So in reality, Haseo didn't care about the education of Konoha's next generation of ninja. That was just an introduction leading into his main point.
After finishing the report, Haseo officially submitted this "suggestion"—although naturally it was Tsunade who delivered it for him.
After understanding what Haseo had written, her only reaction was that Haseo was absolutely right.
She hadn't detected Haseo's ulterior motives at all. While this document genuinely benefited Konoha, his motivations behind it were clearly self-serving.
Once the documents were submitted, there was no immediate response—like dropping a stone into a void. But this was normal. Not only because the Third Hokage had mentioned it would require discussion before any decision could be made, but also because currently, the Hokage simply had no time for such matters.
Right now, the Third Hokage was busy negotiating peace agreements with Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Furthermore, he was scheduled for high-level meetings with these two villages in the near future, where the final peace treaty would be signed.
Bringing everything to a close and finally ending this Great Ninja World War.
That was currently the top priority. As for other issues… Even if Sarutobi's own mother had exploded, the funeral would still have to wait.
However, one thing had already been decided early on—Haseo's promotion to jonin.
Considering his actual age, compared with other jonin, Haseo's age at promotion (eighteen) wasn't particularly young or old—he belonged to the more typical category.
Most powerful ninja who achieved jonin rank usually received their promotions around twenty years of age. Going beyond this range generally implied that the ninja likely wouldn't ever surpass chunin status in their lifetime.
On the other hand, anyone who became a jonin before the age of fifteen could truly be called a genius ninja… although in the Hidden Leaf Village, the term "genius" was somewhat cheap.
After receiving the order promoting him to jonin, all Haseo needed to do next was file a simple report at the Hokage's office building, completing a straightforward procedure after which he would officially become Jonin Haseo.
So, over a month after returning to Konoha, Haseo finally walked out of the hospital, able to move freely within the village once again.
Among ninja, information transmission actually created a sharp divide in how knowledge was spread. If you were meant to hear something, you'd learn about it in five minutes—but if not, you might never find out your entire life.
Because of his long-term hospitalization, details about Haseo had spread widely within Konoha Hospital. However, among other ninja, the situation wasn't so clear-cut. Many had heard of the recent major battle and knew the name Haseo—the ninja who had earned incredible achievements—but few could reconcile that name with his shockingly young appearance.
If even most ninja wouldn't recognize him, then the general public in Konoha—far more numerous than shinobi—sure as hell wouldn't know who he was. Unless he'd been some genin who saved the world or had become the Hokage himself, there was absolutely no reason for ordinary villagers to recognize him, let alone any chance of it happening.
So Haseo reached the Hokage's office building in the heart of Konoha without incident—and without anyone recognizing him. Following prior instructions, he entered an office located on the third floor.
The moment he stepped inside, Haseo sensed an extremely powerful barrier surrounding the room. Not because his sensor ability was particularly sharp, but because the barrier made zero attempt to conceal itself. This blatant display was basically a warning to anyone entering: "A barrier lies within."
So play nice and don't get any bright ideas.
The office was very spacious, yet what lay beyond remained unclear and hazy. Haseo could only make out two Anbu shinobi seated behind a desk near the entrance. On the desk sat just a few simple documents—all of which must have been effects caused by the barrier.
Haseo knew there was no need to be polite when speaking with Anbu. Get straight to the point and avoid beating around the bush. He thus walked up, sat down before the desk, and handed his appointment letter to the two men.
"An Jonin promotion order?"
The Anbu ninja first confirmed exactly what Haseo had handed over. Then, once they saw his name listed on the document, they immediately understood the situation.
But still… Who'd expect someone so young?
"Please report the reasons for your promotion to Jonin—your achievements and battlefield records since becoming a ninja," one of the Anbu finally spoke.
Although the promotion letter had been personally signed by the Hokage, it didn't settle everything on its own. The more complex the process, the greater the sense of ritual. Those promoted needed to understand how pride-worthy being a Jonin truly was.
Luckily, wartime procedures were still in effect, simplifying things considerably, which allowed Haseo to handle the matter quickly and concisely.
He paused slightly and casually asked, "Will all these become part of my official record?"
"It'll be your most formal written record. Don't worry about information leaks; this is one of Konoha's highest secrecy zones. You just need to ensure that everything you say is true," the Anbu explained further.
Yeah right, like I don't already know these Anbu records will end up leaked all over the place... Haseo grumbled inwardly.
