Konoha Training Ground 3.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled spots of light on the grass.
Three young boys and girls, each with a distinct style, stood there looking bewildered.
The white-haired Jiraiya, his face still not fully healed from the swelling, was secretly casting flirtatious glances at the blonde girl next to him.
Ever since being "punished" by Lord Hokage, he felt his entire perspective had been elevated, and he found Tsunade even more beautiful than before.
"Tsunade, we're teammates starting today! I'm looking forward to it!"
He struck what he thought was his coolest pose.
The answer he received was Tsunade's massive fist.
"Get lost, dead-last!"
Jiraiya let out a miserable cry and flew out in a beautiful parabola, ending up tangled in the branches of a distant tree.
On the other side, the pale-faced Orochimaru merely glanced coldly at the two clowns, his golden, serpentine pupils filled with undisguised contempt.
"Idiots," he muttered, feeling that being grouped with these two was simply beneath him.
Tsunade, with a haughty look, stood with her hands on her hips. As the First Hokage's granddaughter, she was also very unhappy about being grouped with a dead-last like Jiraiya.
Just as the scene descended into chaos, a figure appeared silently in their midst.
"It seems you're all getting along well."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was dressed in practical ninja attire, wearing his signature gentle smile.
But looking at the chaotic scene, he felt his stomach begin to ache again.
The future Legendary Sannin?
This is it?
"Sensei!" Orochimaru and Tsunade immediately stood straight and called out respectfully.
Jiraiya, still hanging from the tree, also struggled to shout, "Hokage... ah, no, Sensei!"
"From today on, I will be your supervising jonin," Sarutobi Hiruzen said slowly, looking at the three of them.
"Here, there is only one rule."
He took two shining bells from his ninja pouch and dangled them from his fingertips, making a crisp sound.
"It's the classic test. Anyone who can get these two bells from me before noon passes."
"Those who pass get to eat lunch."
"As for those who can't get one..."
He pointed to the three wooden posts in the center of the training ground.
"They'll be tied to those posts and watch us eat."
The mention of food instantly fired up Jiraiya, regardless of the fact that he was still hanging from a tree.
"Grabbing bells? A piece of cake! I am the great Jiraiya of the future!"
Orochimaru's serpentine pupils flickered slightly as he began to rapidly analyze the terrain, wind direction, and any potential weaknesses Sarutobi Hiruzen might have.
Tsunade, on the other hand, confidently cracked her knuckles, making a popping sound.
In her eyes, although her sensei was the Hokage, he was still an elder. He wouldn't go all out against them, right?
With her monstrous strength, wasn't grabbing a bell a simple task?
"Well then..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tied the bells to his waist.
"The test begins!"
The moment his voice fell, Jiraiya jumped down from the tree and charged forward like a crazed bull, roaring.
"Watch this!"
He used his signature taijutsu. Though clumsy, it was full of spirit.
However, he only saw a blur, and his fists and feet hit nothing but empty air.
When he looked up again, Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure had already vanished.
"Thump!"
The ground beneath Jiraiya gave way, and he fell into a pre-dug pit, where he was then hoisted upside down by a rope, swinging back and forth.
"Damn it! When did you dig this trap!"
"While you were charging at me," Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice came from a tree.
He had easily toyed with Jiraiya using a simple Substitution Jutsu.
"Tsunade, don't think I can't see you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone shifted as he looked towards another large tree.
Seeing that she had been discovered, Tsunade didn't bother hiding anymore. With a sharp cry, she slammed her fist into the ground.
"Monstrous Strength Fist!"
Boom!
The earth cracked, and rubble flew as the immense force shook the entire training ground.
She intended to use this brute-force method to force Sarutobi Hiruzen to show himself.
When the dust settled, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still standing perfectly fine on the original tree branch, not even a corner of his clothing out of place.
"Good strength, but a pity. It's meaningless if you can't hit your target."
Tsunade's face flushed red with anger. She pushed off with her feet, launching herself like a cannonball towards Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Her fists whistled through the air, one punch faster than the last.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure was as slippery as an eel.
No matter how swift Tsunade's attacks were, he could always dodge them with the smallest of movements, at the most incredible angles, just in the nick of time.
Tsunade's fists couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
"How could this be..."
Tsunade was panting from exhaustion. She felt like she was punching cotton, unable to use her full strength.
Just then, a dark shadow shot out silently from the grass behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.
It was Orochimaru, who had been lying in wait!
Several shuriken shot out from his sleeves, flying towards Sarutobi Hiruzen's back.
The timing was perfect.
However, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even turn around.
With a single movement, he dodged all the shuriken.
The three genin's stamina was depleted through one futile attack after another.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was like an insurmountable mountain; no matter what method they used, they couldn't move him an inch.
"Huff... huff..."
The three of them collapsed on the ground, panting heavily, their faces filled with defeat.
Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen leisurely jump down from the tree and walk over to them, jingling the intact bells at his waist.
"Want to continue?"
The three remained silent.
All their pride, all their confidence, had been crushed to dust during the test.
Seeing their expressions, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally revealed a satisfied smile.
If I didn't beat you into submission, you wouldn't listen to what I have to say next.
"Alright, question time."
He crouched down, looking at the three resentful faces.
"Have you ever thought about why there are three of you, but I only have two bells?"
The three of them were stunned.
Jiraiya scratched his head. "Because Sensei wants to eliminate one of us?"
"Idiot!" Tsunade punched him. "It's obviously to test which of us is more outstanding!"
Orochimaru, however, fell into deep thought. He vaguely sensed something but couldn't quite grasp it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.
"Wrong."
"Because from the very beginning, I never expected any of you to be able to take the bells from me single-handedly."
"This test, from start to finish, was not about your individual abilities."
"It was about teamwork."
He stood up, his voice becoming serious.
"Jiraiya, you only know how to charge in recklessly. You're the perfect bait."
"Tsunade, your monstrous strength is the absolute main force for a frontal assault."
"And Orochimaru, your calm mind and stealthy ninjutsu are best suited for finding an opportunity for a fatal blow from the shadows."
"If the three of you had worked together, devised a strategy, with Jiraiya distracting me, Tsunade suppressing me from the front, and Orochimaru attacking from the side, perhaps you would have had a one-in-ten-thousand chance of touching my bells."
"But what did you do?"
"You fought on your own, distrusted each other, and were even wary of one another."
"You aren't a team. You're just three conceited idiots."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's words struck the hearts of the three like heavy hammers.
It was only then that they understood.
So, that was the true purpose of the test.
And they had turned in a paper with a score of zero.
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't tell them that he had already simulated a hundred ways they would fail by fighting alone in the simulator.
This test, from the very beginning, was a "teaching moment" tailored specifically for them.
Seeing the shame and understanding dawning on their faces, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that he had achieved his goal for the day.
He untied the two bells from his waist and threw them on the ground.
"It's lunchtime. If you want to eat, figure out how to untie the ropes on your comrade."
He pointed at Jiraiya, who was still hanging upside down.
With that, he took out his own lunchbox, sat down on a post, and began to eat by himself.
Tsunade and Orochimaru exchanged a look, and for the first time, they set aside their prejudices and worked together to get Jiraiya down.
Watching the three of them, who were still bickering but had begun to share their food, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corner of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth.
"From today on, Team Sarutobi is officially formed."
He thought to himself as he looked at the three brilliant stars before him, who would one day be bright enough to illuminate the entire ninja world.
And this was just the first step in his plan to forge the strongest Konoha.