The key.

...

I find myself looking up at the moon that is rising on the horizon.

After thinking for a while, I came to the conclusion that there must be several ways to solve this test.

'That guy must want to see something from us and it's most likely that we don't attack our comrades'

"For my part, I don't have a problem with this but I wouldn't say the same about my colleagues"

Rai, that guy looks like he'll be the first to think of attacking.

As for Sayuki, that girl always has that nonchalant look on her face, plus she has a gloomy profile that reminds me of a certain white skin type.

Personally I would not like to try my luck with Sayuki since I have never seen her show her strength and that gives me a lot of uncertainty (After all Yuu does not want to reveal all her abilities).

'Well, I think I'll go find him to try to talk' I have to prevent them from attacking each other.

...

After searching for a while, I found no trace of anyone.

So I headed towards a river and suddenly I saw a silhouette and I quickly hid in a tree.

I stick my head out and see the silhouette of a woman.

I recognize that she is Sayuki.

'Wow' I expected to find anyone but this girl.

After all she did look like a cautious person.

But she's there she is, in plain sight, she looks like she didn't even try to hide.

Then I move a little closer to get a closer look.

She is looking towards the water without doing anything else.

"You know, it's rude to spy on someone like that" She spoke calmly without moving from her position.

'Mn?. He could discover me so easily'

I am momentarily surprised.

'Well, there's no point in hiding'

So the moment I come out she turned her head to the side of her and I see another person come out.

It's Ray.

Then Sayuki quickly turns around to look at Rai and then at me.

I don't know why, but when I saw the scene it suddenly occurred to me that the guy next to me was the one who was discovered and I just ate a trap.

I feel like talking and asking about my thoughts but decide to keep quiet.

"How curious, I didn't think we would meet so quickly" I speak but no one answers, they all look at each other in silence.

It seems that we are going to attack each other at any moment but strangely this delicate balance is maintained and nobody does anything.

We look at each other for a while.

"Hey, how about I propose a temporary truce and we talk things over?"

I decide to talk before we really attack each other.

No one answers me but Sayuki who was silent is the first to speak.

"Okay" I look at her a little surprised.

I didn't think she would be the first to agree.

"I also say the same" And Rai is the one who continues the word.

...

So we are all three gathered around but with some distance between us.

"What do you think about this?" she asked directly.

Rai is the first to speak.

"Very strange, there is clearly no point in this test, it practically tells us to fight each other but then there is the problem that there is no guarantee that all the scrolls are true, so it seems that passing only two is invalid in the first place" It seems that Rai has given things some thought.

'Very good inference but you still need to see through it' I nod silently.

"So what do you think Sayuki" Sayuki is silent and then proceeds to speak.

"A pointless test..." When I'm about to nod she continues speaking.

"...but it seems that it is a test after all"

"Mn?" A slight shine to my eyes.

"From the beginning the teacher did not ask us to do anything in particular, but he gave us two options to act"

"Attack our companions or wait patiently until the test is over"

"But the strange thing is in the scrolls" She takes the scroll out of her and shows it to us.

"He said that only 3 of the 6 were true but he only let us choose one"

"It is more than clear that the true or false of this does not matter, what is important is the scroll itself, putting some kind of value is only to make us doubt our mission objective (the scroll)"

"The deadline is to make us test our patience in the face of our uncertainty"

"The master didn't tell us that we should do something with the scroll so it seems pointless but if you think more carefully then you'll realize that if they have any goal and it's to serve as a pass, in other words their goal is to be stolen by other"

"From my point of visit when one of us has the three scrolls and when the test ends, in other words it is failed since previously the teacher said that only two could pass"

"In conclusion: if someone gathers the three scrolls then that one will be disapproved and if for some reason we decide not to do anything then who passes or not will be decided by itself the uncertainty of the scrolls"

"But in conclusion I am still unsure on many points, I could not specify the real purpose of this test"

Then she stops talking.

Rai and I looked at her in astonishment.

'What a deep thought'

"Just what I was thinking..." I say with a smirk.

