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Seeing Tsunade appear, Rinsu's first reaction was neither shock nor joy.
A normal person, upon learning that their squad leader was Tsunade, one of the Sannin, would undoubtedly be overjoyed. But Rinsu had no such joy. Tsunade was indeed formidable, but only if you could get along with her normally. Otherwise, with her personality, she would definitely flay you alive, even if it didn't kill you. This was no exaggeration. His eyes involuntarily drifted towards certain parts of Tsunade, and Rinsu couldn't help but feel his mind wander, though such thoughts quickly dissipated.
Although Tsunade was roughly the same age as him, considering her current physical age, she could easily be his mother.
"Hm."
Tsunade's expression was indifferent. She responded softly, her face devoid of emotion, her beautiful eyes constantly sweeping over the three of them.
Honestly, Tsunade wasn't exceedingly beautiful, but she was irresistible due to her good background, good figure, and immense strength. A subtle, almost imperceptible aura slowly enveloped the three of them, centering on her.
Rinsu, with his superior sensory abilities, was the first to detect it. He smiled bitterly in his heart, realizing that today's intimidation was unavoidable.
The usually enthusiastic Shino and Haruyu's faces changed when they felt it, as if a great mountain was pressing down on them, making it impossible to breathe.
Facing the same oppressive force, Rinsu could calmly endure it, but Shino and Haruyu were utterly unable to resist.
Observing the three of them in secret, Tsunade sighed in her heart, agreeing with the Old Man Third's assessment.
"From today onwards, you will be members of Team Tsunade, and I will be your squad leader."
Tsunade looked at the three with a serious expression. The oppressive feeling on them instantly vanished. This oppression didn't have much effect on Rinsu, but it was quite overwhelming for Shino and Haruyu. Their faces turned pale, and a little cold sweat appeared on their foreheads. Their previous excitement and enthusiasm were gone.
"I don't want to say too much, because there's no need, unless you can pass the assessment and gain recognition." Tsunade spoke to herself, getting straight to the point.
'What kind of test will it be? The traditional bell-stealing test, or something else?' Rinsu pondered inwardly. The bell-stealing test was a Konoha tradition, though some squad leaders proposed other tests.
"The test is simple." Tsunade unfastened two small bells from her belt, a slight smile curving her lips:
"Take it from me within one hour."
The script seemed a bit off. Rinsu squinted, really wanting to know what Tsunade was thinking, but unfortunately, he couldn't read minds! His intuition told him that there was definitely something wrong!
There was no bento box, it was limited to one hour, and she didn't say what would happen if they didn't get the bells. One had to remember that Tsunade only had two bells, and the team had three people. Two bells for three people simply weren't enough to distribute. Having watched Naruto, Rinsu knew that it wasn't necessarily required to get the bells to pass. This test was more about testing the team's cooperation and trust.
"Ah?! How can we lay a hand on you, Lady Tsunade?"
Haruyu, who had always idolized Tsunade, opened her mouth slightly, looking surprised. Shino didn't show it as overtly, but it was almost the same. This made Rinsu sigh in his heart:
'What kind of teammates are these?'
Rinsu could almost guess that the three of them would definitely be severely tormented by Tsunade later, or rather, given a lesson. But Shino and Haruyu actually held the idea that they couldn't lay a hand on their idol!! This left Rinsu speechless.
"Oh? Is that so? Then don't lay a hand on me. The test didn't say I couldn't lay a hand on you."
Tsunade wore a strange smile, looking at the two, a hint of cunning and amusement in her eyes.
"..."
Shino and Haruyu finally realized: this was a test, not a fan meeting!!! But the words were already out. What now? The two exchanged glances, then looked back at Rinsu, their eyes full of apology.
Facing such an odd pair, even if you were angry, you couldn't express it. 'Hopefully, their future path will be smoother, with fewer setbacks.'
"Then let's begin. The Third Hokage thinks highly of you. Let me see if it's true."
Shaking the bells in her hand, Tsunade looked at Rinsu casually:
"You now have ten minutes to discuss how to take the bells from my hand."
Tsunade put on a very approachable expression, giving them ten minutes to discuss, "I'm very considerate."
"What do we do?"
Looking at Tsunade, who was staring blankly at the sky, Haruyu's face was full of difficulty and conflicted emotions. After the initial shock and excitement, the fire in her heart cooled down. Taking bells from Tsunade, one of the Sannin, was not an easy task.
Shino didn't speak, but looked at Rinsu. He understood that among the team, Tsunade valued Rinsu the most. Coupled with his naturally reserved and unassuming personality, Shino's first reaction was to see what strategy Rinsu had. As for Haruyu, Shino didn't have much hope for her.
"Yeah, what should we do?" 'I know my own limits,' Haruyu also looked at Rinsu.
Rinsu couldn't help but roll his eyes and said with a bitter smile, "There's a way, but it's useless against Tsunade."
"Why?" 'Since there's a strategy, why say it's useless?'
"Because in front of absolute power, all schemes are like a thin sheet of paper; one poke and it breaks."
Anyone who had watched Naruto knew Tsunade's fighting style. It was brutal. One punch could make your liver and guts tremble.
"Then we have no hope?" Yuzuru and Shino exclaimed in surprise.
"Do you think the Sannin's title is just talk?" He rolled his eyes at the two, seeing their dejected expressions. Rinsu didn't say much more. Honestly, he really didn't have a very good plan. If the strength gap between them wasn't too large, they could try. But if the gap was so large that it made you feel despair, any strategy was useless.
Ten minutes passed quickly. During that time, the three could only stare blankly at each other. Rinsu felt that Tsunade would be serious and wouldn't let the three of them pass the test so easily.
And Shino and Haruyu, having no ideas of their own, were at a complete loss.
Ten minutes were quickly wasted. Tsunade, who was staring blankly at the sky not far away, heard every word of their conversation without missing a single one. When Shino and Haruyu, having no ideas of their own, deferred completely to Rinsu, she felt a bit disappointed. However, Rinsu's analysis made her think a bit more highly of him.
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