"First, because you were stationed far at the border, your Jonin promotion has been delayed for too long.
Given your military achievements over these years, the advisory council and I unanimously agree that you possess all the qualities of a Konoha Jonin. Therefore, effective today, you are promoted to Jonin of Konoha."
The promotion was something Aoba had expected. What he was more interested in was the second matter.
After accepting the appointment letter, Hiruzen continued.
"As a Jonin of Konoha, you must now fulfill your responsibilities. I have an S-rank mission for you to undertake.
Don't worry—you won't be going alone. For this mission, both the Anbu and Root will each contribute a squad of Jonin. Here are the detailed mission instructions. Review them and prepare accordingly."
Rather than explaining the mission outright, Hiruzen handed him a mission scroll—a formal and high-level procedure.
Aoba accepted the scroll and took his leave.
Once outside the Hokage's office, he unrolled the scroll and skimmed its contents.
"Tracking down Orochimaru... Interesting."
The mission was somewhat unexpected. Aoba had guessed that Konoha's higher-ups wouldn't let him stay in the village, so they would inevitably assign him an external mission. He just hadn't expected it to involve hunting Orochimaru.
A proper Jonin like him wasn't just high-end combat power for the village. Typically, Jonin would also hold positions of real authority.
But for now, it seemed the higher-ups had no intention of assigning him any specific role.Since it was an S-rank mission, he had two days to rest and prepare. Therefore, Aoba wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he casually strolled around Konoha.
After all, it had been three years since he last returned.
The Land of Fire could be considered the chosen land of this world, occupying the continent's most fertile territory. Konoha was also the most prosperous and wealthy among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Even by the standards of his past life, this village—technically the size of a town—was quite well-developed.
Stopping by a snack stall, Aoba bought a few skewers of Konoha's famous treat, Three-colored Dango.
He wasn't particularly fond of sweets, but after three years without them, indulging in something nostalgic wasn't a problem.
However, the moment he finished buying them, his hand paused slightly. He could feel someone watching him.
Turning around, he saw a short, blond kid standing a short distance away, staring at him.
Naruto Uzumaki—the absolute protagonist of this world, the future Seventh Hokage, the reincarnation of Asura, the strongest practitioner of Mouth Jutsu…
Shaking his head to dispel the ridiculous flood of information in his mind, Aoba walked straight up to Naruto.
"Do we know each other?"
"Ah, sorry, mister! You just looked unfamiliar. You're a shinobi, right?"
Naruto pointed at the forehead protector on Aoba's head.
"That's right. I'm Kamikawa Aoba, a newly promoted Jonin of Konoha."
"Oh! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a student at the Konoha Ninja Academy. Just wait and see, mister—I'll become a shinobi like you soon! And not just any shinobi—I'll be the strongest one, the Hokage!"
Naruto's energy was somewhat similar to Guy's, though Guy's was even more cringe-inducing. Naruto, on the other hand, had a kind of pure, foolish enthusiasm…
Aoba really wanted to tell Naruto that the Hokage wasn't necessarily the strongest shinobi—by the later stages, the Third Hokage wouldn't even rank in the top ten. But for now, he decided to humor the kid.
"What a motivated kid. Here, take this—consider it an early celebration for when you become Hokage."
"…Huh?!"
Naruto suddenly let out a loud yell, startling Aoba.
"What's wrong?"
"You… you believe in my dream?!"
"Why wouldn't I? No one has the right to deny another person's dreams."
"Yeah! That's right! No one can deny my dream!" Naruto wore an expression of sudden enlightenment, making Aoba feel a little awkward. Mostly because the kid's shouting had drawn the attention of quite a few passersby.
Turning back to the stall, Aoba ordered two cups of Anko soup and handed one to Naruto.
"Alright, we're blocking the way here."
Among the crowd, many were openly glaring at Naruto with hostility. They only held back from voicing it out loud because of the forehead protector on Aoba's head.
Aoba had barely ever seen Naruto Uzumaki before. Back when the Fourth Hokage died, Naruto had just become the Jinchuriki, and his identity was kept strictly confidential.
Given that Orochimaru had once competed with the Fourth for the Hokage position, Aoba, as part of Orochimaru's faction, naturally had no chance to interact with Naruto.
Later, Orochimaru fully descended into depravity, conducting human experiments without restraint. When the village caught wind of it, the newly reinstated Third Hokage personally led the arrest. However, at the last moment, he let Orochimaru escape. (The exact timeline of Orochimaru's defection is debatable—here, it follows my own setting.)That was how Aoba ended up being exiled. So strictly speaking, this was his first time meeting Naruto Uzumaki.
In fact, the moment he made contact with Naruto, he could sense four different pairs of eyes watching him from various angles.
But Aoba didn't care. If anything, he seemed determined to defy expectations. He directly bought Naruto some dango and Anko soup, and they walked together while eating.
The four Anbu behind them were so tense they nearly rushed forward. The main reason was that Aoba was a key surveillance target assigned by higher-ups, while Naruto Uzumaki was an absolute taboo.
Aoba, however, acted as if he noticed nothing and continued chatting with Naruto.
"Big bro, do you know any ninjutsu? At the academy, all we do is study theory—I haven't learned a single technique yet."
"Of course I know ninjutsu. Watch this." Aoba casually flicked the bamboo skewer in his hand. Moments later, a leaf fell from a branch.
"Huh? That's just shuriken throwing. How is that ninjutsu?"
"Don't rush—watch closely." Aoba gestured for Naruto to be patient.
The leaf drifted lazily downward until it reached eye level with Aoba. Then, in an instant, the entire leaf split apart.
As if sliced by an invisible blade, the leaf fragmented into over a dozen pieces, scattering in midair.
"Whoa—what just happened? You didn't even do anything!"
"Heh, that is ninjutsu. My own personal technique."
Naruto, of course, didn't understand the implications of what he'd just witnessed. But even in his ignorance, he could tell it must have been impressive—after all, the guy hadn't moved a muscle, yet the leaf had shattered.
"Big bro, can you teach me that move?"
"Heh, Naruto. Every ninja's techniques are their own secrets. Got it? Asking about someone else's jutsu is really rude."
"Oh… I see." Naruto visibly deflated.
"But I can teach you something else. You've already learned how to extract chakra, right?"
"Of course! My chakra control is top-notch!"
"Good. Follow me."