"Halt!" barked an Anbu guard stationed at the entrance of the Hokage Tower, delivering the standard command with robotic precision.
"Hyuga Soushu, Konoha Chunin, returning from the border camp in the Land of Rain for debriefing and further evaluation!"
Hyuga Soushu gave a formal response this time, without any casual remarks.
After all, this was the political heart of Konoha. From a power standpoint, he had to keep things under control — otherwise someone might need to collect his remains later.
Unfortunately, Soushu's background perfectly fit the admission criteria of the Universal Orphanage — a mysterious institution that accepted only those with truly tragic origins — meaning he probably wouldn't find anyone to collect his remains either.
"I wonder if Mahiru-chan would do it for me…" Soushu couldn't help but imagine, even as he tried to focus on the moment.
"Good afternoon, Soushu-san. Please present your ninja credentials."
The Anbu's voice had unexpectedly softened as he spoke.
As a direct subordinate of the Hokage, he naturally understood what it meant when a ninja returned from battlefields for debriefing and evaluation — this self-proclaimed Chunin would likely become at least a Tokubetsu Jonin after leaving the Hokage Tower today! After all, during wartime, relaxing the requirements for Jonin examinations helped produce more high-level fighters for the village.
"Your documents check out," said the registration officer, pointing at the Lantern Ninja Tool carried by Uchiha Tokukou. "But is this your personal weapon?"
"Yes."
Hyuga Soushu asked directly, "Can't I bring it inside?"
"Well, it's not forbidden, but if you carry it, please avoid making any sudden movements that could be misinterpreted. Otherwise, we'll all face some trouble."
After a brief hesitation, the Anbu didn't press the issue further.
Hiruzen Sarutobi — the so-called Legendary Sannin — knew a standard Chunin carrying weapons posed no real threat. Being lenient on small matters like this actually demonstrated the Hokage's magnanimity and confidence.
"You may proceed."
The Anbu handed Hyuga Soushu his credentials back and stepped aside, opening passage into the Hokage Tower.
Hyuga Soushu gave a slight nod and stepped into this political center of Konoha — a building whose shape resembled an old-school steel lunch pail turned upside down.
To be honest, the interior layout of the Hokage Tower couldn't be described as luxurious from any angle. In fact, with endless tangles of messy wiring crisscrossing overhead, the whole place felt chaotic and annoying.
Yet despite this being his first visit here, Soushu kept his gaze straight ahead, climbing slowly upstairs under multiple chakra presences monitoring him until reaching an office door.
Knock knock!
He raised his hand and gently tapped on the door.
"Come in!"
Inside, a powerful voice rang out clearly almost immediately.
"Hello."
Hyuga Soushu pushed open the door, only to be immediately choked by thick smoke filling the room.
Even in this life, he'd smoked, drunk, and kill-stolen plenty while fighting battles. But honestly speaking, whoever created such dense smoke definitely wasn't ordinary!
"Oops, sorry about that."
The man inside the office seemed to notice Hyuga Soushu's discomfort and immediately snapped his fingers with a crisp sound.
A sudden breeze rose from nowhere, sweeping all the smoke away in an instant.
The air turned fresh and clear at once—light and serene.
This effortless display of skill truly surprised Hyuga Soushu.
"Please have a seat."
The middle-aged man sitting behind the desk kindly gestured toward the chair in front of the desk with his left hand holding the pipe.
"Hello, Honorable Hokage Lord."
Hyuga Soushu slightly bowed before stepping forward confidently, pulling out the chair and sitting down.
This middle-aged man with a small goatee beneath his chin was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage—Konoha's strongest ninja, who had mastered every ninjutsu in the village, could seamlessly combine five different elemental natures of ninja techniques, and carried the title of "Professor of Ninja Arts."
"In accordance with orders from the Commander-in-Chief of the Land of Rain garrison, I am Chunin Hyuga Soushu from Konoha. I've returned to the village to report my service record and undergo evaluation."
As he spoke, Hyuga Soushu handed over his letter of introduction and related documents.
"Let me see."
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and accepted the documents offered by Hyuga Soushu with both hands.
At the same time, suddenly a wisp of blue smoke appeared beside him, and an Anbu (special ops) ninja wearing a mask materialized next to him, placing a folder onto the table before disappearing in another puff of smoke with a soft popping sound.
