Naruto: Chronicles of a Fire Ninja - Chapter 334

Chapter 334: Chapter 330: From Chunin to Jonin
After having their fill along with some small banter and Ryota’s claim that he would also soon reach Jonin position and Kaida wouldn’t be the only one to always remain ahead, Kaida took the challenge happily. They returned to their houses, where Hae and others were waiting for Yomi to return. As soon as they opened the door—

Pack

“Congratulations!” everyone shouted as the ribbon which Shisui blasted fell on the ground before Yomi.

“Thank you, but how did you guys know that I passed the test? Did Kaida mention it?” Yomi asked.

“Nope, we were already sure that you would be able to become Chunin easily, with the amount of hard work you have put into it,” Hae said gently, patting Yomi’s head.

“Congratulations, sis! I also knew you would pass,” Naruto said, passing a handmade card to Yomi.

“Thanks, brother,” Yomi gave a happy smile and patted Naruto’s head.

“Guah!” came a voice from the background.

“Oh! Yes, he has also prepared something for you,” Shisui said with a smirk. Hearing that, Yomi nodded with a smile and went toward the backyard followed by everyone, only to be surprised by what she was seeing.

The bear had a full leg piece on his plate, completely untouched. With how much he loved his food, it was not an overstatement that he had taken a huge amount of willpower to stop himself from eating that food for so long.

“You saved your best piece for me! Thank you so much, but you know I can’t eat this much. Let’s share it, okay?”

“Guah!” came a joyous reply.

“So cute, but you are still going to train with me from tomorrow,” Kaida said.

“Guah!” Kenta roared in defiance, but seeing no change in Kaida’s smile, it could only turn to Hae and release another plea.

“He’s right, Kenta. You are getting fat—a little exercise will be good for you,” Hae said. In return, Kenta made a face none of them present there thought was possible for him to make.

It was the look of betrayal a 5-year-old child would give when his mother tells him that he is adopted. Even though it was super funny, none of them laughed, because they were sure Kenta would start crying at that.

Because of only eating two times a day and sleeping for the rest of the time, Kenta was gaining weight faster than should have been biologically possible, now appearing more like a round furry ball. While it looked exceptionally cute, it was not healthy or practical.

That’s why Kaida decided to put Kenta on a strict exercise schedule from then on, though it kept pushing it further. So Kaida had given it time until Yomi’s exam to get ready.

“Don’t worry, exercise is from tomorrow. Today we are going to have a party,” Yomi said, patting its head, bringing back a little life to its face, and in turn bringing smiles to everyone’s faces as well.

…

Things progressed normally for one week, with everyone focusing on their tasks. Yomi also had to take a group of three genin for a mission, all of them older than her, and being part of the Genin force of Konoha—the ninja who didn’t have much talent and were not able to reach the level of Chunin even after giving their best for years.

They comprised the majority of force of every village, with only a few becoming Chunin or even fewer ever becoming Jonin. Such people were normally put under a chunin and took C or sometimes B rank missions once or twice a week, to get enough money to live a mediocre life.

Aside from the mission Yomi took, there was nothing out of the ordinary, until at last a message came to three houses in Konoha, with the Hokage’s seal on it, making it an official letter.

The contents of the letter were simple—they were being promoted to Jonin rank due to their exceptional merits in the chunin exam, and they had to be present in the Hall of Leaf, a fancy name for a building used for such promotions, near the Hokage monument.

Getting the letter, both Kaida and Kabuto were super happy, though their reasons were different. Kabuto was happy that he would now have enough money to effectively help his orphanage, whereas Kaida was happy that he could finally complete some of his plans.

But the third person who got this letter was in a gray zone—even though he was happy, that happiness was doused by the fact that he would not be able to do anything even after becoming a Jonin.

Being a prodigy, he was a person who had been using Chakra from the time he was just four, always performing physical tasks way above the limit of his physical body. One could say he had gotten a proper taste of what power felt like.

Now if you tell such a person not to use chakra for even a second, he would live the most boring phase of his life then and there, and there was nothing he could do.

Not when he was seeing his father liquidating some of their family shops for funds for his medicines. Even though getting 3-4 million per month wasn’t a big deal for their family, most of it was going to other business.

