Anbu and the Shadow Guard Squad

After several more rounds of assessments, the final few slots had essentially been decided.

They had reached the very end of their respective brackets!

Hyuga Yei, Shisui Uchiha, Asuma Sarutobi, and three others were all members of other shinobi clans.

It was practically certain that these six would become Special Jonin!

Of course, there were others who had performed well in battle. Although they had been eliminated, they received exceptional promotions due to their outstanding performance or exceptional abilities in certain areas.

Some were Yei and the others' classmates, while others were Chunin from one or even several graduating classes ahead of them...

Among their classmates were Genma Shiranui, Raidō Namiashi, and Iwashi Tatami, the three who had become the Fourth Hokage's Shadow Guard Squad in the original story. Their performances this time had also been commendable.

Kurenai Yuhi was somewhat unfortunate. She had performed well in the first match, but then she encountered Shisui Uchiha and lost far too quickly. She was not selected, leaving Asuma beating his chest in frustration, wishing he could give her his own position...

The other classmates, such as Daisei, Nami, Hayate Gekko, and Yugao Uzuki, had been comparatively lackluster. None of them stood out enough, and they were eliminated.

Gai was also rather unfortunate. If he had opened the Eight Gates Formation during battle, then with his Taijutsu, he probably would have been selected as well. However, perhaps some conviction was holding him back, and he had not used that move against his companions...

All in all, twelve Special Jonin emerged from this assessment. They became one of Konoha's pillars of strength!

Naturally, they still had some distance to go before becoming true Jonin. They merely excelled in certain areas and could not yet be considered genuine Jonin.

But for these young people, becoming a Special Jonin was already a fine position...

The others who had been eliminated had already been dismissed, leaving only these twelve in the arena...

Inside the Training Arena, the twelve stood in place and awaited the arrangements to come.

One of the Anbu jonin looked at the twelve of them and nodded slightly. "From today onward, you are the village's special jonin. As for your benefits and what you will need to do next, the Fourth Hokage will explain it to you."

Just as his voice fell, a figure clad in Hokage Vestments and wearing a Hokage Cloak suddenly appeared in the arena with a flash.

His appearance was extremely abrupt. Aside from Yei and Shisui Uchiha, who sensed something and looked toward a certain spot in advance, no one else noticed how he had appeared.

Yei had only sensed a faint spatial fluctuation before the man appeared in front of them without leaving the slightest trace, as though he had materialized from thin air.

The Flying Thunder God Technique... Yei murmured inwardly, growing interested in studying space-time ninjutsu...

Any space-time ninjutsu was an immensely useful weapon. Its utility was tremendous; even just using it to travel would be excellent!

When they saw him appear, everyone present respectfully bowed. "Lord Hokage."

That was right. The man who had appeared from thin air was none other than the current Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze!

"Mm, no need for formalities." The Fourth Hokage smiled gently, his sunny expression giving others a warm feeling.

He looked at the twelve people who had stood out from the crowd and smiled. "You are all outstanding shinobi of the village. Your promotions to Special Jonin this time were earned through your own strength."

"Congratulations. From now on, you are the village's Special Jonin. I hope you will remain true to your original aspirations and work hard for this village." After congratulating everyone present, the Fourth Hokage explained the purpose of his visit. "Since you have become Special Jonin, I have a few arrangements for you to consider..."

The twelve listened attentively.

"First, because of the war, the village's Anbu force is severely understaffed and needs capable shinobi to replenish it. Now that you are Special Jonin, you qualify to join the Anbu..."

"Second, as the Fourth Hokage, I am required to have a Shadow Guard Squad directly under my command. I want to select several talented shinobi from among you to become my Shadow Guard Squad..." the Fourth Hokage briefly explained.

First, he was asking them to join the Anbu!

Because Konoha had barely recruited any new Anbu members during the war, this batch of the most outstanding Chunin qualified to join the Anbu and become Anbu shinobi!

Second, they could become members of his Shadow Guard Squad!

Just as Asuma had said, a Shadow Guard Squad was essential for a Hokage. However, the Fourth Hokage did not wish to select people from among the Jonin. Instead, he intended to cultivate his own, and this Special Jonin assessment had partly been held for that reason.

However, the Fourth Hokage was merely offering them an opportunity. Only those who met his requirements would qualify to become members of the Fourth Hokage's Shadow Guard Squad.

That requirement was—having talent in space-time ninjutsu!

The Fourth Hokage wanted to cultivate his own core group. Ideally, his Shadow Guard Squad would be able to learn the same Flying Thunder God Technique that he used, so they could keep up with his pace!

As the Shadow Guard Squad, they could be considered his personal guards. If they could not keep up with him, there would be no point in their existence...

Therefore, the condition for becoming part of his Shadow Guard Squad was possessing talent in space-time ninjutsu!

After hearing the Fourth Hokage's words, several people present exchanged looks.

They had not expected the Fourth Hokage to say such a thing.

The Flying Thunder God Technique, the ninjutsu with which the Fourth Hokage had dominated the Shinobi World!

For Konoha shinobi, there was no one who did not yearn for it!

Now that they had a chance to come into contact with space-time ninjutsu, they were naturally overjoyed and hurriedly nodded in agreement!

However, there were also those who were uninterested...

Shisui Uchiha's goal was very clear. Whether it came from an order from his clan or his own wishes, he was not interested in becoming part of the Fourth Hokage's Shadow Guard Squad and only joined the Anbu.

Although Yei was somewhat interested in the Flying Thunder God Technique, he was likewise not keen on becoming part of the Fourth Hokage's Shadow Guard Squad. It would cost him some of his freedom, which was not a good thing for him, so he only joined the Anbu.

As the Third Hokage's son, Asuma appeared not to care much about that identity, but he still possessed the pride that came with it. He would not become part of the Fourth Hokage's Shadow Guard Squad. Furthermore, the Shadow Guard Squad had very little freedom, and Asuma understood its duties clearly, so he too only joined the Anbu.

The three of them did not wish to be tested for talent in space-time ninjutsu, and the Fourth Hokage did not mind.

The backgrounds of these three were more unusual than those of the others.

Two were members of powerful shinobi clans, whose rules were strict. The Fourth Hokage understood this as well; becoming part of the Shadow Guard Squad might conflict with their responsibilities within their clans.

Asuma was the Third Hokage's son, so it would also be somewhat inappropriate for him to become part of the Fourth Hokage's Shadow Guard Squad...

Besides, none of this was mandatory. Even refusing to join the Anbu was permitted; it depended on personal choice.

However, no one would likely refuse to join the Anbu. It was one of the necessary paths toward becoming a Jonin!

At the Fourth Hokage's signal, Yei, Shisui Uchiha, and Asuma left first.

As for the others, they were extremely interested in the Fourth Hokage's Shadow Guard Squad. Not to mention that the Fourth Hokage would teach them the space-time ninjutsu known as the Flying Thunder God Technique, simply becoming members of his Shadow Guard Squad was already immensely appealing to them!

After a round of tests, the only ones who possessed talent in space-time ninjutsu were still Genma Shiranui, Raidō Namiashi, and Iwashi Tatami from the original story...

The three of them became the Fourth Hokage's Shadow Guard Squad. However, they had not officially assumed the role yet, nor did they possess sufficient strength for it. The Fourth Hokage would personally train them for a period of time.

The others did not possess that talent and were quite helpless about it, but they did not dwell on it too much. Being promoted to Special Jonin and joining the Anbu was already worth celebrating.

Thus, the Special Jonin selection came to an end!

Afterward, several familiar classmates arranged to gather and celebrate before each returning home...

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