Chapter 444: Kakashi's Jonin Reward
Chapter 444: Kakashi's Jonin Reward
"Senior, can I submit my paper early if I'm done?" Kakashi asked the examiner after carefully reviewing his exam paper.
Even though he'd have to wait for Obito outside, he'd still have more freedom, so Kakashi decided to turn in his paper early.
"So soon? Don't you want to double-check your answers?" The examiner walked over, a little surprised, and looked at Kakashi's exam paper.
He was even more surprised as he recognized several questions that Kakashi had answered skillfully and accurately.
As an experienced examiner, he was well aware that for young prodigies, the biggest obstacle to becoming a Jonin was rarely their strength, but rather the written exam.
Raw power didn't necessarily translate to academic prowess, and he believed that if Konoha didn't have a system for Jonin promotion outside of the exam, the number of Jonin in the village would be at least a third less, maybe even fewer.
"Your Jonin exam is complete. You can leave now or wait outside for the exam to finish." The examiner collected Kakashi's paper and spoke.
Kakashi nodded and left the exam room to wait outside. Knowing Obito as he did, Kakashi expected him to stay until the end of the exam.
Obito didn't know much, but he was persistent and wouldn't give up. Even if he couldn't answer the questions, he would keep trying until time ran out.
Kakashi's prediction was correct, and it wasn't until the exam time ended that he saw Obito emerge from the exam room.
However, Hyuga Hanabi and Sakata Genji also submitted their papers last, making Kakashi, who finished early, the odd one out.
Obito walked out of the exam room with his head hanging low, looking less than pleased.
"Damn, if I didn't pass the exam, Hinata's ninja rank will be higher than mine," Obito suddenly realized.
According to the notice, Hinata Hyuga didn't need to take the exam and was promoted directly to a special Jonin.
If Obito passed the exam and became a full Jonin, he would be one rank higher than Hinata. But if he failed, his ninja rank would be lower than hers from then on.
As Obito thought about it further, he realized something even more terrifying—if Kakashi passed the exam, then there would only be one Chunin left in Team Minato, or Team Mu Yue, and that would be him.
Obito could already imagine the smug look on Kakashi's face.
"There's a good-for-nothing in the team who didn't make it to Jonin. I won't say who," Kakashi said with a mocking smile.
"You evil brat, Flagwood Kakashi! Just you wait until I get stronger, I'll—" Obito's blood pressure rose just from his imagination, and he felt his Sharingan stirring.
Kakashi frowned slightly as he watched Obito walk towards him, his expression fluctuating between rage and elation. He had a strange feeling that Obito was thinking something unpleasant.
"The exam's over. Are you still thinking about the questions?" Kakashi spoke up, interrupting Obito's train of thoughts.
Obito's face fell as he had been imagining himself mastering the Fire Breath to surpass Mu Yue and was just about to take a swing at Kakashi when he was interrupted.
"How do you think you did? Do you think you'll pass?" Obito asked after a moment's thought.
While he knew that Kakashi had never failed a written exam in his memory, this was the Jonin exam, which covered a broad range of topics and had challenging questions. There was a chance even Kakashi might not pass.
"It was alright. I should be able to pass," Kakashi replied nonchalantly, nodding.
During his time in the hospital, Kakashi had spent most of his time reading various books, and with his already impressive knowledge, he was more than prepared for the Jonin exam.
"Hah! Kakashi, you really don't know how to be modest, do you?" Obito couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at Kakashi's confidence.
"Well, the exam wasn't that difficult. I doubt anyone would fail," Kakashi said, with a hint of implication.
Obito's fists clenched tightly.
Although Kakashi hadn't mentioned his name, Obito felt like he was being directly called out.
"You're pretty full of yourself. Why don't you tell me how you answered the questions?" Obito asked, suppressing the urge to punch Kakashi in the face.
He was annoyed, but he needed to compare answers first.
While he found Kakashi's arrogance irritating, Obito acknowledged his prowess in written exams and was sure Kakashi had gotten more answers correct than he had.
"For the first question, I did this, and then..." Kakashi didn't hide anything and explained his answers and thought process for each question.
Checking the answers only made Obito feel worse. Many of his answers differed from Kakashi's, and there were three possible outcomes: Kakashi was wrong, he was wrong, or they were both wrong.
