Becoming a Genin, Then Getting an Explosive Card Draw

Tsunade blinked. "It's classified. I do know, but telling you would spoil the surprise."

"Aw, why?"

Nawaki was dejected for a moment, then immediately started grinning foolishly again.

"Congratulations on graduating, Nawaki-senpai."

"Congratulations on officially becoming a ninja."

Nawaki's close friends all came to congratulate him: Namikaze Minato, Mikoto Uchiha, Kushina Uzumaki, Yakushi Nonō, and the others.

Shikaku Nara, Hizashi Hyuga, Tsume Inuzuka, and the others were there, too. They had all gotten to know Nawaki through Uchiha Chonhua and Namikaze Minato.

Nawaki was touched, and promptly decided to treat everyone to a meal at the newly opened barbecue restaurant.

As for who would pay... his little brother had graduated, so his big sister ought to treat everyone, at the very least.

Tsunade readily agreed, and even called Jiraiya and Orochimaru over.

That night, cups were raised and passed around as everyone drank and feasted.

The large group laughed and joked, the place buzzing with excitement. Everyone wore happy smiles.

The happiest of all was the story's main character, Nawaki, who cried his eyes out.

He kept blubbering, "Waaah, I finally graduated!" "I don't have to study anymore!" "Just you wait! I'll become a Chunin in no time, get promoted to Jonin, and then become the Hokage that everyone in the village acknowledges!"

Nawaki swept his arm through the air. "I'm going to become the greatest Hokage!"

"Then be careful when you go on missions, Nawaki." Remembering the tragic fate Nawaki had met in the original story, Uchiha Chonhua urged him over and over to be cautious.

There was just one key point: listen to your superiors. Don't get carried away and charge ahead without thinking. In the original story, Nawaki had blundered into an Explosive Tag trap and been blown up. Even Orochimaru, right beside him, hadn't managed to stop him.

"Remember, your safety comes first. You have to be alive to make your dreams come true. If you die, you won't have anything."

Nawaki slapped his chest, but accidentally hit himself too hard and broke into a fit of coughing. Soon, he was sniffling and wiping away tears.

"Cough... relax. I'm going to become Hokage, after all. I'm not going to die along the way!"

He clearly hadn't taken it to heart. Uchiha Chonhua sighed helplessly and gave Nawaki a heavy pat on the shoulder. Nawaki winced and bared his teeth; it hurt.

He looked at Uchiha Chonhua and saw how serious he was.

Chonhua like this... Nawaki swallowed. He'd never seen him like this before.

"Nawaki, promise me you'll put your life first. I don't want to see you on the Memorial Stone one day."

The words were grave, and Nawaki couldn't help becoming serious, too.

"I promise, Chonhua. I won't die. I'm going to wear the Hokage's hat. How could I end up forgotten on the Memorial Stone?"

"Hey, why so serious? All this talk about life and death."

Tsunade came over and poked Uchiha Chonhua on the forehead, smiling. "At Nawaki's current rank, he'll only be taking D- and C-rank missions. They're not very dangerous, and they're good practice. Save that speech for when he becomes a Chunin."

Uchiha Chonhua sighed inwardly.

If only it were really that simple. Unfortunately, there wouldn't be much time for Nawaki to gain experience. War was coming soon.

It had barely been said before it came to pass.

To Uchiha Chonhua's surprise, a war involving Konoha broke out very soon.

A month after Nawaki graduated, Uchiha Chonhua learned that Kumogakure, in the northern great nation of the Land of Lightning, had launched an attack on the border of the Land of Fire.

Uchiha Chonhua was taken aback, but then he accepted it.

Although the original story hadn't mentioned this war between Kumogakure and Konoha during the Second Shinobi World War, he was living in reality now. Anything could happen.

Nawaki didn't take part in the war. He had only just become a Genin and was still learning how missions worked. Besides, Konoha had plenty of manpower at the moment, so he wasn't needed on the battlefield.

