Letter of Recommendation

Letter of Recommendation

The courtyard of the Senju Old Residence lay steeped in the dim yellow light of dusk.

The evening breeze brushed through the ancient trees, producing a faint rustling. The lanterns beneath the eaves cast a soft, warm glow. Grandma Toka sat there like a silent boulder. When she saw Shuji push open the door and enter, she merely lifted her eyelids slightly.

"Back?" Her voice was even, betraying no emotion. Yet her weathered gaze habitually lingered over Shuji for a moment longer.

"Yes, Grandma." Shuji sat down on the edge of the veranda, his posture relaxed. "The Third Hokage summoned me regarding squad assignments and my promotion to Special Jonin."

He did not mention the matter of forming a team, mainly because he did not want Grandma to worry. After all, he had agreed to become Itachi's captain, and then the Third Hokage had proposed promoting him to Jonin. It felt somewhat like an exchange.

No, in practical terms, it was an exchange.

The fingers holding Grandma Toka's teacup paused almost imperceptibly. She said nothing, her gaze turning toward a corner deep within the courtyard, swallowed by shadows.

"I need recommendation letters from two Chunin or Jonin," Shuji continued in the tone of someone reporting official business. "And a specialized ability assessment."

"I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you about the recommendation letters."

"Recommendation letters?" Grandma Toka slowly turned back, her gaze falling upon Shuji's face. The words seemed to freeze the air beneath the eaves for an instant. She raised her teacup and took a sip, but the scalding liquid could not entirely conceal the profound look that flickered through her eyes.

Those who could write recommendation letters... naturally referred to those people.

In the memory fragments Shuji had inherited, those people were like distant relatives with whom he had little connection.

At certain times each year, they would visit this somewhat desolate old residence, bringing proper but not extravagant gifts—exquisite boxes of pastries, seasonal fresh fruit, or rare little trinkets from outside the village.

The scenes in his memories were rather hazy. Some faces carried nostalgia for the past, and their words showed obvious respect for Grandma Toka.

Their gazes upon the young Shuji had been complicated, as though they were examining a token connecting the past and the future. They would pat his head or shoulder and ask ordinary questions such as, "How is the Ninja Academy going?" or "You've gotten taller again." Their tones were gentle, carrying the concern of elders, yet also a certain distance.

To the current Shuji, these distant relatives who existed only in brief holiday greetings were bound to him by little affection and even less contact. Since he needed them now, he could only seek the coordination of Grandma Toka, the head of the family.

From an adult's perspective, this was undoubtedly the most appropriate, proper, and trouble-free approach—having an elder contact them was far more natural, efficient, and suitable than having him, a fourteen-year-old boy, personally ask those uncles, aunts, and relatives whose faces he barely remembered and with whom he had little relationship for recommendation letters.

Grandma Toka set down her teacup, its base lightly tapping against the tray with a crisp sound.

Her gaze rested on Shuji's still-youthful face. Fourteen was no longer that young. In the world of ninja, it was already an age at which one could shoulder important responsibilities.

But to Grandma Toka, he was still far too young.

A recommendation letter was a statement of attitude. When a parent wrote one for a child, it meant they recognized the child as a representative of their family. When a Chunin wrote one, it meant they were willing to accept that Jonin's leadership. When a Jonin wrote one, it meant they recognized that person in some respect and believed them worthy of becoming a comrade.

So, should she have those people write recommendation letters? Should she let them come into contact with him?

Should she let him step into that circle now?

After Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama had passed away one after another, those people liked to gather at the Old Residence whenever they had the chance. Perhaps they wanted to preserve a bond through which they could support one another at critical moments.

Behind that bond lay expectations, burdens, and perhaps calculations. Those waters were far too deep and unfathomable for Shuji as he was now.

"The recommendation letters..." Grandma Toka finally agreed. "This old woman will handle them."

"Is there anything I need to prepare?"

"You only need to focus on the assessment." Grandma Toka casually pushed a ceramic cup filled with freshly brewed hot tea toward Shuji. "You need not concern yourself with anything else yet."

Shuji accepted the teacup, its warmth spreading through his palm. "Yes, Grandma."

He agreed readily. Since the old woman intended to arrange things personally, Shuji was more than happy to save himself the trouble.

"The recommendation letters will be sent directly to the Hokage Office," Grandma Toka added calmly.

Holding the warm ceramic cup, Shuji's thoughts immediately drifted far away.

The original owner had left behind an exceptionally solid foundation. He could wield all five nature transformations, and his chakra reserves were extraordinary—abundant chakra also meant a strong body, so his taijutsu was naturally no weak point. As for Genjutsu? During the chaos of the Warring States Period, Senju Toka had been a famed Genjutsu master when facing the Uchiha clan.

Having been raised by her personally, Shuji's Genjutsu might not have been his specialty, but it was certainly not a weakness.

Not to mention that now, both the quantity and quality of his chakra had risen to entirely new heights.

His spiritual perception had grown sharper, and his five senses had improved greatly as well.

A targeted Special Jonin assessment was not a problem for either the current Shuji or the former one.

For the current Shuji, it was more a test of his control—how to precisely restrain the scale of his power, display the ninjutsu level expected of a Jonin, pass smoothly, and yet avoid appearing completely different from his former self and drawing unnecessary scrutiny.

What truly lingered in his mind was his training in sensing natural energy.

Through his careful cultivation and insights over this period, Shuji had already become vaguely able to sense the strange ripples spreading through the surrounding space whenever the Wood Release tree attempted to draw in natural energy.

Although it was still elusive and difficult to grasp, and he was still unable to absorb it proactively, it was positive feedback nonetheless. It gave him greater confidence and proved that this path was correct. He only needed to keep training.

At the same time, the deeper development of Wood Release could not be neglected.

The last attempt to guide Wood Release in absorbing natural energy had ended in petrification, but failure itself was experience. The trees he created were simply too weak. So, should he improve the strength of Wood Release trees, or expand their varieties?

These were all problems that needed solving.

He had to gain a deeper understanding of the essence of Wood Release and explore its deeper connection with natural energy. The path Hashirama Senju had forged lay before him. There was no reason he could not find a path of his own.

Only power—power truly held in his hands—would allow him to stand firm amid the coming tide of an era he knew would be filled with upheaval and chaos. The assessment was merely a ripple. Growing stronger was the true pillar.

Night gradually deepened, and the lights of the Old Residence cast hazy halos across the window lattice. Watching the boy hold his teacup with an unfocused gaze, clearly immersed once more in thoughts of training, Grandma Toka's taut shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly. She lifted her own cup of tea, now already lukewarm, and slowly took a sip.

(End of Chapter)