Promotion to Chunin

"Hey, Gen, you're back. Captain Yashiro was looking for you."

Uchiha Gen had just returned to the clan compound when an Uchiha Clan ninja patrolling the area flashed down onto the road ahead of him.

"So it's Hiroshi. What does Captain Yashiro want with me?" Uchiha Gen asked with a faint smile.

"You'll know when you get there. Anyway, it's not bad news."

Uchiha Gen was speechless. You obviously know, so what are you being mysterious for?

"Alright. Thanks, Hiroshi."

Uchiha Hiroshi nodded slightly, then vanished in a flash.

Uchiha Gen then left the clan compound and headed for the Military Police Force at the western edge of Konoha, where Konoha's prison was also located.

The Nine-Tails incident had not yet occurred, so the Uchiha Clan compound had not been relocated to the village's outskirts. It was still quite a distance from the Military Police Force.

He could have gotten there quickly by leaping across the rooftops, but unless it was an emergency, ordinary ninja were generally forbidden from jumping around the village like that.

Under normal circumstances, only the Anbu, the Military Police Force, and the even more deeply hidden Root could move freely across the village that way.

Uchiha Gen belonged to none of those three divisions, so he could only walk.

Konoha was neither particularly large nor particularly small, covering roughly four hundred thousand square meters—about the size of fifty-five football fields.

About twenty minutes later, Uchiha Gen arrived at the Konoha Military Police Force, went upstairs, and reached Yashiro's office.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in."

After entering, Uchiha Gen gave a slight bow. "Captain Yashiro."

"Gen, you came at just the right time. Take your things back with you."

A trace of a smile appeared on Uchiha Yashiro's normally stern face as he picked up a green flak jacket from his desk and tossed it over.

Uchiha Gen caught it. A rolled-up piece of paper was tucked into the upper-right pocket of the vest. When he took it out and looked at it, it was indeed a Chunin Appointment Certificate.

"Thank you, Captain Yashiro."

"No need. You earned it."

"I never expected you, kid, to kill so many enemies. You really are a genius of the Uchiha Clan."

"Still, you've been somewhat wronged."

"You killed thirty-four enemies, including four Chunin, all by yourself. On top of that, you possess the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, and this is wartime."

"If I had the authority, I would have promoted you to Special Jonin."

Uchiha Gen had deliberately concealed half his achievements, using Earth Release to bury the bodies. Otherwise, it would have been far too shocking.

Even after concealing half his record, the report still caught Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention, and he even dispatched Anbu to verify it in secret.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi did not believe the proud Uchiha Clan would falsify their accomplishments, verification was still necessary.

After Uchiha Gen awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan and gained the clan's attention, he had used Chakra Paper to test his Chakra nature.

Besides the Fire Release possessed by all Uchiha Clan ninja, he also had Earth Release and the relatively rare Wind Release.

Though he could not compare to ninja born with all five Chakra natures, possessing three was already exceptionally rare.

With Chakra of three natures, as long as he mastered the corresponding ninjutsu, he could handle enemies of any nature with ease—even all five elemental types.

"It doesn't matter. Special Jonin and Jonin are only matters of time."

Uchiha Gen did not seem pleased by his promotion to Chunin. His face remained expressionless, and his tone was calm.

"Very good. Keep it up. You may go."

Rather than being displeased by Uchiha Gen's pride, Uchiha Yashiro appreciated it. It was as though members of the Uchiha Clan ought to be this way.

"I'll take my leave, Captain Yashiro."

Holding the Chunin flak jacket, Uchiha Gen left the office and shut the door behind him.

The Uchiha Clan ninja he encountered along the way all offered their congratulations. Uchiha Gen did not put on airs and responded to each of them.

Meanwhile, Cloud, Sand, Mist, and Rock successively received intelligence regarding the Battle of Kikyo Mountain.

Cloud, Sand, and Mist all found it deeply regrettable, but after suffering crushing defeats, none of them had any intention of taking further desperate risks. They planned to proceed steadily and break through head-on.

