"You two, come in!"
Grand Elder Zong Yan's voice came from inside the office.
The two pushed the door open and entered.
Uchiha Zonyan sat upright behind a broad wooden desk, dressed in dark clan robes with the Uchiha Gunbai crest embroidered on his chest.
He was around sixty, with meticulously combed gray hair and a stern face.
"What brings you two to see me?"
His gaze swept over them.
Gentō stepped forward and got straight to the point.
"Grand Elder, I'd like to apply for promotion to Jonin."
Then he focused his eyes, and three tomoe slowly began to revolve.
Only upon seeing Gentō's Sharingan did a faint smile appear on Grand Elder Zong Yan's usually stern face.
"Hmm... so you've awakened three tomoe..."
"Excellent!"
He considered it for a moment, then slowly rose.
"The war is pressing, and our clan has suffered considerable losses. Another Jonin is always welcome."
"In that case, come with me. I'll take you to Lord Hokage for the Jonin assessment."
He headed toward the door. As he passed Inabi, who was still rooted to the spot, his brow furrowed and his tone abruptly turned cold.
"What are you standing around for? Have you finished your patrol?"
Inabi shrank back.
"Yes! I'll get right to it!"
With that, he dashed off.
On the way to the Hokage Building, Zong Yan remained silent for a long while before suddenly speaking.
"What do you think of Shimura Danzō?"
Gentō answered without hesitation.
"Danzo has an enormous appetite for power, and he's hostile toward our Uchiha Clan."
That was no lie.
Had Danzo not kept fanning the flames, relations between the Uchiha and Konoha might never have become so strained.
"I see..."
Zong Yan glanced at him and said nothing more.
Soon, the two arrived at the Hokage's Office.
Smoke curled through the Hokage's Office.
The Lord Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind a broad desk.
He had a pipe between his lips and was reviewing scrolls.
"Ah, Zong Yan. I was just about to call a meeting of the Konoha High Command. I didn't expect you to show up on your own."
He looked up at Zong Yan as he spoke.
"What brings you here?"
"It's about this boy's promotion to Jonin."
As he spoke, Zong Yan pointed to Gentō, who stood behind him.
Taking the cue, Gentō immediately stepped forward and bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Uchiha Gentō pays his respects to the Lord Third."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded to Gentō.
"Uchiha Gentō, yes. I've heard of you. A very promising young shinobi."
Hiruzen motioned for the Anbu beside him to fetch Gentō's file, then spoke as he leafed through it.
"Hmm... your mission record is excellent as well. But we're at war, so arranging a Jonin assessment right away may be difficult."
Zong Yan replied calmly.
"This boy has already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan."
Hiruzen's gaze sharpened and settled on Gentō.
Understanding his intent, Gentō revealed his Sharingan again.
"I see..."
Hiruzen put down his pipe and considered it for a moment.
"In that case, I'll make an exception and approve your promotion to Jonin without an assessment."
Gentō was inwardly stunned.
The Hokage's authority was that great!
The promotion process for Jonin had always been extremely strict.
After all, Jonin already represented the core fighting strength of each nation.
Even though each of the Five Great Nations maintained around ten thousand shinobi, no village had more than a hundred Jonin.
Even major shinobi clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga had no more than ten Jonin each.
That alone showed how valuable Jonin were.
Gentō dared not delay and hastily addressed Hiruzen.
"Thank you, Lord Third!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand at Gentō, then issued an order to those behind him.
"Summon the heads of every clan and all Jonin currently in the village. Convene a meeting of the Konoha High Command."
The moment he finished speaking, two masked Anbu ninja suddenly appeared in the previously empty space behind him.
Both bowed to Hiruzen.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Then they vanished again.
Only then did Hiruzen turn back to Zong Yan and Gentō.
"Let's head to the conference room first."
Zong Yan did not object. He nodded to Hiruzen and followed him outside.
The two began discussing the village's specific affairs.
Although Gentō followed behind them, his thoughts were already elsewhere.
The system's mission-completion notification had just sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the mission! Reward: 1 lottery draw. Would you like to use it now?]
Without any hesitation, Gentō immediately replied in his mind.
Draw now!
The instant the thought flashed through his mind, a lottery wheel appeared there.
The draw probabilities were listed beneath the wheel.
[D-Rank reward: 40%, C-Rank reward: 50%, B-Rank reward: 10%]
After spinning several times, the wheel slowly came to a stop.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have received a B-Rank reward: basic Medical Ninjutsu proficiency (includes B-Rank Ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel).]
Seeing the reward, Gentō couldn't help feeling delighted.
He'd actually hit that ten-percent chance!
Immediately afterward, Gentō felt a wealth of knowledge about Medical Ninjutsu flood his mind.
It included shinobi anatomy, chakra pathway diagrams, wound treatment, and more.
Better still, all that knowledge came with a technique.
B-Rank Ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel.
This technique concentrated chakra in the hands to form blades capable of precisely cutting muscles and chakra pathways.
Whether used in combat or to treat wounds, it was an extremely practical technique.
Most importantly, he didn't need to practice it at all. Just like the knowledge from before, it was transmitted directly into Gentō's mind.
It was as though he had already practiced it countless times.
He could now be considered a qualified medical ninja.
Looking at this generous reward, Gentō couldn't help anticipating his next draw.
As though it had heard his thoughts, the system immediately issued another mission.
[Ding! New mission issued: engage in dual cultivation with a female shinobi of exceptional aptitude.] [Note: aptitude is assessed across multiple dimensions, including looks, figure, strength, renown, kekkei genkai, and more.] [Mission reward: unlock the system's "Many Children, Many Blessings" module!]
The Many Children, Many Blessings module?
Was this system really that wild?
While he was thinking, they entered the conference room.
Before long, the heads of the shinobi clans arrived one after another.
Konoha's Jonin also took their seats, and the atmosphere gradually grew tense.
Soon, the entire Konoha High Command had assembled.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to the head of the table, his expression solemn.
"Since everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point. I've summoned you all to discuss our response to the war."
As he spoke, an Anbu ninja behind him unfurled the Ninja World Map.
Hiruzen Sarutobi then addressed Shimura Danzō beside him.
"Danzo, explain the current situation."
Shimura Danzō rose and walked to the map.
His right eye and right arm were covered in bandages. His expression was sinister, and his voice was low.
"Since the Third Shinobi World War began, Konoha has been fighting constantly against the four major hidden villages-Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure-and has suffered devastating casualties!"
"On the eastern front against the Land of Water, we suffered an outright rout. The commanding officer, Hyuga Hideshu, was killed, and even his Byakugan was taken by the Land of Water. This is an utter disgrace to Konoha!"
At those words, the corner of Hyuga Clan head Hyuga Hiashi's eye twitched, and veins bulged faintly.
Danzo acted as though he hadn't noticed. He then turned his gaze toward Uchiha Zong Huo beside him and spoke pointedly.
"In my opinion, these so-called great shinobi clans are great in name only."
Zong Yan's expression darkened, but he said nothing.
Just as Danzo was about to continue his rebuke, an Anbu ninja suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen and interrupted the meeting.
The Anbu ninja handed Hiruzen a scroll.
"Lord Hokage, the latest report from the front!"
After rapidly reading it, Hiruzen's pupils abruptly contracted.
Only after a long silence did he slowly raise his head and address everyone in the conference room in a heavy voice.
"Everyone, I have some deeply tragic news."
"The current head of the Uchiha Clan has been killed in battle against Kumogakure's army!"
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