A few hours after the exams, an ANBU Ninja transferred underground, entering a secret base.
The base was covered with many Sealing Jutsu to prevent discovery.
It was dark inside. After passing through several passages, the ANBU Ninja entered a small house.
He knelt down and greeted, "Danzo-sama."
Danzo looked at him and asked, "Did anything important happen during the exams?"
The Root Ninja replied, "No, Danzo-sama. Just some minor things. The Hokage-sama and the Senju Clan moved against the Kado Company, and they received 210 million ryo from the Kado Company through bets."
This surprised Danzo. Although he hadn't paid much attention to Kado, it was still very unexpected for him to lose so much money when hosting the betting. He asked, "Who did Hiruzen bet on?"
The Root Ninja replied, "They placed their bets on the orphan Suzuki Kazemasa. He defeated a Kirigakure Genin who could use Ice Release Ninjutsu, another Kirigakure Genin who could use Water Transformation Jutsu, then Uchiha Mieko, and finally a member of the Sakai Clan who could use Boil Release. He is skilled in Wind Release and Body Flicker Technique, and his Chakra reserves barely reach Jonin level!"
This greatly astonished Danzo. He thought, "How could we have missed such an orphan when recruiting Root members?"
He asked, "How is his Wind Release talent?"
Danzo was very curious about this. In Konoha, Wind Release Ninja were rare, and excellent Wind Release users were even rarer!
The Root Ninja replied, "He can enhance the Great Breakthrough Technique in a few seconds. And he can cast all Wind Release Ninjutsu with just one hand seal. His Wind Blast Technique doesn't even require any hand seals and can be cast directly. Moreover, the power of his enhanced Ninjutsu is also very great, which is difficult for anyone below the Elite Chunin level to achieve."
Danzo was impressed by this. But soon he frowned.
"I heard Hiruzen is going to teach him a Ninjutsu. So I can't take action against him until he learns this Ninjutsu. Senju Renjiro might also be a problem."
Danzo looked at his subordinate and ordered, "After he completes a few Chunin missions, invite him to join Anbu first."
Danzo analyzed, "Hiruzen will wait a few months, and when the newly promoted Chunin experience how boring Chunin life is, he will invite talented individuals to join Anbu. Therefore, even after he performs a few missions, I should be the first to approach him."
The Root Ninja asked, "What if he refuses, Danzo-sama?"
Danzo thought for a moment and said, "You can persuade him with words. You can tell him that if he joins us, he can learn more lethal Wind Release Ninjutsu. If he insists on refusing, then return and leave him be."
The Root Ninja nodded and left. Danzo concluded, "He has already grown up, and it will be difficult to make him loyal to me. So there's no need to spend too much effort on him."
Three days after the exams, the Renjiro Squad was called to the Hokage Office. They met outside the Hokage Building.
Mieko and Hodaka had fully recovered. Renjiro brought them to the office. The four respectfully greeted the Hokage.
Hiruzen smiled and said, "Kazemasa, Mieko, Hodaka, all three of you performed well in the Chunin Exams, and all three of you have been promoted to Chunin."
The three Genin all smiled and thanked him. They had expected this result, so they were not too surprised.
Hatake Takao, a Chunin working in the Hokage Office, interrupted them and handed them some documents. He said, "These are the evaluations from the judges and examiners. Kazemasa, the judges and examiners were most impressed by you, and your promotion was unanimously approved. However, they recommend that you learn a powerful single-target Ninjutsu that can be cast quickly and break through enemy defenses."
Kazemasa nodded. Although the Enhanced Great Breakthrough Technique combined with the Wind Dragon Technique and Wind Wolf Technique was a good combination, it lacked penetration.
If he used a sword, he could compensate for this weakness, but even so, it wasn't enough.
Hatake Takao looked at Mieko and said, "The judges and examiners were also impressed by your strength. However, several people withheld their promotion opinions because of your impulsiveness and hot-headedness. As a Chunin, you must lead a squad. The lives of your squad members depend on your decisions, so strive to strengthen your tactical thinking and properly control your emotions."
Mieko frowned but said nothing, just nodded. Renjiro's brutal training had worn down much of her arrogance.
Finally, Hatake Takao looked at Hodaka and said, "Your first battle left a deep impression on the judges. However, they believe that your Ninjutsu level still needs further improvement. They recommend that you make full use of your squad's Ninjutsu skills during missions. Force your opponents into close combat, otherwise, no one will be willing to fight the Hyuga Clan at close range."
Hodaka sighed and nodded. Throughout the Chunin Exams, he never had a chance to use his Gentle Fist! All his opponents either ran away or threw Exploding Tags at him.
Hatake Takao looked at the three newly promoted Chunin and said, "As a reward for passing the Chunin Exams and being promoted, you can enter the Library's B-section."
Kazemasa wondered, "I wonder what Ninjutsu are in the Library's B-section!"
Hatake Takao then handed them their Chunin vests.
Hiruzen said, "Now that you have been promoted to Chunin, you will be responsible for leading Genin squads on missions. So the Renjiro Squad will be disbanded, and you will have to lead them to complete Rank C Missions. Sometimes you will also be assigned to team up with other Chunin to perform Rank B missions."
"In some special circumstances, you may also be assigned to Rank A Missions led by Jonin, so you must be prepared for all types of missions."
The three Chunin nodded. They were very excited about the prospect of undertaking Rank A Missions.
Hiruzen asked, "When do you start training?"
Hodaka replied, "Hokage-sama, five in the morning."
It was just as Hiruzen expected. He said, "I will meet you at your usual Training Grounds tomorrow morning at 7 AM, so be sure to warm up before I arrive. You are now dismissed."
Hodaka and Mieko were about to nod and leave when Kazemasa said, "Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen looked at him and said, "Is there a problem, Kazemasa?"
Kazemasa said, "I would like to know if you can arrange some samurai swords that can assist Wind Release Chakra flow for me now."
Hiruzen thought, "I remember I said I would arrange for someone to meet you to make it, not that I would arrange it personally."
He nodded and said, "Don't worry, in a few days I will arrange a swordsmith to meet you. He will ask you about the appropriate sword size, and you don't need to worry about the cost, I will cover it."
Kazemasa thought, "If I hadn't asked, would he really not have intended to pay for this sword?"
Hiruzen, on the other hand, was thinking, "The Village earned 120 million ryo thanks to him. I can spend a few million on him."
Since there was nothing else to discuss, they left the building. Renjiro said, "There's still something to say, let's meet at the Training Grounds."
With that, he left using the Body Flicker Technique. The newly promoted Chunin followed him out.
