttered, "Fine."
Shindai threw his small backpack over his shoulder and said, "We're leaving now. Time's tight. I'll explain the mission as we go."
This time, Kakashi's squad… Well, technically it had a new name now — Shindai's squad.
Under Shindai's command, they set out in pursuit of Chiyo.
Along the way, Shindai told Obito and the others, "Since you eavesdropped and already know what I'm up to, listen up. I'm going after Chiyo alone. Remember, when it goes down, it's me versus Chiyo one-on-one. You three don't step in. Just hang around the sidelines. Your job is to make sure I reach her safely."
Obito scratched his head, "Wait, you're not letting us help? I was gonna show off my moves! Why fight solo? Can't we gang up on her?"
Shindai smirked, "Against just Chiyo? What are you gonna show off? Chopping off her limbs and scattering them in every direction? And as for ganging up... Honestly, even with more people, we still might not kill her. Right now, there's absolutely no way we can beat her."
Rin asked, puzzled, "If you know you can't kill Chiyo, then why risk your life looking for her?"
Shindai sighed, "You thought I was just kidding before when I said I could handle this alone and that it'd be dangerous for you to come along? I've made thorough preparations. My goal is simple — annoy Chiyo, break her cool, and see if I get a chance to slap that smug face of hers."
"There's no way I would ever consider engaging her in direct combat. I'll use every possible underhanded method to mess with her. Therefore, if you guys join the fight, it will interfere with my plan, since it might escalate into a head-on battle. Do you all understand?"
This time, even Obito—along with Kakashi and Rin Nohara—understood what he meant.
"Ah, got it! So, Shindai, how exactly are you gonna mess with Chiyo?"
Shindai smiled mysteriously. "You'll see when the time comes. There's no point telling you now if we haven't even found Chiyo yet. I'm fully confident that I can make her completely lose her composure! Team up with Ebizō and Rasa to mess with me? Let's see who ends up messing with who!"
Shindai let out a series of sinister laughs, sending chills down Obito's and the other two's spines.
When it came to underhanded tactics, they'd never met anyone like Shindai before—not even Jiraiya could compare. So, deep down, Obito and the others truly believed Shindai could get under Chiyo's skin.
Meanwhile, Chiyo was on her way back to the Land of Wind.
However, she wasn't moving quickly—at least, not by her usual standards.
In Chiyo's opinion, she was perfectly safe right now, or else she wouldn't have chosen to travel alone. Besides, she had nothing urgent waiting for her, so there was no need to hurry. She treated it like a leisurely stroll back to the village. All the while, she was thinking about Sasori and trying to figure out who might be behind those rumors.
Suddenly, Chiyo stopped in her tracks. Her aged eyelids twitched suddenly as a dark premonition stirred in her heart.
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