Konoha, Hokage Building.
On the second day after officially taking office as the Hokage, Tsunade had Shizune call Shikamaru and Naruto to the Hokage Office.
Shikamaru, his hands in his pockets and a troublesome expression on his face, pushed open the door to the Hokage Office.
Naruto walked in, bringing Karin with him. Karin cautiously observed the spacious and bright office.
"Hokage-sama." Shikamaru bowed respectfully.
"Granny Tsunade." Naruto called out.
Karin also quickly bowed, saying, "Hokage-sama."
Tsunade sat behind the desk, holding three appointment letters between her fingers.
She pushed the first appointment letter in her hand toward Shikamaru. "Nara Shikamaru, in view of your performance during the Chunin Exams, although you lost to Temari of Sunagakure in the official match, the tactical planning ability, battlefield judgment, and extreme utilization of shadows you demonstrated in that battle have far exceeded the standard expected of a Genin."
"After a comprehensive evaluation by myself and the two Advisors, we have decided to officially promote you to Chunin."
"You can choose to remain in Team Asuma, or you can apply to lead a Genin team. Of course, there is no rush regarding leading a team, you can take your time to consider it."
"This... I'm being promoted to Chunin just like that? This is too troublesome."
Although Shikamaru said this, he took the appointment letter. His eyes scanned the appointment letter, and when he saw the seal of the Hokage beneath it, he sighed.
"However, since it is an appointment made personally by Hokage-sama, I have no choice but to accept it. Many thanks, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade nodded, then turned her gaze toward Karin. "Karin, I have already taken care of the matter that Naruto asked me to handle on your behalf. This is the official civilian naturalization permit for Konoha. As long as you sign it, you will be a legal resident of Konoha."
"I have arranged an independent apartment for you at the east end of the village. There is no need for you to squeeze into Naruto's place anymore."
"You mentioned before that you wanted to become a ninja. I am giving you two paths. The first is to take me as your master. I will personally teach you Medical Ninjutsu and train you to become an official Medical Ninja of Konoha."
"Your special physique provides you with unique advantages in Medical Ninjutsu. As long as you are willing to learn, I can train you to become a Medical Ninja who ranks among the best in the entire Ninja World."
"The second path is to be reassigned to a three-person squad like other Genin and start from D-rank missions, working your way up step by step."
"The choice is yours."
Karin took the appointment letter and then bowed toward Tsunade. "Thank you, sensei."
Tsunade nodded and finally turned her gaze to Naruto as she picked up the final appointment letter. "Naruto, based on the strength you demonstrated during the Chunin Exams, defeating Neji, completing the A-rank mission to retrieve Sasuke alone, assisting Jiraiya in repelling the S-rank rogue ninjas Itachi and Kisame, and..."
"Defeating me, one of the Legendary Sannin, head-on in Tanzaku Quarters."
"Following a comprehensive assessment by me and the Konoha Council, it has been decided to officially promote you to a Jonin of Konoha."
"At the same time, based on your previous application and my direct recognition of you during battle, I am appointing you as my direct subordinate Jonin."
"From today on, any of your mission assignments will be approved directly by me, without interference from any other department."
Shikamaru's mouth fell open, and he exclaimed with a shocked expression, "Repelled rogue ninjas? Defeated the Hokage? Jonin?"
"Naruto, you..."
He knew that Naruto was very strong. During the Chunin Exams, he had beaten Neji until he had no power to fight back. However, he never expected Naruto to be this strong.
He skipped Chunin entirely and became a Jonin. And it was as a direct subordinate Jonin to the Hokage, which meant that from now on, Naruto would not be under the jurisdiction of Anbu, Root, or other administrative departments, reporting only to Tsunade herself.
This level of trust could not be earned by strength alone.
Karin, on the other hand, did not think as complexly as Shikamaru. She just thought Naruto was amazing.
"Many thanks, Granny Tsunade." Naruto stepped forward and took the appointment letter with both hands.
"Naruto, since you have become a Jonin, you must attend today's meeting. This is a routine Konoha authority meeting, and all Jonin present in the village will attend."
"Becoming a Jonin means you have officially entered the core circle of power in Konoha and are no longer just a subordinate unit that only executes missions."
"You have the right to participate in discussions and voting on major affairs, and at the same time, you must also bear the corresponding responsibilities."
"Additionally, regarding the issue of your parentage, it will also be officially discussed at today's meeting."
Tsunade rested her chin on her clasped hands and looked at Naruto with a serious expression.
Shikamaru, standing to the side, felt his pupils constrict slightly?
Naruto's parentage?
Wasn't Naruto an orphan?
He had been an orphan in Konoha for twelve years, everyone knew that. But just now, Tsunade personally said "issue of your parentage."
A background that needed to be officially discussed at a Jonin meeting was definitely not as simple as that of an ordinary orphan.
Shikamaru suddenly remembered that his father had encouraged him to interact more with Naruto several times, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Before, he only thought it was because his father appreciated Naruto, but now, looking back, had his father known something all along?
What Tsunade was thinking was simpler and more direct.
She had just returned to the village to take over as the Hokage. Although her qualifications were solid, her foundation was not yet stable.
Although Danzo's Root had been blown to smithereens, the old guy himself was not dead yet, and he had popped up to cause trouble as soon as she took over as the Hokage.
Therefore, she needed to establish her own power within Konoha's power structure.
Naruto was capable of facing her head-on in terms of strength, was the son of the Fourth Hokage in terms of identity, and his performance during the Chunin Exams was witnessed by the whole village in terms of reputation.
She wanted to officially announce Naruto's identity so that all of Konoha would know that he was not some demon fox, but the biological son of the Fourth Hokage, who had sacrificed himself for Konoha.
An orphan who had been treated with cold eyes by the whole village since childhood was, in reality, the son of the hero who saved Konoha.
This long-overdue debt was enough to allow Naruto to completely shed the label of demon fox, and it would also allow Tsunade, by taking the opportunity to vindicate Naruto, to consolidate the legitimacy of the Hokage lineage once again.