"Both of you, come in!"
The voice of Elder Uchiha Sō-en came from inside the office.
The two pushed open the door and entered.
Uchiha Sō-en sat upright behind the large wooden desk, wearing a dark clan robe adorned with the Uchiha fan emblem on his chest.
He appeared to be around sixty, his gray hair meticulously combed, and his expression stern.
"What business do you two have with this old man?"
His gaze swept over the two.
Uchiha Nero stepped forward and got straight to the point.
"Great Elder, I wish to apply to become a Jōnin."
Immediately after, he focused his eyes, and three tomoe slowly began to swirl.
Seeing Nero's Sharingan, a trace of a smile finally appeared on the always-serious face of Great Elder Sō-en.
"Hmm... you've awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan..."
"Not bad!"
He pondered for a moment, then slowly stood up.
"The war situation is dire right now, and the clan has suffered considerable losses. Having one more Jōnin is always a good thing."
"Since that is the case, follow me. I will take you to see the Hokage-sama to take the Jōnin assessment."
He walked toward the door, and when he passed Inabi, who was still standing frozen in place, he frowned, his tone suddenly turning cold:
"What are you still standing around for? Is your patrol mission complete?"
Inabi flinched upon hearing this.
"Yes! I'm going now!"
With that, he scurried away.
...
On the way to the Hokage Building, Sō-en remained silent for a long time before suddenly speaking:
"What are your thoughts on Danzo Shimura?"
Nero answered crisply:
"Danzo Shimura is a person with an extremely strong desire for power, and he is hostile toward our Uchiha Clan."
This was not a lie.
If Danzo hadn't constantly been stirring up trouble, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha might not be so tense.
"Is that so..."
Sō-en glanced at him but didn't continue the conversation.
Soon, the two arrived at the Hokage Office.
Inside the Hokage Office, smoke billowed.
The Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind the large desk.
He was currently puffing on his pipe while reviewing scrolls in his hands.
"It's Sō-en. I was just about to convene a Konoha High-Level Meeting, I didn't expect you to come yourself."
He looked up at Sō-en.
"What brings you to see me?"
"It is regarding this child's promotion to Jōnin."
Saying this, Sō-en pointed to Nero, who was standing behind him.
Seeing this, Nero smartly stepped forward and bowed to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Uchiha Nero greets the Sandaime-sama."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded at Nero.
"Uchiha Nero. I have heard of you; you are a very outstanding junior."
Hiruzen gestured for an ANBU Ninja beside him to bring over a file, flipping through it as he spoke:
"Hmm... your mission records are also excellent. However, since we are currently in wartime, the Jōnin assessment is difficult to arrange immediately."
Sō-en said calmly:
"This child has already awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan."
Hiruzen's gaze sharpened, falling upon Nero.
Nero understood and once again manifested his Sharingan in his eyes.
"I see..."
Hiruzen put down his pipe and pondered for a moment.
"Since that is the case, I will make an exception and approve your promotion to Jōnin without an exam."
Nero was shaken internally upon hearing this.
The authority of the Hokage was truly that immense!
One must know that the promotion process for a Jōnin has always been very strict.
After all, Jōnin already represent the main fighting strength of the various nations.
Even if the number of Ninja in each of the Five Great Nations is maintained at around ten thousand, the number of Jōnin in each Village still does not exceed 100.
Even for great Ninja Clans like the Uchiha and the Hyuga, the number of Jōnin does not exceed 10.
This illustrates the preciousness of a Jōnin.
Nero dared not be negligent and quickly said to Hiruzen:
"Thank you, Sandaime-sama!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand toward Nero, then commanded the Anbu behind him:
"Summon the Clan Heads and all Jōnin present in the Village to convene a Konoha High-Level Meeting."
As soon as the words fell, two masked ANBU Ninja suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen.
The two bowed to Hiruzen.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
They then vanished again.
Hiruzen then turned back to Sō-en and Nero:
"Let's head to the meeting room first."
