One week later, inside the Hokage Tower.
Led by an ANBU shinobi, Kazekaze arrived at the door of the Hokage's office. He was well aware—today was the day when his promotion to Chūnin would be decided. Although his battle with the Third Kazekage had been spectacular, and he had emerged victorious— Even now, people were still discussing it over their afternoon tea.
However… Whether he would be promoted to Chūnin wasn't determined by victory or popularity. Such an intangible evaluation method left a lot of room for personal bias. In other words, Tobirama could easily deny his promotion on the grounds that he was still too young.
'Come to think of it, this policy is a lot like... that department.' Kazekaze couldn't help but recall his life before transmigrating.
Back when he was bored at school, he had written a web novel. But because it contained supernatural elements, it was mercilessly hit with a 404. Yet that department never once explained what their review standards were.
It was always: "I think there's a problem, so there is a problem."
And once there were no clear standards, someone's authority could be expanded without limit.
'Still, if I became Hokage myself, I probably wouldn't reform the Chūnin Exams either…'
Of course, Kazekaze was only complaining internally. He had no intention of turning the current system into a simple "win and you get promoted" format.
In fact, he felt this system gave the Konoha leadership a huge advantage. If a certain clan grew too powerful, they could use this kind of system to suppress the number of Chūnin from that clan.
In the end, whether someone got promoted to Chūnin or not—it all came down to a single word from the Hokage. And if you couldn't become a Chūnin, forget about Special Jōnin, Jōnin, Elite Jōnin, or ANBU.
The more he thought about it, the more Kazekaze felt— Tobirama's methods were brilliant.
Knock knock.
While Kazekaze was deep in thought, the ANBU beside him knocked on the Hokage's office door.
"Enter." Once Tobirama's voice sounded from inside, the ANBU pushed the door open.
"Thank you." Kazekaze politely offered his gratitude, then strode confidently into the Hokage's office.
He looked around and noticed the room was more modest than he had imagined. Much simpler in decor than during Hiruzen Sarutobi's time as Hokage. And on Tobirama's desk, a towering stack of documents loomed.
'No wonder…'
Though Tobirama often spoke to Hashirama in a stern tone, he deeply admired his elder brother. No less than Uchiha Madara or Uzumaki Mito had.
Now that Hashirama was suffering from despair, Tobirama naturally didn't want his brother burdened with the village's affairs.
On the other hand… During Hiruzen's time, he'd had Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo Shimura to help him. They had taken on a great deal of responsibility.
But today's Konohagakure was still in a state of recovery, and the younger generation hadn't yet matured. Tobirama simply had no suitable candidates to share the workload.
"Kazekaze."
Tobirama's deep voice rang out as he sat in the Hokage's seat, fingers interlocked, elbows resting on the desk, body leaning slightly forward, locking eyes with Kazekaze's youthful features.
"You should know why I summoned you today, right?"
"Yes." Kazekaze nodded, stepped forward, straightened his back, and raised his head with confidence. "It's about my promotion to Chūnin."
"Correct." Tobirama confirmed, pulling Kazekaze's file from the stack and glancing at it briefly.
"You're an excellent Genin. Personally, I'm inclined to approve your promotion to Chūnin. However..." Tobirama paused deliberately.
"However?" Kazekaze frowned slightly. The moment anyone said "however" in this kind of situation—he knew it was bad news.
"However, you're only seven years old. The road ahead is long. There's no need to rush. So I hope you'll seriously consider whether you're ready to become a Chūnin.
Once you're a Chūnin, the missions you'll take on will be B-rank and above. You'll regularly encounter shinobi like Toroi in your missions.
Moreover, you'll need the leadership to command your subordinates, unite them, and complete the missions assigned by the village."
Though Tobirama felt Kazekaze was fully qualified to be a Chūnin, he was, after all, Hashirama's own grandson. If he wasn't fully ready, it was fine to hold off a little longer.
That said… Tobirama was actually hoping Kazekaze would push back. Children who always accepted orders without resistance might get praised by adults, but they were rarely expected to achieve great things.
Let alone the fact that Tobirama's expectations for Kazekaze—were to become the next Hokage.
"There's nothing left to consider. If I didn't think I was ready to be a Chūnin, I wouldn't have taken the exam in the first place!" Kazekaze spoke with absolute conviction, declaring his resolve loud and clear.
He had passed both rounds of the exam—if he backed down now, what did that say about his mental strength?
On top of that, Kazekaze had also picked up on something important from Tobirama's words— It sounded like his great-uncle was planning to assign him as the leader of a ninja squad for future missions!
With that in mind, Kazekaze added: "I stand by my word. That is my ninja way."
In truth, that was Naruto's ninja way. Kazekaze hadn't yet figured out what his own ninja way was. He just thought Naruto's line sounded good and decided to borrow it.
And surprisingly—it worked great. When Tobirama heard those words, a gleam flashed in his eyes. Kazekaze noticed that detail and couldn't help but admire it internally.
'No wonder he's a master of 'Talk no Jutsu'—his lines hit hard.'
In reality, all Tobirama really wanted to see was Kazekaze's attitude—and his determination.
"In that case..." Tobirama slammed both hands onto the desk and stood up.
"Then in the name of the Acting Hokage, I hereby officially declare— From this day forward, you are a Chūnin of Konohagakure!"
Kazekaze stood frozen on the spot. Even though he had expected this outcome, hearing the official declaration with his own ears still stunned him.
He—Kazekaze—seven years old—a Chūnin of Konoha!
"Alright. You all can come in now." Tobirama's gaze passed over Kazekaze and landed on the office doors.
At his command, the doors opened once more. Kazekaze instinctively turned to look back and saw several shinobi walking in. Almost all of them were familiar faces.
Uchiha Kagami.
Sakumo Hatake.
And—
"That one... is that Maruboshi Kosuke?" Kazekaze squinted carefully before finally recognizing the shinobi at the back.
At the same time, Tobirama spoke loudly and clearly.
"From this day forward, you will form the new Team 7. Kazekaze will serve as squad captain. Your first mission—Border patrol."