Bells

Third Training Ground.

Three wooden posts stood in the center of the clearing, surrounded by a dense forest.

When Kitahara Kaede and Tsunade arrived, Jiraiya was already there.

To be precise, he was already asleep.

His white-haired head was tilted against a wooden post, drool hanging from the corner of his mouth, clutching a small notebook in his arms with "Collection of Materials: Top Secret" scrawled crookedly on the cover.

Tsunade glanced at it, her expression like she had just swallowed a fly.

"Did this guy go peeping again last night?"

"Probably."

"Disgusting."

Tsunade walked over and kicked the wooden post.

The entire post shuddered, and Jiraiya was launched as if ejected, landing on his backside while the little notebook flew far away.

"Who's there!"

Jiraiya sprang up, looking left and right. Once he saw it was Tsunade, the vigilance on his face instantly switched to a fawning smile.

"Yo, Tsunade, your ponytail is looking—"

"Try saying one more word."

Tsunade clenched her fist.

Jiraiya wisely shut his mouth, his eyes darting toward Kitahara Kaede.

"You two came together again?"

"Ran into each other on the way."

"Ran into each other every time, do you take me for a fool?" Jiraiya muttered, his volume just loud enough for both to hear. "Tch, just because you're good-looking..."

Tsunade ignored him, crossing her arms and looking toward the entrance of the training ground.

"Why isn't the teacher here yet—"

Three shuriken tore through the air.

There was no warning.

Kitahara Kaede's body reacted before his consciousness, turning sideways to let them pass. The shuriken grazed his sleeve and embedded themselves into the wooden post behind him.

Tsunade ducked almost simultaneously, the shuriken flying over her head as her golden ponytail was lifted by the wind pressure before falling back down.

As for Jiraiya—

"Ouch!"

A shuriken slapped him square on the forehead.

It was a blunt strike, unsharpened, but it hurt just as much hitting his skull.

Jiraiya clutched his forehead and crouched down.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood atop the center wooden post.

No one knew when he had arrived.

Hiruzen jumped down, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.

"Reaction speed." He looked at Kitahara Kaede, then at Tsunade. "You two, pass."

Then he looked at Jiraiya, who was still crouching on the ground.

"Jiraiya."

"...Yes."

"In the Ninja Academy physical tests, you had the most improvement for three consecutive semesters. From fifth to last, to seventh from the top."

Jiraiya rubbed his forehead and looked up, the corner of his mouth just starting to curl—

"But having willpower alone is only enough to take one extra cut on the battlefield."

The corner of his mouth dropped.

Hiruzen said no more.

He took something out of his ninja tool pouch.

A bell, tied to a red string, gave a light chime in the morning light.

Jiraiya stared at the bell for two seconds, then counted the heads.

"Teacher, there are three of us, why is there only one bell?"

Kitahara Kaede almost laughed out loud.

The bell test.

A classic among classics.

He had experienced it in reality, too.

The year he graduated from the Ninja Academy, his jonin instructor hung two bells from his waist.

He had snatched one.

Not by strength, but by reading the situation.

While his two teammates were busy restraining each other, he had slipped in from the side and swiped the bell.

Later, both of those teammates died in the Third Great Ninja War.

He survived.

Kitahara Kaede pulled back his thoughts.

"Someone will be eliminated."

Hiruzen looked at him and nodded.

"Right, and wrong."

He tied the bell to his belt.

"There are two bells. Those who grab a bell pass. Those who don't—won't be sent back to the Ninja Academy, but for the next month, you will have individual extra training with me every day, at three times the intensity of normal training."

Jiraiya's face went pale for a moment.

Tsunade frowned.

Kitahara Kaede remained expressionless.

Training personally with the Third Hokage for a month, a punishment? Some people would beg for such an opportunity.

"The rules are simple." Hiruzen patted the bell at his waist. "One is on me, and one is hidden in this forest. The time limit is one hour. You may use any means necessary."

His gaze swept over the three faces one by one, lingering on Kitahara Kaede for half a second longer.

Jiraiya raised his hand.

"Teacher!"

Hiruzen looked at him.

But Jiraiya wasn't looking at Hiruzen.

He turned his head to look at Tsunade.

"Tsunade, let's make a bet."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"If I grab a bell—" Jiraiya patted his chest, smiling brightly, "you go eat barbecue with me. Just the two of us, a date."

Silence for half a second.

Tsunade sneered.

"Fine."

Jiraiya was stunned.

He hadn't expected Tsunade to agree so readily.

Before he could even be happy—

"If you don't grab one—" Tsunade crossed her arms, "stop following me around. It's annoying."

"Deal!" Jiraiya patted his chest, looking certain.

After Tsunade agreed, she didn't continue.

Her gaze subconsciously drifted to the side.

Kitahara Kaede was leaning against a wooden post, his head tilted slightly, as if looking at something in the treetops.

He had no expression at all.

Not the kind of "no expression" that was deliberately put on, but truly nothing.

It was as if everything Jiraiya had just said—the barbecue, the date—had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Tsunade withdrew her gaze.

She didn't know why she had looked at him.

Nor did she know why, after seeing "nothing at all," her chest suddenly felt tight.

Just for a moment, very lightly.

Like someone had flicked her heart with a fingertip; it didn't hurt, but that spot hummed for an instant.

Tsunade clenched her fist.

She didn't know what she was feeling tight about.

Kitahara Kaede had actually noticed her gaze.

But he didn't turn back.

"Start."

Hiruzen's voice fell.

Kitahara Kaede moved, darting into the forest on the right without looking back.

Tsunade started at almost the same time.

Her movements were half a beat faster than usual—she hadn't realized it, but her body had already made the choice.

Her golden ponytail flickered through the woods as she followed.

Jiraiya was a full beat slow.

He stood in place, looking left, then right, as both of their backs had already disappeared into the woods.

"Hey—wait—"

No one responded.

Jiraiya gritted his teeth and began to pace toward the forest as well.

The training ground fell quiet again.

Hiruzen stood between the three wooden posts, took a pipe from his sleeve, lit it, and took a puff.

The smoke drifted away.

He watched the three directions where the children had disappeared, his gaze filled with scrutiny and something else that was hard to define.