Sō-en did not refuse, nodded at Hiruzen, and followed him out.
The two began to discuss specific Village affairs.
Although Nero followed behind them, his mind was no longer on the matters at hand.
This was because the system's completion notification had already sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the mission! Reward: One Lottery Attempt. Use immediately?]
Nero replied in his mind without any hesitation:
"Use the lottery immediately!"
The moment the thought flashed, a lottery wheel appeared in his mind.
The probability of winning was also labeled beneath the wheel.
[D-Rank Reward 40%, C-Rank Reward 50%, B-Rank Reward 10%]
The wheel spun a few times before slowly stopping.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a B-Rank Reward: Proficient Medical Ninjutsu (Includes B-Rank Ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel)]
Seeing the reward content, Nero couldn't help but feel a surge of joy internally.
He actually hit the 10% probability!
Immediately after, Nero felt a flood of knowledge regarding Medical Ninjutsu enter his mind.
This included the structure of the Ninja body, meridian distribution maps, wound treatment, and so on.
Even better, this knowledge was accompanied by a Ninjutsu:
B-Rank Ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel.
This Ninjutsu could concentrate Chakra into the hands to form a blade, precisely cutting muscle and sinews.
It was an extremely practical Ninjutsu, whether used for combat or for treating wounds.
The key was that this Ninjutsu required absolutely no practice; instead, like the previous knowledge, it was directly transmitted into Nero's mind.
It was as if he had practiced it countless times already.
He could now be considered a qualified Medical Ninja.
Looking at this generous reward, Nero couldn't help but look forward to the next lottery attempt.
As if hearing his thoughts, the system immediately issued the next mission:
[Ding! New Mission Issued: Cultivate with a highly talented female Ninja.]
[Hint: Talent judgment requirements include multiple dimensions such as appearance, figure, strength, fame, and Bloodline Limit.]
[Mission Reward: Unlock the system's "Many Sons, Great Fortune" module!]
The "Many Sons, Great Fortune" module?
Was this system route so unconventional?
While contemplating internally, the group had already entered the meeting room.
Not long after, the heads of the various Ninja Clans also arrived one after another.
Konoha's Jōnin also took their seats, and the atmosphere in the room gradually grew heavy.
Soon, all of Konoha's high-ranking officials were present.
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked to the main seat, his expression solemn:
"Since everyone is here, I won't waste time. The reason for gathering everyone today is to discuss countermeasures for the war situation."
As he spoke, the ANBU Ninja behind him unfolded a map of the Ninja World.
Sarutobi Hiruzen then turned to Danzo Shimura beside him:
"Danzo, you explain the current situation."
Danzo Shimura stood up and walked to the map.
His right eye and right arm were wrapped in bandages, his expression sinister, and his voice low:
"Since the start of the Third Great Ninja War, our Konoha Village has been constantly fighting against the Hidden Sand Village, Hidden Rock Village, Hidden Cloud Village, and Hidden Mist Village, suffering heavy casualties!"
"On the battlefield to the east, near the Land of Water, we suffered a major rout. The battlefield commander, Hyuga Ichizoku, was killed, and even the Byakugan was taken by the Land of Water—a complete and utter disgrace to Konoha!"
The Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi, twitched his eye and veins bulged slightly upon hearing this.
Danzo, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed and continued, casting his gaze toward Uchiha Sō-en nearby, saying pointedly:
"In my humble opinion, these so-called great Ninja Clans are nothing more than empty reputations."
Sō-en's face darkened upon hearing this, but he said nothing.
Just as Danzo was about to continue his reprimand, the ANBU Ninja who had suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen interrupted the meeting.
This ANBU Ninja handed a scroll in his hand to Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama, the latest battle report from the front lines!"
After quickly reading it, Hiruzen's pupils contracted.
After a long silence, he slowly raised his head and spoke to everyone in the meeting room with a heavy tone:
"Everyone, I have some extremely grievous news to share."
"The current Uchiha Clan Head died in battle while engaging the Hidden Cloud Village army!"