Hyuga Soushu couldn't help but twitch his eyelid—he hadn't even seen clearly how this Anbu ninja had arrived or departed!
"Hmm, if it's convenient, perhaps you could briefly introduce your background?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen cheerfully remarked while flipping through the contents of the folder.
He felt quite satisfied seeing Soushu's current astonishment.
In fact, this Anbu agent specializing in the Shifting Body Technique often pulls these flashy disappearing tricks in front of villagers and outsiders alike, impressing quite a few people.
Snobbish aristocrats, in particular, absolutely love this kind of display.
Sarutobi had even used these tricks multiple times to land crucial bodyguard contracts from noble families. That helped build Konoha's solid reputation for supplying top-tier protection ninjas to the Land of Fire's aristocracy.
"I was assigned to the Defense Corps according to my clan's arrangement following the village's conscription order in May of Year 36 of Konoha. In July of the same year, I was transferred to the Land of Rain garrison and assigned as a frontline reconnaissance ninja. Then in February of Year 37 of Konoha, I was promoted to Chunin due to accumulated merits."
Hyuga Soushu summarized briefly.
"Your mission records and combat achievements are truly impressive. Frankly speaking, even among experienced chunin, few can reach your level."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was reviewing the file, didn't mind Hyuga Soushu's indifferent tone at all. He read the contents aloud, his tone clearly pleased: "In the past two years and six months, you have completed 29 D-rank missions, 77 C-rank missions, and 3 B-rank missions."
"And your kill record is just as impressive,"
He continued flipping through the pages, adding some surprised delight to his voice: "A total of 51 Rain ninja genin, 12 Rain ninja chunin; 9 Iwagakure genin, 10 Iwagakure chunin, and 1 Iwagakure tokubetsu jonin; additionally, one injured jonin from Kumo was intercepted and eliminated."
These kill records were also one of the reasons why Soushu had managed to survive in the war—because they generated gold coins!
For example, defeating a genin brought 14 gold coins, defeating a chunin earned 21 gold coins, a tokubetsu jonin brought as much as 50 coins, and defeating a jonin directly yielded 300 coins—in other words, it equaled the bounty on a single head.
Though his Weapon Master System was notoriously dumb, it had one solid advantage—it followed the reward rules to the letter.
Moreover, his idiot system didn't care whether the kills were independent or not, although he suspected that this might be due to him having [Smite]; experience gained from non-independently slain injured enemies was pitifully low, but the only thing affecting gold settlements was whether Soushu himself delivered the killing blow!
With this advantage provided by his Byakugan, Soushu successfully snatched up early kills in battle during the initial phase of the war, accumulating his first pot of gold and purchasing the most valuable wartime supplies—red potions!
Over these two and a half years of war, Soushu amassed a total of 1,652 gold coins. Aside from spending 900 coins on purchasing the piece of equipment known as the [Vampire's Scepter], most of the remaining coins went into buying red potions for self-preservation purposes. So after over two years, all he had left was 102 gold coins.
As for those so-called gear sets—he couldn't find them anywhere in the equipment mall. Whether they'd been removed in an update or not, Soushu never got a clear look at the new gear list—he'd been killed off by the God of Full Insurance and Semi-Trailer Trucks in his past life. Without a guide, he naturally dared not waste resources experimenting—after all, earning gold was genuinely difficult!
Orochimaru definitely knew what he was talking about.
This was actually the first time Hiruzen carefully reviewed the service record of an ordinary frontline chunin. Naturally, he felt extremely satisfied with Soushu's abundant documented achievements.
Although most of Soushu's eliminations involved mop-up operations, for a ninja, this wasn't really a stain on his record. Instead, it demonstrated that he could accurately judge situations and strike decisively when appropriate—an essential trait for an excellent ninja.
If Soushu hadn't been born into the Hyuga Branch House, Hiruzen might have even considered recruiting him into Anbu.
Hyuga Soushu — a discarded heir of the powerful Hyuga clan who was thrust into battle. Though his strength was merely average, he fought valiantly and possessed excellent recovery abilities that made him ideal for prolonged frontline service. Moreover, his relationship with his birth family appeared strained since the passing of his parents.