Obito hoped for the second outcome, but his rational mind told him the first outcome was more likely.
After the examinees left, the examiners immediately began grading the papers.
"These young prodigies really can't be underestimated. They're truly well-rounded," the examiner who oversaw Kakashi's exam couldn't help but marvel.
He found it hard to imagine how a ten-year-old could balance their training and theoretical studies so well.
"Not necessarily," said the examiner who oversaw Obito's exam with a smile. "Uchiha Obito probably won't make the cut. His answers were a mess except for the history section."
The examiner who graded Kakashi's paper curiously leaned over for a glance, "With this level of performance on the written exam, he might end up getting promoted to Jonin through exceptional battlefield contributions before he can retake the exam."
In times of peace, it was challenging to become a Jonin without passing the Jonin exam. But war was a different matter. In exceptional circumstances, outstanding contributions on the battlefield could lead directly to a Jonin promotion.
Once the written exam papers were graded, the examiners sent all the materials to the Hokage's office in the Hokage Tower, where Hiruzen Sarutobi would personally decide the exam results.
Upon seeing Kakashi's paperwork, Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his goatee and smiled warmly.
He had recognized Kakashi's potential before and had asked Mu Yue and Minato to help Kakashi when he was lost and struggling.
Kakashi's achievements now proved his judgment right. Even at the young age of ten, Kakashi had surpassed many ninjas and could be considered outstanding.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in affirmation of his own insight and signed and stamped Kakashi's promotion document.
"Obito lacks too much in the theoretical department," Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head as he looked at Obito's exam results. There was no way he could pass with these scores.
"But his personality is a good thing for the Uchiha clan."
Hiruzen Sarutobi would rather have more Uchiha like Obito, innocent and naive. It would reduce the friction between the Uchiha and Konoha significantly.
After denying Obito's promotion, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his attention to Hyuga Hanabi and Sakata Genji.
After some thought, he denied Sakata Genji's promotion but signed off on Hyuga Hanabi's promotion document.
To be honest, Hyuga Hanabi's strength was slightly inferior to Sakata Genji's, but the strategic value of her Byakugan made up for it, allowing for slightly lower requirements.
"Guy's grades were terrible as well," Hiruzen murmured to himself as he perused Might Guy's academic records, a trail of smoke rising from the pipe in his hand.
Up until the fourth grade, Might Guy could be described as anything but terrible; he was downright abysmal. However, after Mu Yue began tutoring him, his grades improved significantly, though they barely scraped by the passing mark.
The written exam for the Jonin assessment was far less forgiving than the Ninja School's exams. While a mere fifty percent was required to pass at the Ninja School, the Jonin exam mandated a score of at least eighty percent for qualification.
"Should I lower the standards for Guy?" Hiruzen contemplated, deep in thought.
If the standards remained unchanged, there was no way Might Guy could pass the Jonin assessment, as his theoretical knowledge was just as lacking as Tobirama's.
The reason Hiruzen was even considering this was not because he particularly liked Guy, but because Guy had contributed significantly to the mission.
Different ninjas contributed differently to the same mission, and in this recent skirmish, the person with the greatest contribution was undoubtedly Mu Yue, who had slain Mizuho Tsukikage Han and the four Ninjato's Shichininshu, along with numerous Kirigakure ninjas.
The second greatest contributor was Might Guy. Without Guy's sudden power surge, Kakashi and his team would not have been able to repel the Ninjato's Shichininshu and hold out until Mu Yue's arrival.
In a way, Hiruzen had already given Guy special treatment. If not for his significant contributions, Guy's abysmal theoretical knowledge would have disqualified him from even participating in the Jonin assessment.
Guy's main disadvantage was his age. If he were fourteen or older, Hiruzen would have directly promoted him to Jonin, but ten was simply too young.
Unless their achievements were astoundingly remarkable, like Mu Yue, age would always be a factor in promotions.
In the end, Hiruzen decided to wait and see Guy's exam results before making a decision. Jonin were qualified to lead important missions, and it wouldn't do to have someone ignorant of strategy in such a position.
The next morning, Hiruzen instructed a ninja to send out the notifications.
Those who successfully advanced in rank needed to go to the Hokage's office to receive their new ninja identification, while those who failed only received a notification.
