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"Wait, is that… Heigang?" Bi Ji's eyes widened as he looked at the man. "Weren't we supposed to be capturing a jonin? Why'd we end up with a chunin?"
"Chunin?!" Akio almost lost his balance and stumbled. "We've been tricked. They're gonna send reinforcements soon—we need to move. Fast."
He started packing up while shouting, and the others immediately followed suit.
"Heh, you're not going anywhere," Heigang said from the ground, grinning. "The cave entrance is surrounded. You're all gonna die here."
"Damn it." Just hearing him talk pissed Akio off. He dropped his bag, pulled out a kunai, and slashed Heigang's clothes to shreds—leaving only his underwear. Then he started carving shallow but painful cuts all over the guy's body.
Then, grabbing some sugar from Miji, he sprinkled it over Heigang's wounds.
"AHHHHH!!"A blood-curdling scream ripped through the cave. They say putting salt in wounds hurts like hell, but sugar's no joke either. Akio hoisted the bloody man over his shoulder and tossed him deeper into the cave.
Not long after, even more horrific screams echoed from within—ants swarmed from every direction, crawling over Heigang's body, burrowing into his wounds, and feasting on his sugar-covered flesh. It was the kind of agony no human could endure.
"Akio, that's…" Tian Tian stared into the depths of the cave. Everyone already had their packs on their backs.
"Forget him. He'll stop screaming soon enough," Akio shook his head.
"I've been thinking—why don't we just fight them?" Guy cracked his neck. "I'll take on however many show up."
"Same here," Lee agreed with a nod.
"How many are coming?" Akio turned to the captured chunin. The guy was drenched in cold sweat—Akio had told him earlier he'd make him suffer, and now after witnessing that horrifying scene, he was scared speechless.
"A-At least three jonin... and maybe some ANBU too. There's even a chance Mieikage might come."
"At least three jonin…" Akio pressed his lips together. "Yeah, it's dangerous. But honestly, this might also be our best shot."
"I knew it. Even if the jonin from smaller nations are weaker, they can't be that weak," Guy said, glancing into the cave.
"Let's fight," Neji added from the side.
"What do you think... Third?" Akio turned to look at Luku. Luku froze. The others in the cave also stared, confused.
"What are you talking about, Akio?" Guy looked between Akio and Luku, who just stood there smiling silently.
"Luku-sensei doesn't know how to use that kind of barrier," Akio walked right up to him. "And he never smiles like that. Luku-sensei hates trouble, but he'd never just stand by while we're outside fighting. Also, he wouldn't have been watching me so closely this whole time."
Akio stared directly into Luku's eyes, unwavering. But "Luku's" eyes narrowed—and he slowly raised his hands and formed a hand seal.
Poof!A puff of white smoke burst out, and standing before them now—was the Third Hokage.
Everyone's eyes went wide.
"Lord Third!" Guy's big round eyes were locked onto the man in front of them.
"You're sharp, Akio. But even if you knew I wasn't Luku, how did you figure out I was the Third?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
"Well, Luku-sensei's capable enough to handle Hokage work while you're away, and he wouldn't blow his cover so easily. Plus, he'd never accept this mission without permission. The only one who insisted on taking it right away… was you. Honestly, who else but the Third could've made that call?"
"So you figured all this out just to test me, huh, Third?" Akio asked boldly.
"Mm." The Third took a pipe from his pocket and lit it. "Finally, I can have a smoke."
"And what exactly were you testing me for?"
"To see if you're worthy of becoming Hokage one day," Hiruzen answered plainly.
"I'm not," Akio replied instantly, shaking his head. "I don't want to be Hokage. Just being someone who assists the Hokage is already a pain in the ass."
"Exactly—Luku told me that's how you felt. That's why I wanted to test you myself."
"Old man, you've watched me grow up. You know what kind of person I am. I've got zero interest in becoming Hokage."
"Guys, can we focus on the situation here?" Lee looked toward the cave entrance. "They're about to arrive."
"The Third's here. Why panic?" Akio grinned. "Actually, I wasn't sure at first. But the more I thought about it, the more I had to ask. And once I did, well—everything made sense."
"So what's the plan now, Lord Third?" Guy asked.
"Just follow Akio's lead. That's how it's been this whole time," the Third said calmly.
Guy glanced at him, then turned to Akio.
"Alright then, let's fight. And if we lose, well, we've got the Third with us," Akio said as he set down his pack. He finally felt some relief—he had been planning to use Flying Thunder God to teleport home if things got too rough.
"You'll help out this time, right, Third?" Akio looked at Hiruzen.
"Of course," the Third nodded.
"Great. Let's go." Akio nodded back, pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai, and walked out first. The others followed.
And just in time—dozens of ninja burst out of the woods, stopping right in front of them. The Third remained in the cave for now. As long as Akio and the rest could hold their own, it was best if the Third didn't reveal himself too soon.
"You Konoha punks came all this way with just a few people, and you think you can meddle in our Mien Country's business?" The lead jonin sneered. He actually looked a lot like Yamashin.
"Father!" Yamashin ran out of the cave and shouted to the man in front. Sure enough, the guy was Yamashin's father, Yamaba.
"Yamashin?! What are you doing over there? Get back here!" Yamaba was clearly shocked to see his son standing with the enemy.
"Dad! What the hell are you doing? Why are you betraying the country?!" Yamashin yelled, looking torn up.
"Yamashin! You don't understand anything! Come here now—before you get hurt!"
"Dad! Please, surrender! You can't beat them!" Yamashin had seen the Third Hokage earlier—there's no way these guys stood a chance.
"Quit talking nonsense, Yamashin! Come back here!" Behind Yamaba stood a group of ninja.
Akio did a quick count—fifteen young genin, two chunin, three jonin, and two ANBU-looking types in masks.
"....."