A bit of exercise and some food, Naruto felt completely refreshed.
"I'm heading home!"
Swoosh!
As he spoke, space warped, and Naruto's figure completely vanished from the desert. The village was as harmonious and peaceful as ever, with no signs of impending war. War felt too far away from the Leaf Village. People were long accustomed to this peace, and for a moment, Naruto didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
However, that was a problem for another day. Naruto had things to do. For example, he needed to go to the logistics department to pick up his vest and update his records. Starting today, Naruto Uzumaki would shed his Genin status and become a glorious Jonin! This was, of course, part of the treaty he had signed. After all, the title of "Jonin" was one Naruto had coveted for a long time.
A few months ago, when he received the Genin title, its stat boosts had astonished him. If a Genin title was like that, what about a Jonin one? As for whether he was qualified, Naruto felt that in terms of strength, becoming a Jonin was no problem. As for experience? With the memories of Danzo and the Fourth Raikage, A, he had no lack of Jonin-level experience. In fact, perhaps there weren't many shinobi in the entire Leaf Village with more experience than him.
Naruto first made his way to the logistics department to get his vest. This green vest was often seen around the village; it was standard issue for Chunin and above. Both Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei wore these vests. They had plenty of pockets, were functional, and were designed with protection and space in mind.
"Finally, I'm no longer a Genin," Naruto murmured to himself as he put on the vest. He felt the fabric and was surprised by how light it was. He had heard the defense was also quite good.
After getting his vest, Naruto had to report to another place—the Jonin squad. Jonin were the elite of the elite, the backbone of a ninja village, and its absolute pillars. They also participated in many of the village's major decisions, such as the selection for Hokage. The number of Jonin in each village was very small, and they were highly valued. For example, in the Leaf Village, to make it easier for Jonin to hold meetings, the Jonin squad was specially created, which most Jonin could join.
As a newly promoted Jonin, Naruto naturally chose to join. He wanted to see who exactly didn't vote for him when they were choosing the Hokage!
Arriving at the Jonin squad's office, Naruto saw a familiar figure. The white-haired man sitting behind the desk was reading a perverted book. It was—
"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto was momentarily taken aback. He had heard that Kakashi-sensei had been given an important role in the Jonin squad, and he was surprised to see him there.
"Naruto, you've arrived," Kakashi said, putting down his book and raising a lazy, dead-eyed gaze. His eyes were calm, as if he had been expecting him.
'Another twelve-year-old Jonin?' Kakashi wasn't surprised that Naruto had become a Jonin, but he was a little emotional.
"Are you on duty here?" Naruto walked up and handed over his paperwork. Kakashi still had his lazy, sleepy demeanor, as if he had been reluctantly dragged there to wait for him. When Naruto asked, Kakashi scratched his head. "Uh, something like that."
Naruto understood immediately from his expression. As he expected, it was probably another arrangement from the Third Hokage. But seeing a familiar face was a good thing.
Naruto smiled brightly and showed off his new vest. "Kakashi-sensei, what do you think? It's cool, right?"
"Very cool," Kakashi praised briefly. Putting on the vest made him look even more like that person.
After handing over his documents, Naruto looked at him with curiosity. "Kakashi-sensei, what have you been busy with lately?" He hadn't seen Kakashi at several get-togethers and was curious what he was up to.
"Uh..." When this was brought up, a dark line appeared on Kakashi's forehead. What else could he be doing? Having such a strong student, of course, he was busy giving lectures and sharing his teaching experience! The conditions he had agreed to before had to be paid back one by one these days. In addition, the Third Hokage had arranged for him to teach several classes to the Jonin squad. The theme was, "How I Taught Naruto Uzumaki!"
These topics gave him a headache. Either they were good friends or the Third Hokage's earnest requests. Things like "responsibility," "duty," and "the future of the Leaf Village." As a Leaf Village shinobi, he couldn't hide. Giving a lecture in front of so many people was a new experience. Listening to their praises, Kakashi even began to doubt if he truly had a talent for teaching.
"Sigh," Kakashi sighed internally. Hanare was very supportive and understanding of him, but his plan to find Obito was being delayed again and again, and it seemed to be a long way off.
"Teaching discussions, I suppose," Kakashi finally summarized.
"Is that so?" Teaching? Discussions? Naruto was a little puzzled. Could it be they were discussing how to lead them—no, those Genin like Sasuke? Naruto gave Kakashi a strange look. He never thought Kakashi-sensei had such a proactive side to him.
He had planned to chat with Kakashi a bit more, but suddenly, Naruto sensed two familiar chakra signatures. Sasuke and Sakura had returned.
"Kakashi-sensei, I'll treat everyone to dinner at Yakiniku Q tonight. Don't forget to come."
"Oh, and also," Naruto, who was about to leave with the Flying Thunder God, paused and winked with his right eye. "Don't forget to bring Auntie Hanare. See you tonight."
Swoosh!