"Uchiha Obito," the notifying ninja said to Obito, "your strength is exceptional, but you lack proficiency in theory, which is currently insufficient for promotion to Jonin."
Although he had expected this outcome, Obito still couldn't help but feel a sense of loss upon hearing the news of his failure.
To ordinary people, Jonin represented an excellent ninja, and he wanted his grandmother to be proud and boast to other Uchiha about how outstanding her grandson was, having achieved the rank of Jonin at only ten years old.
"If you study hard, you'll have another chance. You can apply for a makeup exam once every year for the next eight years, and if you pass, you'll become an official Jonin," the notifying ninja reminded him.
The Jonin assessment was a form of screening, and those who were not given the opportunity to take the exam were deemed unworthy of becoming Jonin.
The Leaf Village naturally wouldn't give up on their ninjas so easily, and they would be given many chances to retake the exam. Passing any of these exams would grant them the status of a formal Jonin.
"Once a year?" Obito scratched his head, feeling that the interval was too long. He was only ten years old, and a year was already a tenth of his entire life.
"Before the next exam, you should go see Teacher Mu Yue," Obito decided, feeling that it would be more productive to rely on the capable Mu Yue rather than his own uncertain studying abilities.
"Did Kakashi pass?" Obito couldn't help but ask.
As disappointing as his own failure was, the success of his friend would drive him crazy.
"I don't know about that. I'm only here to notify you," the notifying ninja replied with a shake of his head.
Obito's disappointment grew. The answer he most wanted to hear was that Kakashi had failed, just like him.
Obito felt uncomfortable just thinking about Kakashi possibly becoming a Jonin before him, and knowing Kakashi, he would definitely use his ninja rank as an excuse to boss Obito around.
In order to get the latest news, Obito decided to go straight to Kakashi's house and ask him directly.
"Kakashi, are you home?" Obito shouted as he arrived at Kakashi's front door, his lungs enhanced by the Concentrated Breath technique.
Obito knocked on the door a few times, but there was still no response.
Obito's heart sank. "Oh no, he didn't really pass, did he? Could he be at the Hokage's office?"
As Obito suspected, Kakashi was indeed at the Hokage's office in the Hokage Tower, finalizing his promotion.
"From now on, you are an official Jonin of the Leaf Village," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile as he handed Kakashi his brand-new ninja identification.
Once Kakashi had received his identification, Hiruzen's expression turned serious.
"A higher ninja rank signifies not only greater power but also greater responsibility and duty!" Hiruzen said solemnly.
"When necessary, Jonin must lead more dangerous missions and face more formidable foes."
"No matter how perilous the mission, I will protect my comrades and bring them home safely," Kakashi replied earnestly.
Hiruzen's face softened into a smile once more. "Your resolve comforts me. If we had more outstanding juniors like you, I could retire in peace."
After completing the necessary procedures, Kakashi left the Hokage's office. He looked at the word "Jonin" on his new ninja identification and shook his head.
Becoming a Jonin did not inflate Kakashi's ego, for he had witnessed the strength of too many powerful Jonin—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Mu Yue, and Minato Namikaze.
While they shared the same rank, the true gap between them was wider than that between a regular Jonin and a Ninja Academy student.
Not to mention the others, even Kakashi's father was a Jonin, yet Kakashi could barely catch a glimpse of his father's shadow.
As Kakashi exited the Hokage Tower, he spotted Obito lurking about, looking like he was up to no good.
A slight smirk played on Kakashi's lips as he approached Obito. "How did you know I passed the Jonin exam?"
Obito: ?
As the youngest Jonin in the Leaf Village, Kakashi once again became the talk of the town.
In a hidden laboratory, Danzo Shimura, who had been conducting inhumane experiments on humans, nearly lost control of his emotions and smashed the equipment in his lab upon hearing the news.
A ten-year-old Jonin! He had toiled for so long to attain that rank, yet these prodigies had effortlessly surpassed him.
...
[Disciple Kakashi Hatake diligently cultivates and obtains excellent results in the Jonin assessment, advancing to Jonin. Rewards obtained: Chakra +2400, Weapon Summoning Scroll - Sword Type, and an Unknown Pokemon Egg (only Kakashi Hatake can hatch it).]
(End of Chapter)
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