Upon hearing Kushina's words, two light chuckles rang out.
Her round little face instantly flushed red. Puffing her cheeks and placing her hands on her hips in frustration, she shouted, "Big Brother Nawaki! Minato! What are you laughing at?! I said something wrong?!"
Minato glanced at Nawaki and saw him giving an encouraging look. He then calmly explained,
"If we had been unconscious for even a full day, our bodies wouldn't feel this good. We'd definitely feel thirsty, maybe even hungry... Big Brother Nawaki took that into account."
Only then did Kushina realize her mistake. Her face turned red with embarrassment as she gave Minato a fierce glare, then huffed and turned away.
"I plan to take the meteorite that's enshrined in Hoshigakure," Nawaki said with a half-smile, helping to smooth things over. "Let's see how the one hiding in the shadows reacts."
"You all stay here. I'll be back shortly."
The children all nodded in agreement. Even the most upright among them—Minato—didn't object.
After all, this was a time of war. Ninja education wasn't so rigid; the only absolute was loyalty to the village.
As orphans from the Land of Rain, Yahiko and the others had seen and done all sorts of things just to survive. Theft was certainly no exception.
More importantly, they all understood one thing:
If someone was powerful enough to secretly use space-time ninjutsu without alerting anyone, then what could a tiny, obscure village like Hoshigakure possibly do to stop him?
Rather than provoking that person, it was better to endure. Flexibility is a ninja's greatest strength.
As for Nawaki... he was clearly the strongest among them. They were just a bunch of kids who hadn't even graduated from the Academy. If they tried to help, they'd only end up being a burden.
Better to stay put and observe.
Seeing everyone agree, Nawaki formed a hand seal.
Right before their eyes, his body gradually sank into the ground, seamlessly merging with the earth.
Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu!
Since Wood Style required affinity with both Earth and Water, it was only natural that Nawaki had trained in Earth Style. Stealth was nothing new to him.
As he tunneled silently toward the shrine, the rest waited patiently near the edge of the crater.
Meanwhile, the two Suna ninja exchanged knowing glances.
"Judging by the time, that brat should be in position. Let's move."
"Right! That punk had the nerve to humiliate us... Time to show him what we can do!" said the masked Suna ninja, his eyes flashing with malice.
The other sneered coldly. "He let us go? What a naive idiot. But fine. If we can kill the heir to the Wood Style here and now, the blow to Konoha would be massive. Even if we die, it'll be worth it."
"Let's hope that self-proclaimed 'Hoshikage' isn't too weak…"
If Nawaki were caught stealing the meteorite, the guards and the Hoshikage would surely swarm him.
Sure, Nawaki was strong—but they didn't believe for a second that a twelve-year-old could have Kage-level power.
Their eyes were firm, prepared to die if needed. Ninja raised in wartime had no shortage of resolve.
However…
They had no idea that every one of their actions had already been detected by Nawaki.
From underground, using *Mind's Eye, Nawaki watched everything play out. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
(TL/N - I will refer to it as 'Mind's Eye' from now on instead of using 'mind to peer through the system')
You think I'm really that naive? After displaying my Wood Style, I just casually let you two go without even roughing you up?
The only reason I spared you… was for this exact moment.
If I just walked in, snatched the meteorite, and left, what fun would that be?
Where's the challenge? Where's the brush with death that forges true growth?
His goal had never been to simply befriend Kushina or Yahiko's group and hand them free points. He wanted to forge them into true Reincarnators.
All his kindness earlier was just to establish a "righteous" persona. But he would never lose sight of the bigger picture.
At the base of the shrine, Nawaki ended his Earth Style stealth, flickered forward, and formed hand seals again.
Wood Style: Wood Camouflage.
The jutsu allowed him to phase through the wooden floor, slipping silently into the shrine. Not a single creak.
Inside, eight men and women sat cross-legged around a circular altar, eyes closed in meditation. Chakra pulsed from their bodies.
Four Genin. Three Chūnin. One Jōnin. This was the entire fighting force of Hoshigakure.
On the altar, nestled atop a claw-shaped pedestal, lay a jagged, pockmarked meteorite. It emanated a dark purple energy.
Was this the meteorite that contained the chakra of the Ten Tails?
Nawaki examined the bizarre stone with curiosity, then smirked.
To give everyone a clear reason to act, he slowly reached out with his right hand.
"Go on… attack me already. What are you waiting for?"
---
"It's time!"
The two Suna ninja, who had been mentally counting down, suddenly felt it—an invisible signal.
Without hesitation, they launched themselves from their hiding spot, sprinting across the barren crater toward the shrine at its center.
Within a few leaps, they were at the outer walls.
Kushina and the others sensed something was wrong and stood up quickly.
"What are you doing?!"
"Stop right there!"
But it was too late. The two Suna ninja had already reached the shrine and completed their hand seals, laughing maniacally.
"Trying to steal a sacred treasure? Let big bro teach you a lesson!"
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
Their mouths expelled powerful gusts of wind, turning into sharp blades that sliced through the wooden shrine.
In an instant, several gaping holes were torn through the structure. Splintered beams crashed down with a loud rumble.
BOOM!
Through one of the holes, Kushina and the others saw Nawaki—half-submerged in the floor—reaching for the dark purple meteorite at the altar's center. His fingertips had just brushed its surface.
His face showed faint surprise.
Almost immediately, the eight Hoshigakure shinobi around the altar snapped open their eyes.
A furious shout echoed across the sky.
"Take your hands off it, thief!"
At the very center, a man wearing a purple hat with the kanji for "star" and the cloak of a village leader rose and formed hand seals without hesitation.
Vast chakra surged behind him, forming a tail-like mass of energy—resembling that of a tailed beast.
Then his hands shifted again.
"Mysterious Peacock Technique: Tiger Demon!"
~~~~~
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Remove the parentheses btw