Incidentally, Nawaki's instructor was an elite Jonin—and someone they knew well.

Tsunade's close friend, Orochimaru.

It really was a pleasant surprise for Nawaki, who had said more than once how much he admired Orochimaru-senpai.

...And yet, when they reached the battlefield, he lost his life by ignoring the advice of the Orochimaru-senpai he admired.

As Nawaki's instructor, Orochimaru didn't accompany the troops sent north to counter Kumogakure's invasion.

The force was led by Jiraiya and Tsunade, along with... Shimura Danzō.

"The war in the north is over? Already?"

Uchiha Chonhua had just managed to bring a half-dead cow back to life. The larger the creature, the more exhausting it was to treat.

He had just wiped the sweat from his brow when Tsunade, who had only just returned, told him the war in the north was over.

Wasn't that a little too fast?

It had only been two months since the war in the north began.

Tsunade looked worried. She glanced down the corridor, toward the room where Mito Uzumaki was recuperating.

Kushina was there, learning Sealing Jutsu from Mito Uzumaki.

"The Eight-Tails went berserk in Kumogakure."

Tsunade quickly explained, "The Third Raikage rushed back to the village to deal with the Eight-Tails rampage. Until they resolve this, Kumogakure won't be able to start another war."

When the Eight-Tails rampaged, Kumogakure's ninja were fighting on the front lines, and the village's strongest ninja, the Third Raikage, was stationed there, too.

With the village defenses depleted, the Eight-Tails had gone on a rampage and laid waste to the entire village.

Although the main force was still intact, their urgent priority was to return and contain the Eight-Tails, then rebuild Kumogakure after the destruction.

The war in the north had begun just two months earlier, and now it had ended abruptly under such unexpected circumstances.

Chapter 23: Becoming a Genin, Then Getting an Explosive Card Draw

"Chonhua, I'd like to hear what you've decided to do after graduating."

Uchiha Ryutai sat on the veranda, gazing into the distance at the towering Kage Rock.

Uchiha Chonhua remained silent and didn't answer.

Uchiha Ryutai continued, "The Military Police Force is short-staffed. Do you want to join? With my help and your abilities, you could become a squad leader in no time."

"I'm not planning to join the Military Police Force." Uchiha Chonhua shook his head. "Instead of taking a squad leader position, I'd rather start out as a Genin, taking D- and C-rank missions."

"So you'd rather side with them than the Military Police Force..."

Uchiha Ryutai understood. He wasn't surprised at all. After spending several years together, he knew the boy felt even closer to Konoha than he did.

He shook his head with a wry smile. "I was only asking. I know your dream, and I understand how hard you've worked for it. It's perfectly reasonable for you to make this choice."

"But..." Uchiha Ryutai's expression turned serious, and he fixed Uchiha Chonhua with a piercing gaze.

"Chonhua, don't forget that Uchiha blood runs through your veins. Never forget your clan."

"The village is important because it's home to all of us. But that home is made up of many smaller homes. Don't look only up ahead and forget the roots beneath your feet."

There was nothing wrong with feeling close to Konoha. Uchiha Ryutai himself belonged to the faction that favored Konoha.

But closeness had its limits. It was worthwhile because it brought benefits to the clan, along with lasting peace and security.

If the day ever came when Konoha and the Uchiha Clan clashed, Uchiha Ryutai's eyes would turn fierce. Without a doubt, he would choose his roots.

Uchiha Chonhua dreamed of becoming Hokage. That was a good thing. Many members of the Uchiha Clan had their eyes on the Hokage Position, so it wasn't unusual.

Uchiha Ryutai only hoped that such a brilliant young man wouldn't blindly throw himself in with the Hokage's faction and forget the Uchiha family he came from.

The clan—the clan was what mattered most!

Uchiha Chonhua nodded solemnly to show he understood. Of course he wouldn't forget the Uchiha Clan.

