"My name is Mitokado Homura. I don't really have anything I hate, and... I don't really have anything I like either. My dream is to become a future leader of the village."
Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses with a completely serious expression. To Uchiha Madara, he left the impression of a serious, quiet, and rather boring kid. However, Arthur, who was watching the show from the side, clearly caught the boy casting a guilty glance at Utatane Koharu just as he mentioned things he liked.
So who would have thought that a man with such a serious and solemn exterior was actually, behind the scenes, a love-struck ladi— no, a love-struck little boy?
*Come to think of it, was Utatane Koharu this popular when she was young? She's almost catching up to me.*
Arthur stroked his chin, looking the young consultant-to-be up and down. All bias aside, the young consultant certainly looked very young back then!
"My name is Utatane Koharu. I like cheese, I hate pickled plums and mixed cold noodles, and my dream is to become a powerful kunoichi."
The young consultant— no, Utatane Koharu spoke indifferently, completely ignoring Arthur's undisguised gaze.
"All right, since the introductions are done, let's start the bell-retrieval test!" Uchiha Madara shrugged, his excitement somewhat palpable. That serious demeanor of his was genuinely frightening to everyone present, including Senju Hashirama.
Who was this lord? He was one of the legendary Warring States titans. Let alone three children, even Senju Tobirama in front of him was nothing more than a slightly sturdier ant (in Uchiha Madara's words).Senju Hashirama strode forward with long, rapid strides, making a move to stop Madara from doing something foolish. Inwardly, he was groaning and cursing his luck: *No, my dear brother, I asked you here to play house with the kids and incidentally mentor the future of the village, so why are you suddenly getting all excited?!*
"Hold on a minute!"
Hh-what?!
Every single person present snapped their gaze toward Arthur, who had spoken up.
"Ahem."
"Spit it out if you have something to say, don't drag your feet," Senju Tobirama interrupted Arthur's veteran-cadet style warm-up with a dark look on his face.
Honestly, they shouldn't have agreed to let Anija mentor her in the first place. Look at it now—it's only been a few days, and a perfectly good kid has been corrupted by Anija!
"Ah... I just wanted to say, if you want to test their strength, why not have the six of them do a three-on-three team battle? Fighting opponents of equal strength is a better way to see their strengths and weaknesses, and it's even more helpful for improving their teamwork."
Arthur wore a deadpan, serious expression, looking entirely as though he had their best interests at heart. That solemn look, matched with his noble and pure face, might actually fool someone who didn't know him well... provided they didn't look at the tuft of hair dancing frantically atop his head.
He glanced over the lineups of the two teams. Without even thinking, he knew Danzo's team was going to take a beating. However, Danzo had given him trouble before, while Utatane Koharu was a girl and wouldn't get beaten too badly, so it wasn't a major issue."Huh... I feel like I forgot something..."
"Oh well, if I forgot it, it couldn't have been anything important."
As soon as he heard that, Senju Tobirama knew something was wrong. Coupled with what Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen had just pulled, he didn't even need to guess what that little brat was up to.
Senju Tobirama looked around and saw both Anija and Uchiha Madara striking the exact same pose, pinching their chins in deep thought over the feasibility of this plan. A wave of exhaustion washed over him.
*Whatever, at least it's not my student who's going to get the short end of the stick...*
With that, the future Second Hokage closed his eyes, silently giving his tacit approval. Seeing that his invincible younger brother agreed, Lord Hashirama didn't hesitate for a second and raised both hands in favor.
On the other side, Lord Madara declared, "If Hashirama agrees, then I agree too."
And just like that, the bell-test—before it even began—was nipped in the bud, replaced instead by a passionate three-on-three team battle! Of course, what Arthur didn't know was that because of his suggestion today, the time-honored tradition of the bell test would forever be transformed into a time-honored tradition of group brawls...
The six of them, now that the three big shots had changed the rules, silently began preparing while calculating their team's chances of winning.
In the end... Danzo was pleasantly surprised to discover that the probability of winning was a solid one hundred percent—they were definitely going to lose!
Damn it!
Danzo's eyes locked fiercely onto a certain monkey.
*Hiruzen! It has to be Hiruzen! Even if we lose, I'm taking Hiruzen down with me!*
Meanwhile, the perverted monkey across from him, who was already happily pondering whether to invite Arthur out for a stroll or out for a meal after the fight, suddenly shivered.
This chilling sensation, like being stared down by a weirdo... could it be?
"Ready~ Set~"
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could think any further, Arthur, having quietly kept track of the five-minute mark, spoke up. He waited three full seconds, took a big step backward, and blew his whistle.
The moment the whistle blew, Sarutobi Hiruzen rapidly formed hand seals. His speed of two seals per second allowed him to complete his Ninjutsu in no time.
"Fire Release—"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen gathered a mouthful of fire in his abdomen, and just as he was about to unleash it, he was blown five meters away.
When he finally straightened up in a disheveled state and propped up his head, he realized the culprit was Danzo.
As it turned out, Danzo had completely abandoned sportsmanship, starting his hand seals even before Arthur finished the countdown and holding the Ninjutsu in his chest the entire time. He didn't release it when Arthur blew the whistle, waiting instead until Sarutobi Hiruzen completed his own Ninjutsu to unleash his attack.
Sarutobi Hiruzen spat out a mouthful of congested blood. *That bastard Danzo has no shame, bullying an eight-year-old comrade like me!*
Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish his mental rant, Shimura Danzo darted forward as if he had activated a speed boost, dodging and weaving all the way before using Body Flicker to materialize right in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen. His eyes were bloodshot, and a fist burning with rage drove straight toward Sarutobi Hiruzen's face!
"Hiruzen!!!"