Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life? Chapter 13 13: The Bells

Training Ground Three.

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

By the ti Kitahara Kaede and Tsunade arrived, Jiraiya was already there.

To be more precise, he was already fast asleep.

His white-haired head was tilted against a post, a trail of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth. Cradled in his arms was a small notebook with "Research Log: Top Secret" scribbled crookedly on the cover.

Tsunade shot a glance at the book, her expression looking as if she had just swallowed a fly.

"Did this idiot go peeping again last night?"

"Probably."

"Disgusting."

Tsunade walked over and delivered a sharp kick to the wooden post.

The entire post shuddered. Jiraiya was practically launched into the air, landing hard on his backside as his notebook flew far across the clearing.

"Who is it?!"

Jiraiya leaped up, looking around wildly. Once he realized it was Tsunade, the alertness on his face instantly shifted into a flattering grin.

"Yo, Tsunade! That ponytail today is really—"

"Say one more word and see what happens."

Tsunade clenched her fist.

Jiraiya wisely shut his mouth. His eyes darted over to Kitahara Kaede.

"Did you two co together again?"

"We ran into each other on the way."

"You 'ran into each other' every single ti? You think I'm stupid?" Jiraiya muttered, his voice just loud enough for both of them to hear. "Hmph, just because he's good-looking..."

Tsunade ignored him, crossing her arms as she looked toward the entrance of the training ground.

"Where is the teacher—"

Three shuriken tore through the air.

There was no warning.

Kitahara Kaede's body reacted before his conscious mind did. He pivoted his torso, letting the shuriken graze his sleeve before they embedded themselves into the wooden post behind him.

Almost simultaneously, Tsunade ducked. The shuriken whistled over her head, the wind pressure lifting her golden ponytail for a brief mont before it settled.

Jiraiya—

"Ow!"

A shuriken smacked him square in the forehead.

It was a blunt impact; the blade wasn't sharpened, but it still hurt like hell. Jiraiya crouched down, clutching his forehead.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood atop the center post.

No one knew when he had arrived.

He leaped down, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.

"Reaction speed," he said, glancing at Kitahara Kaede and then at Tsunade. "You two pass."

Then he looked at the crouching Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya."

"...Yes."

"In the Academy's physical fitness tests, you've shown the most improvent over the last three sesters. You went from fifth-to-last to seventh from the top."

Jiraiya rubbed his forehead and looked up, a smug smile starting to form—

"However, willpower alone is only enough to let you take one more hit on the battlefield."

The smile vanished.

Hiruzen didn't say anything more. He reached into his tool pouch and pulled sothing out.

Bells, tied to red strings, let out a light chi in the morning sun.

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

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

Kitahara Kaede almost laughed.

The Bell Test.

A classic among classics.

He had experienced this in his previous life as well. In the year he graduated from the Academy, his Jōnin instructor had hung two bells from his waist.

He had managed to grab one.

It wasn't through strength, but by reading people. While his two teammates were busy neutralizing each other, he had slipped in from the side and snatched the bell.

Both of those teammates died in the Third Great Ninja War.

He survived.

Kitahara Kaede pulled his thoughts back to the present.

"Soone will be eliminated," Hiruzen said, glancing at him and nodding. "Yes, and no."

He tied the bells to his belt.

"There are two bells. Those who grab a bell pass. Those who don't won't be sent back to the Academy, but for the next month, you will undergo individual supplental training with every day. The intensity will be three tis that of normal training."

Jiraiya's face went pale for a mont. Tsunade frowned.

Kitahara Kaede remained expressionless.

A month of personal training with the Third Hokage and he called it a punishnt? So people would beg for such an opportunity.

"The rules are simple," Hiruzen said, patting the bells at his waist. "One is on , and one is hidden sowhere in this forest. The ti limit is one hour. You may use any ans necessary."

His gaze swept across the three faces, lingering on Kitahara Kaede for an extra half-second.

Jiraiya raised his hand.

"Teacher!"

Hiruzen looked at him, but Jiraiya wasn't looking at him. He turned to Tsunade.

"Tsunade, let's make a bet."

Tsunade arched an eyebrow.

"If I grab a bell—" Jiraiya puffed out his chest, a brilliant smile on his face, "you go out for barbecue with . Just the two of us. A date."

There was a half-second of silence.

Tsunade let out a cold sneer.

"Fine."

Jiraiya froze. He hadn't expected her to agree so readily. Before he could even celebrate—

"If you don't get a bell," Tsunade said, crossing her arms, "stop following around. You're annoying."

"Deal!" Jiraiya slapped his chest, looking utterly confident.

After agreeing, Tsunade didn't say anything else. Her gaze subconsciously drifted to the side.

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

He had no expression.

It wasn't the kind of "expressionless" face soone puts on to look cool; he truly had none. It was as if everything Jiraiya had just said—about barbecue and dates—had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Tsunade pulled her gaze away.

She didn't know why she had looked at him. Nor did she know why, after seeing that "void," she suddenly felt a strange tightness in her chest.

It was brief and light. Like soone had flicked her heart with a fingertip—not painful, but it left a lingering vibration.

Tsunade clenched her fist. She didn't know what that feeling was.

Kitahara Kaede had actually noticed her gaze, but he didn't look back.

"Begin."

As Hiruzen's voice fell, Kitahara Kaede moved. He vanished into the woods to the right without a single backward glance.

Tsunade started almost simultaneously. Her movent was a fraction faster than usual—she didn't realize it, but her body had already made the choice. Her golden ponytail flashed through the trees as she followed after him.

Jiraiya was a full beat slower. He stood there, looking left and right, but the backs of the other two had already disappeared into the forest.

"Hey! Wait up!"

No one responded.

Jiraiya gritted his teeth and finally trudged into the forest.

The training ground fell silent once more.

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

As the smoke drifted away, he looked in the three directions the children had vanished, his eyes filled with scrutiny and a hint of sothing indefinable.