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"...rank of Chūnin. If you are able to complete this list of missions, you will automatically be promoted to Jōnin," Minato said as Naruto took the small scroll handed to him by an ANBU operative.
He unrolled it and scanned the contents. It seemed fairly straightforward: fifteen A-rank missions, ten B-rank missions, and participation in either team-based or solo tactical missions—a requirement for anyone seeking Jōnin promotion.
"As for becoming a Special Jōnin," Minato continued, "you do not need to complete that many missions. In some cases, mastery over a single advanced form of ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu can qualify you—along with exceptional field performance. These criteria are different from the normal promotion track."
Naruto simply nodded, taking it all in. He didn't feel overwhelmed. If anything, it sounded manageable—especially for him.
Minato added with a small smile, "You might be wondering about the S-rank mission… Well, Naruto, your recent engagement against multiple enemy shinobi has officially been reclassified as an S-rank mission in the records. So technically, you've already completed one—alongside Itachi."
Naruto gave a slight nod. He had suspected something like that might happen.
"Now all you have to do is complete the remaining A, B, and C-rank missions to fulfill your quota," Minato concluded. "And once that's done, you'll be eligible for promotion to Jōnin."
Naruto didn't respond much—just acknowledged it quietly.
Then one of the elders spoke up. "Naruto-san, it's quite impressive. At your age, having this much potential—and such immense chakra reserves. I can feel them even from here, despite my old age. Your chakra is… extraordinary."
Naruto turned his head slightly and nodded in appreciation, though internally, he was aware of just how different their chakra signatures felt to him. Each council member had a unique presence, but none of them came close to his own power. Still, he wasn't foolish enough to say that out loud.
He simply kept his thoughts to himself and remained respectful.
Another council member then spoke. "What do you think about joining the ANBU, the elite unit?"
The question came from none other than Shikaku Nara, the Jōnin Commander himself.
Naruto simply looked toward him and said, "I haven't thought about joining the ANBU at the moment—maybe in the future."
Shikaku nodded in understanding. "Fair enough," he said. "It's not a path that needs to be rushed."
Most of the clan heads seemed to agree silently. Several of them glanced toward Fugaku Uchiha, who stood with a satisfied smirk on his face, proud of the fact that his son was not only making a name for himself but also bringing great prestige to the Uchiha clan.
Outside, Minato stood and spoke clearly, "Alright, this meeting is hereby adjourned. Naruto, congratulations on your promotion to Chūnin."
The clan heads and other council members began to disperse. As Naruto turned to leave, Minato walked up to him and said with a smile, "Well, it seems you've officially been promoted to Chūnin, huh?"
Naruto looked up at him. "Father," he said with a respectful nod.
Minato grinned. "Well, that calls for a celebration, wouldn't you agree?"
Naruto returned a small smile. "If I'm not mistaken, we just had a celebration two days ago when I was promoted to Genin. At this rate, Father, you'll go bankrupt from throwing me parties."
Minato chuckled warmly. "That's probably true. Still, it's worth it. You might be the youngest person in history to advance this quickly. Becoming a Genin after just one day in the Academy… and now a Chūnin not even a full week later. That's something else."
Naruto nodded silently in acknowledgment.
Minato sighed lightly. "Anyway, I've got paperwork to finish. I'll catch up with you later."
With that, Minato vanished in a flash.
Itachi stepped forward then and said, "Naruto, congratulations. You've already been promoted, but don't forget—your apprenticeship under me isn't over yet."
Naruto nodded again. To be honest, he had started to view Itachi not just as a mentor but as a friend as well.
Itachi smirked slightly. "Well then, why don't you follow me? I—"
Before he could finish, he suddenly felt a signal from his father—a subtle, coded message. Itachi raised an eyebrow, instantly recognizing its meaning.
He turned back to Naruto and said, "Actually, Naruto, how about we meet later at our usual training ground?"
Naruto simply shrugged, then vanished in a flash. To be honest, it no longer surprised Itachi how easily Naruto moved. He just shook his head slightly and turned to leave.
Meanwhile,
beneath the Uchiha compound, Fugaku Uchiha stood in front of his clan council. One of the council members spoke up:
"What are our orders, Lord Fugaku, considering the condition within the village has drastically improved this past week?"
Fugaku nodded slightly. Another member added, "If I'm not mistaken, it's mainly due to the Hokage's firstborn. He has been apprenticed to Itachi and has already been promoted to Chūnin."
Fugaku nodded again. "He destroyed the forces of Iwa. On top of that, he defeated a Jinchūriki by himself. He's easily on par with S-rank shinobi. Many believe that Itachi has been secretly training Naruto this entire time. That has brought credit not just to Itachi, but to the Uchiha clan as a whole—thus improving our standing in the village."
Most of the council members appeared pleased by that. One of them asked, "So what about the plan, Lord Fugaku?"
Fugaku closed his eyes and replied, "We'll observe things a bit longer. If the current trend continues, our position may improve so much that we'll have no need for the plan at all."
The council members looked at each other. Truthfully, the plan had always been risky. With both Sannin still in the village, Minato being a double S-rank shinobi and a hero of the war, and Hiruzen still being a solid S-rank in his old age—the odds had never favored open conflict. Even a clan of Sharingan users would be hard-pressed to fight against such overwhelming strength, not to mention the full might of the village.
But now... things seemed to be improving through peaceful means—and that was better for everyone.
Fugaku nodded. "With that said, I conclude this meeting—"
Before he could finish, Itachi reappeared in front of him.
"All right, Itachi," Fugaku said. "I wanted to ask you something in front of these fine gentlemen, if you don't mind."
Itachi looked toward his father. "You summoned me, Father. What do you want?"
Fugaku leaned forward slightly. "You must have heard the rumors—people are saying you've been secretly training that boy Naruto, and that he's your apprentice. Is there any truth to this?"
Itachi shook his head. "There's no truth to it, Father. I was assigned to guard Naruto, not train him. But the truth is, he always left home to train alone. We'd often lose sight of him. He mostly went to the library—or so we thought. He recently told me that it was his shadow clone going there. He himself was always training elsewhere in secret."
Fugaku raised an eyebrow. "So the boy evaded you for years while you were assigned to guard him?"
Itachi nodded. "That's correct."
"Impressive," Fugaku muttered. "And you're saying he mostly trains outside, completely unnoticed—even by you. Is there any truth to the rumor that Minato has been secretly training him?"
Itachi closed his eyes. "To be honest..."