On the way home, Hinata couldn't help but ask Kusuo curiously, "Kusuo, what do you think sensei wants us to do when we meet up tomorrow?"
What are we going to do?
The bell test, of course!
But Kusuo didn't plan on revealing it ahead of time; otherwise, it would seem too abrupt. "I don't know. Maybe something to enhance our teamwork?" he said with a smile, then walked Hinata home, holding her hand.
After seeing her off, Kusuo returned home to meditate. Currently, of the entire Yoriichi Tsugikuni template, only the Transparent World remained locked. It was the strongest, most crucial, and also the most difficult skill to obtain. After Tanjiro awakened the Transparent World, he was able to cut off the head of Upper-Rank Three, Akaza, with a single slash—a leap in strength that could be described as meteoric. For the world he was currently in, the Transparent World not only meant he could see his opponent's movements a step ahead but also effectively avoid the Uchiha clan's genjutsu. Unless it was Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, other Uchiha had to rely on direct eye contact to cast their illusions. With the Transparent World, Kusuo would only need to focus on his opponent's entire body, naturally making genjutsu a non-issue.
The next morning, Kusuo woke up early. This meeting was, nine times out of ten, the bell test. He had already silently made his plans. What he hadn't expected was to find Hinata waiting for him at his door.
"Hinata? What are you doing here?" Kusuo was quite startled to see her.
Hinata held a bento box and said bashfully, "I was worried that Asuma-sensei would give us high-intensity training today, and then you wouldn't have time to eat properly, so I prepared a bento for you in advance."
That's what you say, but it doesn't explain why you're at my house! A girl showing up at a boy's house on her own initiative—and the protagonist of this story being the princess of Konoha's current number one noble clan, no less—would surely cause a huge uproar if word got out.
But she would never admit the truth: that she missed him so much that she couldn't help but come find him the moment she woke up.
Seeing through the young girl's thoughts, Kusuo didn't expose her. He smiled warmly, took her hand, and without giving her a chance to protest, pulled her into an embrace, whispering softly in her ear, "Thank you, Hinata."
Instantly, the girl's face flushed red all the way to the tips of her ears, and she buried her face deeply in his chest. A beautiful scene played out happily under the newborn morning sun.
...
"Looks like everyone is here early," Asuma remarked when he arrived, finding all three of them already present.
"Asuma-sensei, what's our objective for today? Are we going on a big mission?" Naruto asked, rubbing his hands together and looking like he was ready for a big fight.
"Haha, it's still a bit too early for you to be going on missions. We're still in the phase of getting used to each other. Although you spent all that time together at the academy, you've never fought side-by-side. You need to practice your coordination and teamwork." Asuma paused for a moment. "So... today's mission is—this!"
With that, he took a small bell from his pocket.
Just as I thought. Kusuo, who had been watching calmly, was already prepared and felt no surprise.
Naruto scratched his head. "A bell?"
"Eh? What's sensei going to do with that? Is he going to make us all wear a bell around our necks as an accessory?"
"Pfft!" Hinata couldn't help but giggle, and Asuma also burst into hearty laughter.
"Haha, Naruto, you really have an imagination. This bell isn't for you to wear as an accessory. And there's only one. Your mission for today is—to get this bell from my hands!"
Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at the small bell dangling from Asuma's hand.
"Sensei," Kusuo said, looking at Asuma. "To improve our coordination, you mean for us to cooperate, right?"
As expected of the top student, he gets it instantly. Asuma looked at him with approval and nodded. "I'll give you thirty minutes to discuss your strategy now. If you can successfully get this bell from me, I promise I'll treat you all to barbecue tonight!"
"YEAH!" The moment he heard "barbecue," Naruto's eyes lit up.
Soon, Asuma left briefly, leaving the three of them alone.
"What do we do? What do we do?" Naruto rubbed his hands together, looking eagerly at Kusuo and Hinata. Hinata naturally looked to Kusuo; at this point, she deferred to him in all matters.
"I have two plans," Kusuo said, holding up two fingers. "With either plan, I have a one hundred percent certainty of getting the bell. As for which one we use, you can choose."
"Two plans?" Naruto's eyes were filled with confusion. "As expected of Kusuo, you're amazing! Hurry up and tell us what they are." While he was usually optimistic, he genuinely acknowledged Kusuo's strength.
Hinata also looked at Kusuo with curiosity.
"First," Kusuo began after a moment's thought, "you two act as a diversion to distract Asuma-sensei, and I'll go in alone with my sword and grab the bell."
Naruto was dumbfounded. That's it? That was basically the same as saying, "You two just be useless salted fish, and wait for me to carry you." Naruto was naturally unwilling to accept that.
"The other one, the other one! What's the other method?"
Kusuo looked at the impatient Naruto and smiled mysteriously. He stood up, looking down at him from above.
"The other option is... you two lie down and stay out of the way, and I'll take on Asuma-sensei by myself."
--------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (51 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (50 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (50 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (30 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (70 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.