The Village Headman of Seiken Village trembled as he handed over the signed scroll to Shindai.
The scroll contained the terms of compensation. Seiken's actions had practically amounted to an invasion. Konoha didn't even need to act directly—merely leaking some rumors would naturally draw ninjas from rival villages to attack Seiken in hopes of gaining favor with Konoha.
The compensation itself was clear: Hanare would be handed over as a prisoner.
Regardless of whether Hanare was truly at fault or not, the priority was keeping her in Konoha first and cutting all ties with Seiken Village.
Looking at the scroll in his hands, Shindai and Obito exchanged amused smirks.
The trembling village leader's mind flickered with some 18-restricted content.
Who knew Konoha ninjas could be this cold-hearted.
How pitiful… but there was nothing he could do about it.
Kakashi chased after Hanare and cornered her at the edge of a cliff.
With nowhere left to run, Hanare turned to face Kakashi: "How did you figure out I had stolen Konoha's intelligence?"
Kakashi replied, "It was back then… I noticed changes in your eyes. Since one of my friends has the Sharingan, which excels at genjutsu, I've become especially sensitive to illusions.
That's why I realized when you made hand signs with your eyes, you were trying to observe my memories. Your right eye wasn't meant for observing the outside world, but rather for probing your internal world—the inside of your brain—to read the thoughts of intruders within your mind.
You deliberately got yourself captured, let the interrogators enter your mind, and secretly stole intel from them. You obtained every piece of intelligence Mr. Inoichi knows and smuggled it out of Konoha through the prisoner exchange.
Initially, I opposed that trade. But because I wanted to rescue Sai, I devised a plan to capture you immediately afterward. Even if we failed to catch you two and you somehow escaped, I still planned to report everything to Hokage-sama and suggest launching a counterattack on Seiken Village.
Since you invaded Konoha, you should have expected retaliation. So, for the peace between our two villages, submit without resistance."
Hanare closed her eyes but spoke in a relaxed tone: "There's no longer any need. I've already erased all the stolen information from my mind."
Kakashi stared at her emotionlessly and asked, "Do you really think I'll believe that?"
"Then feel free to verify it yourself." Hanare stepped forward and calmly met Kakashi's gaze. "At least, I hope you believe me."
Finally, Kakashi's expression subtly changed.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura also arrived, standing behind Kakashi.
Hanare smiled and said, "Konoha feels like a hometown I've always longed for but never seen. As we walked together through the village, even though it was my first time there, everything felt strangely familiar. At that moment, when we received Naruto's blessing, I really felt like I had been accepted by the village.
So...I won't betray my homeland. If I simply return now, after erasing the intelligence reports, I would be punished—perhaps even executed. If that's the case, then I'd rather die by your hand!
Finally, I can do something for this homeland I've only just come to know… I'd rather die holding onto this thought…"
Naruto began softly, "Sister Hanare…"
Before Naruto could try talking her out of it, Kakashi interrupted.
Kakashi stared straight at Hanare and said, "I can't bring myself to kill someone who abandoned her ninja honor. A ninja shouldn't let temporary emotions influence them; must focus on completing the mission. I originally wanted to fight you until the very end."
Hanare looked at Kakashi with sorrow in her eyes. "So this… is your answer?"
Kakashi shifted his gaze toward the drifting clouds in the sky. "Go."
Hanare forced a faint smile and bid Kakashi farewell. "Then… goodbye."
"What goodbye?"
"Not happening!"
Shindai and Obito made a flashy entrance.
Shindai announced, "Hanare, right? From now on, you are a prisoner of Konoha!"
"Shindai? Obito?"
"Big Brother Shindai! Big Brother Obito!"
Kakashi frowned deeply while Naruto and Sakura showed visible delight. Even Sasuke's lips curved up slightly.
No one understood exactly what had happened. But seeing Shindai and Obito show up made everyone feel like things were looking up.
Kakashi asked in confusion, "Shindai, what exactly do you mean by 'prisoner'?"
Shindai mockingly mimicked Kakashi, "Kakashi, you really are reserved to a fault—'I can't bring myself to kill someone who abandoned their ninja pride.'"
Obito chimed in sarcastically, "A ninja shouldn't let temporary emotions influence them; must focus on completing the mission. I originally wanted to fight you until the very end."
Kakashi grew annoyed by their exaggerated tones and snapped, "What the heck are you two doing here anyway?!"
Shindai huffed, "If you truly believed those words, you should kill her right here instead of letting her go. As a ninja, you should eliminate intruders!"
Obito nodded along, "Exactly! In truth, Kakashi, you're also influenced by your feelings—you actually like Hanare, don't you?"
"Eh~"
Naruto and Sakura teased with an exaggerated "Eh," grinning mischievously as they glanced at Kakashi.
Hanare stood frozen, staring at Kakashi, her eyes slowly filling with something called hope.
Kakashi felt unusually flustered by Shindai and Obito's antics. He shouted in frustration, "Stop talking nonsense!"
"What on earth is going on?!"
Shindai took out a scroll and said, "This scroll is Minato-dono's order. Obito and I had a 'friendly' discussion with the elderly village headman from Seiken Village. Now Hanare is under Konoha's jurisdiction! During her imprisonment, Hanare will be guarded by Kakashi, and you, Kakashi, are tasked with influencing her and persuading her to join Konoha!"
Shindai threw the scroll in Kakashi's direction.
Kakashi hesitated for a moment before opening the scroll and reading it carefully.
After finishing, Kakashi was completely stunned.
After regaining his composure, Kakashi frowned and asked, "You two wouldn't have been following us from the beginning, right? That explains why I felt something was off from the start."
"That doesn't matter~ What matters is that finally a girl has become blind enough to take interest in you! If you don't seize this opportunity, both Shindai and I believe you'll die alone with Jiraiya-sama's Make Out Paradise as your only companion!"
Obito took the scroll from Kakashi and handed it to Hanare. "You should read this too! If you have no objections, starting today you'll be reporting directly to Kakashi."
Hanare opened the scroll and glanced at it. There was the autograph of the village headman of Seiken Village on it, indicating that from this day onward, she would no longer be a ninja of Seiken Village.
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