Chapter 63
Chunin Certificate
The two special jonin are named Uzuki Kawa, the youngest special jonin in the Uzuki clan, who is about twenty years old, and Tsukiko Shiro, who is from the Tsukiko clan, which has been on good terms with the Uzuki clan for generations. She is a beautiful young woman with a good figure and a gentle face.
The remaining two were subordinates of Mitarashi Shishou, who had been trained as a Jonin leader. One was a man named Aomori, and the other was a woman named Miyagi Izumi. Both were commoner ninjas, fifteen years old, and their strength was considered elite among Chunin.
Given their age, they will have a good chance of being promoted to Jonin and becoming the backbone of Orochimaru's forces in just a few years.
As for why Mitarashi Shishou only had two students under his command, it was because the other one had died during a previous mission.
Even Jonin seeds, or young ninjas with the potential to become Kage, sometimes die unexpectedly while being trained and led by stronger ninjas. This is an unavoidable and occasional occurrence in the ninja world.
If a Jonin leading a squad can eventually train one Jonin, then it's already a good outcome for Konoha.
"Elder Mitomon has already assigned tasks to each support unit, and our unit, following the usual practice of previous operations, had its combat assignments determined beforehand. We..."
What Orochimaru said later actually had little to do with Uchiha Gen and the other two.
They were previously assigned to the Strategic Support Force, which was stationed on the second line, essentially existing as a reserve force.
In this team, although they have a special status and do not carry out any dangerous missions, they also have little power. They are not in the command or management level and are simply the ones being told what to do.
Those ninjas of the Jonin rank and above who actually had missions were all assigned to important positions in the various teams led by Orochimaru, as Orochimaru's own people, so that they could better control his power.
The main purpose of this small meeting was to allow Orochimaru's core members to meet and coordinate their internal affairs. There would be a meeting for the management of each team afterwards.
Then it's not something that Uchiha Gen and the others should participate in.
However, just as the meeting was about to end, Orochimaru kept Uchiha Gen and the others behind.
"There's one last thing I need to tell you three."
Orochimaru sat in the chair, took out a small notebook and a green Konoha ninja vest from under the table, and tossed them to Uchiha Gen.
Uchiha Gen opened the notebook and found that the first page had his own photo on it, along with his ninja number and a stamp below.
"Orochimaru-sensei, is this... a Chunin certificate?"
Has there ever been a ninja in Konoha's history who became a Chunin less than two months after graduating?
There might be some, but they are so few that you can count them on one hand.
Orochimaru continued to explain:
"It's a bit late. With your strength, you could have become a Chunin long ago. It's just that you haven't accumulated enough merits in the past. I originally planned to let you accumulate more merits and then participate in the Chunin Exams next month, so that the whole team could be promoted together. However, the war order this time is more urgent, so we have to use other methods."
Over the past few days, you have participated in the siege and investigation of four enemy ninja strongholds, all of which have been converted into missions of the corresponding level. Only after meeting up with Elder Mitomon can you submit your files and complete your promotion to Chunin.
Special Jonin and Jonin are few in number and belong to an important combat force in Konoha. At any time, promotion requires the approval of the Third Hokage himself.
As for Chunin, Konoha has at least several thousand, many of whom are ninjas of average talent who have risen through the ranks by age. High-ranking Konoha members like Mitokado Homura certainly had the authority to promote Chunin when serving as wartime commanders.
"When I'm not around, the team needs a Chunin to lead it in order to carry out C-rank missions. I'll entrust this mission to Gen. Flame Falcon and Ruri are already close to meeting the standard in terms of strength, but they still lack enough solid battle records. I will keep an eye on your performance. If your performance meets my expectations, you will soon be promoted to Chunin."
Orochimaru looked at Ruri Uzuki and Enjun Sarutobi and said.
These two disciples were slightly weaker than Uchiha Gen, but they had actually reached the threshold of Chunin level.
Orochimaru was unwilling to promote them now, mainly because his standards were quite strict.
In Orochimaru's view, there are still shortcomings in combat awareness, judgment, and tactical ability, and in terms of absolute hard power, these shortcomings are not enough to make up for.
However, as long as they further improve their strength in the following months, initially digest the benefits brought by the solid foundation laid over the past years, and take on more tasks within their capabilities, the ninjutsu taught by Orochimaru and their respective family traditions will allow them to improve rapidly.
Just like in the original timeline, Team 7 followed Kakashi for three months before participating in the Chunin Exams after the mission in the Land of Waves. Although only Shikamaru Nara passed the exam and was promoted to Chunin, it was enough to show that a newly promoted Genin with sufficient experience and resources has the opportunity to become a Chunin.
Excluding the special case of Uchiha Gen, Sarutobi Enjun and Uzuki Ruri are both top-tier ninja academy students. The former has a powerful inheritance from his father and grandfather, both of whom were Kage-level peak powerhouses. Although the latter comes from a small family, the deficiencies in her inheritance were made up for by becoming Orochimaru's apprentice.
With a few months of time and enough experience, they will be no worse than the more outstanding characters among the twelve main characters in the original timeline.
"Yuan, congratulations!"
Leaving the conference room, Uzuki Ruri looked enviously at the green Konoha ninja vest that Uchiha Gen was holding.
In her clan, there's only one Jonin who hasn't retired yet, and even with Special Jonin, you can count them on one hand. Chunin are already figures with a certain amount of influence in the Uzuki clan.
"Yeah, I wonder when Liuli and I will be able to keep up with you, but don't get cocky, we'll catch up soon."
Sarutobi Enjun put his arm around Uchiha Gen's shoulder, feeling a little jealous, but mostly congratulating him.
From the day he was defeated by Uchiha Gen on the day of the graduation exam, he watched with his own eyes how Uchiha Gen left him behind step by step.
Even though her father, the Hokage, said she was already doing quite well.
"Well, Orochimaru-sensei also said that becoming a Chunin isn't too difficult for you guys. Maybe we'll all be Chunin soon. Let's think about how to get through this period first. We can't stay in the safe second line forever. Sooner or later we'll have to step into the most dangerous place."