As the year drew to a close, a rare strand of slack warmth threaded through Konoha's winter air.
In Ryo's small courtyard, that warmth was settling in too. Sunlight filtered through the bare branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Ryo sat beneath the veranda, his back straight, gaze resting on the courtyard. The red-haired girl was excitedly chattering and gesturing, while the calm black-haired girl beside her listened with a soft smile. The air danced with the liveliness of Kushina's voice and the gentler tone of Uchiha Mikoto.
"Mikoto, Mikoto, look!" Kushina held up a small paper bag, eyes sparkling. "That new dango shop on the shopping street is amazing. This three-color dango, the red bean filling is super soft, and the matcha flavor is perfect. Let's go tomorrow, yeah? I heard they even have seasonal strawberry daifuku!" She couldn't wait. She pulled out a stick of dango and bit into it, cheeks puffed.
Mikoto chuckled, covering her lips with her fingers. Her black eyes curved gently. "I heard about it too. The line was long. If Kushina recommends it, it must be good." She touched her chin thoughtfully with her fingertip, her expression slightly wistful. "By the way, about that kimono shop's new fabric... that pale purple one, I thought it would really suit you. Should we go pick it up next time we go shopping?"
"Of course we should!" Kushina nodded excitedly, her red hair bouncing. "And and, the cinema's going to re-screen that film, Snow Princess Ninja Scroll, next week! I heard the visuals are gorgeous, we—"
Ryo sat and listened quietly. This was the calm before the storm, a rare moment of peace before the next battle. After the New Year, he and Mikoto would return to the Land of Rain, back into the mud and blood. Moments like this, this everyday life, were slipping through the hourglass.
Just then, there was a soft yet piercingly distinct sound outside the gate. A feather-light step on fresh snow. A black figure wearing a tanuki mask appeared silently, bowing respectfully.
"Ryo-sama." The Anbu's voice was muffled by the mask but carried faint tension. "The Hokage requests your presence at Anbu Training Ground One."
Ryo looked away from the courtyard. He stood, his black clothes rustling softly.
"Kushina?" She looked over, her smile fading as her face crumpled in mild annoyance. "That old man again, huh?"
"I'll be back soon." Ryo left her only four words before walking out the gate. His figure vanished silently, leaving only a few dry leaves curling in the wind.
Kushina puffed out her cheeks and punched the air toward the now-empty gate. "Seriously... we were just getting to the good part." She slumped. Mikoto gently patted her back, her gaze drifting in the direction Ryo had gone.
On the outskirts of Konoha, Anbu Training Ground One. Tall practice dummies stood scattered across the field. The ground was made of reinforced dark stone, covered in scars from kunai, shuriken, and jutsu impacts. The air was thick with dust and the cold bite of stone.
Hiruzen stood at the edge of the field, arms behind his back. His usual Hokage robes swayed slightly. His pipe was unlit, just held between his fingers out of habit. Beside him stood several senior Anbu examiners, each wearing a distinct animal mask. Their presence was heavy and serious. Not far away, around ten mid-level shinobi in Chūnin vests gathered, their expressions caught between excitement and nervousness. They too were taking the Jōnin exam.
When Ryo's figure appeared silently at the training ground's entrance, it was like a phantom arriving without warning. All conversation stopped.
Dozens of eyes turned toward him, filled with awe, curiosity, and quiet pressure. Even the Anbu examiners stiffened slightly. Behind their masks, their gazes sharpened like blades. The atmosphere of the entire field instantly tightened. The earlier lightness evaporated.
"Ryo, you're here." Hiruzen stepped forward with a warm smile, greeting him like a benevolent elder receiving a prized student.
"Hokage-sama." Ryo stopped before him. His tone was calm and even. His gaze swept past the examiners and the other candidates without pause. "Is there a mission?"
Hiruzen chuckled, waving his hand. "Not today. I called you for something else." He gestured to the center of the field. "Good news. It's this year's Jōnin qualification exam."
He paused, eyes lingering on Ryo with open approval. "With your strength and achievements on the front lines over the past two years, we could give you a Jōnin vest without an exam. No one in Konoha would object." His voice rose deliberately, clearly aimed at the nearby Chūnin candidates.
Then, he lowered his tone slightly, speaking in a more intimate, almost confiding manner. "But rules are rules. Even if I'm the Hokage, I can't be too obvious about favoritism. If we skip procedure, people will say promotions in Konoha are unfair. You understand, right?" He smiled, watching Ryo with an expression full of "you understand my position."
Ryo's silver-grey eyes didn't change. Calm as a frozen lake. Hiruzen's little show of goodwill meant nothing to him. This kind of superficial gesture didn't move him at all.
But he didn't expose it. Being promoted to Jōnin wasn't just about rank. It came with real power, the right to refuse certain missions, to choose one's own path. Like Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
He nodded slightly, voice flat. "Understood. Thank you, Hokage-sama, for arranging this."
