To be honest, with everything Renjiro had accomplished, he could have been promoted straight to Jonin.
However, despite his remarkable talent, his foundational training still couldn't match that of someone raised in an elite clan like Kakashi.
So, following Hiruzen's advice, Minato decided to delay Renjiro's full promotion and instead gave him the rank of Special Jonin for now.
The real reason Renjiro didn't qualify as a full Jonin was that, despite his amazing speed, which was already faster than 90% of Elite Jonin—his fighting style was too limited.
His attacks were mainly close-range and lacked variety. They only seemed so powerful because he had top-level sensory abilities like Bullet Time and Mind Net, and exceptional movement techniques like Soru and Lightning Flash.
But he had no long-range attacks, no group combat techniques, and his defense was very weak—his only real defensive skill was Tekkai. In short, aside from his speed, his overall skills didn't meet the full standard for a Jonin.
And to be fair, politics played a part too. The Third Hokage wanted Renjiro's eventual Jonin promotion to be credited to his successor, Minato, the Fourth Hokage.
There was no question that Renjiro was part of the Hokage's political circle. From the moment he accepted his Chunin promotion from the Third Hokage, he had become a loyal member of that faction.
Most of his rise in rank and reputation came from Hiruzen's support and vision, making Renjiro not just a follower, but one of the Third Hokage's most trusted allies.
Now that Hiruzen had stepped down, it made sense for Minato his chosen successor to take over that legacy. Renjiro, who had quickly made a name for himself near the end of Hiruzen's leadership, was clearly one of the most valuable people being passed on to the new Hokage.
That's exactly why things were unfolding the way they were: Renjiro was meeting both the Third and Fourth Hokage together not just to celebrate his promotion, but to send a quiet message.
He was still part of the Hokage faction, but from now on, his loyalty should shift from Hiruzen to Minato.
Even the decision to delay Renjiro's full Jonin promotion was part of the Third's plan. It allowed Minato to be the one who officially promoted him earning Renjiro's gratitude and trust in the process.
It was a brilliant move one that showed exactly why Hiruzen was known as the most skilled political figure in the entire Shinobi World. His decades of experience had helped shape Konoha's foundation, proving just how powerful and clever a leader he truly was.
---
Having a new Special Jonin in the village, especially someone as well-known as Renjiro was a big deal.
And because this was the first Jonin-level promotion since Minato became Hokage, it held special political significance. So, of course, a proper ceremony had to be arranged.
It wasn't a large ceremony, but it was still an important one. It would take place in the Hokage Residence, with nearly all of the village's Jonin in attendance, including the two elder advisors.
As the one being honored, Renjiro was allowed to invite a few guests. Since he had no living relatives, he chose only his close friends, like Maemon and a few others he had recently formed strong bonds with.
---
On the day of the ceremony, a surprising number of important people showed up.
The Uchiha were there. So were the Hyuga. Renjiro's close friends from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio also attended.
Members of the Inuzuka Clan came as well, since someone from their clan was on Renjiro's team. Even the quiet and reserved Aburame Clan sent a representative.
In short, just about everyone who could attend, did.
Of course, Danzo was absent. As the head of Root, he had no interest in public ceremonies—especially ones organized by the Hokage's side.
Even Minato's wife, Kushina, made an appearance, which surprised Renjiro. She was pregnant, after all. But he understood—she wasn't there for him, she was there to support Minato.
Alongside the major clans and dignitaries, Renjiro's friends came too Maemon, Meri, and the others. None of them were shocked by his promotion. With Renjiro's power, it was well deserved.
Still, Maemon couldn't help but grumble with an envious voice: "Damn it, you've pulled ahead again! Just wait—I'll catch up soon!"
Renjiro grinned and said: "Good luck with that, Genin Maemon."
That verbal jab hit hard—Maemon looked like he was about to cough up blood.
Meri rolled her eyes and said in a helpless voice: "You're basically a Jonin already. Can you not act like such a child?"
"Hehe!" Renjiro laughed cheerfully.
Just then, Asuma appeared, looking as impatient as ever. He nudged Renjiro with his elbow and kept sneaking glances at Meri, then back at Renjiro. With a mischievous grin, he gave a thumbs-up—clearly playing the role of wingman.
Renjiro glanced at Meri, who was now blushing and hurriedly walking away in embarrassment. Then he turned a death glare toward Asuma: "You idiot! Are you helping me or ruining everything?!"
The cheerful mood among the younger shinobi quickly spread to the older guests as well.
Seeing their lively exchange, the Third and Fourth Hokage shared a knowing smile.
This is the future of Konoha… and in that moment, the future looked bright.
---
The actual ceremony was straightforward.
In front of everyone, Minato formally announced Renjiro's promotion to Special Jonin. His ninja record was updated, his rank changed, and the ceremony was declared complete.
The only "incident"—if it could be called that came when Renjiro eagerly raised his hand and asked: "So… does this mean I can stop wearing the standard ninja vest now?"
It was a youthful, slightly immature request.