As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto vanished in a flash.
"Flying Thunder God?" Kakashi took out the strangely shaped three-pronged kunai from his pocket and looked at it, reminiscing.
At the same time, five kilometers from the Leaf Village...
Swoosh~ Swoosh~
Sasuke and Sakura were jumping through the forest, hurrying along. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of them in a flash.
Whoosh~
Both Sasuke and Sakura immediately stopped. That figure was...
"Naruto?" Sakura exclaimed in surprise.
The figure came closer, landing in front of them with a single jump.
"When did you—"
Just as Sasuke spoke, he noticed something different about Naruto today. Naruto was wearing a green vest.
"Did the Chunin Exams results come out? You're a Chunin?" Sasuke walked up and patted Naruto's vest. It was real. The previous Chunin Exams had been interrupted by an incident, and the results had been held back. Sasuke thought he wouldn't be able to become a Chunin this year. Seeing Naruto's vest, he suddenly felt there was still hope.
"No! No!"
Naruto wagged a finger in front of Sasuke, emphasizing smugly, "Correction, I'm not a Chunin, but a Jonin!"
"A Jonin?" Sasuke was still processing the meaning of his words when Sakura gasped in surprise. "You're already a Jonin, Naruto?"
"Hehe, that's right."
"Wow, you're so amazing! I asked about it before, and Kakashi-sensei's record for becoming a Jonin was only at the age of twelve!" Sakura couldn't help but praise.
However, Naruto felt that Sakura's tone sounded a little... two-faced? He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
"Hmph!" Sasuke sneered. Seeing Naruto's smug expression, he knew instantly why Naruto had come here. To show off! This was a word Sasuke had learned from Naruto. But at this moment, Naruto was displaying its meaning to the fullest.
Naruto is already a Jonin? Thinking about this, Sasuke was quite unconvinced. But when he thought of Naruto's strength, he was momentarily speechless.
This time, Sasuke hadn't really cared about the Chunin Exams. His purpose for participating was only to test his own strength and to see the true gap between him and Naruto. But looking at the incredibly arrogant Naruto in front of him, Sasuke felt a hint of envy.
'When will I be able to become a Jonin?' Sasuke wondered.
"What are you thinking, Sasuke? Are you jealous?"
At his words, a dark line appeared on Sasuke's face.
"Naruto! Where did you go last night?" He immediately changed the subject. Sasuke felt that because Naruto was gone last night, he couldn't find "Teacher Leopard" to learn from, which made him fall behind in both strength and progress, and in turn, made him unable to become a Jonin.
Naruto heard a hint of blame in his tone.
"Genin, watch your tone when you talk to me!"
"Naruto, you—"
"Heh," Naruto looked at him again. "Sasuke, remember, use titles when we're working."
"Hehehehe~" Hearing them bicker, Sakura covered her mouth and laughed from the side.
Naruto looked at her, puzzled. He didn't know what her game was this time. As Sasuke's loyal fan, shouldn't she bravely step forward and protect Sasuke's image right now?
He didn't get it! Naruto felt he understood less and less about the situation between the two of them. The limited knowledge of love he had from his past life was no longer enough.
Naruto looked at the fuming Sasuke. He didn't know if Sasuke was angry at him or angry at himself for not being strong enough. He then glanced at the giggling Sakura.
Whatever. I've shown off enough. Time to go!
"Later~" His consciousness instantly locked onto the chakra of another familiar person within his sensory range.
Swoosh!
With another flash, Naruto appeared in an unfamiliar place. He put on a brilliant smile. "Haha, how did you guys know I was promoted to Jonin?"
The response was not a happy, familiar cheer, but an incoming sword.
Swoosh!
A large, gleaming sword swung towards him. Naruto instinctively leaned back, using the momentum to do a backflip. As he landed, he leaped lightly, his palm already on the back of the person's head.
Thud!
With a gentle push, the person's face made intimate contact with the ground. The ground cracked, and their head was turned into a pulp.
"Naruto!" Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief. "It's a good thing you came." He had used his Shadow Paralysis Jutsu to control the bandits, but he didn't expect one to be so strong that he broke free during a gap in his jutsu.
Naruto glanced around. It turned out the mission for these three was to clear out this bandit nest.
"Naruto~~" Just as he finished his scan and before he turned around, Naruto heard a high-pitched female voice calling his name and lunging towards him.
'Crap, I forgot she was here with Shikamaru's team.'
Naruto scratched his head. "Uh, I'm treating everyone to dinner at Yakiniku Q tonight, so be sure to come!"
"YAY!!!"
At the mention of Naruto treating them, Choji's voice instantly erupted, completely overpowering Ino.
"Later~"
Swoosh!
Naruto vanished in another flash, just before Ino could get to him. This time, he appeared with Team Ten.
He quickly scanned the surroundings. Safe. He then turned to the three of them with a smile. "How did you guys know I was promoted to Jonin?"