Chapter 17: Jōnin
After the battle, everyone cleaned the battlefield under the command of Nara Shikaku, focusing on disposing of enemy corpses, tending to the wounded, and erasing traces of ninjutsu.
Half an hour later, everything was in order, and after another fifteen minutes of rest, everyone regrouped at the predetermined location to rendezvous with Namikaze Minato and his team.
Once they met up with Namikaze Minato, they headed toward the front lines to reinforce the battle against Kumogakure's forces.
At this point, Konoha's shinobi were unaware of Kumogakure's hidden agenda, nor did they realize that the war with the Hidden Cloud was nearing its conclusion. So, they continued moving toward the front lines to provide reinforcements.
After traveling for more than half a day, the group finally reached the frontline Konoha camp late at night. Upon receiving word of their arrival, the frontline commander, Orochimaru, personally came out to greet them.
He had long, jet-black hair, piercing golden eyes with elongated pupils, and distinctive purple eye shadow stretching down to his nose. His pale complexion, combined with a black bodysuit under a green jōnin vest, exuded an aura of calm authority and chilling mystery.
Facing Namikaze Minato a rising star and potential contender for Hokage Orochimaru, himself one of the Sannin and a prominent candidate for the title, displayed neither hostility nor warmth. His manner was purely professional and businesslike.
Namikaze Minato, ever composed and humble, returned Orochimaru's courtesy with respectful greetings, mindful of both Orochimaru's seniority and his own mentor's status.
Once the formalities were completed, Orochimaru, Namikaze Minato, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Chōza entered the command tent to discuss strategy and next steps.
The remaining Konoha shinobi were left to hand over reports and then permitted to rest.
Despite Kakashi's jōnin rank, he was not yet qualified to join the decision-making at this level of the war effort, let alone Uchiha Gen, who was still a chūnin.
Of course, it wouldn't be long before Uchiha Gen, whose accomplishments had steadily accumulated, would advance beyond chūnin.
Whether he would be promoted to special jōnin or full jōnin, however, hinged on whether Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, intended to place obstacles in his path.
Uchiha Gen personally believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi was unlikely to block his promotion.
First, his record of military achievements was impressive. He had participated in the Iwagakure offensive, the Sunagakure assault, and the battle against Kumogakure. His squad, Team 7, had inflicted over fifty confirmed kills, including a mix of genin, ten chūnin, and notably four special jōnin and three full jōnin.
Adding his recent contributions to repelling Kumogakure's forces, there was no justifiable reason to deny him a jōnin promotion. After all, one couldn't reasonably expect a shinobi to pull off a feat akin to the legendary Sannin or to rival Namikaze Minato's exploits just to qualify.
Second, this was before the Nine-Tails' attack, and though relations between the Uchiha and Konoha's upper echelons were strained, they weren't yet outright hostile.
Additionally, with the Uchiha clan's main forces engaged on the Kirigakure front, the village leadership still relied on Uchiha's power.
It was well-known that Kirigakure's shinobi, particularly with their Water Release and Hidden Mist Jutsu, posed a significant challenge to Uchiha fire techniques and rendered Sharingan less effective. Unlike the Byakugan, which could see through the mist, the Sharingan was hindered by Kirigakure's tactics.
Under these circumstances, suppressing a promising Uchiha shinobi like Gen to merely a special jōnin would send an unmistakable message of political maneuvering against the Uchiha clan.
Yet those who played political games often acted both boldly and subtly. Even if Konoha's leadership intended to suppress the Uchiha, they wouldn't make it so obvious.
In the original timeline, tensions between Uchiha and Konoha escalated gradually, with the village's leadership adopting a strategy that was both appeasing and isolating.
The last person to report his merits was Namikaze Minato. He was a shinobi that Sarutobi Hiruzen viewed with great optimism—Hiruzen's very own student. How could he risk sullying the reputation of the man poised to become the future Fourth Hokage?
After a comprehensive assessment, it was clear that promotion to jōnin was not just possible, it was practically guaranteed. The only variable left was if Hiruzen Sarutobi inexplicably suffered a lapse in judgment.
The Fourth Raikage, A, was never one to act sloppily. True to form, he ordered a troop withdrawal the very day after making his decision.
Naturally, Konoha was not foolish enough to interfere with Kumogakure's retreat. After months of war, countless shinobi were exhausted and demoralized. They simply trailed Kumogakure's forces from a safe distance, ensuring they didn't pull any last-minute tricks.