But for now, he wouldn't get too close to the Uchiha Clan. That depended on Sarutobi Hiruzen's mood.

There was no helping it. The Hokage had more cards in hand at the moment. With the Sannin and Hatake Sakumo, he had nothing to fear from any clan.

The initiative wasn't in their hands at all. It belonged to Konoha's leadership.

What he had to do was work hard to get into Konoha's inner circle, then gradually strengthen his own influence.

Until the day he could turn the tables.

"Congratulations on graduating! Now it's my turn to say it. Hehe."

Nawaki congratulated his friends.

Uchiha Chonhua's class graduated that day.

Uchiha Chonhua touched the Konoha Headband on his forehead, but he didn't feel happy. On the contrary, he felt a little dejected.

"Chonhua, what's wrong? You graduated and became a ninja, so why the long face?"

Because my card draw was a disaster, of course.

When he received his Konoha Headband, had his identification photo taken, and his ninja file was sent to the Hokage Building, the system popped up to tell him he could draw a Genin card.

And then...

Uchiha Chonhua didn't want to remember the experience. It wasn't anyone he recognized, just a Mist Village Genin with a Passerby Face.

He was ordinary from head to toe. His strongest skill was using the Hidden Mist Technique to carry out assassinations.

Well... Uchiha Chonhua tearfully inherited everything from this Mist Village passerby character card. Aside from a slight increase in chakra and physical strength, it had barely any benefits.

How strong could a ten-year-old Mist Village nobody be? And he was from the early days of the Mist Village, a far more peaceful era than the later Bloody Mist Village.

This card draw had been a dud.

"I just want to become a Chunin as soon as possible."

Uchiha Chonhua clenched his fist in frustration. He refused to believe his Chunin card draw could be this unlucky, too!

Nawaki spoke with the solemnity of someone who'd been through it. "To become a Chunin, you first need to complete a certain number of missions. Then you need a letter of recommendation from your instructor. That's the hardest part."

"I think I'm strong enough to pass the Chunin Ninja Exams, but Orochimaru-sensei says I'm not, so he keeps refusing to recommend me. I have no choice but to keep doing these boring missions."

Uchiha Chonhua gave him a strange look. "Could it be that Orochimaru-senpai is right, and you really aren't qualified to take the Chunin Ninja Exams yet?"

"I think I am."

Nawaki was brimming with confidence as he thumped his chest.

"Come on, it doesn't matter if you're good enough all by yourself. The Chunin Ninja Exams require an entire team to participate. What about your teammates?"

Kushina Uzumaki shook her head as she spoke. "No, no. Maybe your teammates are good enough, but you aren't, so Orochimaru-sensei won't let you take the exams."

"Hey, that makes sense."

"Like hell it does!" Nawaki glared at Kushina Uzumaki. "There's no way I'm the one who isn't good enough. Hmph, our whole team is good enough, so it's all Orochimaru-sensei's fault!"

"Okay, okay, let's not stand around here. Barbecue! I want barbecue!"

Choza Akimichi called out. Nothing made people happier than a barbecue feast—not even one congratulation after another.

"Good idea. I'll go get Shikaku and the others."

Namikaze Minato went to fetch everyone, and then a whole crowd showed up.

It wasn't just Shikaku Nara and the other friends. Their parents came, too.

A child's graduation was such an important occasion that of course their parents would come and share in the joy.

On the way, Uchiha Chonhua walked over to Yakushi Nonō.

"Nonō, are you going to Konoha Hospital after you graduate?"

Yakushi Nonō's class of Medical Ninja had graduated as well. Unlike the others, however, the Medical Class wouldn't have instructors take them on missions. Instead, they would go straight to Konoha Hospital for on-the-job training.

Yakushi Nonō nodded, looking forward to the life ahead.

She had finally become a Medical Ninja and would be working at Konoha Hospital to earn money.

That way, she could give back to the Church Orphanage that had raised her.