Chapter 25: Demolition

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were currently sitting in the living room.

Minato was recounting his experiences and observations from recent times, while Kushina listened attentively.

When Minato mentioned Shindai, Kushina couldn't help but react, "Seriously? Is there really such a naive kid? He sounds even more gullible than Obito!"

Minato thought for a moment before replying, "Gullible... I don't think Shindai is naïve at all. He's just bad at pretending. According to Aoi, this child never even goes outside and rarely interacts with others.

That means he has absolutely no experience with espionage, and due to his lack of social interaction, he doesn't even know what expressions to use in different situations.

So every facial expression he makes when trying to lie appears extremely stiff and unnatural. Whether he's lying or not becomes obvious at a glance.

More importantly, deep down he resists being a spy and also resists fighting itself. So even if we hadn't discovered his identity initially, he would've inevitably exposed himself eventually."

Kushina asked curiously, "Hmm, you sound like you really understand this kid well, Minato."

Minato replied helplessly, "It's not that I want to understand Shindai, it's just that he's too easy to read. He couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it."

Kushina burst into laughter without caring about her image, "Hearing you describe him like this, he actually sounds kind of interesting. I suddenly want to meet him now."

Minato smiled slightly as he said, "He really is interesting. I've already invited him to join my squad in Konoha. Hopefully he'll come to accept and join Konoha. Once he's officially accepted as one of us in Konoha, I'll bring him by so you can meet him. Right now though, since he's still technically a spy, he can't visit you directly."

Kushina encouraged him, "Got it! Then you'd better work hard, Minato. Try your best to help that interesting kid join Konoha."

"I will," Minato responded as he stood up, "Alright, it's getting late. I should head back now. Tomorrow morning I need to leave for the Hot Water Country. Plus Shindai is staying at my house right now, and I feel a bit uneasy leaving him alone. I'll visit you again next time I return to Konoha."

Though she felt reluctant when hearing Minato had to leave, Kushina still bid him farewell.

Minato left the building where Kushina lived and started walking toward home.

However, for some unknown reason, his right eyelid kept twitching.

...

Back at Minato's house.

"Huh? Why are there so many screws and spare parts here? That shouldn't be right. I took everything apart and put it all back exactly how it was..."

Shindai stared at the scattered pieces on the floor, lost in thought.

He hadn't only taken apart Minato's television set; practically every electrical appliance in the house had been completely dismantled by him.

As Shindai looked at those appliances, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe.

Sunagakure basically had no electrical appliances, resembling a primitive society.

But at Minato Namikaze's house, surrounded by these strange devices, Shindai felt as if he had suddenly stepped into the modern era.

However, since all the components were mixed together, Shindai couldn't tell one from another. He grabbed whatever he saw and tried to install them, but everything was mixed up, leaving Shindai completely baffled.

Just then, Shindai heard the sound of a door opening.

Realizing something was wrong, Shindai immediately panicked and tried to hide the screws and parts on the floor.

But it was already too late—Minato Namikaze had already walked in.

Shindai quickly stood in front of the pile of parts, attempting to block Minato's view.

Shindai gave a nervous chuckle and said, "Minato, why are you here?"

Taken aback for a moment, Minato replied, "Because... this is my home, isn't it?"

Shindai's face stiffened—Minato did have a point.

Moreover, there was another issue.

Given Shindai's height and build, he couldn't fully block Minato's line of sight. Minato had already seen everything.

Minato pointed at the pile behind Shindai and asked, "What is all this?"

A bead of sweat formed on Shindai's forehead. "This… these are… oh right! These are just trash I swept up! How could I just live here for free without helping out? So I noticed your place was a bit messy, so I decided to clean up a little — I didn't expect to sweep up such a huge pile of garbage."

Minato stepped forward and picked up a rod from the pile. "This looks kind of like the antenna from my radio..."

Shindai tried to fib, "Minato, you must've gotten it wrong. This clearly looks like a toothpick!"

Minato frowned. "Who uses something this thick for picking teeth? This is definitely an antenna..."

Suddenly realizing something was wrong, Minato rushed to the cabinet and grabbed his radio.

The antenna was gone, and the weight didn't feel right—it was significantly lighter.

Then Minato ran to the television and picked up the remote, trying to turn it on.

Of course, it wouldn't turn on.

He checked every electronic device in the house—none of them worked anymore.

So who was the culprit?

Minato glared with dead-fish eyes at Shindai, who was now pretending to sleep on the couch.

Other than this kid, who else could it be?

Minato gazed at the scattered parts on the ground with a pained expression.

These appliances—he'd earned them one by one using mission rewards, each holding sentimental value.

For example, that radio was bought with the reward money from his very first mission after becoming a ninja.

And that television? He'd saved up for half a year before gritting his teeth and buying it.

Now... after stepping out for just a few hours, everything's gone!

Shindai, pretending to sleep, cracked his eyes open and peeked at Minato Namikaze.

Seeing Minato's expression darken slightly, Shindai quickly shut his eyes again. He really should have sorted the parts when he took them apart.

Minato let out a sigh.

Well, he didn't really need those appliances right now anyway—he'd be leaving Konoha tomorrow for a mission. So what if they were dismantled? It wasn't like they were broken. Maybe the parts could still work if reassembled properly.

Still, Minato silently vowed that if Shindai ever came to his house again, he'd never leave him unsupervised indoors.

Given how destructive Shindai was, Minato worried that without someone watching him, the entire house might end up in pieces.

Minato said to Shindai, "Don't pretend to sleep. Go rest in the guest room. I'll fix up the bed for you—it won't take long."

Shindai dropped the act and opened his eyes. Minato hadn't scolded him even though he'd taken apart Minato's electronics, making Shindai feel quite guilty.

Scratching his head awkwardly, Shindai apologized, "Sorry about that, Minato. I was just curious what was inside them. I promise I can put it all back together."

Minato quickly cut him off, "No need, no need at all. It's nothing to worry about. Come on, follow me to the guest room."

Minato feared that letting Shindai mess around any longer might turn something fixable into junk.

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>