Chapter 33

"Lord Hokage, we have gained a great deal during this time, and Teacher Fugaku has also taught us many things; we have nothing to be dissatisfied with."

Although they were unsure of what Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking, Shuofeng and Kakashi still answered his question honestly.

Upon hearing their response, a look of deep emotion appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

"Indeed, Fugaku is a very trustworthy person. Right now, the village relies entirely on the generation of Fugaku and his peers to hold things together.

However, Fugaku and the others are merely the branches protecting the fruit; the future still depends on you two.

Shuofeng, Kakashi."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone did not stint on his expectations for Shuofeng and Kakashi, and upon hearing this, Shuofeng and Kakashi cooperatively revealed shy smiles.

Of course, whether the two were actually feeling smug or something else, only they themselves knew.

"Lord Hokage, you are being too serious; there are still many areas where we need to grow and learn."

Pretending to be modest, Shuofeng and Kakashi said with feigned embarrassment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not mind their little thoughts; if a youth who becomes famous early isn't arrogant, then when would they be? When they are about to die of old age?

The performance of Shuofeng and Kakashi had already exceeded Hiruzen Sarutobi's expectations, so how could he have any dissatisfaction?

Therefore, facing their "humility" and "modesty," Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand cooperatively, straightened his face slightly, and said seriously:

"Shuofeng, Kakashi, being modest is a good thing, but sometimes don't be too modest. Young people should still have the vigor of youth.

To be able to defeat a Chunin upon graduation, to have carried out nearly a hundred missions in just over half a year, and now even being able to help your captain resolve an Elite Jonin-level opponent—if such a performance cannot satisfy people, then what peers of yours could even be worth looking at?"

Having said this, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused slightly.

Looking at the proud-looking Shuofeng and Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with satisfaction and continued:

"Alright, back to the main topic; I have a very important matter for which I called you here today."

Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi say this, the expressions of Shuofeng and Kakashi instantly became serious.

Both of them were qualified ninja; it didn't matter if they were a bit unserious at ordinary times, but at critical moments, they were both very reliable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not keep them in suspense any longer and immediately continued in the next second:

"After careful consideration, I have decided to promote you to the rank of Chunin as an exception."

As Hiruzen Sarutobi's words fell, a look of astonishment instantly appeared on Kakashi's face.

Although he was very confident in his own strength, a promotion as an exception was still something he had not expected.

One must know that although small frictions often occur between various countries, it is generally a time of peace.

In times of peace, even the number of Chunin promoted through the Chunin Exams is small, let alone those promoted as an exception.

Even Shuofeng was slightly astonished after hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.

He was not surprised to become a Chunin; with his and Kakashi's strength, becoming Chunin was only a matter of time.

What truly surprised Shuofeng was the timing of Hiruzen Sarutobi promoting him and Kakashi to Chunin.

Although the original story did not mention a specific time, Kakashi was promoted to Chunin in the second year after graduation.

But now, he and Kakashi had only just graduated for a little over half a year, and they had already been promoted to Chunin; this meant the timeline had already deviated.

However, upon second thought, Shuofeng felt that this also seemed quite normal.

After all, in the original story, Kakashi had no rivals; no matter how hard he trained, there would still be times of slack.

But now it was different; with himself as Kakashi's rival, under the pressure, Kakashi had worked harder than he originally did by an unknown amount.

Although the time passed was a bit short, Kakashi's growth in strength was not slow at all.

Having figured this out, the look of surprise on Shuofeng's face slowly faded away.

Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi did not know Shuofeng's thoughts; upon seeing the surprise and joy on the faces of Shuofeng and Kakashi, a flash of happiness also crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

He was truly happy to have such excellent juniors in the village.

"Alright, this is your Chunin identification. This old man won't disturb you anymore; hurry and go share this good news with your friends and celebrate."

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi handed the two a document.

Shuofeng and Kakashi did not decline, and after receiving the certification document, they directly bid farewell.

Shuofeng's mood was naturally very calm; although the promotion was indeed a thing worth being happy about, it was also something he had long anticipated.

But Kakashi was different; until he walked out of the Hokage Building, Kakashi was still in a state of disbelief.

Looking back at the Hokage Building, then looking at the document in his hand, Kakashi said with some excitement:

"Shuofeng, we really were promoted to Chunin; we've broken the record, hey."

As he spoke, Kakashi couldn't help but nudge Shuofeng's shoulder.

Looking at Kakashi's irrepressibly happy appearance, Shuofeng couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

Although this seemed very uncharitable, Shuofeng felt it was necessary to let Kakashi calm down.

It was just a Chunin rank, why did it feel like he had become the Hokage?

No, even if he became Hokage in the future, it seemed he wouldn't be as excited as he was now.

In his excitement, Kakashi was completely unaware of the coming danger.

Looking at Shuofeng's indifferent appearance, Kakashi couldn't help but ask:

"Hey, Shuofeng, at least give some reaction. Such a big thing as being promoted to Chunin, how come it feels like you don't care at all?"

Hearing this, Shuofeng, who had already made up his mind, revealed a "kind" smile.

Gently placing his hand on Kakashi's shoulder, Shuofeng said softly:

"Kakashi, although a ninja rank promotion is a very happy thing, think about it again—do you feel like you've forgotten something?"

Hearing this "kind" voice from Shuofeng, Kakashi calmed down instantly.

Unable to escape with his shoulder held, Kakashi felt cold sweat break out on his head in the next second.

"Hehe, Shuofeng, on such a happy day, how about I treat you to some grilled meat to celebrate?"

Pursing his lips, Kakashi said with a somewhat dry throat.

"Grilled meat? Kakashi, do you think I'm someone who lacks a meal of grilled meat?

Prepare to die! Kakashi!"

Unfortunately, Shuofeng did not give Kakashi another chance to escape, directly roaring as he kicked out at Kakashi.