At the same time, Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, also received news of the battle in the Land of Grass.
"Who did our Iwagakure ninja corner?" Onoki demanded. Although he was very short and had a rather comical appearance, he commanded great respect among his people, and his demand now was full of imposing presence.
"It was Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, the Third Hokage's three disciples," the messenger ninja reported, trembling.
"Good!" a chubby young man, who was reading documents nearby, exclaimed loudly upon hearing the news.
"What's so good about it!" Onoki immediately flared up.
Hearing the change in his father's tone, the young man, Kitsuchi, asked dejectedly, "Father, Tsunade and the others are the Third Hokage's disciples and our formidable enemies. Isn't it good news that we have a chance to kill them?"
Looking at his somewhat foolish son, Onoki had to soften his tone. "Those three are like the Third Hokage's own children. If you were trapped in a foreign country right now, would I not save you?"
Kitsuchi seemed to understand vaguely. "Father means the Third Hokage will send people to save them?"
"That's for sure," Onoki nodded. "It's a pity we'll have to lose another group of forces in the Land of Grass."
"Then, Father, can't we send more ninja?" Kitsuchi asked.
"There's no need," Onoki shook his head. "Even if we had the chance to kill the Third Hokage's three apprentices, I wouldn't do it. If we really killed them, then Konoha would probably declare war on us directly, and going to war now would not benefit either side." Onoki was also very clear about the current situation in the ninja world; although it was turbulent and ambitious individuals were stirring, none of the five great nations dared to make the first move, fearing that others would benefit from their conflict.
"Oh," but Kitsuchi clearly didn't understand his father's meaning. Onoki looked at his child's expression and sighed helplessly. However, since they had lost a group of forces, they couldn't let Konoha off so easily. After some thought, Onoki suddenly remembered the figure of Hanzō and said to the messenger, "Go, tell Hekiyama and the others to come over. I have a mission for them."
...
Two days later, Kyuushin and his group finally returned to Konoha. If they had simply traveled, it wouldn't have taken so long, but the Third Hokage's order was to clear out Iwagakure's strongholds in the Land of Grass. Therefore, they were delayed for another day. Of course, it was impossible to clear out all of Iwagakure's forces; they merely swept through their overt strongholds this time. And in fact, they didn't gain much; many strongholds were already empty.
Although they didn't gain much, it was enough to report. Moreover, they had genuinely annihilated a squad of elite Iwagakure ninja. Anyone with discernment could see that the main objective was still to rescue the Hokage's three disciples. Fortunately, although Tsunade and the others had a rough time, only Jiraiya was truly injured, and under Tsunade's continuous healing, he was almost fully recovered.
Upon returning to Konoha, the others disbanded, but the team leader, Mokume Koutou, needed to report to the Hokage's Office. Tsunade and her team naturally also had to go. For some unknown reason, the person sent by the Third Hokage also asked Kyuushin to go along.
After Mokume Koutou finished his report, the Third Hokage encouraged him for a bit, then dismissed him. Subsequently, he turned his gaze to Kyuushin. "To be honest, your growth rate has exceeded my expectations. At only ten years old, you already possess the strength to contend with a Jonin."
Mokume's report naturally mentioned Kyuushin, so the Third Hokage was aware of his combat achievements.
"Hokage-sama, you flatter me. I was only able to contend with a Jonin with the help of my teammates," Kyuushin said modestly.
"No need to be modest," the Third Hokage smiled. "However, since your strength is sufficient, I must also give you more responsibilities. Therefore, I intend to promote you to Chunin. What do you think?"
*A Chunin? It's been less than a year since I graduated.* However, since the Hokage had spoken, he naturally couldn't refuse. "Thank you, Hokage-sama, for the promotion. I will certainly not let you down."
At this moment, Tsunade also said, "Becoming a Chunin means you can lead your own squad to undertake missions independently, so it requires crisis management abilities. However, your personality is mature, so I'm not worried about that. From another perspective, becoming a Chunin means you transition from a ninja who needs protection to one who needs to protect others. So, you need to protect yourself even more, understand?"
"Yes, I understand," Kyuushin replied.
"As for the squad, for now, it will just be the three of you. You work well together, so I won't meddle," the Third Hokage said. Kyuushin nodded. This essentially meant he became a Chunin, but everything else remained the same.
Subsequently, the Third Hokage arranged for an Anbu to take Kyuushin to complete the promotion process. First, his rank on the registration card was changed from Genin to Chunin, and then he received a set of Chunin vests. This was probably the most significant change; only Chunin were qualified to wear the Konoha ninja uniform, but it was also optional. Other benefits included being able to regularly receive equipment like kunai and explosive tags from the armory. Overall, Chunin were already the backbone of the village, and their welfare and treatment were significantly better than that of Genin.
After taking care of these matters, Kyuushin went straight home. When he arrived, he saw Nawaki and Minato chatting with Mito in the courtyard. The sharp-eyed Nawaki immediately spotted the uniform in Kyuushin's hand and jumped over. "That's a ninja uniform, isn't it? Kyuushin, are you a Chunin now?"
"That's right. The Hokage-sama personally appointed me just now. How about it, jealous?" Kyuushin said with a smile.
"Ah! I think I also have the strength to become a Chunin, so why did the Hokage only appoint you?" Nawaki wailed, overcome with envy.
Kyuushin ignored him and went directly to Mito. "Grandma, I'm back."
Mito smiled and nodded. "Good, it's good to have you back." He was about to return the healing scroll she had given him, but Mito said, "Keep it. Although I hope you never have to use it, having it at least puts my mind at ease."
Kyuushin nodded, putting it back in place. At this point, Minato finally spoke. "Congratulations, Kyuushin, on becoming a Chunin."
"Believe me, it won't be long before you can too," Kyuushin said to Minato.
After this mission, Kyuushin, Nawaki, and Minato did not take on new missions but stayed home for a period of time. However, a sudden piece of news shattered their quiet life a little over ten days later.
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