Pot-kage Ninja (TL)

A light rain fell as the entire village mourned in white. The Yamanaka flower shop was selling flowers like crazy.

Ino quietly introduced family set meals, couple set meals, and children set meals, offering various discounts—or so she claimed.

After attending the Third Hokage's funeral, everyone went back to their usual routines.

There wasn't much grief to speak of—not even from his two disciples, Jiraiya and Tsunade, nor from his own son, Asuma.

Ninjas had seen too much life and death.

At seventy years old, his passing could hardly be called premature. Compared to children who died on their first battlefield mission before even reaching their teens, there was nothing remarkable about dying at this age.

The older ninjas reacted indifferently—they had witnessed too much and understood the Third's character well. His merits and flaws were both evident, and they had long been mentally prepared for his death.

The younger generation, however, was more sorrowful. Ino put on a mournful expression in public, and even three days after the funeral, she still dressed solemnly, constantly reminding everyone not to forget the Third's contributions—and to hurry to the flower shop to buy a couple of bouquets in memory of the departed elder.

Naruto was genuinely sad, though his grief had its limits. For him, it simply meant losing an old man who had acknowledged him. Konohamaru, however, was the most affected.

Children were sensitive to certain things, and adults weren't always careful with their words and actions. Before, he had been the Hokage's grandson, addressed by many as "Lord Konohamaru." Now that his grandfather was gone, he was just Konohamaru again.

Outsiders couldn't say much about it—he'd have to adjust on his own.

Jiraiya might have seemed unreliable, but he was no stranger to political maneuvering and connections.

Following Shikaku's advice, he sent a confidential letter in his own name to the Lord of Fire Daimyo. The gist was that the Third Hokage's death had been too sudden, the acting Hokage was absent from the village, and with the fervent support of the villagers and ninjas, he had no choice but to become the Fifth Hokage. He hoped the ninja village and the Land of Fire could continue their harmonious relationship and work together for a brighter future, and so on.

The wording was perfunctory, but that was the standard attitude ninja villages took toward daimyo—just enough to save face. Did the daimyo really think he had the authority to appoint or dismiss a village's shadow? Please.

Jiraiya maintained the Third's political framework, securing the support of the two advisors.

Shikaku gradually handed over his duties as Jonin Squad Leader to focus on his role as the Hokage's strategist. If an advisor position opened up in the future, he'd be the natural successor.

The Jonin Squad Leader position was to be given to Kakashi—a clear signal of succession.

As the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya's choices were similar to what Tsunade had done in the original timeline—or rather, there weren't many options for this position to begin with.

Under the pretense of promoting Chunin, he tested the loyalties of the major ninja clans.

Jiraiya's prestige was higher than Tsunade's, and with the Third's lingering influence, he had more room and leverage to handle issues.

Teams like Team 7 and Team 10 weren't meant to last long. Jonin had extremely demanding missions and couldn't afford to babysit their students for three to five years—that would be a waste of resources.

It was like training a new employee: an experienced worker guides them until they're familiar with the job, then they're on their own.

Promotion to Chunin meant they were capable of working independently, and the Jonin could step back.

Gaara was from Sunagakure—that was a separate matter.

In Konoha, it was originally supposed to be Ino and Sasuke who would be promoted to Chunin, while Naruto, Shikamaru, and Shino required further evaluation by the village's higher-ups.

With so much happening recently, Jiraiya had just taken office as the Fifth Hokage and had barely managed to sort out the chaotic situation before turning his attention to the unresolved issues from the Chunin Exams.

After careful consideration, Ino, Sasuke, Naruto, Shino, Neji, and Shikamaru were all included in the promotion list.

This arrangement ensured that each of the four Jonin-led teams had one or two promotions, and most of the major Ninja Clans were represented.

For Naruto, Jiraiya wanted to compensate him as much as possible—promotion to Chunin was just the first step.

But when he saw Naruto's blank exam paper from the Chunin Exams, he had a bad feeling. He immediately summoned Naruto to his office and personally tested him on the spot.

"What the hell is this?!" Jiraiya nearly exploded. He had given Naruto ten simple questions—the easiest ones possible—and yet Naruto hadn't answered a single one correctly.

How could he possibly promote someone like this to Chunin? That would just be setting him up for failure!

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama! This is entirely my fault! I sincerely apologize!" Iruka took responsibility with a deep bow, blaming himself for failing to properly educate Naruto.

Jiraiya was at his wit's end. Naruto's theoretical knowledge was practically nonexistent—it was impossible to justify his promotion to Chunin. His conscience simply wouldn't allow it.

It's not that I'm disrespecting Minato's legacy, but… you're just going to have to stay a Genin for now!

Ino's situation was also a bit tricky. Based on her strength alone, following Kakashi's precedent, she was more than qualified to be a Jonin—Kakashi had been weaker than her when he was promoted.

The only issue was her lack of completed missions. Jiraiya asked Tsunade to reassure her—she would be promoted to Chunin first, and once her mission count was sufficient, she'd be elevated to Jonin.

Tsunade responded by punching the freshly minted Fifth Hokage straight into the wall.

My disciple is qualified to be Hokage right now! Chunin? Who are you trying to fool?!

Still, she eventually agreed to relay the message.

Ino, however, couldn't care less. All she wanted was for Tsunade to leave the village soon so she could tag along and stir up some trouble.

She had been extremely cautious while deciphering the Fourth Kazekage's brain, avoiding any interference with the confidential Brain Sealing Techniques. The only piece of information she had extracted was the location where the Fourth Kazekage had hidden his Gold Dust!

The global economy wasn't in great shape, so selling all the gold at once would crash the market. The Fourth Kazekage had spent years panning for gold in the desert, accumulating a substantial stash—one he had kept entirely secret.

Now, a massive hoard of gold was waiting for her deep in the desert. Ino was practically itching to get her hands on it—what did she care about being a Jonin or Chunin? That kind of promotion was peanuts compared to this!

On the third day of Jiraiya's tenure as Fifth Hokage, Ino, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Neji, and Shino were officially promoted to Chunin.

They updated their Ninja Registration Cards and received their Chunin Vests.

Ino took a photo holding her vest and promotion certificate before stuffing the garish green garment into the bottom of her closet.

Wearing it was optional—the village didn't enforce strict dress codes.

Orochimaru, with his personality, had always worn that vest before defecting from the village, hoping to leave a good impression on everyone. But later, when he heard, "What? Minato Namikaze is becoming the Fourth Hokage?" Screw that! He stopped wearing it!

Ino still wore her crop top, Neji didn't abandon his Chinese-style attire, and the Aburame clan could only wear their clan's specially made clothes because their bodies were covered in insects. Sasuke didn't care much for the green vest either. In the end, only Shikamaru put on the Chunin Vest.