Of course, the same could be said for Sasuke and Hinata as well…
Tsunade's heart pounded with excitement as she suddenly declared, "I want to promote Naruto directly to the rank of Jonin."
Then she turned toward Jiraiya.
"What do you think, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya frowned slightly.
"Jonin?"
"Exactly," Tsunade replied confidently. "Naruto's overall strength already surpasses that of an average Jonin. As for mission experience, he participated in the Land of Waves mission, the ceasefire negotiations during the Konoha Crush, the battle involving the Sannin, the Sasuke Retrieval Mission, and now the mission to eliminate Orochimaru."
"He has more than enough real combat experience."
"Some of those missions could even be classified as S-rank."
She crossed her arms and smirked.
"Besides, the decision is yours only in theory. Unlike Chunin promotions, which are determined through examinations, Jonin promotions are directly appointed by the Hokage."
Tsunade smiled proudly.
"So I'll appoint him myself."
"Kakashi graduated from the Academy at age five, became a Chunin at six, and reached Jonin at twelve. He was considered a genius among geniuses, though that was during wartime."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"But Naruto becoming a Jonin at thirteen… that's even more extraordinary."
Jiraiya's lips curled upward with pride.
"And what about Sasuke and Hinata?"
"They participated in every battle as well. Wouldn't it be unfair to promote only Naruto?"
Tsunade laughed.
"Then we'll promote both of them to Special Jonin."
Shizune immediately interrupted.
"Lady Tsunade, Special Jonin isn't exactly a formal rank. It's more of a special title granted to shinobi who possess abilities between Chunin and Jonin level, usually with expertise in a particular field…"
"Of course I know that!" Tsunade snapped.
"But that works perfectly."
She leaned back in her chair.
"Hinata possesses unmatched perception and perhaps the purest Byakugan of her generation. Like Aoba and Genma, she's naturally talented in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering."
"On top of that, her combat ability likely already surpasses theirs. And after learning medical ninjutsu from me, promoting her to Special Jonin is completely justified."
"In fact, I think her talent has been underestimated for far too long."
Shizune fell silent.
"As for Sasuke," Tsunade continued, "he possesses the Sharingan, Chidori learned from Kakashi, the power of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal, and numerous ninjutsu, stealth techniques, and sealing arts he learned from Jiraiya."
"Like Anko, he excels in reconnaissance and assassination missions."
Jiraiya sighed.
"Tsunade… you're clearly doing this just to keep the balance between the three of them."
"Special Jonin are supposed to be rewarded after proving themselves in specialized missions, not promoted first and justified later."
"Isn't that backwards?"
Tsunade closed her eyes and folded her arms stubbornly.
"I'm the Hokage now. I can do whatever I want."
"Both of you should stop complaining."
Shizune could only stare helplessly.
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and laughed.
"You really haven't changed at all."
"But honestly… that's not necessarily a bad thing."
Then his expression turned serious.
"In that case…"
"The Chunin Exams are approaching soon."
Tsunade smiled immediately.
"Perfect. Let Team 7 take charge of them."
Shizune nearly choked.
"Huh?!"
"Even if Naruto has become a Jonin, he still isn't exactly suited for handling complicated organizational matters!"
Tsunade thought for a moment.
"Then add Shikamaru too."
Shizune looked utterly speechless.
"Isn't this decision way too casual?!"
Jiraiya burst into laughter.
"That's exactly your style, Tsunade."
—
Not long afterward, news of Orochimaru's death spread throughout Konoha and eventually across the entire ninja world.
The impact was enormous.
The Five Great Nations were shaken, and even the Akatsuki organization fell into turmoil.
But what truly shocked everyone was the identity of the person responsible for Orochimaru's death.
A thirteen-year-old boy.
Uzumaki Naruto.
That single name completely shook the ninja world.
Compared to that, Danzo's suspension during the ongoing investigation barely attracted attention. After all, he had always operated in the shadows through Root and the underground divisions of ANBU.
Soon after, another announcement spread rapidly throughout Konoha.
Naruto had officially been promoted to Jonin.
Meanwhile, Sasuke and Hinata had become Special Jonin.
Everyone in the village was stunned.
After all, it had only been slightly over a year since Naruto graduated from the Ninja Academy.
In just over a year, he had advanced from Academy student to Genin, then Chunin, and finally a true Jonin.
It was unprecedented.
Dressed in his brand-new Jonin uniform, Naruto finally looked like a genuine elite shinobi capable of standing on his own.
Sasuke and Hinata also received their Special Jonin uniforms.
The current Team 7 was no longer a squad of inexperienced rookies who required guidance and protection.
They had become a truly powerful force within Konoha.
And the first mission assigned to the new Team 7…
Was to oversee the upcoming Chunin Exams.
Naruto was both shocked and ecstatic.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that, in just over a year, he would go from taking the Chunin Exams to supervising them himself.
It felt unreal.
"Haha! Team 7 is fully responsible for the Chunin Exams! What an honor!"