They didn’t have much liquid funds at hand, and Fugaku sold two of their family shops in the main central part of Konoha for the funds. Being the clan head of one of the most powerful clans, he had a reputation to maintain, so there was no way he was going to ask for it from the clan’s funds, even though he could easily do that.

Itachi was the clan’s most prized ninja, comparable to Shisui, so no one would raise a single complaint if money was taken for his healthcare, but Fugaku, being an upright father, couldn’t do that.

And Itachi, seeing all this, couldn’t bring himself to defy his parents’ order to never use chakra until he was perfectly fine. So he was always controlling his urge and reading books to pass his time, and in such a scenario, there was nothing a Jonin promotion would change other than making him an ill Jonin from an ill Chunin.

But there was nothing he could do anyway, so he went to the hall along with Kabuto and Kaida, obviously followed by their family members. In Kabuto’s case, some of the children and orphanage caretaker Nono came too.

She was the person who deeply cared for Kabuto and taught him all the medical jutsu he knew till now—she basically treated him like her son.

But as cruel as fate and Danzo could be, he had somehow pitted her against Kabuto during a mission, in which Kabuto killed her thinking her an enemy, which was one of the major reasons for his personality during the later part of the story.

Luckily she was still alive and was managing an overly large orphanage by herself, a very resource-consuming thing. All of her savings from her time as a medical ninja in Root were almost spent, and the orphanage sustained itself from donations and help from the village.

While she did some medical work as well to get extra cash, providing for the needs of more than 100 children was a money black hole—no amount was enough, so the living conditions were modest at best. That’s why Kabuto was happy that he could help now.

—

The Hall of Leaf lived up to its name, with sunlight streaming through tall windows adorned with the village’s symbol etched in stained glass. The wooden panels along the walls displayed carved scenes of Konoha’s history, from its founding to present day.

Three rows of seats faced the raised platform where the Third Hokage sat, flanked by the village council and several distinguished jōnin. One of the most powerful and influential groups of Konoha, it had to be noted that they were the group responsible for selecting a new Hokage through votes.

Kaida, Kabuto, and Itachi stood at attention before them, each wearing freshly pressed uniforms. Behind them, their families and supporters filled the guest seats. Nono sat with her orphanage children, who could barely contain their excitement at seeing Kabuto in such an important ceremony.

The Uchiha clan members maintained their characteristic dignity, though Mikoto’s eyes along with Fugaku’s shone with pride as they watched Itachi. Shisui, Hae, and Yomi sat together, sharing the same prideful look, just differing in whom they were directed at.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rose from his seat, and with his movement, the murmurs in the hall died down as everyone showed proper respect he deserved.

“Today, we gather to recognize three exceptional shinobi who have demonstrated skills, judgment, and dedication far beyond their years,” his voice carried clearly through the hall.

“In times of peace, it becomes even more crucial to nurture those who can protect and guide the next generation. These three have shown not just combat prowess, but the wisdom to know when to use it.”

His gaze swept over each candidate. “Their exceptional performance in the Chunin exam held in Kumogakure has helped the village in more than one way, and I along with other elders have decided to give them proper reward for such an achievement.”

The Third Hokage’s eyes lingered briefly on Itachi, a flash of concern crossing his features before he continued. “The rank of jōnin carries not just privileges, but heavy responsibilities. You will be entrusted with our village’s most crucial missions and the training of future generations.”

He gestured for them to step forward. One by one, they knelt before him.

“Do you swear to uphold the principles of Konohagakure, to protect its people, and to pass on the Will of Fire to future generations?”

“We swear,” their voices rang out in unison.

“Do you accept the responsibilities of a jōnin, to lead by example and place the village’s needs above your own?”

“We do.”

Hiruzen nodded, satisfaction evident in his expression. “Then by the authority vested in me as the Third Hokage, I hereby promote you to the rank of jōnin.”

As they rose, three senior jōnin stepped forward, presenting each with a new flak jacket – darker green than their chunin vests, with additional utility pockets marking their new rank.

That, along with new headbands much harder and having better seals than previous headbands, was presented to them as well. The hall erupted in applause, the orphanage children being particularly enthusiastic in their cheering for Kabuto.

With this, Konoha got three new Jonins in their ranks.