Xia Yan knew this selection would be anything but easy, because all his actions so far made it look as though he had chosen to side with Minato Namikaze.
Although he had deliberately created that impression and had prepared himself mentally, Hiruzen Sarutobi's move was still rather ruthless.
All he could say was that Hiruzen Sarutobi truly lived up to his status as the longest-serving Hokage. His ability to seize an opportunity was impressive indeed.
But Xia Yan did not care too much. At first, he had considered using Lizard Maru's overwhelming strength to crush every opponent in this contest in one fell swoop.
But now that he could not do that, he simply would not!
He had plenty of trump cards. Some could be revealed, while others were not suitable for exposure. Naturally, he knew the difference.
And he really had to thank Minato Namikaze. Without him, Xia Yan might genuinely have been in a bit of a bind now.
Although he didn't choose to promote me directly to Captain, which was within his authority, it doesn't matter.
Xia Yan narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in the center of the Plaza, then smiled beneath his mask.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions could be seen as a warning to Minato Namikaze, but a rift had already formed between the two of them.
Since that was the case, why not widen that rift a little more?
Besides, Hiruzen had given him a stage like this. It would be terrible if he failed to make good use of it.
Besides, my opponents aren't actually as troublesome as I imagined.
Withdrawing his gaze, Xia Yan began considering the opponents he might face this time.
But after thinking them all over, he realized that although they were all difficult opponents, he