The four followed the Third Hokage away from the School Playground and into the Training Ground normally used for extracurricular practice.
All four were currently among the Third Hokage's key subjects of attention, the sort he intended to cultivate carefully. Otherwise, he would not have personally stepped in. He had been observing them from the shadows all along.
He had thoroughly figured out everything about them, including their personalities.
A squad was best made up of three people, with one being a support-type ninja. Tsunade was clearly the support-type ninja. Of course, if anyone thought that made her easy to bully, she could kill them with a single punch.
With such an arrangement, one of the four would have to be assigned elsewhere. Hikaru, who had risen later than the others, should have been the most likely one to be sent away. Yet the Third Hokage did not do so. Instead, he placed all four of them in the same squad.
Naturally, the Third Hokage had his own plans for making such a decision.
Those plans also involved reasons of his own.
As Konoha's Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not be like other teachers, constantly taking his students everywhere, carrying out missions, and teaching them.
When it came to teaching them, Hiruzen Sarutobi would do his best. As his students, the resources they received would far surpass what others could receive.
Likewise, because their teacher was Hiruzen Sarutobi, he could not accompany them when they went out on missions. As Konoha's Third Hokage, could Hiruzen Sarutobi really travel all over the world with his students?
That was obviously impossible. Even if the Third Hokage wanted to do so, a whole crowd of people would jump out to oppose him.
This was also the biggest reason he had included Hikaru in the squad.
Among the four, Orochimaru was the coldest and indifferent toward everyone. Tsunade had a fiery temper and could explode at any moment. Jiraiya was careless and rough around the edges, liable to do something outrageous if no one kept an eye on him.
Only Hikaru, in the Third Hokage's eyes, was the most steady and composed of the lot.
With four people in one squad, one person had to be chosen to lead it. When they went out on missions, that person could restrain the other three. Otherwise, whenever he could not personally go out, sending only Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya would mean the squad could run into trouble at any time.
They could not possibly have someone else from the village lead them every time a mission required them to leave, could they?
Hikaru, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had no idea what the Third Hokage was thinking. The four followed him to the Training Ground, lined up, and waited for him to announce the content of the test.
"Before the test, I want to ask you a question. I hope you will answer truthfully—just follow your hearts."
Just as the four thought the Third Hokage was about to begin testing them, he suddenly said something that left them slightly stunned. A question? And they had to answer truthfully?
Hikaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru exchanged glances. None of them could figure out what the Third Hokage was trying to do.
"First!!"
The Third Hokage had no intention of explaining. With his hands behind his back, he took two steps, raised his head to look at them, and said, "While carrying out a mission under orders, you happen to discover an enemy base. It contains highly important secrets. Obtaining those secrets might bring immense benefits to the village. What would you do in that situation?"
After saying that, the Third Hokage smiled at them and waited for their answers.
Hikaru's first reaction was to furrow his delicate brows slightly. Orochimaru lowered his head in thought, while Tsunade folded her arms, unable to gauge the Third Hokage's true intentions.
Only Jiraiya looked at the others, then at the Third Hokage's gentle smile. He raised a hand to scratch his head, visibly conflicted, before shouting, "Of course we'd attack, go in, and get our hands on those secrets!!!"
"Not a bad idea."
The Third Hokage smiled and nodded, then looked toward Tsunade.
Tsunade was not as reckless as Jiraiya. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "We should first investigate the strength of the enemies at the base before deciding whether to act. If the enemy is too strong, it would be unwise to launch a direct assault."
Although she mentioned reconnaissance, Tsunade was also inclined to take action and seize the secrets within the base. Her conclusion was the same as Jiraiya's.
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