Hiruzen didn't seem surprised. Or rather, he was used to Ryo's cold nature. He stroked his beard, the same composed smile on his face. "Go ahead. After the exam, we'll talk more." He waved his hand, signaling Ryo toward the center of the field.
"Exam Zone Three. Kamiyama Ryo. Exam begins." The senior Anbu wearing a wolf mask announced clearly, breaking the stillness.
All eyes immediately focused on Ryo. The atmosphere grew taut.
Ryo walked steadily to the center stone slab. The massive black platform was worn and marked with battle scars. He stood calmly. No combat stance. No hand on the Kusanagi sword at his waist. He looked more like someone standing in their own backyard than a ninja preparing for combat.
"Please instruct me." The wolf-mask examiner said in a low voice, posture lowered, clearly under pressure.
He took a breath. Against Ryo, a monster like this, he had to strike first. Otherwise, he might not even get a chance.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Spear!"
Boom.
The ground beneath and around Ryo exploded. Dozens of sharp, chakra-infused stone spears shot upward from the earth within a five-meter radius, forming a deadly dome of jagged rock. They lunged at Ryo from every angle.
"Hiss…" The observing Chūnin sucked in cold air. Their pupils contracted. A powerful B-rank area jutsu right out of the gate. If any of them had faced this, they'd have been skewered instantly.
But just as the rock spears were about to strike, Ryo moved.
No hand seal. No dramatic step. His figure blurred like a shadow moving at high speed.
The air tore with a sharp hiss.
In the blink of an eye, the figure in the center vanished. A faint afterimage remained. His real body had already appeared beside the wolf-mask examiner. His speed was impossible to track. The Earth Dragon Spears stabbed only air.
The examiner's hair stood on end. A chill of death crept up his spine. He didn't even see where the enemy had gone. Only instinct drove his next motion. His left hand reached for a kunai on reflex. Blue light flashed off the blade as he twisted to counter.
Too slow.
To Ryo's eyes and reflexes, the counterattack was like a slow-motion display.
Without effort, his right hand rose. Between thumb and forefinger, a standard black kunai glinted coldly. No flourish. No showy technique. Just a simple flick of the wrist.
A flash of black.
The examiner's kunai hung mid-air, still half a foot from Ryo. His body froze mid-motion. At his throat, a kunai tip pressed against his carotid. It wasn't sharp. But it was real. One push, and blood would flow.
Cold sweat drenched the examiner's back. Beads rolled from his temple. Beneath the mask, his face turned ghostly pale. He didn't even know how Ryo had moved, let alone struck. Total suppression. No resistance possible.
The entire field fell silent.
Dust floated in the breeze. No one moved.
The young Chūnin, who still had thoughts of competition, were all stunned. Mouths open. They stared at the boy standing still and the trembling examiner beside him. In their hearts, something cracked.
This was strength. This was the difference between them and top-tier power. An overwhelming gulf.
The other masked examiners also stiffened. They knew Ryo's battlefield record, but seeing his speed and precision in person chilled their blood. Some exchanged glances. Behind the masks, their eyes were heavy.
Hiruzen's smile froze when Ryo vanished. It was quickly replaced by genuine shock, followed by subtle satisfaction. When he saw the kunai at the examiner's throat, he twisted his pipe with his fingers.
"Too fast. At his age, this is unbelievable." Relief and pride rose in his chest. This was his student's student. Tsunade's disciple. A genius bound to Konoha through ties to Kushina, Mikoto, Tsunade, and others. Just fifteen this year.
As for whether Ryo would ever threaten the Hokage seat?
The thought was amusing.
Hokage? If Ryo ever reached for it, Tsunade would be the first to block him. She hadn't taken the title. How could a disciple take it before the master? Besides, Ryo was only fifteen. If he ever had the qualifications, it'd be ten years down the road. By then, Hiruzen would have stepped down. Whether it was Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, or Ryo, the Hokage's line would remain intact.
He quickly restored his expression. The smile returned, more sincere.
"Good." Hiruzen broke the silence. His voice was loud, filled with authority. "Clean and precise. No doubt about it. Kamiyama Ryo, you pass the Jōnin exam."
He looked at the red-haired youth in the center. His voice softened slightly. "From this moment forward, you are officially a Jōnin of Konoha. Ryo, Jōnin."
Ryo put away the kunai without any show. He showed no joy. No surprise. Just a quiet nod.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Congratulations, Ryo." Hiruzen stepped closer and patted his shoulder, full of warmth and familiarity. "With your strength, you'll shoulder more responsibilities in the village and on the battlefield. Konoha's future needs young shinobi like you. Come to the office. We'll go over the duties and authority of your new rank."
He turned and walked off, offering Ryo no room to refuse.
Ryo didn't speak. His gaze swept over the stunned examiners and Chūnin. Then he looked at the training ground, at the shattered stone and crumbled jutsu.
Finally, he followed Hiruzen's steps without a word.
His black silhouette disappeared into the trees, leaving behind a field frozen in silence, filled with complicated gazes and unspoken thoughts.
Jōnin. As Hiruzen said, for him, this was just a formality.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)