Still… the most official record, huh? Haseo mused. That means I should present myself in the best possible light. He knew when self-praise was appropriate and cleared his throat before proceeding:
"At the end of the sixteenth year of Konoha, I completely disposed of the remains of the Second Hokage in the Land of Rice Fields, in accordance with his final will. After cremating the body, I reported the major news and the last commands of the Second Hokage back to Konoha."
The note-taking Anbu ninja was stunned on the spot... Are you serious? Is this really how it starts? That intense?
But Haseo kept going before he had time to process any of it, forcing him to hurriedly start scribbling down notes.
"In the same year, he joined a ninja squad assigned to the diplomatic mission to Kumo. This squad eventually re-established the alliance between Konoha and Kumo, forcing Kumo to improve the external war environment of the Land of Fire."
"Year 17 of Konoha, he was promoted to Genin. In the same year, he led a team into the Western Front battlefield. During the decisive battle between Konoha and Sunagakure in the Land of Rivers, he assassinated Menzuomen—a Jonin-level Suna puppet master."
Wait, so before accomplishing those first two feats, you weren't even a ninja yet?
Actually, that same year Haseo also had missions involving intimidating the Uchiha clan and eliminating the Fuma clan, but he considered those unworthy achievements—and since they were all Anbu operations—hechose not to mention them.
"Year 18 of Konoha, during a cleansing operation in the Land of Rain, surrounded by enemies, he voluntarily covered his teammates' retreat, enabling their safe withdrawal while sustaining serious injuries that required a month away from combat."
Contrary to the classified missions Haseo withheld, this wasn't particularly significant, but still—it definitely earned some credit.
"Year 18 to 19 of Konoha, participated in the Land of Rain defense-offense campaign. The assassination attempt on the current Amegakure leader failed, but he successfully beheaded the former leader."
This was quite a case of 'artful wording'—he technically didn't kill the former Amegakure leader, just lopped their head off their corpse… But hey, at least he got the head, right?
"End of Year 19 of Konoha, while executing surveillance of Kirigakure in the eastern Land of Fire, spotted the Second Mizukage on the ocean surface on the first day of the mission. Conducted a tracking operation and promptly reported back to the village regarding the life-and-death battle between the Second Mizukage and Second Tsuchikage in the Land of Waterfalls that resulted in both perishing."
"In the same year, during the return trip from this mission, because one of our own squad members turned out to be a spy, we were ambushed by Kumo forces in the Land of Frost. We engaged in desperate combat, ending with elimination and execution of the spy, destruction of more than 80 Kumo ninjas, assassination of the Two Tails Jinchuriki, liberation of the Eight Tails which caused its rampage, and our squad's successful retreat."
"...That's it."
Ah, "that's it"? What kind of achievement is "that's it"?
Oh, I just meant I'm done talking.
"Heavenly being."
"Troublemaker."
Two Anbu ninja almost simultaneously branded completely different labels on Haseo's forehead.
"So why are you still only a Jonin now?"
One Anbu couldn't help asking. Considering Haseo's accomplishments and the strength required to achieve them, he should've been a Jonin long ago. Yet until now, he'd been nothing more than a Genin.
Haseo smiled, and due to his youthful appearance, the smile looked somewhat bashful: "I've always been rather fond of being a Genin. I believe Genins bring good battlefield luck."
"He must be insane."
"Or at least suffering from severe brain damage."
Don't think Anbu are cold just because they wear masks; the expressions beneath their masks were actually quite expressive.
But regardless, only extraordinary people can accomplish extraordinary feats.
Haseo was involved in nearly all the major events during the middle to late stages of the First Great Ninja War. He didn't just go through the motions either—he was actually in on every major move, especially the last one… which was a bit over the top.
Although most of Haseo's body count came from the rampaging Eight-Tails, wasn't that rampage triggered by him in the first place?... There's really no need to go into details here. Sprucing up your résumé a little—come on, it's not unreasonable, is it?
Therefore, these two Anbu ultimately reacted the same way:
With skills like that, why bother promoting to Jonin? Why not stay as a Genin for another couple years and just become Hokage directly?
Alright, maybe aiming for Hokage is pushing it a bit. Besides, Hokage is actually a position burdened with many administrative duties. Regardless, Haseo was indeed pursuing a higher status... in order to improve himself.
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