With Ebizō's help, Baki assumed the responsibilities of Kazekage.
Chiyo, however, didn't join Ebizō. Instead, she holed up in her room, overwhelmed with sorrow.
She always felt guilty about her grandson Sasori.
Yet her only grandson had turned himself into a Human Puppet...
Chiyo looked at the two puppets before her—Sasori's parents, whom she had created herself.
With tears streaming down her face, Chiyo gazed at them and murmured guiltily, "I'm sorry... It was my fault I didn't guide Sasori down the right path."
Chiyo wiped away her tears, her eyes hardening with determination. "I will change this outcome—even if it takes every ounce of strength left in my body!"
In Konoha,
Shindai did volunteer work together with Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha.
Naruto and Jiraiya had already brought Tsunade back.
Upon hearing that Konoha had suffered an invasion, Tsunade immediately agreed to return with Jiraiya and Naruto.
The necklace containing the power of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was given to Naruto after he passed Tsunade's test and gained her approval.
Taking Shindai's advice, Sasuke badgered Orochimaru, hoping he would accept him as a disciple.
However, things didn't go smoothly—Orochimaru currently showed no interest in Sasuke and had no intention of taking on a student, so he refused outright.
But Sasuke demonstrated persistent perseverance, and with Shindai's support, eventually became Orochimaru's disciple.
Because Sakura was now studying Medical Ninjutsu, during the crisis, she constantly helped treat the wounded.
After returning to Konoha, Tsunade noticed Sakura's medical talent. Encouraged by Naruto, Sakura also passed Tsunade's test and successfully became her apprentice to learn Medical Ninjutsu.
When Hinata returned to the Hyuga clan compound, she found the Hyuga clan had undergone tremendous changes—it felt like a dream.
She'd merely been unconscious for a while. How come suddenly the Main family and Branch family no longer existed?
Nonetheless, Hinata felt extremely happy—not only because of the changes within the Hyuga clan, but also because Hiashi's attitude toward her had changed greatly.
During the Chunin Examination, Hiashi noticed Hinata's transformation and finally acknowledged her.
With everyone working together, two months later, Konoha Village was completely rebuilt.
Almost no trace remained of its invasion.
Meanwhile, Shindai secluded himself again inside his research lab.
After the last battle, Shindai realized his puppets had many flaws.
He was improving, but others were advancing too—like Sasori.
Sasori was also an outstanding researcher who had created a demagnetizing device.
In addition, the puppets designed specifically to counter the Akatsuki could be easily destroyed if left unprotected.
Just like the controlled bodies of Deva Path and Setsuna Uchiha, those two wouldn't have survived for so long without protection from Jiraiya-sama and Minato Namikaze.
After all, programs always follow certain patterns and have limitations. Once you find their weaknesses, they become easy to deal with.
Take Kakuzu and Deidara for example—they both managed to destroy the Puppets targeting them.
As for this Chunin Exam, since Sunagakure's invasion interrupted it midway, it was resumed later with only Minato Namikaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and a few Jonin acting as judges.
Only three people—Sasuke, Rock Lee, and Shino—didn't participate in the final test.
So they simply called in three Chunin to fight against Sasuke and the others individually.
After evaluation, only four ninjas advanced through this Chunin Exam:
Shikamaru, Sasuke, Rock Lee, and Shino.
Because becoming a Chunin demands more than combat skill—it also takes leadership qualities, decision-making abilities, and various other competencies.
The rest failed to meet the requirements for promotion to Chunin.
When Naruto found out that Sasuke had become a Chunin while he remained a Genin, he pouted and gave Minato the cold shoulder for several days.
...
One month later.
Obito suddenly burst into Shindai's research lab shouting, "Shindai! Something big happened!"
Startled by Obito's sudden intrusion, Shindai accidentally knocked over an almost-finished circuit board, causing it to short-circuit and burn out.
Shindai glared at Obito and snarled, "Spill it! If your story doesn't satisfy me, I'll dismantle every wire in your body and make a circuit board out of you!"
A shiver ran down Obito's spine as he hurriedly explained, "It seems Kakashi has finally found some springtime romance!"
"Springtime romance for Kakashi? What do you mean? Did Jiraiya-sama release a new Make Out Paradise series again?"
"No! It's an absolutely beautiful girl! A real person—not a book character or Puppet or anything like that!"
Shindai kicked the workbench aside, dragged over two chairs, and sat facing Obito as he asked eagerly, "Quickly tell me—who is she?"
Obito spoke excitedly, "Konoha Anbu captured a female ninja disguised as a performer who came to gather intelligence about the Land of Fire. After Ibiki interrogated her, she didn't utter a single word."
"Oh? Managing to stay silent even under Ibiki—the infamous pervert's interrogation? Now that truly takes guts."
Nodding in agreement, Obito continued, "Exactly! Ibiki, that freak, is known for extracting secrets from anyone no matter how tight-lipped they are. But he actually failed with this kunoichi. So afterward they brought Inoichi in to probe her memories. Guess what he found?"
"Hurry up and tell me! Don't keep me waiting!" urged Shindai impatiently.
Obito went on, "She's a kunoichi from Key Village in the Land of Locks. Before secretly entering Konoha, she'd already been captured. And within her memories—guess who appeared? A young version of Kakashi!"
"Since we didn't come up with anything useful, I asked Kakashi to look into it. And now, that kunoichi is with Kakashi!"
Shindai's expression turned sour, muttering in irritation, "Obito, got nothing better to do? Seriously coming to bug me about something this petty! She's just a spy—maybe Kakashi met her back in his early missions. How does that mean spring has arrived?"
Obito spoke very seriously. "I get this vibe. I followed them for a bit and watched closely. The way that kunoichi looks at Kakashi—it's different, really intense!"
Shindai gave Obito a scornful glance. "Your 'feeling'? How much can you really read from just watching?"
Obito grumbled, "It's true! Because... I used to be really into unrequited love. That kunoichi's expression feels exactly like mine back then!"
Shindai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Speaking of unrequited love... you indeed have authority on this topic. So according to this, that kunoichi has a crush on Kakashi? Now this is getting interesting..."
Shindai's eyes lit up with interest. He suddenly sprang to his feet, full of energy, and declared, "Then why don't we go verify it ourselves? Let me name this operation—how about 'Kakashi Love Song'? After all, right now Kakashi is our only single man left. As his best friends, we've gotta lend him a hand!"
Obito responded enthusiastically, "Exactly! That's what best friends are for! Let's go!"
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