Over the past few days, Itō Yuying had been extremely pleased with himself, swaggering around all the time. The others seethed at the sight but dared not say anything.
"Have you heard? Itō Yuying developed a new Space-Time Ninjutsu based on the Flying Thunder God Technique that surpasses it. They say it's incredibly powerful." "Mm-hmm, I heard about it too. Apparently, it was even classified as a forbidden technique and recorded in the Scroll of Seals."
"What a genius!" "Yeah! I'm so jealous. That's Space-Time Ninjutsu we're talking about!"
"Konoha really does produce one talent after another."
That day, Tobirama Senju came to a large conference room to decide on several orders. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he stepped onto the stage and said, "Why have I called everyone here today? There are a few matters. First, just last month, our younger generation in Konoha fought a fierce battle against the Second Tsuchikage, his student Ōnoki, and Roshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki. Ōnoki was severely injured. According to intelligence from Iwagakure, he is still not out of danger. My student Itō Yuying severely injured Roshi of the Four-Tails single-handedly, and afterward, Hatake Sakumo and the others joined forces to repel him once more. Although Roshi wasn't fighting seriously, making someone who stands half a step from Kage Level suffer is still proof of our ability. Even against the Tsuchikage, Konoha's outstanding youngsters neither backed down nor showed fear. Your performance made me very happy, and I'm proud of you."
"I hereby announce that, as of today, Might Duy, Uchiha Hanyue, Hyuga Yeyang, Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya have been promoted to Chunin of Konoha. Over the past month, the seven of them have constantly taken on missions, performed very well, and completed every mission perfectly. I've seen all your progress. To borrow something Yuying often says, I give you a thumbs-up."
"Bravo... bravo..." The people below cheered loudly and applauded them. The children standing below the stage already had tears in their eyes. Might Duy was the most dramatic, crying as he shouted, "Youth never admits defeat!"
Once everyone's excitement had settled a little, Tobirama Senju began handing out Chunin vests. They went up to collect theirs one by one, each too excited to speak. Tobirama Senju offered each of them a few words of encouragement before happily sending them off the stage.
Then Tobirama Senju continued, "The second matter I want to announce is that Itō Yuying will become the youngest Jonin in Konoha's history—a nine-year-old Jonin."
"Next, let me talk about the missions Itō Yuying has carried out over the years. He has only undertaken two missions. On his first, he encountered Ōnoki and was instantly defeated. But he refused to give up, relying on his tenacious will to hold his own against Ōnoki, and finally defeated him with the help of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō. Itō Yuying also killed three Special Jōnin in an instant. Think about it, everyone. He was only a nine-year-old Genin! Yet he could defeat Jonin. You can imagine his talent."
Itō Yuying was so embarrassed that he nearly dug a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor with his toes. Teacher, you're going overboard. Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō were also looking at him with smiles. Itō Yuying was so mortified that he nearly burrowed underground. It was public humiliation on a grand scale.
Seeing that Itō Yuying was about to burrow underground, Tobirama Senju toned it down a little and continued, "As for his second mission, I'm sure everyone already knows about it. If not for the Second Tsuchikage, both Ōnoki and Roshi would have met their ends there. Itō Yuying's contribution was indispensable. Therefore, Konoha High Command has decided to grant him the rank of Jonin. Since he is still young, lacks experience, and needs further training, I will personally assign his missions."
Everyone stared at Itō Yuying and Tobirama Senju, dumbfounded. Isn't this a little too obvious?
Itō Yuying hurried onto the stage, grabbed his Jonin vest, and ran back down. "Haha, children really do embarrass easily," Tobirama Senju said with a laugh.
"Yuying! Although you're a Jonin now, you mustn't neglect your training." "Understood, Teacher," Itō Yuying replied. "Mm. Go work on mastering your new technique first. I'll ask you a few questions later."
"All right." Itō Yuying left with his friends.
Once they were outside, everyone gathered around him. "Congratulations, Yuying! You're already a Jonin!" "Yeah, yeah! I'm so jealous!" "Ah... it's nothing. I still need more training to gain experience. You've all built up so much experience from constantly taking missions last month. I still need to work hard."
"Hehe, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Lord Jiraiya! I'm very approachable, you know!"
"Yes, yes, Lord Jiraiya. Let's go to the training ground first! I need to work on mastering my technique."
"Oh, Yuying, explain the Flight Technique to me again. Everyone gained some understanding after your explanation last time, but I still don't really get it," Tsunade asked.
"Sure, let's go to the training ground and talk about it in detail. Everyone, put your hands on my shoulders." They obediently rested their hands on Itō Yuying's shoulders. He pressed two fingers to his forehead, closed his eyes, and sensed the little bird in a tree at the training ground. He had learned his lesson this time and wouldn't end up riding on Might Duy like before. With a swish, everyone vanished.
The ninja coming out of the building saw this and were filled with envy. "Is that the child who was just promoted to Jonin? No wonder he could become a Jonin. Look, that's Space-Time Ninjutsu."
Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Shimura Danzō nodded in satisfaction as they looked at the spot where Itō Yuying and the others had vanished. Tobirama Senju said, "Once they're a little older, I plan to establish a new department. I haven't decided what to call it yet. Yuying will be its head, answering only to the Hokage. Selection must be a hundred times stricter than selection for the Anbu. We must start selecting them as children, and they must be children loyal to Konoha. You two will help oversee things in the beginning. Once Yuying is familiar with it, hand everything over to him. It's about time he contributed to Konoha too. Haha!" Tobirama Senju laughed.
Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed as well. Shimura Danzō turned and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi recording Tobirama Senju's words. That damned bootlicker! Damn it, how did I forget again? This is infuriating! Tobirama Senju gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a satisfied look, then returned to his room.
At the training ground, Itō Yuying and the others appeared out of thin air beside a large tree, startling the little bird into flight.
"Wow, that's amazing! I really want to learn it!"
"In your dreams. If you can learn it, I'll eat shit while standing on my hands." "Damn you, Orochimaru! I-I challenge you to a duel!" Itō Yuying laughed. "All right, if you want to learn, you'll have to speak to Lord Hokage first. Many of my techniques have been classified as forbidden techniques and recorded in the Scroll of Seals."
Jiraiya looked a little dejected. "All right, take it slowly. This really is hard to learn. It took me nearly two years to learn it. Actually, I would have thanked my lucky stars if I'd managed to learn it within the five years I'd planned. This time, I was simply pushed into it by the Tsuchikage, so that was a good thing too."
"All right, I'll explain the Flight Technique again. Anyone who didn't understand, come and listen. If you understood it, go practice on your own." In the end, only Tsunade came over. Her little face flushed red with anger. Why was she the only one who couldn't do it? Even Jiraiya, that dead last, understood. "All right, stop complaining. Do you know how hard Jiraiya usually works? When he first started learning the Flight Technique, he asked me questions every day. So did the others." Then Itō Yuying carefully explained it to Tsunade once more.
Itō Yuying noticed that Tsunade was studying with the utmost concentration. "All right, practice it first. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me."
"All right." Tsunade went off to one side to practice.
Before you continue