Chapter 211 – Promotion.

In the village of Konoha, inside the Hokage's office.

"In light of Uchiha Hitsugaya's outstanding performance on the battlefield in the Land of Grass, we hereby issue this certificate of Jōnin rank as a commendation."

"Yes! I will not let you down and will strive for the victory of Konoha!"

Receiving the Jōnin certificate from the Hokage, Hitsugaya showed a look of gratitude.

In reality, he was mentally complaining about it. Over the years, he had undertaken countless high-risk missions but had always remained a regular Chūnin. 

Although a Chūnin could lead a team to complete missions, his was not an ordinary squad but a reconnaissance unit composed entirely of Uchiha members. 

Even though he belonged to the Police Force, this was too outrageous.

"Hitsugaya! May I call you that?"

"It is my honor, Lord Hokage!"

Even though he felt like cursing internally, he mastered the superficial courtesies, a skill he was very familiar with in his previous life. So doing it now was effortless!

"Mm."

Taking a deep breath, the Hokage exhaled the smoke from his chest, enveloping himself in a faint purple haze.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, clad in the white ceremonial Hokage robe and wearing the Hokage hat, spoke again.

"I witnessed your performance on the battlefield in the Land of Grass. I hope you will continue to work hard. Moreover, I hope you will better embody the Will of Fire, protect the village, and safeguard everyone!"

"Yes! I shall not fail your expectations!"

"Mm! You may leave."

"Then I'll take my leave."

Upon saying this, Hitsugaya glanced around the office at Konoha's top brass, nodding as a gesture of respect, and exited the room. 

He couldn't let people say that Uchiha Hitsugaya was impolite!

After Hitsugaya left, someone in the office spoke in a tone that clearly showed displeasure with the Third Hokage's decision.

"Hmph… Hiruzen! You shouldn't appoint a fourteen-year-old Uchiha as a Jōnin. This goes against our teacher's policy of suppressing the Uchiha. Moreover, judging by that boy's previous conduct, he doesn't seem to embody the Will of Fire. By doing this, aren't you giving the Uchiha another opportunity to gain fame?"

The speaker was none other than Shimura Danzo, known for his role as "the shadow of the Hokage."

A fourteen-year-old Jōnin was indeed a substantial headline, which could earn the Uchiha significant prestige, especially in times of war.

Their shared teacher, the Second Hokage, had spent his life guarding against the Uchiha. Danzo, who aspired to follow in his teacher's footsteps yet remained unwilling to be the man behind the Hokage, took this lesson to heart.

"And what about that Uchiha Obito? You allowed Jiraiya's disciple to take him as a student. What is this? Are you abolishing all of our teacher's policies?"

As he spoke, Danzo glanced at his two companions.

"Indeed! Hiruzen, your stance on the Uchiha is far too lenient. Don't forget our teacher's words! Those Uchiha are inherently evil!"

Receiving a signal from her companion, Koharu Utatane, who also harbored no goodwill towards the Uchiha and staunchly believed in her teacher's words, spoke out, addressing the issue head-on.

At this moment, of the four present, only Homura Mitokado hadn't spoken.

"I think… we should observe the situation further before making any conclusive decisions."

"Hmph! That's just dodging the issue!"

Predicting their companion's reply, Danzo and Koharu were evidently displeased, as expected.

However, Hiruzen, as the Hokage, was rather satisfied with his companion's answer. If not for this balancing act, he wouldn't have been able to enforce his decisions.

"All right, Koharu, Danzo. My actions aim to appease the Uchiha to some extent. We are in a time of war, and we need their strength! 

As for Obito, he is a great bridge for the Uchiha, very well embodying the Will of Fire, which can help ease relations between us."

When assigning teams, Hiruzen had considered for a long time before placing Uchiha Obito under Minato Namikaze.

It was clear what taking an Uchiha under Jiraiya's disciple meant for the Hokage faction. 

"Right now, we need the Uchiha to give their all. If we don't give them some hope, it will be problematic. Uchiha Obito is the most suitable person I could find."

"As for Uchiha Hitsugaya."

While his words sounded pleasing, based on his experience, he couldn't easily trust them. However, calming the Uchiha was necessary at present.

"Forget about Uchiha Obito; I agree he's a simpleton and poses no real threat as Minato's disciple. But Hitsugaya is different.

Considering his mission record, letting him become a young Jōnin is inappropriate."

Hitsugaya was not easily fooled like another Uchiha. Making him a fourteen-year-old Jōnin sent a bad message against the village's policies.

"Don't worry! I have other plans…"

"Other plans?"

At this point, Homura played the role of the inquisitive one, voicing their latent doubts.

"Mm-hm. Namikaze Minato is currently a Team Leader Jōnin, but it's holding him back. I plan to promote Kakashi Hatake to Jōnin. This way, he can take over team leadership, freeing up Minato."

Leaving Minato always leading students was a waste of his skills.

"That's quite a good idea!"

This move killed two birds with one stone. Not only did it free up Minato, but having Kakashi as a young Jōnin made Uchiha Hitsugaya's promotion less conspicuous. If he remembered correctly, Kakashi was just twelve!

"Hiruzen, still as shrewd as ever!"

Upon hearing this, Homura and Koharu nodded in approval.

Even the irritable Koharu had to admit it was a smart move. Unlike the ever-overbearing Danzo, Hiruzen knew how to see the bigger picture.