Tsubasa stood with his hands behind his back in the hall, the gazes of the thirty-three clan leaders piercing him like needles.
Following the shocking meeting about the "Nine-Rank Clan," everyone knew that even more astonishing rules would be implemented next. Sure enough, when the sandalwood incense had burned down to half a stick, Tsubasa tapped the table with his fingertips, his voice carrying the sound of metal and stone, "Having discussed the clans, it's time to talk about the foundation of our Konoha —the ninja ranking."
"From this day forward, ninjas will be divided into ten ranks." He swept his gaze across the suddenly tense faces in the crowd, deliberately drawing out the last syllable, " Genin, Elite Genin, Chunin, Elite Chunin Jonin Elite Jonin, Kage Level, Super Kage Level, Sage, High Immortal."
Before the words were even finished, the clan leader gasped – previously, there were only Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and a Clan Head Level, but now it's subdivided into ten levels. What does this mean?
"Let's talk about the evaluation criteria first. In the past, the evaluation criteria were based on the ninja's strength and the number of missions they completed. Many Elite Jonin and even Clan Head Level leaders rose to their positions by completing missions, so their true strength had to be considered one or two levels lower."
Tsubasa pulled a roll of parchment from his sleeve, glanced at it, and continued, "From now on, the criteria for evaluation will not be based on how many people you've killed or how many missions you've completed, but rather on testing a ninja's raw strength in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. The first thing we'll look at is your maximum movement speed and stamina."
"The second is the destructive power of force." Tsubasa paused for a moment and continued, "This standard applies to both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, while Genjutsu is judged using the same standard as secret techniques."
"Thirdly, responsiveness and agility."
Before he could finish speaking, three crossbow bolts suddenly shot out from different directions! Amidst gasps of surprise, Tsubasa easily caught the bolts and said, "The ability to perfectly dodge attacks and react quickly to counterattack is a significant factor in judging a ninja's strength."
"The fourth is the control of Chakra, the application of form transformation and attribute transformation," Tsubasa laughed.
At this point, some people in the hall began to wipe their sweat. But then Tsubasa changed the subject. "The last test for ordinary ninjas is the real dividing line—it's about the power of the secret or forbidden techniques they master."
"As for the Kage Level, I will personally test them." Tsubasa suddenly smiled. "The last level that can be tested is the Super Kage Level. One must create their own unique secret technique, have their own fighting style, and be able to handle any combat environment. For example, my grandfather, Senju Yasuhei, mastered throwing hidden weapons to an art form; people call him the master of hidden weapons. That's the ability of the Super Kage Level. As for the Sage Level..." He looked towards the rain outside the hall, "One must be able to communicate with the Natural Energy, possessing the strength of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Currently, there are only two people in the entire Shinobi World with this strength, and one of them is me. As for the High Immortal, it's currently just a conjecture, but it's also my goal and motivation."
Silence washed over the hall like a tide. The clan leaders were all wondering who the other Sage Level combatant was. Suddenly, Inuzuka Clan spoke up, "Then... how can the assessment be accurate? We can't just make things up, can we?"
"Of course I have a way. I'll build a huge ninja testing building, where all future Konoha ninjas will obtain their ninja rank certificates." Tsubasa clapped his hands and said, "Everyone, follow me."
Led by Tsubasa, the remaining twenty-three clan leaders stood on a large open space beside the Hokage. Tsubasa's fingertips fluttered like butterfly wings, forming a series of complex hand seals. Pale golden Chakra burst forth from his palms, condensing into a transparent rune array on the open space. As the last hand seal fell, the rune array unfolded with a roar, and a massive ten-story building rose from the ground. Flowing runes were engraved on the bluish-gray stone walls, and the five gilded characters "Ninja Examination Building" shone brightly on the rooftop.
Tsubasa introduced the building to the clan leaders, saying, "This building will be where the ninja ranking system will be tested from now on. It can accurately determine the ninja level below Kage Level. Every part of this building is covered with barriers that can withstand the attack power of a Kage Level ninja. Clan leaders are welcome to test it themselves."
All the clan leaders stared at Tsubasa as if he were a monster—he had built such a building so casually? Could he really be a reincarnation of Sage? He had indeed received the true teachings of the First Hokage; building a skyscraper was so easy for him.
Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Tsubasa laughed and said, "There's nothing to be surprised about. This is simply the result of perfecting the form and attribute transformations of Ninjutsu. It's just that the First Hokage used these in everyday life. Ninjutsu is a very magical thing; it can achieve many things that ordinary people cannot understand. But we ninjas only use this power for fighting, which is a bit of a waste."
Shikaboshi Nara said excitedly, "I no longer doubt the Lord Hokage's nine-rank reward policy for the clan. It seems the Lord Hokage possesses many secret techniques that we don't know about. From now on, we, Ino-Shika-Cho, will follow the Lord Hokage to the death." After saying this, Shikaboshi Nara, Chozan Akimichi, and Momiji Yamanaka all bowed.
Seeing this, the others realized what was happening and bowed, saying, "We swear to follow the Lord Hokage."
Tsubasa laughed, "Get up! I only hope that you will stop fighting amongst yourselves and focus on developing your clans: first, increase your clan's population, and second, enhance the strength of your clan's ninjas. Follow my plan and don't fall behind. You've chosen me, so I will not hold back. I will bring about earth-shattering changes to the wealth, power, and strength of each clan. My goal is to make each of your clans a powerful clan with a million inhabitants and Sage- level expert presiding over them. There may still be people laughing at me for talking big now, but time will prove everything. In less than five years, Konoha will be completely transformed."
Shikaboshi Nara bowed again and said, "I will do my best to assist the Lord Hokage. Jūni- year-old Sage Level expert is enough to prove that you are a miracle worker."
The clan leaders all said, "Yes, we will do our utmost to assist the Lord Hokage."
Tsubasa laughed and said, "Let's go inside and take a look around, and while we're at it, let's test everyone's ninja skills."
Tsubasa pushed open the first door, which was carved with the pattern of a ninja tortoise shell, and entered a reception hall with a ceiling height of five zhang (approximately 10 meters). The floor was paved with large marble-patterned tiles, casting graceful shadows.
To the left are thirty-six coral stone registration counters, each with a square rune image display board. Behind the counters, jade walls are engraved with the latest assessment rules and procedures. To the right, in the waiting area, are two hundred and forty wooden chairs, each with a wooden crane-shaped tea table next to it, with an automatically refilling glass pot in the crane's beak.
Huge portraits of Konoha's strongest figures hang on the wall: the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju Madara Uchiha, Senju Yasuhei, Tennin Hyuga... all the Above Clan Head Level ninjas since the founding of Konoha are listed. Each ninja's life, strength, and achievements are marked with different colored Chakra lights. The 108 display cases are empty, as if waiting for a new owner.
At this moment, countless ninjas from Konoha are gathered outside this newly appeared ninja assessment building, their eyes fixed intently on the inside.