Promoted to Chunin

At almost the same time, Yuun noticed that both the frequency and power of Nadare Rōga's ninjutsu had weakened. He began taking the initiative to close in, trying to keep his opponent occupied. As long as he could stall until Nadare Rōga could no longer use ninjutsu, Yuun was confident he could handle him alone.

"Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!" Seeing Yuun trying to approach, Nadare Rōga decisively unleashed his strongest attack. A massive ice whale burst from the water, forcing Yuun and Kakashi to retreat and dodge. Then, like the enormous waves splashed up by the whale, a tsunami spread outward in all directions. Heyi Chuixue and Mizore Fuyukuma, who had prepared in advance, rode the momentum of the waves backward until they reached Nadare Rōga's side.

"Damn it." Yuun was furious after being forced back by Nadare Rōga due to a momentary mistake. But now that all three opponents had gathered together, he could no longer attack without risking his own safety.

"Kakashi, you got lucky. You'd better pray we don't meet again." Nadare Rōga left behind a threat before retreating with the other two. They were already nearly ten kilometers from shore and had to conserve a certain amount of chakra, or they might have no choice but to swim back.

Seeing the enemies leave, Kakashi's legs gave out, and he nearly fell into the water. Hana hurried over to support him. "Kakashi-senpai, are you all right?"

"It's nothing." Kakashi barely managed to steady himself. "Let's get back to the ship first and return to Konoha as soon as possible. We don't want any more trouble."

"Yes." By regulation, when carrying out the same mission, Genin and Chunin had to follow a Jonin's command. Yuun and the other two had no objections and answered directly.

By the time Yuun and the others returned to the ship, the person in the cabin had disappeared at some point. He had probably been startled by the commotion when Yuun and the others fought the Snow Ninja. Judging by the timing, that guy had probably defected only two years ago and was still being hunted by Hidden Mist's Anbu. No wonder he had been so badly injured. Although Yuun had anticipated it, he still felt a faint regret after confirming it with his own eyes. It was rare for him to encounter a character he had liked so much in his previous life, only for them to pass each other by. He had no idea when they would meet again.

Regret was regret, but there was no way Yuun was getting off the ship to look for him. Snow Country was the only place nearby where the other man could possibly go, and after having just fought the Snow Ninja, Yuun would never deliver himself to their doorstep.

With Itachi continuously using Genjutsu to hypnotize the captain along the way, Yuun and the others took the passenger ship straight back to the Land of Fire. After disembarking, they parted ways with Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayu. Both missions had been confirmed as complete with the clients' signatures, so Yuun and the others could return to the village openly.

The entire trip had taken less than a month and a half. They had completed one B-rank and one A-rank Mission, and aside from the time spent, all they had really done was fight one serious battle. No matter how one looked at it, Yuun and the other two had made a huge profit. As for Kakashi, although he received much less compensation because the mission rewards were shared, that amount meant nothing to someone who had inherited the Hatake Clan's wealth.

After confirming the three's completed mission records, the Third Hokage promoted all of them to Chunin. In fact, the vast majority of Chunin in ninja villages had not advanced through the Chunin Ninja Exams. As long as their total number of missions and completion rate were acceptable, the village would generally approve their applications. In fact, the so-called Chunin Ninja Exams had not even been created yet.

The Chunin Ninja Exams had actually been established to ease the competition over missions between Konoha and its allied nations. Each country sent out Genin to compete and display their strength before the daimyo and nobles who came to watch, thereby securing a greater share of missions. But the Third Shinobi World War had ended only recently. Konoha and Hidden Sand were not exactly sworn enemies, but their relationship was far from good. Let alone sending Genin to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Without Hidden Sand's involvement, with Hidden Sound not yet founded, and with Amegakure likely still mired in civil war, Konoha truly had few allied nations worth mentioning. After becoming Chunin, aside from the change in status, their benefits also improved. Not only did they receive a monthly stipend similar to a salary, but the village's cut of mission rewards also dropped from thirty percent to twenty-five percent. If they led a team on a mission, they would also receive an additional share of the mission reward.

Once the rewards for the two missions arrived, the three of them split the money, leaving their pockets as full as ever. As long as they did not go somewhere too expensive, they could afford not only one lavish feast, but more than a dozen.

"I need to go back and report to my clan first," Itachi said after receiving his reward. "Sorry, I can't celebrate with you."

"It's fine." Yuun hooked an arm around Itachi's shoulder and grinned. "As long as you treat us next time."

"That's right. Since you're not celebrating with us, the responsibility of treating us falls to you," Hana added from the side.

"Heh." Itachi smiled and casually stuffed his wallet into Yuun's arms. "Don't go too easy on it."

"Don't worry." Yuun swung Itachi's wallet a few times. "We'll definitely help your wallet lose some weight! Let's go, Hana. Time to celebrate."

"Wait for me!" Hana hurried after him, leaving Itachi standing there with a bitter smile.

"Have you made up your mind?" A young man wearing a white mask and a skintight outfit suddenly appeared behind Itachi. "If you join the Anbu, you probably won't be able to see your two teammates again, Itachi."

"If you can do this much for the village and the clan, why can't I?" Itachi closed his eyes. "Shisui, let me ask you something."

"What is it?" the masked youth asked strangely.

"Does true peace really exist?" Itachi turned to look at the Hokage Building. "When the clan and the village come into conflict, which side should we help?"

"..." The masked youth fell silent. He stood motionless behind Itachi, looking at the Hokage Building with him. No one knew what the two of them were thinking.

Elsewhere, after having someone relay that they were safe to their families and clans, Yuun and Hana began a shopping spree with their newfound funds. All kinds of snacks and desserts—anything tasty or anything they had never tried before, they bought a portion of it all. Wagashi, taiyaki, takoyaki, Ishikari nabe...

The two wandered around the snack street for the entire afternoon, not stopping until evening.

"Should I take you home first?" Yuun asked as he looked at the sun, which was about to set.

"No need. You still have to deliver the desserts to Itachi, and with the distance added in, it'll be dark by the time you get home." Hana wiped the slightly greasy corners of her mouth from eating too many snacks. "I can get home by myself. It's not like I've never gone back this late before. What's the big deal?"

"Then be careful." After thinking it over, Yuun felt that Hana had a point and did not insist. Although the Hyuga Clan did not have a curfew, it would still be inappropriate for him to return so late when he was not on a mission.

"Then I'll leave it to you." Hana smiled at the large bags of snacks and desserts Yuun was carrying, which were Itachi's share. "Bye-bye."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow morning." Yuun smiled.