Iroko POV

"Oh, and it should come without surprise that I am an android."

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It took Yuura and me three good seconds before the information had sunk in and processed in our brains, and when it finally did:

"WHAAAAAAAAA?!"

"Wait, what do you mean you're an android?!" I asked.

"Put it simply," Hisao-sensei replied. "I am a computer system with the face of a man."

I stared on in complete shock. Seriously? How is that even possible? Huh?

I had turned to gaze at Asami who seemed to have relatively the same expression as from before. Don't tell me she knew already!

Yuura was the first to snap out of the shock. "But, w-wait, sorry but what does you being an android have to do with anything?"

Surprisingly, Hisao-sensei smiled, and his shades shone in the sunlight. "So you know what it is you're up against."

My eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

"Listen closely," Hisao-sensei said, pulling out what looked to be two bells dangling from a string. "With me here I have two bells on a string that will be on my person at all times. The three of you's objective is to take these bells from me before sunset today. If you fail to do so, I will send you back to the Academy."

I stood from where I sat. "What?! You can't do that!!"

"On the contrary," Hisao-sensei pointed out, "I have the authority to deem if whether or not you are fit to take under my wing. The sensei always has the last word on if you will become shinobi or not. This, Iroko, is your true final exam."

I stared in disbelief at the bells that held my fate in their hands. To think that this was the final test, I should have seen it coming. One of the Shinobi Rules is: 'A shinobi must prepare before it is too late to.' Such an idiot! That was when I had noticed something about the bells.

"Hey, wait a second. Why are there only two bells?"

"Because, in the end, no matter how hard we try, one of us will still be sent back," Asami answered, arms crossed. "Isn't that right, Hisao-sensei? Unless..."

He gave a smirk once again.

"But that's not fair!!" I cried.

"Really sorry but I still don't understand what you being an android has to do with any of this," Yuura pondered.

"Because of the fact that I have information on each of you's power stats."

That was when Asami's eyes had widened, the first sign of emotion I had ever seen from her.

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...

...

"Huuuuuuuuuh?!" Yuura and I broke. "Our power stats?!"

Hisao nodded. "You don't know it but I have been watching the three of you for a long time, gathering what information I could on your strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons, everything."

"Then how the heck are we supposed to win if you know everything about us?!" I demanded.

"That is for you to find out," Hisao-sensei replied. "Now fan out, the test begins now!"

As soon as he said that the three of us had dispersed from the area into the trees nearby.

I made sure to carefully conceal myself within the leaves and kept a kunai out just in case.

During those moments of silence, I took the chance to devise a plan on how to get those bells away from Hisao-sensei.

If he knew all my strengths and weaknesses then that meant that any jutsu I used he would know how to counter it.

So how could I possibly beat someone who knew everything about me?

Perhaps make a new jutsu on the spot?

Or catch him by surprise somehow?

Gah! This is so frustrating! Why did my sensei have to be some robot and not a normal human being?

The longer I thought about it the more time I had consumed and Hisao-sensei had found me in my hiding spot.

"Iroko, above you."

My instincts kicked in and I leapt off the tree, flinging my kunai in the direction of the voice.

But it hit nothing but the branch of a tree.

I landed onto a lower branch only to look up to find my target gone. I swore under my breath and took off into the trees.

He was there, that's for sure, I need to get out of this area as fast as p--

At that moment, my feet had tripped a barely visible wire and from the sides of the trees around shot out several kunai and shuriken with paper bombs tied to them.

WHAT THE HELL?!?!

There wasn't enough time to react fast enough. Using my Flash jutsu and chakra control, I planted my feet on the stem of a tree and ran up it as fast as I possibly could.

Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!

Below me, I could hear the explosion happen and a second afterwards I felt the shockwave of it hit me hard in the back, so much so that I was thrown off the tree and flung down to the forest ground.

My whole body was in so much pain that I found it hard to breathe, but I pulled myself up anyway.

However, when I looked up, Hisao-sensei was standing right there looking down at me with an intimidating shine in his shades.

I wasted no time whatsoever and went and engaged in taijutsu with him.

I'm taking that bell right now!!

I threw several kicks and punches at him from all angles, all while trying to reach for the bells, but the guy wasn't kidding. He had anticipated all of my moves and was repelling my attacks with waves of his hand.

It's like he can see into the future! I gritted my teeth.

"You are failing, Iroko," was all he said to me, still repelling my attacks, his expression impossible to tell with those shades on.

I gritted my teeth. "Oh, yeah?" Using the palm of his hand, I kicked myself away from Hisao-sensei and made my hands into the Shadow Clone Jutsu seal.

I heard a slight gasp of surprise from Hisao-sensei and I knew that at that moment I had caught him off guard.

"Don't underestimate me!" I shouted. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!!"