Tsunade slapped her forehead when she heard that.
"Aiya, I almost forgot to tell you—just remembered it now!"
"Something happened in Sunagakure recently. A rogue ninja named Mukade showed up, and they requested our help. So I sent Naruto, Sai, and Yamato over there."
"'Mukade'? Is he that strong? They actually need our help?" Shinju looked puzzled.
Tsunade spread her hands.
"He's a puppeteer too, but his techniques are extremely twisted. Sunagakure's having a hard time dealing with him."
"When you're done with the situation in Iwagakure, you can head over and take a look as well."
Shinju nodded. "Alright. Where exactly is it?"
Tsunade replied, "The ancient ruins of Rōran."
Shinju's eyes widened. "Rōran? That prosperous city that vanished in the desert?"
Tsunade hadn't expected Shinju to know about that old tale. She looked a little surprised.
"Well, well. Looks like you did learn a thing or two under Jiraiya, huh? (o´Д`o)ノ"
Shinju: (||๐_๐)
He only asked because, back in the great place he used to live in, there was a similar ancient city!
Tsunade continued, "Back when I was young, Rōran was quite prosperous for a while."
"There was a very strange minister there—if I remember correctly, his name was Anrokuzan. He ruled over all of Rōran. The Third Hokage even sent a team to investigate... but I never heard what happened afterward."
Shinju nodded, indicating he understood. "Then I'll get going."
"Wait a second!"
Tsunade suddenly remembered something.
"The time you disappeared... did you go to Ryūchi Cave?"
Shinju nodded.
"You went there to learn Sage Mode?"
Another nod from Shinju. ~_~
"And... you mastered it?"
Shinju nodded again!
Tsunade froze. "You mastered the Sage Techniques of both Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave???! (⊙o⊙)"
"You, you, you..."
Tsunade didn't even know how to comment anymore. Finally, she waved her hand helplessly.
"Forget it. Just go already... 눈_눈"
...
Later, Shinju visited Iwagakure and discovered that the reason their flying machines had such short range was simply because they didn't have enough chakra.
When Ōnoki heard Shinju's straightforward assessment, his composure nearly cracked.
"Is there a way to fix that?"
"Not everyone's got as much chakra as you do, you know. (￣Д￣)"
Shinju shook his head helplessly.
"Nope. The tech's fine—if they can't last long, that's not my fault! (╯ε╰)"
"Actually, if they want long-distance flights, they could just take turns piloting. (´∇ﾉ｀*)ノ"
After that, Shinju bid farewell to Iwagakure and headed for Sunagakure.
...
Land of Wind, Sunagakure – Kazekage's Office
Since the day Shinju saved Gaara, he had matured a lot.
Now, he was bent over his desk, reviewing documents, a faint beard covering his chin.
Suddenly, Shinju's figure appeared out of nowhere in the office!
The nearby guard panicked. "An assassin!!! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"
Before Shinju could even speak, Gaara raised a hand and gently placed it on the guard's shoulder.
"It's fine. He's a friend. You can leave us. ^_^"
The guard looked from Shinju to Gaara, then sighed in resignation and stepped out.
In the now-quiet office, Shinju grinned.
"I heard a rogue ninja showed up in Sunagakure and Naruto came to help?"
Gaara nodded with a hint of frustration.
"Yeah. The rogue, Mukade, has mastered a unique puppet-crafting method. None of our puppet masters can handle him. I've been swamped with other duties, so I had no choice but to request Konoha's aid..."
Shinju continued, "I heard he's been active around the Rōran ruins. I don't know the exact location, so send someone to take me there."
Gaara's face lit up.
If Shinju was willing to get involved, the matter was practically settled already.
"Alright. I'll have someone take you right away."
...
On the plane to Rōran.
The one leading the way was a kunoichi named Matsuri—Gaara's only disciple.
"Can't believe you actually came to Sunagakure, Shinju-san! (ૢ˃ꌂ˂⁎)"
"It's been nearly half a year since we last met! Shinju-san, you're still as handsome as ever! ୧⍢⃝୨"
"Shinju-san, how did you even master such an incredible technique like Wood Release?!"
"..."
Matsuri chattered nonstop the entire trip, and Shinju chose to ignore every word.
Finally, their plane arrived above the ruins of Rōran.
Looking down from above at the colossal remnants, even Shinju couldn't help but feel awe at the craftsmanship of the ancient builders.
The towering ruins that still stood in the desert, even after all these years, retained a striking sense of design and beauty.
"The Ancient Kingdom of Rōran... remarkable," Shinju murmured.
Matsuri lifted her chin proudly.
"Of course! Back then, Rōran thrived thanks to the Dragon Vein and its hardworking people..."
"Alright, you can head back. I'll go down from here."
With that, Shinju stepped off the plane and dropped straight down.
The aircraft hovered for a moment, then turned back, following the return route Shinju had programmed.
As his body plummeted through the air, Shinju suddenly realized—
"Why didn't I just teleport to Naruto's location with Flying Thunder God?!"
...
Rōran Ruins
Naruto, Yamato, and Sai had been searching the area for two days and still hadn't found any sign of the rogue ninja.
A discouraged Naruto muttered, "Man, if only Neji and Kiba were here. Neji's Byakugan could spot him, and Kiba's sense of smell would track him down easy. Ծ‸ Ծ"
"Of course, if Shinju were here, that'd be even better! His chakra sensing could cover the entire ruins! (ﾉ∇︎〃 )"
Yamato pointed up toward the sky, where Sai was flying on one of his ink creations.
"The Hokage sent Sai with us to make up for the lack of a sensor-type ninja. His Super Beast Imitating Drawing should help us locate the enemy..."
Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I know, but still... I really hope Shinju shows up..."
And just as he finished saying that—Shinju appeared!
Yamato's eyes went wide.
(꒪⌓꒪)
Guess he really does make words come true!
"Yamato-sensei," Shinju greeted first, then asked, "Did you find Mukade yet?"
Yamato shook his head.
"Sai's scoured nearly the whole area with his drawings but found nothing..."
"Since you're here, try using your chakra sensing—see if you can detect him."
Shinju nodded and sat down cross-legged.
He closed his eyes, expanding his chakra sensing to its absolute limit...
A hum filled the air.
In the dark world of chakra perception, Shinju suddenly saw a dazzling light not far away!
From his years of sensing experience, he could tell—this chakra mass was even greater than that of a Tailed Beast!
And above that massive chakra flow... was a much smaller chakra signature.
"Found him!"
Shinju's eyes snapped open.
"He's underground!"
Yamato and Naruto exchanged glances.
"No wonder we couldn't find him—he's been hiding below the surface!"
"Move out! ╰_╯"