Chapter 4: The Non-Existent Bell Test
The two of them left the detention center and headed straight for the riverside. Upon reaching the river, the young man, who had been stared at by Tensei the entire way, finally spoke.
"Are you very confused about why it was me who released you?"
Tensei shook his head and said, "Whether you release me or not, I don't care at all. I'm used to it anyway. I just want to know who you actually are. You look very familiar; have we met somewhere before?"
The young man laughed directly after hearing Tensei's words.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect you to be so open-minded. Your identity is indeed a problem for you, but you can't be blamed for it. After all, no one can control their own birth, right?"
"As for the familiarity you mentioned, maybe I just have a common face."
Tensei looked at the young man with some surprise. "You are indeed different from those people in the village. Others aren't willing to talk to me, let alone give me a good look. Now I'm even more curious about who you really are."
"Let's get acquainted. My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi. I'm twenty years old, a Jonin, and your future captain. This is my first time leading a newcomer, so please look after me from now on."
After hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's introduction, Tensei froze on the spot.
So it was him—the 'Shinobi no Kami' (God of Shinobi) also known as the 'Professor' of Ninjutsu, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the future Third Hokage. No wonder he looked familiar. His image of Hiruzen Sarutobi was still stuck on the white-haired old man from the future.
He didn't expect the current Third to be so young. Although his strength hadn't reached its peak yet, compared to the elderly Third when Orochimaru attacked Konoha in the future, his strength was likely on par.
"So it's you, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the disciple of the Second Hokage. But what's this about being my future captain?" Tensei asked Hiruzen Sarutobi with a face full of confusion.
"I didn't expect you to know I'm Nidaime-sama's disciple! Well then, let me tell you about it!" Hiruzen Sarutobi began to explain in detail to Tensei.
"It's like this: from now on, Hokage-sama has decided to completely lift the restrictions on you."
"You can now choose to learn Ninjutsu and leave the village freely. As for taking missions—I learned earlier that you were able to win a fight against the veteran Genin Uchiha Yo, which shows your strength has reached the Genin level. I will give you your forehead protector later, and you can freely take missions in the future."
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi say he was now free, Tensei didn't look happy; instead, his brows furrowed slightly. He knew Senju Tobirama's personality all too well. Given his prejudice against Madara, would he really let him off so easily? He must be brewing some kind of scheme.
Failing a Genin mission was one thing, but once he became a Chunin or Jonin, if a mission failed, Senju Tobirama would definitely execute him directly. No one could protect him if he was 'disposed of' for mission failure. If he was 'taken care of' during a mission, Senju Tobirama would probably wake up laughing from his dreams.
Thinking of this, Tensei cursed inwardly: 'That old schemer really isn't up to any good. All this talk is just to find a way to kill me sooner.'
He then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a suspicious expression and asked, "Is it really just that?"
"Of course. Go back and have a good rest today. We will meet here tomorrow morning to properly improve your strength. Once you're strong enough, I'll take you out on missions."
After saying that, Hiruzen Sarutobi left directly, regardless of what Tensei thought.
Afterward, Tensei also walked straight home.
"Sigh, finally back." Upon returning home, Tensei lay on the bed, looking at the house his mother had left him. He touched the dust on the bed and sighed, "I've only been gone for a few days and the house is already gathering dust. Since Mother passed away, being alone is indeed a bit of a hassle."
Thinking of his mother, he also gradually thought of Madara. Thinking of Madara, he started cursing directly, "Bastard Uchiha Madara, I'm your son after all. If you're leaving Konoha Village, you should at least take me with you! Making me live such a suppressed life, you bastard!"
"Don't think I don't know you're still alive. You're definitely hiding in some unknown corner right now. Just you wait; don't let me run into you. If I do, I'll definitely let you know that even a small pot is made of iron!"
After cursing Madara, Tensei began to look forward to meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi tomorrow. From their conversation, he could tell that at this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not yet taken the Sannin as his disciples.
Speaking of the Sannin, Tensei directed another burst of 'affectionate' output toward Madara: "Bastard Madara, Senju Hashirama already has grandchildren, and you only have one son, whom you don't even care about! No wonder you were defeated by Senju Hashirama. Bah, serves you right!"
After venting at Madara, Tensei patted off the dust and leaned against the bed, slowly falling asleep.
The next day, when the sunlight shone on Tensei's face, the sleeping Tensei slowly opened his eyes and looked out the window. "I really can't change the habit of sleeping in, no matter where I am."
After his lament, Tensei finished washing up, changed his clothes, left the house, and arrived at the riverside where he had agreed to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi yesterday.
Seeing the empty riverside, Tensei thought, 'It's already eight o'clock, and the sun is starting to get hot. It seems I still arrived earlier than Hiruzen Sarutobi.'
Two hours passed, and finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had agreed to meet yesterday, appeared.
"Oh, Tensei, have you been here for a long time?"
Tensei looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's leisurely face and said helplessly, "It seems the sun is already high enough to burn one's backside."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also laughed with an embarrassed face, "Hahaha, sorry, sorry. There have been too many things lately, so I inevitably slept a bit longer. Anyway, it's fine as long as I'm here."
Tensei's face immediately showed contempt. 'I don't believe a word of it. You probably stayed up late peeping again last night and are just making up some lame excuse.'
"Alright, alright, let's get down to business!" Seeing Tensei looking at him mockingly, Hiruzen also started on the main topic.
"First of all, you haven't gone through Ninja Academy training, so I don't know how strong you actually are. Today, following Ninja tradition, let's have a round of the Bell Test!"
"Since it's just you alone, I won't require you to actually snatch the bells. As long as you can touch them, it counts as your win. How about it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi shook the bells.
"Fine, in that case, let's begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tensei exerted force with both feet and leaped into the forest to hide.
In the clearing, watching the hidden Tensei, Hiruzen secretly praised him. 'Knowing he can't beat me head-on, he's planning to hide and look for an opportunity. From this point of view, he's quite good.'
"I didn't expect your hiding skills to be so good. Fine, since you won't come out, let me take the initiative to find you!" Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to make a move, a sound suddenly came from behind. Hearing the movement, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately dodged to the side.
Swoosh! A Kunai was seen embedded in the ground where Hiruzen had just jumped from.
Tensei also stepped out from the forest and said, "The strength gap between us is too large. Hiding is meaningless and just a waste of time. But since I can't give up on snatching the bells, I might as well be direct and fight you head-on!" Saying this, Tensei pulled out a Kunai.
Just when Tensei was hiding in the forest, the system had issued a mission.
[Ding! System mission successfully issued: Engage Hiruzen Sarutobi in a head-on battle for five minutes. Completion reward: 1,000 points. If you successfully hold out for ten minutes, an additional reward of one Sharingan upgrade will be granted. Mission failure: Choose between obliteration or losing your 'little brother'.]
When Tensei heard that holding out for ten minutes would not only get him 1,000 points but also a free Sharingan upgrade, he walked out without any hesitation.
Hearing Tensei's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi also praised, "Very good, being able to clearly recognize the gap between yourself and the enemy is excellent. However, the mission is to snatch the bells. Isn't doing this equivalent to walking to your death?"
After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, he reached into his Ninja tool pouch, pulled out eight Shuriken, and threw them at Tensei. While throwing, he also began to form hand signs. "Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!" The original eight Shuriken instantly turned into twenty-four, flying toward Tensei.