"What are you blushing for?" Yugao Uzuki whispered to Anko.
Anko, her face flushed, quickly shook her head. "It's nothing, nothing."
Yugao turned her gaze toward Furen, who was currently participating in the Chunin Exams. She hadn't expected him to have already learned medical ninjutsu.
"That's still not enough. For reconnaissance missions, even if you're not on the front lines, you need to at least have the strength to avoid detection," Yugao continued.
Furen thought for a moment before forming hand signs, and suddenly the temperature in the Hokage's office dropped.
"Ice Release: Ice Mirror," Furen whispered, activating his self-created technique.
With his quiet words, a thin layer of ice formed on the ground, though under Furen's control, it didn't spread far—only covering the area where Yugao, Anko, and he stood.
Yugao murmured under her breath, "Is this... a Kekkei Genkai?"
Then, ice flowers began to grow from the frozen ground, shimmering beautifully under the light, their sharp petals hinting at danger.
Having survived countless near-death experiences in the ANBU, Yugao felt a sense of danger emanating from these ice flowers.
She was stunned by Furen's display. A technique of this level was at least A-rank.
For someone still taking the Chunin Exams to casually perform such a technique—and show no signs of chakra exhaustion—was unbelievable.
Furen bent down and plucked an ice flower, offering it to Yugao.
Yugao froze for a moment, surprised by Furen's gesture. She took the ice flower, about to say a polite "thank you" when the flower suddenly grew in her hand.
Yugao barely had time to gasp as the flower in her hand blossomed fully, sprouting even more branches and petals until a single flower became a bouquet of ice flowers.
As the bouquet formed, Furen snapped his fingers, causing a few drops of water to evaporate. When Yugao looked at Furen in confusion, a ray of sunlight streamed into the room.
The sunlight hit the ice flowers, and the near-spherical water droplets refracted and dispersed the light, forming a small rainbow on the ice flowers.
Most people usually see rainbows as an arc, but in reality, a full rainbow is a complete, circular spectrum of colors.
At that moment, the rainbow formed on the ice flowers in Yugao's hand was a perfect circle.
Yugao's heart was instantly captivated by the sight of the ice flowers and the small rainbow.
[Yugao Uzuki's favorability increased by 15%.]
"Do you like it?" Furen asked.
"Mm, I..." Yugao responded, unaware that she had spoken her true feelings. Realizing she was still in the Hokage's office, she quickly blushed and closed her mouth.
Even so, the joy in Yugao's eyes was undeniable, as she held onto the bouquet of ice flowers, unwilling to let go.
"Do you think I'm capable of protecting myself now?" Furen asked Yugao again.
This time, Yugao didn't respond directly but turned her gaze to the Third Hokage, waiting for him to make the final decision.
The Third Hokage put down his pipe and, instead of commenting on Furen's abilities, shifted the conversation, testing Furen's knowledge of ninja arts.
Furen wasn't sure what the Third Hokage was aiming for, but he answered the questions regardless. With the academic prowess he gained from Sakura and Karin's abilities, the Hokage's questions posed no challenge at all.
The Third Hokage's questions weren't the kind taught at the Ninja Academy. They focused more on combat, intelligence gathering, analysis, leadership, and tactics—real-world battle scenarios.
After listening to Furen's articulate answers, the Third Hokage smiled and said, "One last test…"
Just as Furen thought the Hokage would ask more questions, his surroundings abruptly changed. The office transformed into a dense forest.
"This is… genjutsu?" Furen muttered.
As he prepared to break the illusion, flames suddenly erupted from the forest, blazing towards him with terrifying speed.
As the fire neared, Furen calmly formed a hand sign and shouted, "Release!"
The burning forest vanished, and Furen found himself back in the Hokage's office.
"Your Ice Release Kekkei Genkai qualifies you in combat. Your teamwork and leadership skills are also excellent, and your resistance to sudden genjutsu attacks is solid…" The Third Hokage smiled. "Becoming a Jonin will still require more mission experience, but you already have the strength to be a Special Jonin."
"From today onward, Furen, you are officially a Special Jonin of Konoha," the Third Hokage declared.
Upon hearing that Furen had jumped from Genin to Special Jonin, both Anko and Yugao covered their mouths in shock.
Anko, in particular, was the most astonished—after all, even she was only a Special Jonin herself.
The fact that the Hokage personally promoted Furen to Special Jonin was truly surprising.
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T/N:
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