Maemon held his forehead and shook his head: "Still the same Renjiro."
An older Jonin said jokingly: "Careful what you wish for—you'll miss it when winter comes."
"Hahaha!"
But it made everyone present, especially the older generation laugh out loud.
Minato gave his approval with a warm smile: "I suppose you've earned that right. Just don't show up in civilian clothes on missions."
And with that, Renjiro threw his fists in the air, celebrating with his friends.
---
After the ceremony, now officially a Special Jonin, the first thing Renjiro did wasn't rushing to the training halls or the restricted sections of the Hokage Residence.
Instead, he went straight to the tailor, to design a new outfit.
After more than an hour of sketching, adjusting, and discussing details with the tailor, the design was finalized. Renjiro paid the deposit and left the shop.
His next stop:
The Konoha Shinobi Library.
This wasn't the public library open to civilians.
It was the Shinobi Library—one of Konoha's greatest repositories of knowledge, accessible only to shinobi.
Inside was a vast collection of information, not just from Konoha, but from across the continent. While it didn't contain forbidden techniques or classified scrolls, it did offer ninjutsu up to C-rank.
But more importantly, it held something far more valuable, Foundational knowledge!
Ninjutsu theory, battle reports, chakra studies, research notes on technique development, and strategic concepts for creating new Jutsu.
And that was exactly what Renjiro needed.
He didn't lack power—he lacked theory. He lacked the mental framework needed to evolve jutsu further.
With enough information and solid conceptual grounding, he could use Arkain processor to simulate and extrapolate techniques far beyond what currently existed.
And so, with eyes glowing and heart brimming with ambition, Renjiro dove headfirst into the shinobi library's treasure trove.
Immersed in a sea of knowledge,
He began devouring everything it had to offer.
---
One month later.
"Phew..."
Renjiro finally closed the book in his hands and stretched lazily, letting out a long breath. After an entire month, his intense study period had come to an end.
For the past thirty days, he had lived a strict, repetitive routine, spending every day inside the Shinobi-only Library. He even ate at small diners nearby, not wanting to waste a single moment.
At night, he would bring scrolls home to read, only to return them the next morning. It was a monotonous and exhausting lifestyle… but he had kept it up for a full month.
The village had taken notice. Knowing that Renjiro was focusing on building his foundational knowledge, they assigned him no missions—giving him the time and peace he needed.
Now, he had effectively read every book in the Shinobi Library. Arkain's database had stored the entire archive.
Granted, to keep up the pace, he had skimmed through many sections rather than reading deeply. But even so, the amount of knowledge he had absorbed was immense.
In terms of ninjutsu, he had acquired several C-rank techniques:
Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu
Genjutsu: Narakumi no Jutsu (Hell Viewing Technique)
Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu
Water Release: Wild Water Wave Jutsu
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu
Unfortunately, while the library did include some Lightning Release techniques, the strongest among them was one he already knew—Lightning Ball.
And because he lacked the elemental affinities for Fire, Water, and Wind, those techniques were currently unusable to him.
Still, Renjiro knew that it was possible to awaken additional chakra natures.
And so, he made a silent vow—he would leave nothing behind. Even if he couldn't use them now, they might prove useful one day.
But beyond the ninjutsu, the most important gain from this month wasn't techniques.
It was knowledge. Foundational knowledge, vast in quantity and rich in nuance formed the bedrock of true power.
And in that deep ocean of scrolls and records, Renjiro discovered something even more valuable, the legacies of those who came before him.
He came across brilliant theories, bold hypotheses about the future of ninjutsu, and imaginative ideas that had yet to take form. These were the treasures he valued most.
One such gem came from the journal of a Special Jonin named Tosai Takaishi—an otherwise average shinobi who had written a simple but fascinating concept about Genjutsu.
He proposed an expansion of a common battlefield tactic: killing intent—the psychological pressure shinobi emit to intimidate and suppress enemies.
Takaishi's idea was deceptively simple, if killing intent could already disrupt an opponent's senses and provoke hesitation… could it be refined and intensified to directly overwhelm the enemy's brain and induce unconsciousness?
Renjiro immediately thought of Conqueror's Haki from the world of One Piece. What Takaishi described was practically a shinobi equivalent.
Of course, killing intent typically only worked on those with weaker willpower, and was ineffective against mentally strong opponents. But the thought of evolving it into a focused, Genjutsu-based weapon thrilled Renjiro.
Without hesitation, he fed the concept into Arkain's system for simulation—adding his own insights and refinements as he went.
That wasn't all. Renjiro encountered countless other wild and imaginative ideas. One such case involved a shinobi obsessed with the concept of flight. After studying Iwagakure's Light–Weight Boulder Jutsu, the man spent years trying to reverse-engineer a version of it.
Although he never succeeded and eventually died in obscurity, Arkain confirmed that his approach had been scientifically sound, he simply lacked the brilliance and resources of someone like Orochimaru.
And with that, Renjiro's admiration for Konoha's legacy only grew deeper.
---
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