"Minato-senpai~"
Inside the newly pitched tent...
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were kneeling in unison on the floor, sincerely apologizing to Namikaze Minato.
"Ah... if it was just a misunderstanding, then don't worry about it."
Minato, his clothes slightly dusty, let out a quiet sigh.
No wonder that guy, Yamanaka Shinno, summoned his clam and then ran off saying he had to discuss sothing with Danzo.
So that was just an excuse to make him take the fall?
Damn it!
How did he get played again?
"Apologizing with just words? Exposing your belly is the proper etiquette, you know!"
Shinno lifted the tent flap slightly and teased the three with a wicked grin.
"It's him!"
Nagato's eyes sharpened.
Yahiko and Konan also turned their eyes toward Shinno in an instant.
Slightly shorter golden hair than Minato, more rugged features, the sa jonin vest, clad in a black battle suit.
Yep, no doubt about it.
This was the guy Jiraiya-sensei had just told them about—Yamanaka Shinno.
The very one responsible for dumping them on that deserted island!
Still, they had just flipped one tent. If they trashed another one, wouldn't that be taking it too far?
Crafty bastard.
They'd have to wait for another opportunity...
"Shinno, where the hell do you even hear about these weird customs?"
Minato looked at him with a deadpan expression, the resentnt practically oozing from his body.
"Hahaha~ just a little joke! Besides, I didn't intentionally mislead them by looking like you—they made that mistake on their own."
Shinno clapped Minato on the shoulder, smiling brightly as he comforted his friend.
He was always cautious with his actions.
Before summoning Yahiko and the others back, he'd already had the little clam secretly spy on them for quite a while.
And since the three were so fixated on their beloved "Minato-senpai"...
Naturally, he had to help them fulfill that little dream.
"Ugh..."
Minato waved a hand wearily, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation.
With all his years of getting dragged into things, he knew exactly how this would go.
No matter how he tried to argue, in the end, sohow the bla would still land on him.
And if he wasn't careful, it might even seem like it was his fault from the start.
"Um, Yamanaka Shinno-senpai... when you disguised yourself as a Kirigakure ANBU and infiltrated Agakure... what were you doing exactly?"
Yahiko looked at him with a complicated expression, a creeping sense of dread already forming in his chest.
He had wondered about it before—why "Minato-senpai" would sneak into Agakure disguised as ANBU.
But since they were both Jiraiya's students, he hadn't wanted to assu the worst.
Now that they were back from the island... and still in the border region between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire... with so many Konoha ninja gathering and building a base camp...
Was there another war?
Had it already started?
"Ah, that... it all started when I got word about the Rinnegan."
Shinno glanced at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya awkwardly turned his face away, his old face flushed with guilt.
"And then?" Yahiko pressed, frowning.
"To explain everything would take a while..."
Shinno waved a hand, motioning for Yahiko to calm down a bit.
Then he sat on a nearby bench and began to recount the story he had long since edited and prepared.
Now that Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu were dead, he had nothing left to worry about.
With no threats hiding in the shadows, it was better to lay so cards on the table and save everyone the trouble later.
Like how Uchiha Madara had awakened the Rinnegan. Or why he'd transplanted them into Nagato.
It wasn't like Shinno was mute.
If he could resolve everything with a few words, why act all mysterious and let others fall into confusion and suspicion?
...
When he finished explaining...
Jiraiya and Minato exchanged a glance, their expressions heavy.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Beings from beyond the stars. And possibly Ōtsutsuki Isshiki still being alive...
The past and truths buried in history—just hearing about them sent chills down their spines.
Nagato covered his eyes with his hand, overwheld with confusion.
Yahiko and Konan looked equally shaken.
What Shinno had just revealed hit them like a thunderclap.
So their lives...
Had been manipulated all along?
All the tragedy, all the joy, everything...
...
"Don't be discouraged. Ask yourself honestly—do you regret eting Konan and Yahiko?"
Shinno flicked a small stone at Nagato's forehead, ford with Earth-nature chakra.
"...No. If... if I hadn't t them... I can't even imagine..."
Nagato's voice was low, but as he raised his head again, his gaze had fird.
Even if soone could control their destinies...
They couldn't control their hearts.
Their bond was real—they were comrades who truly cared for each other, family who leaned on one another.
The three exchanged glances and gradually began to smile, as though a weight had lifted from their hearts.
"People say everyone has their fate, that heaven has its will—but I don't buy it. The past can't be changed, but your future... that's yours to shape. Whether you walk that path, which path you choose, and how you walk it—that's up to you."
Shinno stood up and headed toward the tent's exit with a smile.
He lifted the flap, then paused, turning back to give them one last grin.
"If you ever feel like sparring, co find anyti. But if you lose... you'll have to accept punishnt, okay?"
Gulp "W-What kind of punishnt...?"
Yahiko swallowed hard. Sohow, Shinno's smile didn't look the least bit reassuring.
"One-month tour of Ryūchi."
Shinno raised a brow and walked out of the tent, looking very pleased with himself.
"Ryūchi? What's it like?" Yahiko turned to Jiraiya.
"Forests, caves, and more snakes than you can count. If you're gonna survive a month there... hmm, I'd suggest bringing extra seasoning and plenty of antidotes. Hahaha!"
Jiraiya slapped his thigh, laughing out loud.
Sure, Shinno acted like a complete weirdo most of the ti.
But to be fair—he wasn't exactly one to talk!
"Ryūchi's not even that bad," Minato added with a twitch of his lips. "If you really want to suffer, try spending a month in Mount Myōboku or Shikkotsu Forest..."
He thought back to the "delicacies" of Mount Myōboku and felt slightly green.
Wriggling, pickled bugs... it was a culinary nightmare!
As for Shikkotsu Forest...
The toads from Mount Myōboku had told him before—aside from Lady Katsuyu, there wasn't even bark to chew on over there.
All the little slugs were just fragnts of the slug sage herself.
To survive for a whole month...
You'd have to hope Lady Katsuyu was feeling generous enough to spare so mucus.
And as for eating slugs?
Urgh—
Nope. Can't go there. If he thought about it any more, he'd lose his appetite for days!
...
Listening to the dry heaving from inside the tent, Shinno rolled his eyes in disdain at Minato.
Then, with the system interface still showing no signs of activity, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and made his way toward Danzo's tent.
He'd just pulled off a heartfelt speech with everything he had... and those three still didn't manage to break free from their destined fate?
Why?
What did he miss?
Was there sothing else he hadn't accounted for?
----------------
Pls Drop so Power Stones
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