Yoruha walked in, and Tsunade spoke solemnly, "Kagemon Yoruha, before the Third Hokage passed, he left a will to promote you to Jonin. With your abilities, you are more than qualified. I acknowledge your capabilities."
"So from today onwards, you are a Jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village. I hope you will contribute even more to the village in the future." After Tsunade's formal words, Yoruha was officially promoted to Jonin.
There aren't many Jonin in the Hidden Leaf Village; most are Special Jonin. Even the three guards of the former Minato were all Special Jonin. It's not just in the Hidden Leaf; the other major ninja villages also have few true Jonin.
With Yoruha's strength, taking on the role of Jonin was naturally no problem. Kurenai Yuhi looked at Yoruha with a calm expression, "This kid was just promoted to Chunin not long ago, and now he's already a Jonin like me?" "I really wonder what talents he possesses."
"Tsunade-sama seems to have a lot of faith in him." Since Kurenai didn't know much about Yoruha, and Tsunade and Jiraiya had never disclosed Yoruha's achievements, not many in the village knew of Yoruha's formidable strength.
In fact, many people hadn't even heard of Yoruha's name. Asuma looked at Yoruha with a gratified expression. "This kid was someone the old man had high hopes for, and now Tsunade-sama also thinks highly of him. It seems his future holds great potential."
"After all, Tsunade-sama wouldn't lack her own judgment. Even with the old man's orders, if Yoruha didn't meet her standards, he wouldn't have been promoted to Jonin."
"This kid has shown talent different from his time at the Ninja Academy from the very beginning." "I wonder if those six years at the Academy were a waste for him."
Kakashi patted Yoruha on the shoulder, looking pleased, "Now you're on the same level as me." Since the ninja world doesn't have a division like Elite Jonin, Kakashi and Yoruha are indeed both at the Jonin level. Yoruha smiled, "Kakashi-sensei, I'll still need your guidance in the future."
Kakashi chuckled, "You're being so polite with me?" Despite his words, Kakashi was clearly pleased. Naruto looked at Yoruha with a determined expression, "Yoruha, I'll definitely catch up to you, just wait for me."
Sasuke also smiled and said, "Though I can't match your strength, I won't lose to you in terms of ninja rank." Despite his words, Sasuke was genuinely happy for Yoruha. After all, Yoruha was someone he valued greatly, and Sasuke was glad for his promotion to Jonin.
Jiraiya watched the scene with a satisfied smile, "Third, this is what you hoped for, isn't it?" "Yoruha, what kind of person will you become in the future? Are you the Child of Prophecy?"
Jiraiya had always been searching for the Child of Prophecy. At first, he thought it was Nagato, then Minato, and a few years later, he believed it was Naruto. Now, he thought Yoruha might very well be the Child of Prophecy.
Because Yoruha's strength was immense, and he had great potential, when the prophesied disaster strikes in the future, Yoruha is the most likely to withstand it.
Then, Tsunade announced the second order, "Shikamaru Nara, although you lost in the Chunin Exams, you demonstrated excellent leadership skills, so I am promoting you to Chunin."
Shikamaru was taken aback. Everyone else was also stunned. They hadn't expected Shikamaru to be involved in this matter.
They all thought that the most likely person to be promoted to Chunin this time would be Sasuke. They didn't expect it to be Shikamaru, who had used his strategic skills during the Chunin Exams. Even Asuma hadn't anticipated this.
"Shikamaru, you, you've become a Chunin." Ino covered her mouth as she looked at Shikamaru, utterly amazed. It was even more surprising than hearing that Yoruha had been promoted to Jonin.
Yoruha looked at Shikamaru and said, "Chunin and Jonin need to lead a team. Besides combat skills, the most important thing is leadership ability, which is what you're best at, Shikamaru."
"Or rather, strategizing is what your Nara clan excels at. Being promoted to Chunin is well-deserved for you." With Yoruha's comment, everyone else came to their senses and nodded in agreement. "That's right, from this perspective, Shikamaru is indeed very suitable."
Shikamaru scratched his head, somewhat reluctantly, and said, "What a drag, but Yoruha's right. Staying in the back and using my brain isn't that troublesome."
Those who knew Shikamaru weren't surprised by his attitude. Everyone here, except Tsunade and Jiraiya, was familiar with Shikamaru, and even Sasuke agreed that Shikamaru was smart.
Then Tsunade turned her attention to Team 7. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were all nervous.
Tsunade glanced over the three of them and quickly focused on Sasuke.
"Sasuke, your strength has reached the level of a Chunin. During the mission to capture Gaara, you made a significant contribution, so I'm promoting you to Chunin. I hope you continue to work hard and become a Jonin soon."
This last comment was clearly directed at Yoruha. Yoruha noticed it too, looking helpless. Wasn't this just setting Sasuke up to see him as a target?
"It seems Tsunade knows about Team 7's dynamics and is using me to provoke them," Yoruha thought.
Tsunade's tactic was indeed effective, as Sasuke looked at Yoruha with anticipation. It wasn't about catching up to Yoruha in strength, but about becoming Hokage before him.
Tsunade's words sparked Sasuke's competitive spirit. He saw Yoruha as his goal. If he couldn't surpass him in strength, he would surpass him in ninja rank.
Above Jonin is the Kage. And the Hokage isn't necessarily the strongest ninja. After Tsunade finished her announcements, she gave Yoruha a challenging look.
Yoruha's mouth twitched slightly. He wanted to say something, but held back. He wasn't bothered by Sasuke's pursuit, just found it a bit annoying.
After Tsunade finished all the announcements, Naruto hadn't heard his name. "Granny Tsunade, why not me? I performed well too, so why am I not a Chunin?"
Tsunade smiled and said, "Next time. They are indeed more suited to be Chunin and Jonin than you are. Keep working hard, Naruto."
Although Naruto had saved her life, and Tsunade was moved by his dream of becoming Hokage, she didn't think Naruto was ready to be a Chunin or Jonin at this time.
Naruto's fundamentals were still lacking, and with his abilities, leading a team as a Chunin would be a disaster. Hearing Tsunade's explanation, Naruto was displeased. "But I did well too! I went after Gaara during the Chunin Exams."
Tsunade didn't respond, but Jiraiya spoke up, sternly saying, "Naruto, respect the Hokage's decision. You don't yet have the skills to be a Chunin." Jiraiya saw a lot of himself in Naruto.
He knew that Naruto wasn't ready to be a Chunin yet. Naruto still needed guidance and wasn't ready to lead others.
In this regard, he was indeed far behind Sasuke. If it were the old, vengeful Sasuke, he wouldn't have been suitable to be a Chunin either. But Sasuke had changed; he wasn't consumed by revenge anymore and had become much more rational.
And the Uchiha clan was naturally intelligent, so once Sasuke became rational, he naturally developed leadership skills.