Rai to the side looks at me with a look of contempt.

What Sayuki just said cleared up some doubts that she had and she has made me think very deeply.

Then the scene goes silent for a couple of seconds.

"I think I have some guess on this," I say suddenly.

They roll their eyes at the same time.

"This has to do with some anecdotes I heard in the past about some ninjas who did their missions"

"In which they say that they were in some situations where they were carrying very important information but they had their companions very injured and they were in a certain dilemma-"

"What does it have to do?" Says Ray.

"Well, if I compare it with the options that Sayuki gave me then I could say that if we take the option of stealing the scroll from our companions it would be equivalent to killing them since they are too weak to withstand them and continue the mission alone to prevent them from If by chance your companions are captured, the information will be leaked or maybe it is to have a better chance of avoiding being captured due to the burden that the companions pose" I say with a smile.

At the moment Rai frowns while Sayuki doesn't change her expression but becomes thoughtful.

"And the other mission would naturally be to trust your companions and complete the mission"

"So I say that the objective of this 'test' is to see our true faces, the scrolls are symbolic, our individual actions are what will be taken into account"

By the time she finished speaking the scene went silent.

After talking I start thinking about other things.

'This apparent 'simple test' is to test our hearts'

I wait a while longer but the teacher doesn't show up, so I sense that he doesn't care that we see through her test, but what we can do from it.

In my head I already have my next course of action.

'Being able to take the scroll from your companions can only show how determined you are to complete the quest even if it means your companions can't.'

'Let me explain: The uncertainty of the scrolls tests whether you should trust your companions not to be captured to avoid ruining the quest; the scrolls are the information that each companion has in his memories (under the premise that the enemy should not know about them); The extended time is the patience or tolerance you can have to your teammates about the mission' (PDA: Something like what Kisame did for the mission)

"If we take this as the interpretation of the test, then in the mission I would be one of the wounded in battle since I am the person with the least qualifications here, so I would only have to give up this mission (suicide) so that my companions who are in a better state than I have a better chance of completing the quest" Then he took out my scroll and tossed it to the center.

Then they are immediately surprised, even Sayuki frowns at my action since this means that I am giving up my test since the teacher said that only one will not be able to pass and I am giving up so I will be the only one to fail.

"Are you sure of this?"

"Yes" I calmly answer Rai.

Then the scene goes silent again.

"If it's as you say then I'll quit too"

"That?" Rai exclaims at Sayuki's sudden statement.

"If he is wounded then it means that the enemy has had a chance to hurt the weakest of us, in which I include myself since your qualifications are better than mine"

"I give you all my resources so that you can have a better chance of survival while I quit (suicide) taking some enemies with me"

Then the scene goes silent as our gazes focus on Rai to see what he does next.

Seeing his looks, Rai can't take it anymore and speaks.

"Then I also give up the mission" he Says also throwing his scroll to the center.

"You can't, who's going to continue the mission?" Sayuki says.

Rai blushes slightly with embarrassment for not having thought of that.

"Of course I can"

"As?" I put on a curious look.

Rai starts to think and his eyes light up.

"If it's information that compromises the village then there's no problem right?"

So I make a face.

'So what if it's information that the village needs from the enemy?'

Then instantly something happens that leaves me speechless.

Sayuki is getting closer to the center as he says.

"Then I recover what I said before and I return to the mission since you do not have the courage to do it" he says without any expression while he walks slowly.

Then instantly Rai jumps up.

"Stop right there, I'm going back to the mission too" Rai says preventing Sayuki from picking up the scroll from him.

I don't stay behind and quickly pick up my scroll.

Then we fall silent again.

"How about this, let's go with the other option, I trust that my colleagues will destroy the information when the time comes for them to be caught"

I say with a smile.

"I agree too" He says quickly to avoid eyes focusing on him again.

"Me too" Sayuki says immediately.

The scene goes silent waiting for something to happen like the teacher showing up while he says 'approved' or something.

But time passes, but nothing happens.

"How about we cook something?"

""...""