"Woah Demon of the Battlefield! That sounds like a very youthful name Shunsui!" Guy said with pure enthusiasm. Genma nodded along with him while still keeping the senbon between his teeth.
Shunsui however wore a visible cringe on his face while an internal complaint formed in his mind. 'Kakashi gets Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan, the Copycat Ninja, the son of the White Fang and I get such a cringy name like Demon of the Battlefield. It is not even original. Zabuza already got Demon of the Mist which somehow sounds less embarrassing than mine.'
The comparison left him thoroughly unimpressed with the creativity of whoever had thought of his new title.
Hiruzen noticed the expression and spoke with mild amusement. "You do not look so happy about your shinobi title."
Shunsui answered with complete honesty and a small nod. "I do not like it. It does not match with my abilities or the way I prefer to fight."
Hiruzen chuckled at the direct reply and asked the natural follow up question. "And what would you prefer instead?"
Shunsui considered it for a short moment before offering several alternatives. "The Dual Bladed Reaper, Shunsui of the Deadly Games or Shunsui the Game Master. Heck even The Sake Sipping Swordsman would be a better choice than what they gave me."
Hiruzen chuckled again at the list. Shikaku and Choza both smiled at the suggestions while the two elders looked more annoyed than entertained.
Koharu in particular wore an expression so pinched and disapproving that Shunsui felt a brief and honest desire to punch it.
Shikaku then spoke in his usual calm and analytical voice. "Well if you look at it properly the name is actually perfect for you."
Choza turned towards his Nara teammate with genuine curiosity. "How so?"
Shikaku explained, "Shunsui's game abilities allow him to turn an ordinary battlefield into something completely different. Once an enemy enters his abilty's range the battlefield is no longer governed entirely by normal shinobi combat. He can impose different game like rules on the area. He can let other people control and teleport through shadows, enemies can be forced into specific conditions, and his abilities can turn positioning movement and even the act of attacking him into part of a structured game. That is why Demon of the Battlefield is an appropriate name for him. Even though, the other shinobi villages don't yet know how this ability works."
Shunsui still was not happy with the title yet he accepted that he now possessed a nickname whether he wanted it or not.
'Let us hope the next one I get is better.' The hope stayed inside his mind while the conversation moved forward.
Hiruzen folded his hands on the desk and addressed the full team. "Anyways we have not only called you here to tell you about the new title."
He first looked at the two genin. "Guy and Genma you have proved yourselves good enough and your sensei has vouched for your skills. You did well protecting Shunsui during the mission and supporting him throughout. You are hereby promoted to the rank of chunin." The words were delivered with a warm smile that showed the Hokage's genuine approval.
Guy's reaction exploded across the office in pure youthful energy. "This is the power of youth itself! I trained every morning and every night and now the flames of hard work have finally been recognised by the Hokage! I will run one thousand laps around the village to celebrate and then I will do one thousand push ups while shouting my new rank so that every citizen knows the Blue Beast of Konoha has risen another step!"
He was already bouncing on his feet and looking for the nearest space where he could begin the celebratory training immediately.
Genma simply gave a small nod of thanks and adjusted the senbon in his mouth yet even he could not completely hide the satisfaction in his eyes.
Hiruzen continued with the details of the promotion. "You three will each be entitled to choose one jutsu reward from the Konoha library as recognition of your service."
He then turned his full attention back to Shunsui and his voice grew more serious. "Now for the other part. Shunsui since you now carry such a large bounty it would not be safe for you to move freely outside the village. At the same time we cannot allow that danger to completely hamper your growth as a shinobi. We are looking for a capable strategist and a possible long term successor to Shikaku."
"We think you might be suitable for this position. Therefore you will sit with us in the Hokage's office and learn from us."
The offer was both a restriction and an opportunity and it clearly surprised the young chunin.
Before Shunsui could say anything in response Koharu spoke up in a sharp and disapproving tone. "The boy is not suited for that role. He already failed to follow the orders that were given to him out in the field. If he had simply hidden his full ability as instructed we could have continued to use him more effectively on the battlefield for a longer time."
Shunsui turned his head toward her with one eyebrow raised and answered coldly, "Respectfully Elder, are you saying that I should have let people die even though I could have saved them?"
Koharu did not back down. "It was for the greater good of the village. Individual lives must sometimes be weighed against the larger needs of the war."
Shunsui kept his gaze fixed on her and spoke, "Would you say those exact words to their children and their families? Would you stand in front of them and explain that their fathers or brothers or sons died because a person who could have saved them chose not to act in the name of the greater good?"
Koharu's mouth tightened yet she gave no immediate answer.
-------Author Notes--------
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