บท 690: C689 The Bell Test!

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"What are you brats up to?" Peter smirked in amusement, eyeing the boys who ambushed him and Kurama.

Shisui was the first to respond, bowing deeply. "Please, we want you to be our teacher!"

Itachi joined him, his face earnest. Both boys remained bowed, clearly unwilling to stand until Peter gave an answer.

Peter looked at the two young Uchiha, surprised by their request. It made sense, though. He was the strongest person in the village by a long shot, so they must see this as a golden opportunity.

However, he did notice how Itachi seemed to be following Shisui's lead, which made him wonder if Shisui had somehow talked Itachi into this. After all, Peter met Itachi earlier during breakfast, and the boy didn't seem too friendly at the time. Yet, now he wanted to be his student?

'Odd…' He thought. 'Shisui must have convinced him somehow.'

But there was also a possibility that this was a ploy by the Uchiha Clan to keep Peter close and friendly with them and the village. After all, It's better to have a powerful ally than a powerful enemy.

However, Peter quickly shook his head. He could see and feel the determination from Shisui. The boy was dead set on becoming his student, and no amount of acting could fake that. He truly wanted this, and it didn't seem to be fabricated either.

On the other hand, Itachi seemed noticeably less determined, which solidified Peter's earlier guess that Shisui dragged him into this.

Silence descended as Peter thought about his answer. Finally, he asked, "Why? Why do you want me to be your teacher?" His eyes bore into Shisui. "If your answers are good enough, I might give you a chance."

Shisui finally looked up at Peter, tears welling in his eyes as he began to speak. "I have no one left in this world anymore. My parents died in war shortly after I was born, leaving me with my grandma. She raised me like I was her own son. But even she left me."

As he spoke, Shisui's eyes turned to the tiny Kurama beside Peter, anger and hate beginning to show. "My grandma was old, bedridden, and had heart problems. When the Nine Tails attacked last night, she had a heart attack. I found her on the floor shortly after, dead. Instead of evacuating like everyone else, I just spent the night there with her head in my lap..."

Shisui turned back to Peter, his voice trembling. "I want to be strong like you, strong enough to protect the village so that nobody I love has to die ever again."

Peter frowned in sympathy as he glanced down at Kurama, who stood frozen for a moment. He knew that Kurama liked to pretend he was the big bad evil fox that didn't care about anything, but Peter could tell that he was affected by Shisui's words.

Peter tried to speak. "Kurama, it's—"

But Kurama cut him off, sneering to hide his emotions. "Do you think I care about what happens to these red-eyed demons? Yeah right." He then walked off, leaving them behind.

Hearing what he said, Shisui looked murderous as he gripped his hands tightly, his fingernails digging into his palms, and his Sharingan unintentionally activating, his eyes glinting a dangerous red. But he held back, knowing that he needed to make a good impression on his future master.

'?' Peter noticed the change in Shisui's eyes. 'I wonder if he already has the Mangekyo? He couldn't… could he?'

Sighing, Peter decided to worry about Kurama and Shisui's Sharingan later. Turning to Itachi, he asked. "And you? What's your reason?"

Itachi took a moment before answering, his voice calm but determined. "I want to protect the village and my family. I don't want my little brother to grow up in a world where he has to see the things I've seen."

Peter recalled from the Naruto show that Itachi's father took him to see a battlefield during the last Ninja War, and what he saw that day has scarred him ever since. Itachi's words made sense; he just wanted his brother to live in peace and safety.

Falling into a thoughtful silence, Peter looked at the two boys, their faces filled with hope and determination. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, I'll accept you as my students." After all, who would turn down the opportunity to be the master of two of the coolest Naruto characters?

Shisui and Itachi's faces lit up with joy, but Peter raised a hand to stop their celebration. "But, you have to pass a test first."

The boys exchanged a glance, then nodded resolutely. They were ready for whatever challenge Peter would throw their way.

Seeing their agreement, Peter asks. "Do you guys have a park or a training ground where we can go?"

Itachi nodded. "The clan has many training grounds. Follow me."

The trio walked through the quiet streets of the Uchiha district until they arrived at a walled-in empty field. It was spacious, more than enough for what Peter had in mind.

Peter took his place opposite the two boys and explained, "Alright, here's the test. Let's call it the bell test." A smirk played on his lips, knowing full well he was ripping off the same test that every team 7 had gone through after their graduation.

With a snap of his fingers, a small bell appeared, dangling from a string that he held between his fingers. Peter shook the bell, letting its soft jingle reach their ears. "All you have to do is take this single bell from me. If you can do that, I'll accept you as my students officially."

Itachi and Shisui exchanged wary looks, clearly not very confident. They were young, not even Genin yet, and Peter was strong enough to defeat the Nine-Tails with ease. Seeing their hesitation, Peter realized the test might be too difficult for them.

He thought it over for a moment before adding, "I'll give myself a couple of handicaps to make it less impossible for you." With another snap of his fingers, dozens of golden spell circles appeared, wrapping around his body before disappearing.

*Boom!*

Suddenly, a giant crater over a hundred meters in diameter formed below Peter's feet, shocking Itachi and Shisui, who nearly lost their footing as the ground changed.

Shisui exclaimed, "What was that?!"

Peter explained, "I've imposed restrictions on my body and increased the gravity around me so that I won't be able to move much faster than a Jonin-level ninja…"

Their shock quickly turned into determination as they began to see a possibility of victory. But Peter wasn't done. "I also won't use any of my powers. Just my own strength and senses. Meanwhile, you can use whatever you want to take the bell. As long as you take it from me, you win."