Iwagakure, Tsuchikage Building. Ōnoki sat in the Tsuchikage Office, reading the intelligence report on the Battle of Kikyo Mountain. His eyes shifted slightly as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Ōnoki wore a red sash, a green striped flak jacket, and a Tsuchikage hat. He was short in stature, with a large nose and a rather comical appearance.

Yet none of the Five Great Ninja Villages dared underestimate this somewhat ludicrous-looking Kage. That remained true even in his old age, let alone now, when Ōnoki was not yet that old.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently in the middle stage of his prime, then Ōnoki was in the later stage of his.

In truth, the Kage Hiruzen Sarutobi feared most was Ōnoki. Cunning, scheming, stubborn, and tough—those were the words that defined Ōnoki.

"Someone."

"Tsuchikage-sama."

An Iwagakure Anbu wearing a khaki bodysuit, a mask, and a face covering suddenly appeared before the desk. He dropped to one knee and spoke respectfully.

"Notify all the elders to attend a meeting."

"Yes."

Fifteen minutes later, the bright and spotless conference room of the Tsuchikage Building was filled with Iwagakure's Tsuchikage and its influential elders.

"Take a look at this intelligence report."

At Ōnoki's words, the elders picked up the documents on the table and began reading.

"Well? Did you notice anything?"

Two minutes later, Ōnoki spoke.

"Konoha truly deserves to be called the number one ninja village. Even while fighting on four fronts, they still managed to defeat the Allied Kumo-Suna Forces' surprise attack. It's terrifying."

"Can Iwagakure really defeat Konoha?"

The moment those words were spoken, quite a few elders voiced their agreement.

Ōnoki's expression darkened the more he listened. He slammed his palm onto the table and snapped, "I did not bring out this report so you could boost their morale and diminish our own!"

Ōnoki held immense prestige. Once he lost his temper, none of the elders dared talk back. They all lowered their heads and fell silent.

"Don't judge things by appearances!"

"According to the intelligence, Konoha also suffered considerable losses, and that was with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage himself, taking action."

"Furthermore, Cloud and Sand actually managed to push Konoha all the way to Konoha's gates. What does that tell us?"

"It tells us Konoha is already at the end of its rope—strong on the outside, weak on the inside!"

"What would happen if it happened again?"

An Iwagakure elder's eyes lit up. "If it happened again, there's a strong chance Konoha would be breached. That would inevitably trigger a chain reaction."

"Even if Konoha did not collapse entirely, it would never again be able to monopolize the Land of Fire's fertile land and abundant resources."

Ōnoki gave the Iwagakure elder a look of approval, then said solemnly, "Elder Matsumoto is absolutely right."

"Therefore, I intend to send a force around the Land of Grass battlefield, into the Land of Fire, and advance all the way toward Konoha."

The Iwagakure elders were greatly tempted by the idea, but some more rational elders still raised objections.

"Tsuchikage-sama, your idea is excellent."

"However, because of the operation to surround and kill the Third Raikage, we suffered heavy military losses. The front lines are currently fighting Konoha, and we must also guard against Kumogakure and Sunagakure. It will be difficult to assemble another force."

Ōnoki shook his head. "We can afford to be bolder."

"Although Cloud lost the Third Raikage and hates us to the bone, Kumogakure will not turn its back on profit."

"The Land of Fire is a huge slab of rich, dripping fat. One bite would leave your mouth full of oil. The Land of Earth, at most, is a small piece of lean meat."

"Moreover, it is separated from Iwagakure by the sea. Preparing enough ships would not be easy, so they most likely will not attack us."

"Therefore, we can pull part of the forces from the defense line facing Cloud, leaving only enough to meet the most basic needs."

"If Cloud truly loses its mind, then have the front line retreat, lure the enemy deep in, mobilize our forces, and strike Cloud hard once more."

"What do you think?"

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