"You two, come in!"
The voice of Great Elder Soen came from inside the office.
The two pushed the door open and entered.
Soen Uchiha sat upright behind a wide wooden desk, dressed in dark clan robes, with the Uchiha fan crest embroidered on his chest.
He looked to be about sixty years old. His gray hair was combed meticulously, and his expression was stern.
"What business do you two have with this old man?"
His gaze swept over them.
Gento stepped forward and spoke directly.
"Great Elder, I wish to apply to become a Jonin."
Right afterward, his eyes sharpened, and three tomoe slowly rotated within them.
Upon seeing Gento's Sharingan, a trace of a smile finally appeared on the usually serious face of Great Elder Soen.
"Hm… you have awakened the Three-Tomoe…
"Excellent!"
He pondered for a moment, then slowly stood up.
"The war situation is tense now, and the clan has suffered considerable losses. Having one more Jonin is always a good thing.
"In that case, come with me. I will take you to see the Hokage-sama and participate in the Jonin assessment."
He walked toward the door. When he passed Inabi, who was still standing there stiffly, his brows furrowed and his tone suddenly turned cold.
"What are you still standing there for? Have you finished your patrol duties?"
Inabi shrank his neck at the words.
"Yes! I'll go right away!"
With that, he ran off in a flash.
…
On the way to the Hokage Tower, Soen remained silent for a long time before suddenly speaking.
"What do you think of Danzo Shimura?"
Gento answered without hesitation.
"Danzo is someone with an extremely strong desire for power, and he is hostile toward our Uchiha clan."
That was not a lie.
If Danzo had not constantly been fanning the flames, the relationship between the Uchiha and Leaf might not have become so tense.
"I see…"
Soen glanced at him but said nothing further.
Soon, the two arrived at the Hokage's office.
Inside the Hokage's office, smoke filled the air.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind a large desk.
At this moment, he was holding a pipe in his mouth while reviewing scrolls in his hands.
"Soen, is it? I was just about to convene a Hidden Leaf High Council Meeting. I didn't expect you to come on your own."
He raised his eyes and spoke to Soen.
"What brings you here?"
"It is about this child's promotion to Jonin."
As he spoke, Soen pointed to Gento standing behind him.
Seeing this, Gento immediately stepped forward knowingly and bowed to Hiruzen.
"Gento Uchiha greets the Third Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded at Gento.
"Gento Uchiha, yes. I have heard of you. You are an excellent junior."
Hiruzen gestured for an Anbu at his side to bring over the records. While flipping through them, he said,
"Hm… your mission record is also very good.
"However, since we are currently in wartime, arranging a Jonin assessment right away may be difficult."
Soen said calmly, "This child has already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan."
Hiruzen's gaze sharpened as his eyes fell upon Gento.
Understanding the cue, Gento revealed his Sharingan once more.
"I see…"
Hiruzen set down his pipe and pondered for a moment.
"In that case, this old man will make an exception and approve your promotion to Jonin without examination."
Gento was inwardly shocked when he heard this.
The authority of the Hokage could actually be this great!
One must know that the process of promotion to Jonin had always been extremely strict.
After all, Jonin already represented the primary combat power of each nation.
Even though the total number of ninja in each of the Five Great Nations was maintained at around ten thousand, the number of Jonin in each village still did not exceed one hundred.
Even for major ninja clans such as the Uchiha and Hyuga, the number of Jonin did not exceed ten.
From this, the preciousness of Jonin could be clearly seen.
Gento did not dare delay and immediately said to Hiruzen,
"Many thanks, Third Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen waved a hand at Gento, then issued an order behind him.
"Summon the clan heads of all families and the Jonin currently in the village. We will convene a Hidden Leaf High Council Meeting."
The moment the words fell, two masked Anbu ninja suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen where there had been empty space.
The two bowed to Hiruzen.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Right afterward, they vanished once again.
Hiruzen then turned his head toward Soen and Gento and said:
"Let us head to the conference room first."