Shisui laughed, turning to Itachi. "We got this now."

Seeing their growing confidence, Peter smirked. "But let's up the stakes a little, shall we? After all, there's no penalty if you two lose."

Itachi frowned. "What do you want?"

Peter smiled mischievously. "Hmm, let's see… How about this? If I win, and you're unable to take the bell, then I want both of you to dance down every street in the village in dresses, singing the entire time."

Both boys screamed, "What?!" Shocked and bewildered, they were clearly very unwilling to do such a thing.

Peter smirked, asking, "What, not good enough? Should I make it worse?"

Itachi was about to start arguing, but Shisui quickly covered his mouth. "No, it's fine. We'll do it."

Itachi turned to him with a look that said, 'No, the hell we won't!'

Peter chuckled. "Good. Then we have a deal." He said, tying the bell to his belt, letting it dangle around his waist at his hip. "Alright, I'll remain in the training ground, and you have until the sun sets to take the bell. If you can't get it by then, you lose."

Itachi and Shisui glanced up at the sun, which was high in the sky, indicating it was already midday. Half of the day was already gone…

Peter looked at them with a smirk. "Ready? Three... two... one... start!"

As soon as the countdown ended, both boys glanced at each other and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving Peter standing alone in the middle of the training ground.

Peter smiled, muttering to himself, "Smart." He was impressed that kids so young had taken the time to run off and regroup. They were probably already discussing their plans to take the bell right now. He stood there, waiting patiently, curious to see what the two of them would come up with. 'Maybe I should make myself more comfortable since they could be a while…'

————

Shisui and Itachi reappeared in the branches of a tall tree, the leaves providing ample cover. They crouched low, catching their breath and glancing at each other with determined eyes.

Shisui spoke first, keeping his voice low. "Okay, we need a plan. He's strong, but he's given himself handicaps. We can use that to our advantage."

Itachi nodded. "He said he wouldn't use his powers. If we work together, we should be able to distract him and grab the bell."

"This is what we'll do…" Shisui considered their options for a moment. "I'll create a diversion while you…" he explained his plan, taking charge of their two-man team. "…and if we're lucky, and he's slow enough, we should be able to get the bell…"

Itachi nodded again, determination flashing in his eyes. "Got it. Let's do this."

They both disappeared again, moving silently through the trees until they found Peter once more. However, what they saw stopped them in their tracks.

"This b*stard isn't taking us seriously…" Shisui gritted his teeth.

In front of them, Peter was lying back in a sun chair, his clothes changed into a swimsuit and sandals. He seemed to be sunbathing, completely ignoring them. The bell still hung from his swimming trunks, gently swaying in the wind as he relaxed.

Shisui and Itachi exchanged incredulous looks, their initial determination now mixed with bewilderment and a hint of frustration.

Peter, meanwhile, continued to bask in the sun, a small, amused smirk playing on his lips…

————

Across the village, Minato sat at his desk, his face grim as he sifted through the stack of papers Peter had given him. The crimes of Danzo and Hiruzen, detailed in excruciating clarity, were almost too much to bear.

The more he read, the more his stomach churned. It was a tangled web of deceit, manipulation, and betrayal that left him questioning the very foundations of the village he had sworn to protect.

'Maybe Peter was right…' He thought, Peter's words replaying in his mind. 'Would it really have been such a bad thing if Hiruzen died?'

He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. The last 24 hours were shaping up to be one of the worst days he could remember. He let out a deep sigh, pushing the papers aside for a moment to gather his thoughts.

But just as he was about to sink deeper into his growing despair, the window to his office swung open. Minato's eyes snapped to the intruder, ready to defend himself if necessary.

To his immense relief, he recognized the man climbing through his window, a tall, muscular man with long, spiky white hair and a distinct red line running vertically down each cheek. It was his sensei, Jiraiya, the pervy toad sage.

[Insert picture of Jiraiya here]

"Minato!" Jiraiya's voice boomed with a mix of concern and relief. "I heard about the attack and came back as quickly as I could. Are you alright? Where's Kushina? Is the baby okay?!"

Minato stood up, a faint smile breaking through his troubled expression. "Jiraiya-sensei. It's good to see you." He walked over and clasped Jiraiya's shoulder. "I'm alright, Kushina is alright, and the baby is doing great too, though I haven't had much time to spend with him. It's been... a challenging time."

Jiraiya looked him over, his eyes sharp with worry. "I'm just glad you're safe." He sighed in relief. "The attack has every other village scrambling to figure out if they should attack us or not, but with you alive and well, that's not very likely to happen…"

Minato nodded, his smile fading as the weight of his responsibilities pressed down on him again. "It's not just that, sensei. There are other issues. Bigger ones, in some ways."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, sensing the gravity of the situation. "What happened?"

Minato gestured to the stack of papers on his desk. "Well…" he was about to explain, but before he could, a masked ninja suddenly appeared before them, kneeling in a formal stance. "Lord Hokage, there's a matter in the Uchiha Clan district..."

Minato raised an eyebrow, almost dismissing it. "I'm sure the Uchiha can handle it themselves—"

"But it involves our guest," the ninja interjected quickly.

That caught Minato's attention. "Peter? What about him?"

Before the ninja could respond, Jiraiya turned to Minato, curiosity piqued. "Peter? Who's Peter?"

Minato sighed, glancing at Jiraiya. "It's a long story. But let's go see what this is about…"

A/N: 2222 words :)

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