The Third Hokage

"What's this? Pinggang?" Biji's eyes widened when he saw the man. "Weren't you supposed to capture a jonin? How'd you end up with a chunin?"

"A chunin!?" Yin Xiang nearly stumbled to the ground. "We've been played. They'll be sending a lot more people soon. We need to move, fast." As he spoke, he started packing, and the others followed suit.

"Heh, you won't get away." Pinggang sat on the ground and laughed. "They've already surrounded the entrance. You're all going to die here."

"Damn it." Yin Xiang was furious just listening to him. He dropped his bag, pulled out a kunai, and slashed Pinggang's clothes to shreds, leaving him in nothing but his underwear. Then he cut dozens of shallow, nonfatal wounds all over his body.

After that, he took some sugar from Miji and sprinkled it over Pinggang.

"Argh!!" Another bloodcurdling scream rang out. People said salt in a wound hurt, but sugar stung just as badly. Yin Xiang hauled the bloodied man over his shoulder and tossed him farther into the cave.

Before long, screams of pure agony echoed from the depths. Countless ants crawled over Pinggang from every direction, burrowing into his wounds and devouring the sugar-coated flesh. It was a pain no human could endure.

"Yin Xiang, this..." Tenten looked toward the depths of the cave. Everyone had their packs on by now. "Forget about him. He won't be able to scream much longer." Yin Xiang shook his head.

"I've been thinking. Why don't we just fight them? However many come, I'll take them on." Guy rolled his neck as he spoke.

"That's what I was thinking too," Rock Lee chimed in.

"How many are coming?" Yin Xiang asked the chunin they'd captured earlier. The man was sweating profusely, terrified by Yin Xiang. Before, Yin Xiang had told him he'd make him find out what that was like. Now that he'd witnessed it, his fear of Yin Xiang was beyond words.

"At least three jonin... and Anbu. Maybe Honey Shadow will come too." He answered quickly, not daring to hide anything from Yin Xiang.

"This is dangerous, but it's also our best chance." Yin Xiang pressed his lips together.

"I knew it. Even if a small country's jonin are weaker, they can't be this weak." Guy glanced toward the depths of the cave.

"Let's fight them," Neji said from the side.

"What do you think, Third Hokage?" Yin Xiang looked at Shikaku. Shikaku froze, and everyone else in the cave did too.

"What are you talking about, Yin Xiang?" Guy looked at Yin Xiang, then at Shikaku. Shikaku was still standing there, smiling without a word.

"Teacher Shikaku wouldn't use a barrier like that." Yin Xiang walked up to Shikaku. "Teacher Shikaku doesn't smile like that, either. He may hate trouble, but he wouldn't watch us fight outside without coming to help. And he wouldn't observe me so closely the whole way here."

Yin Xiang looked straight into Shikaku's eyes without flinching. Shikaku's eyes narrowed, and he slowly raised a hand to form a seal.

With a pop, a cloud of white smoke appeared and dissipated, revealing the Third Hokage. Everyone else stared in shock.

"Lord Third!" Guy gaped at the man before him.

"You're clever, Yin Xiang. But even if you knew I wasn't Shikaku, how did you know it was me?" The Third Hokage looked at Yin Xiang curiously.

"Given Teacher Shikaku's abilities, he could handle the Hokage's affairs for you while you were away without giving himself away. He wouldn't casually take this mission on the side, either. You were the one who immediately insisted on accepting it. Other than the Third Hokage, I can't think of anyone else who'd make that call."

"Were you testing my abilities, Third Hokage?" Yin Xiang looked at him and asked boldly.

"Mm." The Third Hokage took a pipe from his pocket and lit it. "Finally, I can have a smoke."

"What did you mean by this, Third Hokage? What were you testing?"

"Whether you could shoulder the responsibility of becoming Hokage one day." The Third Hokage answered Yin Xiang directly.

"No." Yin Xiang shook his head without hesitation. "I don't want to be Hokage. Just being an aide to the Hokage would be enough trouble for me."

"Shikaku told me what you thought, and that's why I wanted to put you to the test."

"Old man, you've watched me grow up. You know what I'm like. I have no interest in becoming Hokage."

"Um... shouldn't we deal with what's happening now? They'll be here any minute." Rock Lee looked toward the cave entrance.

"The Third Hokage is here. What are you worried about? They'll be scared to death." Yin Xiang smiled at Rock Lee. "I wasn't sure at first, but after thinking it over, I decided to ask. Once I did, all the questions fell into place."

"Third Hokage, what do we do now?" Guy looked at him too.

"Do what Yin Xiang says. Isn't that how we've done things all the way here?" The Third Hokage replied to Guy. Guy glanced at him, then turned back to Yin Xiang.

"Then let's fight. If we can't handle them, the Third Hokage's here." Yin Xiang set down his pack, finally feeling at ease. He'd been ready to run if they couldn't win, using a Flying Thunder God technique to teleport straight home.

"You'll help this time, right, Third Hokage?" Yin Xiang asked, looking at him.

"Of course." The Third Hokage nodded.

"Then let's go. We're heading out." Yin Xiang nodded, pulled out a Flying Thunder God Kunai, and led the way. The others followed.

By the time they emerged, dozens of ninja were running out of the forest, and they came to a stop right in front of the group. The Third Hokage stayed inside the cave. As long as Yin Xiang and the others could hold their own, it was better for him to remain hidden.

"Konoha sent only this handful of people, and you dare interfere in the affairs of the Land of Filling?" asked the leading jonin. He looked a bit like Yamashin.

"Father!" Yamashin ran out of the cave and called to the leading jonin. It really was his father, Yamaha.

"Yamashin!? What are you doing over there? Get over here!" Yamaha saw his son standing with the others and immediately called for him to come over.

"Father! What are you doing? Why are you betraying your country?" Yamashin shouted at Yamaha, his expression pained.

"Yamashin! What do you know? Come here, quickly! I don't want you getting hurt."

"Father! You should surrender with your men! You can't beat them!" Yamashin had seen the Third Hokage just now. With the Hokage here, how could their ninja possibly be a match for him?

"Don't talk nonsense, Yamashin! Get over here!" A group of ninja stood behind Yamaha. Yin Xiang counted fifteen who looked young; they were all genin. There were two chunin, three jonin, and two masked ninja.