As Xin walked off into the distance, Minato sighed. "I need to step up my game, fast. If I don't get stronger, I won't be able to keep up with him."
Clenching his fist, he made a mental note to push himself harder.
"Everything's in order, Lord Xin," the gate guard said, handing back his ID with a respectful nod.
Ninjas leaving the village for missions, unless it was a secret assignment, had to register at the village gate. Otherwise, there was a risk of being mistaken for a rogue ninja.
The guard, although respectful, couldn't help but look at Xin with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
He still remembered when Xin had just become a genin, back when he used to take on D-rank missions with Uchiha Mikoto.
Now, barely two years later, here he was-a full-fledged jonin. The speed of his rise was nothing short of incredible.
Xin was likely the youngest jonin in Konoha's history. Maybe even the youngest across the entire ninja world.
At only ten years old, anyone would've suspected favoritism or cheating if not for Xin's clear merits and strength.
But no one could deny that Xin earned his rank through his own hard work. Even though Tsunade might have helped speed things up, Xin's abilities were unquestionable.
Without Tsunade's push, it might have taken him another two years to attempt the jonin exam. The Third Hokage wouldn't have approved it so early under normal circumstances.
"Hey, think we're getting old?" one of the guards joked to his colleague as they watched Xin leave.
"I still remember when he was fresh out of the Academy, just a regular genin," The first guard continued, shaking his head. "Now he's a jonin. In only two years!"
"We're only in our twenties!"
The other guard groaned. "Besides, this is the kid the Third Kazekage said could rival the First Hokage himself. Becoming a jonin at ten doesn't seem so crazy when you think about that."
"Yeah... I guess you're right."
A ten-year-old jonin would normally shock people. But when you heard he was compared to the 'God of Shinobi,' Hashirama Senju, it suddenly made a lot more sense.