After a comfortable sleep at home, Shindai got out of bed.
Feeling a bit hungry, Shindai wanted to eat. He checked the time; the food should have already been delivered by now.
"I hope today's food isn't just flatbread. The water here is bitter and sour, and paired with flatbread, it's like two brothers of bad taste, making it doubly unpalatable."
Shindai rubbed his eyes and mumbled as he walked towards the door.
Opening the door, he saw a figure standing outside, startling Shindai.
An assassin wanted to harm him!
Because if it were the Third Kazekage, he wouldn't be standing at the door.
He, who was busy with a myriad of tasks, would push the door open and get straight to the point.
Shindai subconsciously tried to close the door, but the other person propped it open with one hand, preventing Shindai from closing it.
Just as Shindai was about to make a move, a familiar voice came: "Hey, it's been so long, why are you still so socially anxious?"
"Hmm?"
Shindai looked up and saw a familiar person, his only friend in Sunagakure, Yekura.
Shindai immediately breathed a sigh of relief. There was no helping it; the Ninja World was too terrifying, and Shindai was a bit jumpy now.
Shindai asked, puzzled, "Aren't you out on a mission?"
Yekura rolled her eyes at Shindai: "Of course, the mission's done, and I'm back in the Village. I brought you something delicious."
Yekura carried a bag of food, pushed open the door, and entered Shindai's home as if it were her own. She placed the food on the table, then plopped down on Shindai's bed.
Sitting on Shindai's bed, Yekura immediately noticed the proud figure of the puppet 'Kannazuki' standing at the foot of the bed. She then looked down at herself and grumbled, "Can't you think less about perverted things? Puppets are for fighting, not for you to do other things. It would be so much better if you made a male puppet."
Shindai, while looking at the food Yekura brought him, retorted, "It's you who should think less, isn't it? Is there a problem with me making my puppet look good? Not at all!
If I made the puppet male, then I'd be the one with a problem. I'm a man myself, and if I made another male puppet, people would think I had orientation issues. My puppet is so beautiful and pleasing to the eye; even looking at her when I'm in a bad mood can cheer me up.
Also, let me remind you of something: I'm not socially anxious, I'm just cautious and careful!"
Shindai's eyes lit up when he saw the food Yekura brought him.
It was various kinds of sushi.
Shindai eagerly picked up a piece of sushi with his hand and put it into his mouth.
It was an extremely rare and delicious meal; he was truly blissful.
Shindai almost cried.
After eating several pieces, Shindai asked, "How long will you stay in the Village this time?"
Yekura replied, "Not for long. If it's urgent, I'll have to leave the Village for a mission tomorrow."
Shindai was surprised: "That urgent?"
Yekura said helplessly, "Even you, who always stays at home, must have heard about the current situation. The entire Ninja World is very tense right now, and war might break out in our Land of Wind at any time."
Shindai twitched the corner of his mouth: "War breaking out in the Land of Wind? Ninja from other countries would have to be crazy to attack the Land of Wind, which has nothing."
Yekura, who had a strong sense of identity with Sunagakure, immediately retorted, "What do you mean the Land of Wind has nothing? Our Land of Wind has abundant resources!"
Shindai suddenly asked, "Such as?"
"Such as! Such as… such as…"
Yekura's voice grew softer and softer. She kept saying "such as" for a long time but couldn't come up with anything.
Seeing Yekura like this, Shindai didn't laugh at her; instead, he sighed.
Yekura was 6 years older than Shindai.
This year, Shindai was 10, while Yekura was already 16 and a Jonin.
Shindai and Yekura's acquaintance was entirely an accident.
When Shindai was 4, his house had accumulated too much trash. There were too many people during the day, so Shindai didn't dare to go out and chose to take out the trash at night.
Because of his sneaky appearance, 10-year-old Yekura saw him and thought Shindai was up to no good. She immediately rushed over and pinned Shindai to the ground.
After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Shindai and Yekura got to know each other over time.
Yekura treated Shindai like her younger brother.
And Shindai considered Yekura his closest friend.
Shindai knew that Yekura's future would be tragic. Seeing Yekura's strong sense of identity and honor towards Sunagakure now, he wondered how heartbroken Yekura would be when she learned that Sunagakure had betrayed her.
Shindai admonished, "Don't always rush headfirst into the most dangerous places just because someone tells you to. Think more, and prioritize your own safety, okay?"
Yekura grumbled, "Why do I sound so stupid when you talk about me? Don't underestimate me; I'm a famous Ninja now! Pakura of the Blaze Release, pretty impressive, right!"
When mentioning her title, Yekura looked proud and smug.
Shindai pursed his lips and then perfunctorily said, "Alright, alright, you're the best."
Yekura didn't catch Shindai's perfunctory tone and smiled happily at the compliment.
Yekura asked, "What about you, Shindai? You're so strong, yet you keep hiding it and won't let me tell anyone. Sunagakure really needs a Ninja like you right now. We could team up and protect the Village! You could definitely become a hero of the Village."
Shindai waved his hand, uninterested: "No thanks, I'm not interested. Me, I'm most afraid of fighting. My legs tremble on the battlefield, and then I'm about to faint. Isn't that just asking for trouble? My dream isn't to be a hero. My dream is to marry two wives in the future. If you're willing, you can reluctantly be my junior wife."
Yekura glared at Shindai, furious: "Why am I the junior wife?!"
Shindai said matter-of-factly, "Because your temper isn't very good. If you were my senior wife, you definitely wouldn't let me marry a junior wife, so my senior wife must be the very gentle kind."
Shindai's expression was somewhat wistful, somewhat dreamy.
To say Shindai was greedy, one wife wasn't enough. To say Shindai wasn't greedy, he only wanted to marry two wives, no more, because too many would be too much to handle.
Yekura's face flushed as she loudly exclaimed, "You're dreaming! I would never be a junior wife! No! I would absolutely never be your wife! I treat you like a brother!"
Shindai squinted at Yekura, whose face was beet red, and felt a bit like laughing: "Ah, right, right, I was just kidding. Why are you taking it so seriously?"
Yekura clenched her fists tightly, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, she got up from the bed, took two quick strides to Shindai, and then gave Shindai a big slap.
Phew… now she felt satisfied.