"I see," said Sakumo Hatake. By now, the high-level talks between nations should've already wrapped up.
The work of visiting the families of fallen ninja was nearly finished too.
Sakumo didn't know the details himself—Tsunade had taken care of it.
After mourning the fallen, there should naturally be recognition for those who fought bravely in the war.
"Mm-hmm." Junko Watanabe gave a slight nod, looking at Sakumo and saying, "So the Third Hokage wants me to find you—he has a mission for you."
"Roger!" Following orders was a ninja's duty, so naturally Sakumo agreed without hesitation.
At this point, Junko shifted her gaze toward Minato beside him. "Minato, you come too. The Third Hokage also needs to speak with you."
Minato's expression flickered slightly. After a pause, he calmly replied, "Okay."
He had a rough idea why the Third wanted to see him.
After all, he'd once been Hokage himself, so he could understand what the Third was thinking now.
"Then let's go," Sakumo said, and the other two nodded.
Shuuu!
In an instant, the three figures vanished into the wind.
...
Several minutes later, the trio approached the main road leading to the Hokage Tower.
Compared to the bleakness during wartime, the area had regained its former liveliness, bustling with people coming and going. As they stepped onto the street, many eyes turned toward them.
Most of these gazes settled on the shortest among them—Minato.
His performance in the war had been particularly eye-catching, and now everyone in Konoha knew his name.
Combined with his usual behavior and demeanor, even commoners who once knew him began spreading word about him.
As a result, whenever he walked down the street now, curious glances were inevitable.
Although Sakumo's battlefield achievements might arguably be even greater, he was already a legendary figure, unlike Minato, who had suddenly emerged as an unexpected standout.
Amidst waves of stares and whispers, Minato's face showed mild embarrassment. Watching this, Sakumo and Junko exchanged knowing smirks behind his back.
This kid hadn't flinched before enemy forces on the battlefield, yet now, under all these eyes, he was visibly uneasy.
Under the watchful gazes of the crowd, Minato and the others entered the Hokage Tower—and this time, no one tried to stop him.
That was because Minato's rank as a Special Jonin was higher than the Chunin-level guards stationed for security.
...
The three stepped into the Hokage's office, where several others were already present besides the Third Hokage.
They weren't strangers—Kai Uchiha, head of the Uchiha Clan; Hiashi Hyuga, head of the Hyuga Clan; and Fumiro Aburame, head of the Aburame Clan.
The sound of their entry drew Kai and the others' attention.
Exchanging glances, Kai's eyes slightly narrowed when he looked at Minato.
Sakumo had just returned from the battlefield in the Land of Rain. Upon hearing about Minato's performance in the Land of Wind, even though Sakumo already knew Minato was extraordinary, it still sent a tremor through him.
They exchanged glances before Minato and the other two made their way toward the Third's desk.
"Hokage-sama," the three said respectfully, bowing deeply.
"You've arrived. Rise," the Third said with a light smile. The three nodded and straightened up.
"What I told you earlier, you understand clearly?" the Third turned his gaze toward the three clan heads.
"Yes," they all replied in unison. The Third gave a slight nod and said, "Then proceed as instructed. You may leave first."
Without another word, the three immediately departed.
After they left, the Third lifted his eyes to look at Sakumo. "Regarding the matter of rewarding battle achievements, I've mostly completed the arrangements already."
"There is still one last matter I would like to entrust to you." The Third looked directly at Sakumo Hatake and continued, "Because the timing of war was urgent and manpower limited, we dispatched this year's batch of newly graduated genin. Temporarily, we promoted them all to Tokubetsu Chunin."
Hearing that, Minato and the others nodded. Given the urgency of war, such an action was understandable.
At this point, the Third's face revealed a trace of pleasure. "These students' performances did not disappoint me either—especially Minato… and Yan Uchiha."
Minato's accomplishments on the battlefield were well known, but Yan Uchiha also achieved impressive feats. However, his brilliance was temporarily overshadowed by Minato's.
Hearing the Third's praise, Minato's expression remained unchanged—he simply didn't care for such compliments.
"Their strength isn't an issue, but I want to determine whether they truly have what it takes to become chunin. Therefore, I want you to take charge of this. Organize a small-scale chunin exam within these few days, targeted specifically at this group, to assess them comprehensively."
As he spoke, the Third glanced at Minato. "Minato has already been promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin, so he won't need to take the exam."
"Yes!" Sakumo Hatake acknowledged promptly.
Chunin were the most common rank among ninja in the Ninja World. Genin, after all, were nothing more than freshly graduated students transitioning into real ninja.
This group of Minato's peers, including previous graduates like Nawaki and the upcoming Shibi Aburame, were all capable enough to become chunin.
Yet being a ninja was not only about power; other abilities must also be tested before promotion could be decided.
The reason Minato bypassed the exam wasn't just because he was already a Tokubetsu Jonin—it was also due to a plan he proposed during the Second Great Ninja War: infiltrating Sunagakure, an idea even Tsunade and others hadn't considered. Under Sakumo's leadership, he successfully infiltrated the Sand Village and acquired Desert's Sorrow.
His overall competence had already proven itself in real combat.
"Hm," the Third gazed at Minato before him, his eyes brimming with warmth.
"You'll serve as chief examiner while Junko Watanabe will assist you as deputy," the Third continued. Junko Watanabe shortly nodded in acceptance.
Without delay, Sakumo Hatake and Junko Watanabe left together, while Minato alone remained inside the Hokage Office.
"Have you heard what happened to Jiraiya?" the Third asked.
Minato nodded. "I met someone who just came back from the Land of Rain this morning. I already know about it."
"That reckless punk—being a teacher, he sure doesn't spend much time actually teaching his students. Now it seems he's taken on three more pupils over there in the Land of Rain." The Third couldn't help but laugh bitterly. He never expected that out of his three disciples, it would be Jiraiya to become a mentor first.
And not only that—he turned out to be an outstanding one too.
"The teacher may not stick around the village much, but he's always thinking about his students. And what he's taught me is already more than enough."
Minato spoke sincerely. Whether a teacher was good or not didn't depend entirely on constantly being by their student's side.
Jiraiya had figured out exactly where Minato's talents lay and went all-in on training him—that alone was more than enough.
As for picking up new students? Minato already knew about that. From what he remembered, though, the teacher didn't think too highly of one of those three kids.
The teacher actually expected more from that guy than he ever did from himself.
"Haha, indeed," the Third replied with a light smile. Seeing Minato show such respect and loyalty toward his teacher clearly pleased him greatly.
But soon after, he grew serious again as he looked at Minato and said, "Do you remember what I once promised you?"
"I do," Minato answered. He could already guess what the Third was going to say next.
Sure enough, the Third's face turned solemn in an instant as he declared, "You're finally ready to know everything about Kushina..."
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