Kumogakure withdrew steadily from Hi no Kuni, leaving a thousand-strong force at the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire, while the main army returned to the Land of Lightning.
Although Kumogakure hadn't fully vacated the border, it was clear the large-scale conflict with them was over. The Konoha shinobi erupted in cheers.
Even the normally cold and composed Orochimaru allowed a thin smile to creep onto his face—now he would finally have more time for his experiments.
Admittedly, war made procuring test subjects far easier, but it was also a time-consuming distraction.
News of Kumogakure's troop withdrawal was quickly dispatched back to Konoha, carried by messenger hawks and swift-footed shinobi.
Upon receiving the report, Hiruzen Sarutobi was overjoyed. To commemorate this, he issued an order to reward the Kumogakure frontline shinobi based on merit, grant compensation as per regulations, and organize a phased return to the village.
However, not all Konoha shinobi would be pulled back from the border. Even during peacetime, troops remained stationed along the borders to guard against potential attacks from the other Hidden Villages.
In peaceful times, many shinobi were rotated into border patrols for a set period, after which they were replaced by others.
Of course, not every ninja needed to serve in border forces. Various departments, such as Root, ANBU, the Konoha Military Police Force, the Medical Corps, the Interrogation Unit, the Administration Department, and even the Ninja Academy, had their own standing responsibilities.
Following Hiruzen's orders, the administrative division included Uchiha Gen in the documents for promotion to jōnin.
While a chūnin promotion required the Hokage's personal approval, a jōnin promotion carried even more weight, as jōnin were the village's elite combat forces and core leadership.
Though it was easier to be promoted to jōnin during wartime compared to peacetime, each promotion still required careful deliberation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated when he saw Uchiha Gen's name but ultimately chose to approve it.
Thus, Uchiha Gen, like Kakashi Hatake before him, was promoted directly from chūnin to jōnin, bypassing special jōnin status altogether and he was only thirteen years old.
While Kakashi had achieved this milestone at the even younger age of twelve, Uchiha Gen's feat was nonetheless impressive. His accomplishments spoke volumes and marked him as a brilliant, dazzling talent.
When the Hokage's order arrived at the front lines, the Konoha shinobi were elated, their steps becoming lighter with renewed morale.
Uchiha Gen was among the first to accompany Namikaze Minato back to the village, while Orochimaru, Nara Shikaku, and the others stayed behind to finalize border security arrangements.
On the third day after returning to Konoha, Uchiha Gen received his official jōnin appointment scroll, which caused a stir of astonishment and admiration among the Police Force's shinobi.
It was around this time that someone o one knew exactly who first proposed the "Twin Stars of Uchiha" theory.
One star was Uchiha Shisui, whose brilliance shone on the Kirigakure front. The other was Uchiha Gen, a young prodigy who had fought across four battlefronts and faced three different villages. Both were hailed as the pride of the Uchiha clan.
Kakashi and Nohara Rin, hearing the news of Uchiha Gen's jōnin promotion, suggested a celebration.
Naturally, Uchiha Gen didn't hesitate. He was pleased with his promotion, so he agreed and even invited Namikaze Minato to join them.
The four of them headed to the popular Konoha restaurant Yakiniku Q and enjoyed a hearty meal together.
While Yakiniku Q was a well-known eatery in the village and its quality was certainly above average, it wasn't exactly a world-class delicacy.
For Uchiha Gen—who in his past life had experienced many gourmet meals—it was good food, but not exceptional.
The same could be said for Ichiraku Ramen, which he had tried during his earlier days in the village. It was undoubtedly delicious, but not so addictive that it captivated him completely.
More often than not, Uchiha Gen preferred to cook his own meals at home, which better suited his culinary preferences.
After the celebration, everyone enjoyed a brief respite from the battlefield.
However, since Kirigakure's forces remained active, the war wasn't completely over. Moreover, Namikaze Minato was a strong candidate for the next Hokage.
To maximize his chances, the village couldn't afford to let the frontline momentum fade. Battles against Kirigakure were inevitable, and as the elite squad directly under Minato's command, Team 7 was unlikely to escape further deployments.
Just as Uchiha Gen was hoping for a quiet day to relax, an unexpected invitation arrived from Uchiha Fugaku...
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