The next day.
All jōnin received a notice: a meeting would be held on the academy training grounds.
Everyone: "???"
Had jōnin lost all their prestige now?
Holding a meeting on the academy grounds—what about the students?
Oh, right. They were on break. Never mind.
They couldn't understand it, but what could they do? They had no choice but to accept it.
Even jōnin had to follow the village's arrangements.
By the time Kin arrived at the ninja academy, the training grounds were already packed. At a glance, there were at least two hundred people.
The number was almost larger than the academy's student body.
After all, in the past two years, students had been graduating early. Those fit for the battlefield had already been deployed, leaving only a small number behind.
This was the first time Kin realized there were so many jōnin.
Most of them were newcomers who had passed the recent jōnin exams.
The war had claimed many jōnin, but now, not only had the vacancies been filled—there were even more than before.
In the crowd, Minato waved at Kin.
Kin walked over to Minato's side, wearing a smirk.
"Looks like Kushina, the Special Jōnin, won't be able to attend."
Special Jōnin sounded impressive, but in reality, they were just elite chūnin doing jōnin-level work with chūnin-level authority.
In some ways, Special Jōnin were the most vulnerable.
It all came down to strength.
As for Kushina? No need to worry. One Nine-Tails Mode and even the Kage of other villages would flee on sight.
"Kin, stop bringing up Kushina's sore spot," Namikaze Minato said helplessly. If Kushina weren't here, she'd be the one mocking Kin.
These two were truly incompatible.
"What's the harm in mentioning it?" Kin shrugged.
"But," he glanced around at the surrounding shinobi, "Minato, you're probably the youngest jōnin in history."
Since Konoha's founding, there had never been a fourteen-year-old jōnin. Minato was the first.
As for those future geniuses? Well, that was still the future.
"It's not that big a deal," Minato scratched his head. He hadn't expected to rise so quickly.
"The village relaxed the promotion criteria, so that helped."
Normally, becoming a chūnin was difficult, let alone a jōnin.
"The only thing relaxed was seniority. The requirements for strength and intelligence weren't lowered. In fact, the jōnin exams are harder now than in previous years. Your promotion proves you have what it takes."
A voice chimed in from the side.
Kin's face darkened when he saw who it was.
"White Fang!!"
"Yo." White Fang grinned at Kin. "Missed me, Kin? It's been a while since we've worked together."
Seeing White Fang fully recovered, Kin felt a vein throb in his forehead.
He was the last person who wanted to see this guy in good health.
"Miss you? In your dreams."
"Then I'll haunt you like one."
"I'll kill you right now!!!"
Kin's rage was impotent. Whenever he ran into White Fang, he was completely outmatched. He lunged at White Fang, only to be held back by Minato.
"Let it go. Even together, we can't beat him."
Why did that sound so familiar?
Kin and Minato exchanged glances and fell into silence.
"You two get along so well," White Fang remarked cheerfully.
"Hmph." Kin snorted. "You can't even find teammates for your missions."
In truth, White Fang's missions were extremely dangerous. Many wanted to work with him, but he usually refused unless the mission required multiple people.
Kin was the exception.
"But I have a wife and kid."
"No one helps you plan your missions."
"But I have a wife and kid."
"Your missions are suicidal. One day, you might not come back."
"But I have a wife and kid."
Kin glared at White Fang, who looked inexplicably proud.
"What does that have to do with anything!?"
It was like talking to a brick wall.
"Because you're single. Forever alone."
"I'LL MURDER YOU, YOU BASTARD!!!"
Kin erupted. Minato barely managed to restrain him.
"Let it go. We can't win against him."
Kin took a deep breath. A wise man knows when to retreat.
"Hmph." He turned his attention to the stage.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had arrived, along with the two advisors.
Hiruzen surveyed the sea of jōnin before him and sighed.
"So many."
At its peak, Konoha had over two hundred jōnin.
Back then, during the village's founding, the clans had meticulously trained their elites.
But during Hiruzen's era, that number had dwindled.
Now, it had returned to its former glory—and some of these jōnin were veterans who wouldn't have been mobilized if not for the war.
"I've gathered all Konoha jōnin here today to announce reforms to the jōnin system."
Hiruzen's words made everyone exchange glances.
They'd all sensed it coming.
During the last jōnin exams, nearly a thousand had participated.
Many hadn't failed due to lack of skill—just bad luck.
If the exams continued annually, the number of jōnin would skyrocket.
And with newcomers constantly improving—thanks to Kin's jutsu breaking the limits of bloodline restrictions—progress was no longer slow.
With effort, anyone could advance.
Soon, Konoha might have over a thousand jōnin.
If that happened, Hiruzen's achievements would surpass all previous Hokage.
Not even the First Hokage could compare. It would be Hiruzen who made the village this strong.
But first, he needed to figure out how to make Kin hand over his research.
For now, though, the priority was restructuring the system to prevent an overflow of jōnin.
"After thorough discussions with the Hokage's advisors," Hiruzen continued, "we've decided to reduce jōnin authority while introducing the new rank of Elite Jōnin."
This was a position, not just a title—a crucial distinction.
Previously, "Elite Jōnin" had been an honorary label, with no real difference in status from regular jōnin.
This change meant Elite Jōnin would now command regular jōnin.
The implications were significant.
"At the same time, we'll lower the difficulty of jōnin promotions but introduce Elite Jōnin exams."
"Furthermore, we'll establish the honorary rank of Title-bearing Ninja."
"Shinobi recognized by other villages will receive this distinction."
"Currently, there are five Title-bearing Ninja: the Legendary Sannin, the White Fang of Konoha, and the Green Beast."
Kin glanced at White Fang, who remained unfazed.
Suddenly, the man seemed dangerous again.
"And now, there is only one Elite Jōnin."
"That is—"
"Uchiha Kin."
...
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(End of Chapter)