Naruto paid for their meal, and the young couple, who had just made their relationship official, headed toward the Hokage Building together.
As soon as Naruto entered the office, he saw Jiraiya and Asuma standing beside Tsunade's chair, with Shikamaru in front of them.
"Ah, Naruto, you're here. Perfect, we can begin. I've reviewed the recommendations and voting results from the chunin ninja exams, and both of you received extremely high praise. Shikamaru Nara, you demonstrated meticulous tactical thinking and outstanding planning skills during the exams. You accurately assessed the difference in strength between yourself and your opponents, and your mastery of your clan secret technique was exceptionally solid. I hereby officially promote you to chunin." As Tsunade finished speaking, Asuma broke into a huge smile, immensely proud of his genius student who was always saying, "What a drag."
"Seriously, just like that? What a drag. Now I'll have even more work to do," Shikamaru muttered. He stepped forward to accept his new Chunin Vest, and Asuma smiled and clapped him on the back.
"Next, Naruto Uzumaki. Your performance during the exams far exceeded the standards required of a genin. You devised meticulous tactics and executed them flawlessly. When unexpected situations arose, you quickly adjusted your plans and adapted. Your use of the Shadow Clone Technique is already approaching jonin level, allowing you to control your clones flexibly in battle. Finally, you won your match using high-level ninjutsu. All of this proves that your abilities have long since surpassed those of a genin. It is therefore my honor to present you with this Chunin Vest and officially promote you to chunin."
By the time Tsunade finished, Naruto was so excited he could barely keep himself from jumping.
"I'm a chunin! Awesome! Now I can take on tougher missions!" Naruto shouted, immediately pulling on his new vest.
"Hey, congratulations, kid. You're a chunin now. But don't get too full of yourself. You still have a long way to go before you become Hokage," Jiraiya said with a smile.
"Thanks, Pervy Sage! Doesn't that mean you should take us out to celebrate? You're my teacher, after all," Naruto suggested.
"With the way you two eat? No chance. All right, get out of here. No training this afternoon. You have the day off, so go have fun with your little girlfriend. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do." Jiraiya finished with a lecherous grin, only for Tsunade to punch him into the wall.
"Perverted teacher," Naruto muttered before asking, "Oh, right, Granny, have you gone to the hospital to check on that bastard Sasuke and Rock Lee? I'm sure Guy-sensei must've already come to see you."
A vein bulged at Tsunade's temple. Being called "Granny" instantly infuriated her, but she quickly suppressed her anger. "I have. Sasuke can be discharged in two days, and I've scheduled Rock Lee's surgery for tonight. The success rate is only about fifty percent, but if the surgery succeeds, he'll recover quickly. He has a strong physical foundation. Once I repair his spine, a day of rehabilitation with medical ninjutsu will restore him completely. He'll be back to his old self."
"Oh, right, one more thing before you leave. Be here at eight tomorrow morning sharp to receive your first mission as a chunin." As Tsunade spoke, she struggled to hold back a wicked grin, thinking, You dared to call me Granny? Time to teach you a lesson and give you a 'taste' of life as a chunin.
Eight fifteen the next morning.
"Oh, man, this is so boring!" Naruto groaned.
"Count yourself lucky. You only have to work this one shift. We've been stuck at this lousy post for two years," Izumo said, drawing another card from the deck.
"Exactly. We're practically growing mushrooms here." Izumo Kamizuki laid his cards on the table. "A straight." Izumo tossed down his cards in frustration and obediently handed over the money.
"What did you two even do to get stuck here for so long?" the blond boy asked curiously.
"Uh, we were hired to protect the first shipment of the new Icha Icha Paradise book, but we were attacked along the way, and all the books were destroyed," Izumo Kamizuki said quietly.
"Yeah, Lord Hokage was furious that he didn't get his new book. He sentenced us to six gate-duty shifts a week until he said otherwise. Then he either forgot about it or really was that angry, because the punishment lasted two years," Izumo added.
"Wow, that's awful. But why would those bandits destroy the Pervy Sage's books?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"Heh, they weren't bandits. Kurenai did it. She hates that series more than anything. Haven't you seen the way she looks at Kakashi when he's reading it? I bet she'd have castrated him ages ago if he weren't so strong. Unfortunately, we have no proof she did it," Izumo said.
The shift dragged on endlessly. The only bright spot was Yugito coming by to bring Naruto lunch. But even she said gate duty was far too boring and left to train. When his relief finally arrived, Naruto decided to visit Rock Lee and Sasuke at the hospital.
Rock Lee had already started training despite his doctor's objections. When he saw Naruto's Chunin Vest, he immediately shouted that they would be eternal rivals, just like Guy and Kakashi. He even declared that if he became a jonin later than Naruto, he would do two hundred laps around Konoha on his hands. Naruto thought, Looks like Granny really meant it when she said he'd be 'back to his old self.' But couldn't she have made him a little quieter?
With that thought, Naruto headed toward Sasuke's hospital room.
"Hey, Sasuke, you're finally awake. That's great." Naruto entered the room with a smile. Sasuke was sitting on the bed, talking to Sakura about his brother.
Sasuke didn't respond, his face utterly expressionless. Oblivious to the strange atmosphere, Sakura quickly spoke up. "Oh, Naruto, are you here to see Sasuke-kun? I'm so glad he woke up. Lady Tsunade is amazing! None of the other doctors could do anything, but she came with her assistant and woke Sasuke-kun up just like that... I wish I could be that amazing." Sakura ended with a sigh. Ever since watching Naruto's fight with Gaara, she had stopped calling him an idiot or dead last.
"You know, Sakura, if you ask Granny, she might be willing to teach you. I can tell your chakra control is really good. You could definitely become an excellent Combat Medic Ninja. The Pervy Sage also told me Granny has always wanted more Combat Medic Ninjas in the ninja forces," Naruto said.
"Naruto, calling Lady Tsunade that is really disrespectful. But... I'll ask her. Being able to learn from her would be wonderful," Sakura said.
Naruto was about to reply when Sasuke interrupted him. He stared fixedly at the blond boy and said through gritted teeth, "Fight me, dead last."
Before you continue