Soen did not refuse. He nodded to Hiruzen and followed him out of the office.
The two began discussing the village's specific affairs.
Although Gento followed behind them, his mind was no longer there.
Because in his mind, the system notification for completing the mission had already sounded.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission!]
[Reward: Draw Chance ×1. Use immediately?]
Gento did not hesitate at all and immediately responded in his mind:
'Draw!'
The moment the thought flashed through his mind, a lottery wheel appeared within his consciousness.
Below the wheel, the draw probabilities were marked.
[D-Rank Reward 40%, C-Rank Reward 50%, B-Rank Reward 10%]
After spinning several times, the wheel slowly came to a stop.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining a B-Rank Reward: Basic Medical Ninjutsu Mastery (including B-Rank Ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel)]
Seeing the reward, Gento could not help but feel delighted.
He had actually hit the 10% probability!
Immediately, Gento felt a large amount of knowledge suddenly appear in his mind.
This included knowledge about medical ninjutsu, such as the structure of the ninja body, meridian distribution diagrams, wound treatment, and more.
Even better, along with that knowledge came a ninjutsu:
[B-Rank Ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel]
This technique concentrates chakra into the hand to form a blade capable of precisely cutting muscles and tendons.
Whether used for combat or for treating injuries, it was an extremely practical ninjutsu.
The key point was that this technique required no training at all. Just like the medical knowledge before it, it was directly transmitted into Gento's mind.
It felt as though he had already practiced it countless times.
At present, he could already be considered a qualified medical ninja.
Looking at this generous reward, Gento could not help but look forward to the next draw.
As if hearing his thoughts, the system released the next mission.
[Ding! New mission issued: Cultivate with a talented Kunoichi.]
[Hint: Talent evaluation includes multiple dimensions such as appearance, figure, strength, reputation, Bloodline Limit, and more.]
[Mission Reward: Unlock System Module "Many Children, Many Blessings"!]
…Many Children, Many Blessings module?
This system's methods are quite wild.
While he was still thinking about it, the group had already entered the conference room.
Before long, the clan heads of the various ninja clans also arrived one after another.
The Jonin of Leaf took their seats as well, and the atmosphere in the room gradually grew solemn.
Soon, the entire Leaf leadership had assembled.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to the main seat, his expression grave.
"Since everyone has arrived, I will not waste words. I have gathered you all here to discuss our response to the war."
As he spoke, an Anbu ninja behind him had already unfurled a map of the shinobi world.
Hiruzen then turned to Danzo beside him.
"Danzo, explain the current situation."
Danzo stood up and walked to the map.
His right eye and right arm were wrapped in bandages. His expression was gloomy, and his voice was low.
"Since the start of the Third Great Ninja War, our Leaf Village has been continuously fighting against the four great hidden villages: Hidden Sand Village, Hidden Stone Village, Hidden Cloud Village, and Hidden in the Mist.
"And the casualties have been severe!"
"On the eastern front against the Land of Water, there has been a major defeat. The battlefield commander Hishu Hyuga¹ was killed in action, and even the Byakugan was taken by the Land of Water. It is simply the greatest humiliation of Leaf!"
Upon hearing this, the clan head of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi Hyuga, twitched at the corner of his eye as veins bulged.
Danzo acted as though he had not seen it and continued, casting a meaningful glance toward Soen Uchiha at the side.
"In my opinion, these so-called great ninja clans are nothing more than empty reputations."
Soen's expression darkened upon hearing this, but he said nothing.
Just as Danzo was about to continue his reproach, an Anbu ninja suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen and interrupted the meeting.
The Anbu handed a scroll in his hand to Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama, the latest report from the front lines!"
After reading it, Hiruzen's pupils suddenly contracted.
After a long silence, he slowly raised his head and spoke to everyone in the conference room in a heavy tone.
"Everyone, I must tell you some extremely tragic news.
"The current Uchiha clan head has been killed in battle while fighting the Hidden Cloud Village army!"
….
¹ Another OC. Lots of em here.