All this formed Soushu's unique label: elite disposable soldier and a reliable pawn in the greater game!
What did the Great Ninja War need most desperately? Exactly someone like Soushu!
If it weren't for the recent easing of tensions in the Land of Rain, combined with the heavy losses suffered by Hanzo-led Rain Ninja forces due to fighting on three fronts—forcing Amegakure into retreat and recovery—the frontline commander wouldn't have easily allowed Soushu and others to return to Konoha either.
If you had to find something to criticize, aside from the recorded assessments stating his Gentle Fist techniques were mediocre and his Byakugan vision range underwhelming, it was his unusually close friendship with a certain Uchiha kunoichi.
However, existing records showed Soushu hadn't shared anything particularly significant with that female ninja named Mahiru Uchiha, meaning their relationship was nothing more than an intensified camaraderie—more than friends, not yet lovers.
Still, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no intention of playing the villain here. After all, both the Uchiha and Hyuga were strict noble clans with rigid regulations governing marriage among members. Eventually, one of these unsympathetic families would step in to break the pair apart. As for him, he only needed to appear at the right moment and offer comfort when Soushu inevitably felt heartbroken—thus ensuring the loyalty of this Hyuga ninja.
"Your resume is absolutely flawless!"
Hiruzen closed the file with a smile and cheerfully said, "All your past achievements fully reflect Konoha's Will of Fire [the fundamental spirit driving every Hidden Leaf ninja]. You truly deserve the title of exemplary Konoha shinobi!"
Of course, Soushu—who had never attended a single class at the Konoha Ninja Academy—had no idea what the Will of Fire even meant.
Yet that didn't stop him from nodding enthusiastically, clearly excited, with tears welling up in his eyes.
"Therefore, I've decided to make a special exception and personally approve your promotion!"
After satisfying his urge to deliver a dramatic speech, Hiruzen took out his official seal, stamped the approval form with a loud *kua*, and handed the documents and related materials over to Soushu. "Congratulations on passing the exam, Soushu Tokubetsu Jonin!"
"Thank you for Hokage-sama's favor and recognition."
Soushu stood up respectfully, receiving the documents with both hands, his face still showing excitement mixed with reverence. "I shall follow Hokage-sama's example wholeheartedly, dedicating my life until death for Konoha!"
"Excellent!"
That was an impressively strong reply indeed!
Hiruzen's eyes gleamed with delight, thinking that this young man was truly worth mentoring.
"Go to the third floor later to get your uniform, then take a photo at the Kage Rock for documentation. As for the standard equipment for Jonin, you can pick it up tomorrow. Also, the Jonin class records should be updated within seven days, and we'll notify you separately by then."
After filling his pipe and taking a long, satisfied puff, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully went over all the specific details regarding the promotion. He also kindly approved an extended leave: "By the way, since you've been on duty for two and a half years already, I'll give you a month-long vacation. Take this time to rest properly, and afterward we'll arrange your next mission based on your personal preference."
"Oh, and here are the materials about the Will of Fire. Study them thoroughly when you go back."
Although they were still technically in wartime, certain procedures had to be followed regardless. After all, being promoted to Jonin was one of life's major milestones, and the ninja themselves needed a sense of ritual to deepen their identification with the village. Furthermore, with years of experience as Hokage, Sarutobi understood ninja like Hyuga Soushu well—especially those with complicated family backgrounds. He knew exactly what they needed, and could even foresee what would happen during Soushu's time off.
However, he had no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of the Hyuga Clan. The traditions of powerful ninja clans, especially prestigious ones like the Hyuga, were even stricter than the laws of the Hidden Leaf itself. A rash interference would only provoke united resistance from the entire clan.
Therefore, some things couldn't be rushed. He needed to plan out his moves carefully, place the pieces appropriately, and proceed gradually.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi took another blissful puff from his pipe, exhaling a beautiful smoke ring.
"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Hokage!"
Hyuga Soushu bowed deeply at a 45-degree angle and said with a slightly solemn tone: "I will not forget my original purpose and will strive to earn new merits in the near future!"
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was absolutely delighted to hear words like these!
To him, there was nothing more satisfying than hearing genuine praise and gratitude from those younger ninja he had personally mentored—it brought him true joy!