Chunin

Team Akari walked into the Hokage's office. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk. Kazuki immediately felt that something was wrong when his eyes landed on the bandaged man beside him, Danzo Shimura.

Kazuki kept his expression completely neutral, he thought. 'Shisui is alive, so he doesn't have Kotoamatsukami yet.'

Hiruzen put down his smoking pipe and looked at the elite jonin. "Akari, let's hear the mission report."

Akari stepped forward and explained exactly how the mission went. She detailed their brutal encounter with Yugito Nii, how they were forced to separate, and specifically highlighted the part where Kazuki defeated a whole ANBU squad all by himself, killed the rogue scientist, and successfully burned the forbidden scroll alongside the entire laboratory.

Hiruzen smiled, clearly impressed. He praised Kazuki's quick thinking and congratulated the entire team on completing their first A-rank mission. Reaching into his desk, he handed out their rewards: heavy pouches containing 150,000 Ryo for each of the three genin, and a massive 500,000 Ryo for Akari.

Before they could even celebrate, Danzo interrupted them. "It was a very important mission, Hiruzen," Danzo said, his single visible eye narrowing suspiciously. "Wouldn't you want to confirm if any of them took the scroll for themselves?"

Hiruzen frowned, his tone turning stern. "Danzo, they are trusted shinobi of Konoha. You can't doubt them."

Danzo scoffed coldly. "You are so naive, Hiruzen, to trust these Uchiha so much."

Without warning, Danzo waved his hand. A Root shinobi, who was standing just behind him, suddenly flickered in front of Kazuki and began rapidly forming a hand sign to cast a genjutsu.

Kazuki immediately activated his Sharingan in retaliation and looked the Root ninja dead in the eye.

Suddenly, Hiruzen flared his chakra. The sheer, overwhelming pressure of the Third Hokage's chakra startled everyone in the room. The Root ninja immediately stopped his hand signs and looked back at Danzo for further instructions. Danzo, also sweating a little from the immense pressure, glared at the Hokage. "What is the meaning of this, Hiruzen?"

Hiruzen stopped flaring his chakra and spoke with absolute authority. "I cannot let you interrogate an innocent citizen of Konoha. If you want to blame him, then at least bring some proof."

Danzo gritted his teeth. "Your naiveness will be the reason for Konoha's fall someday," he spoke before turning around and leaving the room with his Root shinobi trailing behind him.

The heavy tension in the room instantly dropped. Akari let out a long breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Hiruzen sighed and looked at Kazuki. "Kazuki, you should not be so overconfident. You would be trapped in a genjutsu right now if I had not stepped in. You have not trained your eyes yet."

Kazuki nodded.

Hiruzen then asked Kazuki, Yuki, and Ryuma to wait outside in the hallway. Once the door clicked shut, Hiruzen turned to the jonin. "Akari, I want your honest assessment on them."

Akari nodded and started with Ryuma. "He is extremely proficient in Kenjutsu and has great instincts for it. He isn't as good with either Ninjutsu or Taijutsu, but he has successfully learned and integrated his clan's Kenjutsu techniques."

Hiruzen smiled faintly, blowing out a puff of smoke. "The Hatake clan's technique, huh. There haven't really been any genius shinobi from that clan after Kakashi, and even he didn't learn the Hatake clan's Kenjutsu techniques."

Akari then moved on to Yuki. "Yuki has improved so much in the last few months. She knows numerous jutsu, and her Taijutsu rivals mine. She is also very smart. But there is one problem, she relies on Kazuki way too much and it's holding her back. She has way more potential than she is currently showing."

"Alright," Hiruzen said, leaning forward. "What about him?"

"Kazuki has grown so much that he can only be considered a prodigy," Akari said seriously. "He almost won the Chunin Exams while being the most inexperienced among all the competitors. He defeated a full ANBU squad all by himself. He is proficient in everything, whether it be Ninjutsu, Kenjutsu, or Taijutsu, and he's even started learning Genjutsu and Fuinjutsu. He can make several shadow clones and is really good at chakra flow."

Hiruzen hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm. So, do you think they are ready to be Chunin? Or do you think any of them could also be promoted to Jonin?"

"Yes, they are all ready to become Chunins," Akari answered firmly. "But I don't think any of them is ready to become a Jonin just yet."

"Very well then," Hiruzen said with a proud smile. "You can bring them in."

Akari opened the door and let the three genin back into the office. Hiruzen looked at them warmly and announced that, based on their performance in Iwagakure and their recent A-rank mission, they were officially promoted. They were now Chunin of Konohagakure. He added that Akari would distribute their official vests shortly.

The team bowed deeply, thanking the Hokage, and stepped outside the building. They waited in the courtyard for a few minutes until Akari walked out, carrying three standard green jackets. 

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