Orochimaru had personally come to apologize for his reckless actions the night before, yet Ryoma didn't even bother showing up.
"Interesting… this boy,"
Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed with amusement.
"I'm getting the urge to take him away immediately… and see what I can learn from him."
Uzumaki Mito cast the Sannin a sharp look.
"Sarutobi, I know you and others wanted to revive the First Hokage's Wood Release through village-wide research efforts. But that path was a mistake, and it's been banned. What happened last night must never happen again."
Hiruzen nodded gravely.
"Yes, Lady Mito. I've already warned Orochimaru, and he's admitted his mistake. There won't be a repeat."
Orochimaru's lips curved in a polite, insincere smile.
"Of course, Lady Mito. It won't happen again."
Next time, he thought, I'll make sure I capture Ryoma instantly—no chance for him to resist.
But for now, there was a more pressing matter: getting Ryoma out of Konoha.
A perfect opportunity had arisen. Kumogakure was in need of a capable operative to infiltrate enemy lines. If Orochimaru could recommend Ryoma for the mission, it would open many possibilities for him.
"How about I go to his house? Maybe he simply forgot."
"No," Mito said with a firm snort. "Kushina and I will go."
Hiruzen exhaled thoughtfully.
"Lady Mito… let's all go. We'll see for ourselves."
Ryoma hadn't expected that skipping his meeting with the Hokage would make Hiruzen come to him instead.
"Huh?"
He sat up from bed and looked out the window—only to see Lady Mito, Kushina, the Third Hokage, and Orochimaru walking toward his house.
Just moments earlier, he'd been in the middle of his "ninjutsu training."
Over time, Ryoma had discovered that lying in bed and practicing techniques in his mind—without moving an inch—gave him surprisingly good results. In fact, the improvement was often higher than actual physical training.
Of course, to Lady Mito, Hiruzen, and Orochimaru, it looked exactly like he'd been napping.
"Good morning," the Third Hokage said with a frown. "You should be training to improve your strength, not wasting precious time in bed."
Mito gave Hiruzen a pointed glare.
"He's probably only resting because you had him so busy last night."
Orochimaru simply smiled, offering no comment.
Kushina waved energetically from the yard.
Ryoma hopped out the window with an easy grin.
"Good morning, Kushina, Lady Mito, Third Hokage-sama, Orochimaru-kun."
He yawned, but his mind was elsewhere—checking the fusion rate of his First Hokage character card: 5.3%.
Both the Flying Thunder God Technique and Impure World Reincarnation had reached Level 2, and his sensory abilities had improved as well.
Right now, Ryoma suspected that he was the most proficient user of those two forbidden techniques in the entire shinobi world.
Tobirama, the creator of Flying Thunder God, had long since passed. Minato hadn't learned it yet. As for Impure World Reincarnation—Orochimaru's current meek behavior told Ryoma the man was far from the dangerous experimenter he would one day become.
In other words, Orochimaru's mastery of the technique couldn't compare to his own.
"Ryoma," Orochimaru's voice broke his thoughts. "Do you ignore the Hokage's orders now? You were told to be at the office at nine this morning. Look at the time."
Before Ryoma could answer, Mito stepped forward, her tone softening.
"Ryoma, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, Lady Mito. I slept well. It's just… when I lie in bed, I lose track of time. Feels like a moment passes, but hours are gone."
Then he turned to Hiruzen.
"So, Hokage-sama, is there something urgent? If not, I'll head back to sleep."
Hiruzen's mouth twitched. This boy was infuriating—such talent, wasted on laziness. And the casual way he addressed the Hokage…
"Ahem. Orochimaru, apologize to Ryoma."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed briefly before he stepped forward and gave a slight bow.
"Ryoma-kun, I apologize for the trouble I caused you last night."
Ryoma waved it off.
"It's fine."
When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Ryoma's calm and straightforward demeanor, his opinion of the young man improved considerably. At the very least, this boy had a solid heart.
"Ryoma," the Hokage began, "after a thorough review by the village leadership, we've concluded that your performance in last night's rescue operation was exceptional. Therefore, we've decided to grant you a special promotion—skipping the Chūnin Exams entirely."
He smiled warmly.
"From this moment on… you are a Chūnin."
In Hiruzen's mind, Ryoma's face would light up with joy, and he would accept the offer eagerly.
Instead, Ryoma's answer was blunt:
"I refuse. Being a Genin is just fine. I, Ryoma, will never be promoted to Chūnin."
The courtyard fell silent.
Even Hiruzen froze. Orochimaru blinked. Kushina tilted her head in disbelief. Lady Mito looked as if she'd misheard.
Just then, a familiar interface appeared in Ryoma's mind:
[Current situation detected. Host, choose one of the following options!]
Option 1: Gladly accept the Chūnin title and become a rising star of Konoha.
Reward: C-Rank Ninjutsu – Windmill Triple Blades.
Option 2: Decline the special promotion and insist on taking the Chūnin Exams.
Reward: B-Rank Taijutsu – Human Bullet Tank.
Option 3: Flatly reject the Chūnin title, remaining a Genin by choice.
Reward: ×10 Fusion Speed for First Hokage Character Card, A-Rank Ninjutsu – Lightning Release: Chidori.
Ryoma's eyes gleamed.
Does this even require thinking?
...
TN:
Enjoy the story~ 😊