Then Naruto suddenly remembered something.
"Wait… if I remember correctly, most of our classmates are still Genin, right?"
Hinata thought for a moment before nodding.
"Mhm…"
"Naruto-kun is now a Jonin, while Sasuke-kun and I are Special Jonin."
"Among the Chunin are Shikamaru, Shino, and Lee."
"As for Neji-kun and Sakura, even though they didn't officially become Chunin, they still reached the finals and are considered valuable candidates for future promotion."
"Tenten, Kiba, Ino, and Choji are all still Genin…"
A mischievous grin appeared on Naruto's face.
"So that means I can become an examiner and supervise them?"
"Hehehe…"
Hinata blinked.
"Naruto-kun… your smile looks kind of creepy."
Even Sasuke frowned.
"Our job is to ensure fairness, not mess around."
Hearing both of them say that, Naruto reluctantly gave up on whatever prank he had in mind.
"Alright, alright!"
Then he suddenly looked around.
"Huh? Wasn't Shikamaru supposed to meet us here?"
"Why isn't he here yet?!"
"Seriously, he's starting to act just like Kakashi-sensei!"
Before Naruto could continue complaining, Shikamaru slowly walked toward them while scratching his ear lazily.
"What a drag… why do I have to do this…"
Naruto immediately exploded.
"Shikamaru! You're late!"
"Remember, I'm the captain in charge of the Chunin Exams now, and the three of you are my subordinates!"
Shikamaru responded without enthusiasm.
"Yes, yes… Captain Naruto."
Naruto twitched angrily.
"You seriously haven't changed at all."
"You're still as lazy as you were back at the Academy."
Shikamaru smirked faintly.
"And weren't you exactly the same?"
"You, Choji, and I were constantly punished by Iruka-sensei and forced to stand in the hallway."
He looked at Naruto carefully.
"Honestly, I still can't believe you became a Jonin this quickly."
"It feels like a dream."
"Sometimes I even wonder if you were possessed by some kind of demon."
Naruto froze instantly before awkwardly scratching his head.
"Well… when I think about how I used to act back then, it really does feel like I became a completely different person."
"It seriously feels unreal."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"What if all of this really is a dream?"
"What if I'm still asleep in the Ninja Academy with my head resting on the desk?"
"Or maybe you're the one dreaming, Naruto."
Naruto nearly jumped in fright.
"AHHH! Don't say weird stuff like that, Shikamaru!"
Hinata quietly giggled beside them.
"If it really is a dream… then it's a very beautiful one."
Naruto immediately nodded.
"Exactly!"
Sasuke, however, remained calm as always.
"Can we discuss the important matters already?"
"I still need time to train afterward."
Naruto straightened himself immediately.
"Right!"
He thought carefully for a moment.
"The first stage of the Chunin Exams is usually a written test."
Then he turned toward Hinata.
"Hinata, you always had the highest academic scores, so I'll leave the exam questions to you."
Hinata nodded politely.
"Yes, Naruto-kun… Captain."
"But…"
Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"When we took the exam, that scary guy Morino Ibiki used all kinds of tricks."
"It wasn't just about testing academic knowledge."
Hinata nodded in agreement.
"That's right."
"The exam also tested intelligence gathering, teamwork, and a shinobi's ability to make decisions under pressure."
Naruto immediately groaned.
"That sounds way too complicated."
He pointed directly at Shikamaru.
"I'm leaving all that to you!"
Shikamaru blinked.
"Me?"
"Of course! Nobody's smarter than you!"
"…What a drag."
Naruto ignored him and continued enthusiastically.
"The second stage should test the team's overall combat ability through a large-scale survival battle!"
"Hmmm…"
"Let's do it like last time!"
"We'll use the Forest of Death again and have them collect Heaven and Earth Scrolls!"
Sasuke sighed.
"How unoriginal."
Naruto instantly glared at him.
"Then what's your idea, Sasuke?!"
Before Sasuke could answer, Shikamaru suddenly scratched his head again.
"Naruto… your enthusiasm is nice and all…"
"But aren't you forgetting something important?"
Naruto blinked.
"Huh?"
"What important thing?"
Shikamaru looked at him like an idiot.
"These Chunin Exams aren't being held in Konoha."
"They're taking place in the Hidden Sand Village."
Naruto instantly turned to stone.
"…What?"
Shikamaru held up the parchment in his hand.
"It's written clearly on the very first line."
"What exactly were you reading earlier?"
Naruto stared blankly.
"…Huh?!"
Hinata quickly leaned closer to check the document herself.
"That's true, Naruto-kun…"
"I understand now."
"Hokage-sama didn't assign us to manage the entire Chunin Exam itself. We're mainly there to cooperate with the Hidden Sand Village."
She smiled gently.
"Honestly, that makes much more sense."
"If it were the entire exam, just the four of us wouldn't be enough to handle everything."
Naruto grabbed his head dramatically.
"Why did this suddenly turn into a mission in the Hidden Sand Village?!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)