"But it won't be too difficult. After all, talent always shines, doesn't it?"
Upon hearing Torifū's suggestion, Tobirama pondered it and felt it was excellent, entirely adoptable. This would make his new system even more complete. "Go on."
Seeing Tobirama's reaction, Torifū felt relieved. It seemed he wasn't angry about the suggestions. "Besides Elite Jōnin, I also propose adding a Special Jōnin rank."
Hearing this term, Tobirama found it quite unique. Torifū certainly had many ideas; he decided to listen and see what this new term meant.
"Special Jōnin would be those who possess unique talents, such as exceptional proficiency in Kekkei Genkai, genjutsu, taijutsu, or ninjutsu."
"However, their overall strength might not reach that of a Jōnin; they would be somewhere between Jōnin and Chūnin. Such shinobi could be promoted to Special Jōnin."
"Those are all my suggestions."
Tobirama applauded, highly satisfied with Torifū's proposals. With these, the entire new system was almost perfect. Any remaining minor flaws could be addressed slowly without rush. Torifū felt a bit embarrassed by Tobirama's applause, as he was essentially bringing Tobirama's future ideas into the present.
"I will adopt both of these proposals. The document will be issued very soon, and when it is, there will be an exceptionally grand Ninja Examination."
"All shinobi in Konoha Village will be able to establish their ranks, making it safer when accepting missions."
Torifū offered some flattering remarks, then said to Tobirama, "Tobirama-sama, can I be exempt from the exam? Just promote me to Special Jōnin."
Tobirama looked at Torifū, thought for a moment, and then said, "You can be exempt from the exam, and I will promote you directly. But not to Special Jōnin, rather to Elite Jōnin."
"But don't you dare think about slacking off on missions, you rascal!"
Torifū hadn't expected such a result; Tobirama was surprisingly accommodating. What's the harm in taking on a few more missions? Torifū loved undertaking missions.
Naori, seeing that Torifū didn't have to take the exam, also put on an adorable expression, looking at Tobirama with teary, wide eyes. "Tobirama-sama, can I be exempt too?"
But unfortunately, Tobirama was immune to that tactic: "Of course not, Naori. Big Brother told me to look after you carefully, so your examiner will be me."
Naori felt like she'd been struck by lightning. Asking was worse than not asking; now the exam would be even harder. Torifū looked at Naori's expression and felt she was drifting further and further from the proper lady she had been when school started. But that just made her more endearing.
"Then, Tobirama-sama, if there's nothing else, we'll take our leave."
"Good. You haven't taken on missions in a while either. It's a good chance for you and Naori to pick a suitable one. There are many missions in the village recently."
Torifū nodded. Indeed, he had been staying in the village for a while now, rarely going out. The missions he had taken were mostly simple tasks like finding lost cats within the village, the kind usually given to freshly graduated shinobi. Torifū had once created forty or fifty clones to catch all the stray cats in Konoha and put them at the gathering hall's entrance. One person claiming a cat meant one mission completed. It was incredibly satisfying. However, for the newly graduated shinobi relying on these missions to make a living, it was infuriating. The Hokage's disciple sends out forty-plus clones to catch cats? Is that something a human would do?
However, Torifū eventually shared all the rewards equally with the newly graduated shinobi. After all, Torifū only wanted the mission experience; he gained over twenty D-rank mission experiences in one day. While not particularly useful, it proved he wasn't slacking off.
Naori recalled that she also hadn't taken a mission in a while, having been busy with Lord Tobirama's succession ceremony. Tobirama, seeing her diligence, gave her a B-rank mission record, which was some gain, at least.
The two bowed to Tobirama and then left the Hokage's office. They now felt like wild children. Ever since Hashirama resigned as Hokage, he had practically been holed up at home all day, doting on Tsunade. Disciples? What are disciples? Did I ever take disciples? I don't think so.
Torifū and Naori had long been forgotten by him; what was a disciple compared to a cute granddaughter? At this rate, Torifū and Naori had every reason to believe that Hashirama would truly forget to train them.
After leaving the Hokage's office, Naori deflated like a punctured ball, her adorable smile instantly vanishing. "Why do I have to take an exam, but you don't, Torifū?"
Torifū felt guilty under Naori's intense gaze and averted his head, looking around. "It's nothing. Didn't Tobirama-sama say it? It's what Sensei told him to do."
Seeing Naori's spirits somewhat low, Torifū walked to her side and whispered in her ear. "I saw that the exam also includes a written test."
Naori immediately blew her top! Torifū had to clap his hand over her mouth and drag her out of the Hokage building into an alley before letting go. "What! There's a written test too! I hate exams the most!" Naori had thought it would only be a strength test. Although she hadn't trained much recently, going back and having her grandfather instruct her for a few days would be enough. But how could there be a written test? Were they really not planning to let her become a Jōnin?!
Torifū had intended to give her a spoiler, so Naori could prepare in advance, but it turned out he had only made things worse.
"Cough, cough, don't worry too much, Naori. The written test should only cover basic knowledge, things we've all learned from Sensei." This time, he finally hit the mark. Naori also thought about it. Most shinobi in the village hadn't formally attended school, so the exam should indeed cover common knowledge. In that case, it shouldn't be a problem.
Seeing that Naori was feeling much better, Torifū said, "Let's go, let's grab some food first, and then head to the Mission Hall to see what missions are available."
"Okay, let's go for some grilled meat then!"
Naori was still a young girl; troublesome things always came and went quickly for her. Hearing about lunch instantly brightened her mood.
They went to their usual spot, the Akimichi BBQ restaurant. The owner was as enthusiastically welcoming as ever to Torifū and Naori. "Owner, the usual, please."
"Don't worry, we're old friends."
Torifū's "usual" here no longer meant 20 plates of meat; it had increased to thirty. As they grew older, their appetites also increased significantly. In truth, the money Torifū and Naori spent on food didn't make the owner much richer. The BBQ restaurant's current prosperity relied on Torifū and Naori's fame, which attracted more customers. And the owner's warm attitude towards all his guests was what made the place so popular.