Half a month later, Yami returned to Konoha with Koyuki Kazahana, who had finished filming.
Shisui, who was nearly driven crazy by the redundancy problem, endured it for one day. The next day, he rushed to the door and respectfully invited Yami to the Hokage's office.
When the two of them sat down, Shisui immediately complained. "Yami-sama, what should we do now? Tens of thousands of ninjas have nothing to do. I am worried about assigning them all to various bases.
This is too complicated. I really can't manage it. I can only wait for your advice."
Yami leaned back in his chair, completely unmotivated. "Shisui, you've been with me for more than ten years. Why are you still so easily swayed by emotions?
It's just a small matter, you can handle it however you want. Even if you don't do well at the beginning, you can correct it slowly in the future. Can it really be so bad that it will trigger a new ninja world war?"
"It's hard to say."
Yami could not hold it in anymore. "Hard to say? What is that supposed to mean?"
Yami pointed at Shisui, who kept turning his head in hesitation, and said helplessly. "I'll help you this last time. After this, we will hold the succession ceremony."
Shisui looked up in disbelief.
A few days later, the news spread.
Konoha was going to reform the ninja system. It involved everyone, whether they were former Konoha shinobi or ninjas from other villages. As long as they still wanted to make a living in this field, they had to take the assessment.
In the past, Konoha actually only had three clear ranks: Genin, Chūnin, and Jōnin.
Jōnin were essentially Chūnin, but it was an honorific title given to those who had reached the level of Jōnin in certain aspects. It was a recognition from the village.
The title Elite Jōnin was even more vague. Generally, those who had stayed at the Jōnin rank for a long time and had successfully completed more than five S-rank missions were considered Elite Jōnin.
As for Hokage?
Hokage was not really a ninja rank at all. In the past, only the leaders of major nations could be called Kage.
Such a grading system was clearly no longer suitable now, especially with the number of Kage-level masters. Including those from other villages and Konoha's own, their total already exceeded twenty. They could not all be treated as ordinary Jōnin.
Therefore, this reform clarified the organization system into: Kage, Elite Jōnin, Jōnin, Special Jōnin, Chūnin, and Genin.
There was no limit to the number of Kage-level masters. As long as you could earn Kakuzu's recognition or fight with Deidara, you were considered to have stepped into the threshold of Kage-level.
It was worth mentioning that the application fee for each exam was 5 million ryō. Yami took 50%, and the rest went to Kakuzu and Deidara. It was said that, in order to monopolize profits, Kakuzu…
There was no specific strength requirement for Elite Jōnin.
It was just a refinement of the previous rules.
If you completed more than five S-rank missions and thirty A-rank missions, you could become an Elite Jōnin.
The total number was capped at 200.
If you wanted to become an Elite Jōnin after the cap was reached, you had to challenge an existing Elite Jōnin.
Only by defeating them could you take their place.
There were 2,000 Jōnin spots available. You could not obtain a Jōnin seat through duels, only through missions or special assessments.
The rest were distributed as 10,000 Special Jōnin and 30,000 Chūnin.
In other words, the numbers Yami gave reduced the total number of ninjas to almost a quarter of the original.
As for Genin, there was no limit on the number, but there was a maximum service time. If you failed to become a Chūnin within three years, you would automatically be removed from the ninja corps.
This assessment was to reclassify ninjas and also serve as a basic test.
Of course, the unsuccessful ninjas and those who wanted to retire were not abandoned completely.
They could choose to join civilian organizations or enter the World Government's security department to regain their jobs.
After hearing the news, Sasuke, who was chasing the remnants of the Samurai clan outside, rushed back to the village almost without rest.
God knew how long he and Naruto had been waiting for this day.
They had remained Genin for four full years, while most of their classmates, not to mention elites like Shikamaru and Hyūga Neji who had already been promoted to Jōnin, had at least become Chūnin.
Fortunately, the three-year Genin service rule would only be applied after this assessment.
Otherwise, if they delayed any further, Yami would have forced them to retire.
However, as soon as they returned to the village, reality struck them like a bucket of cold water.
Kakashi, who now had two Kamui Sharingan, smiled at Sasuke and Naruto as they came to register, and said lightly. "Have you forgotten basic common sense? If you want to register for the Chūnin exam, you need to be in a group.
There are only two of you now. Where is your third member?"
Naruto and Sasuke both froze. They had completely forgotten about that rule. After all, since their first exam, their team had basically acted independently.
"Got it!"
Naruto's little brain spun quickly, and he immediately thought of a solution. "Why don't we go find Hinata to team up with us? She's already our teammate!"
Sasuke also nodded. It was rare for Naruto to sound reliable, and he agreed.
"What a pity…" Kakashi laughed even more happily, then told them something that left them both stunned. "Hinata was promoted to Jōnin two years ago. She'll be taking the Elite Jōnin assessment this time, so she can't team up with you."
(To be continued.)
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