After listening to Minato Namikaze's analysis, Hiruzen Sarutobi found it quite convincing.
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe and exhaled a cloud of smoke before asking, "So although that child is a spy, we can essentially treat him as Sunagakure's discarded pawn. It's precisely because he isn't important that they were willing to send him as a mole into Konoha.
After all, exchanging spies among the Five Great Shinobi Villages isn't particularly unusual. Even if we know this child is a spy, we still cannot obtain anything directly from Sunagakure through him."
Minato nodded in agreement. "That's right. Besides, this child doesn't actually know any valuable intelligence about Sunagakure. Moreover, officially speaking, he's supposed to be a bargaining chip in Sunagakure and Iwagakure's dealings—intercepted by us. Sunagakure definitely won't admit he's a spy. They might even use this child as an excuse to team up with Iwagakure and confront us Konoha."
Hiruzen's expression turned slightly grim. "Then this kid seems to have become a real hot potato. Onoki won't easily accept losing a child possessing the Magnet Release kekkei genkai. He might already be preparing some sort of countermove against us. Minato, what do you think we should do with this child?"
Minato spoke seriously. "Third, I don't believe this child is a hot potato at all. In my opinion, Shindai holds extraordinary value and is invaluable to Konoha.
Firstly, even though he's a spy, we've already uncovered his identity. Plus, his Ninja Hawk can directly contact the Kazekage. We can use this child to feed false information and intelligence to the Kazekage.
Secondly, Shindai possesses tremendous talent. Previously back at Konoha's base camp, I had Taiseki and Kakashi test his abilities—Shindai wasn't even outmatched in battle. I estimate his strength probably rivals that of a Jōnin already."
Hiruzen asked, astonished, "How old is he?"
Minato replied, "I asked Shindai himself. He's ten years old—same age as Kakashi and others."
Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly.
Ten years old—with Jōnin-level strength?
If he didn't know Minato was such a meticulous person, he might've thought Minato was exaggerating.
"However..." Minato changed tone. "That child clearly fears battle terribly. It's obvious he hasn't experienced actual combat yet. His mindset during fights focuses not on defeating opponents. Despite having opportunities to severely wound enemies, his mind is set on escaping instead. Thus, even though he has considerable ability, he barely demonstrates it effectively, relying entirely on brute force during combat."
Thinking back to how Shindai fought that day, Minato felt rather conflicted.
If it had been him, once he gained the upper hand, letting the enemy catch their breath even for a second would have meant losing the fight.
Minato Namikaze continued, "Even more importantly, young Shindai doesn't truly feel a strong sense of belonging toward Sunagakure. Therefore, I believe we can help Shindai accept Konoha and truly integrate him into Konoha as one of our own.
"So Third, I would like to personally take responsibility for guiding Shindai. I will do my best to help him embrace the ideals of Konoha and become a part of Konoha, while also helping him overcome his fear of combat.
"When the day comes that Shindai fully embraces Konoha, our village will have gained an extremely powerful ninja."
Without hesitation, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately agreed to Minato's request. "Very well, Minato, I'll leave that child in your hands."
Hiruzen had absolutely no reason to refuse Minato's proposal.
If Minato succeeded, Konoha would gain its very first Magnet Release kekkei genkai bearer.
Furthermore, if Shindai establishes himself in Konoha, it could give rise to an entire clan bearing the Magnet Release kekkei genkai in the future.
That would be simply amazing!
Thank you, Third Kazekage of Sunagakure, for entrusting us with this kekkei genkai bearer!
Smiling, Hiruzen said, "Then Minato, let me meet that child now."
Minato nodded, "Alright, I'll go bring them up right away."
After leaving the office, Minato went to the lobby of the Hokage building and found Shindai and the others.
"Shindai, the Third wishes to meet you. Come with me," Minato told him. "Kakashi, once you've submitted your report and completed your debrief, the three of you may return home and rest."
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara left to complete their mission report.
Meanwhile, feeling nervous, Shindai followed behind Minato on their way to the Hokage office.
Upon entering the Hokage office, Shindai finally met the highest authority in Konoha—Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The first impression Shindai had of Hiruzen was that he seemed quite kind and less strict or formal, smiling warmly at him.
Smiling himself, Minato introduced to Shindai, "Shindai, this is the Hokage-sama you admire."
Stammering slightly, Shindai greeted Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, nice to meet you! You're my idol—or wait, no, I meant that I'm your idol... Hmm, that still doesn't sound right. Anyway, just know that I'm your biggest fan!"
Minato gave Shindai a look full of disapproval.
What in the world are you trying to say?
Hiruzen, however, didn't mind at all and cheerfully replied, "Shindai, welcome to Konoha. Now that you're here, feel free to treat it as your own home. Don't hold back or feel uncomfortable."
Upon hearing Hiruzen say "treat it as your own home," Shindai's eyes lit up with hope. "Hokage-sama, does that mean I'm officially part of Konoha now? Does this mean I can stay in Konoha?"
"I promise I'll work diligently if I stay in Konoha. Hokage, could you assign me a research position? I'd love to study ninjutsu, hidden techniques, and such. But perhaps I could request access to Konoha's existing technical materials first. Rest assured, I'll definitely elevate Konoha's ninja tech to the next level!
As for salary, it doesn't need to be high—just enough for three good meals a day. My demands aren't really that high. And if Hokage insists on giving me a research budget, I suppose I can accept that too!"
Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Shindai in complete shock.
What kind of nerve must someone have to say such things?
If this wasn't considered high demands, then what would qualify as high?
Did he have any awareness of his current situation at all?
Hiruzen cleared his throat and said, "Shindai, personally I'm very pleased to welcome you joining Konoha. However, though I am Hokage, I must still follow proper procedures. Certain formalities must be completed. For now, you'll carry out missions together with Minato. When the time is right, I'll start the process of your official induction into Konoha."
Now it was Shindai's turn to gawk in astonishment. So when Sarutobi had previously said he could treat Konoha like home—that was nothing but pretty talk after all!
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