Double Trial, I Got Set Up!

"Wait!!"

Just as all four of them tensed up and prepared to make a move, the Third Hokage suddenly wagged a finger, signaling them to pause. Then he crooked a finger at Hiko.

"Me?!"

Hiko froze for a moment. What was the Third Hokage trying to pull? If they were stealing bells, then just steal the bells. What else did he want?

Confused though he was, Hiko still stepped forward. The Third Hokage grinned rather shamelessly, then, beneath the dumbfounded stares of Hiko and the other three, tied two bells to Hiko's clothes. He patted Hiko on the shoulder with a smile and instructed him:

"Uchiha Hiko, you will be responsible for protecting the bells. The others will be responsible for taking them. If they fail to get the bells, they will fail the Final Exam."

"But if the bells are taken from you, then you will fail as well!!"

Damn it!!!

Hiko was dumbstruck. No wonder the Third Hokage had worn such an undignified old man's grin. So this had been his plan all along. No wonder there were four people but only two bells.

The four of them were to form a squad, and he could not exactly take the entire squad out on missions whenever he wanted. The Third Hokage wanted to choose one person from among the four to serve as something like a captain and lead the squad forward.

And Hiko was the key candidate. After the Third Hokage's observation and selection, Hiko had proven to be the most suitable.

So the exam rules had not really changed. What had changed was that the bells were now in Uchiha Hiko's hands, and the others had to take them from him!

The captain was the squad's leader. The ability to think clearly and remain calm under pressure were all essential qualities. Beyond that, one also needed the strength to earn the respect of the squad members.

If you were the captain but your strength was complete trash, who would respect you?

It was obvious enough just by looking at them. Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were all troublesome people. Without strength greater than theirs, how could anyone make them submit?

Thus, the Third Hokage had directly tied the bells to Hiko, making Hiko both an examinee and part of the test for the others. From another perspective, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were also testing Hiko's strength.

"Alright, children, begin. Remember what I said earlier!!"

With two smug laughs, the Third Hokage walked over to a tree stump beneath Hiko's gritted-teeth glare. Leaning against it, he pulled out a bottle of liquor and some cigarettes, leisurely drinking and smoking as he watched Hiko with a grin.

That old man set me up!!!

Hiko felt like killing someone. Even if this was a test for him, was there really any way to test someone like this?

"Hehehe~~~"

The moment Hiko heard Jiraiya's chuckle beside him, he knew what was coming. Turning around, he saw that Jiraiya and Tsunade were both looking at him with ill intent, while Orochimaru's eyes brimmed with fighting spirit. Clearly, he had long wanted to fight Hiko.

Since arriving in this world, Hiko had never fought any of them. Most of his time had been spent training alone. Jiraiya and Tsunade had wanted to spar with him, but Hiko had always refused.

Now, the opportunity had come.

"Here I come!!!!" Jiraiya laughed loudly, clenched his fists, and charged at Hiko.

"Be careful, Hiko!"

Tsunade gave him a smiling warning before rushing forward alongside Jiraiya.

Orochimaru glanced around, then ran toward Hiko's back.

The three charged in from different directions, giving Hiko no chance to evade.

A smart approach. Leaning against the tree stump, the Third Hokage watched Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru surround Hiko from different directions. He silently gave them his approval while keeping his eyes fixed on Hiko, wanting to see how Hiko would resolve this crisis.

Hiko worked far harder than the others, but at their age, no matter how strong he was, how much stronger could he really be than them?

The Third Hokage wanted to see what kind of impressive performance Hiko, whom he favored, could deliver.

If Hiko's performance failed to satisfy him, the Third Hokage would not dare let Hiko lead the squad around.

This is bullshit!!!

That was the only way Hiko could describe it. This was not what he wanted. Whoever wanted to be some damn captain could have the position—he did not want it. Leading a squad was not as comfortable as people thought. If anything happened to the squad, he would be the one held responsible.

And he would have to keep the other three in line at all times, making them behave themselves.

Orochimaru was dark-hearted and cared about no one but himself. Tsunade was hot-tempered and could explode at any time. Jiraiya was careless and often did outrageous things. None of them were easy to deal with.

Keeping them under control would not be easy.

What Hiko wanted was to quietly make a fortune, not stand directly at the forefront. But the Third Hokage's actions were pushing him into everyone's sight. From now on, it would be hard for Hiko not to attract attention.

This was practically screwing him over!!!

This did not fit Hiko's plans at all.