I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 163 Letter of Recommendation

This blizzard was truly rare. The blizzard, which had not seen the sun for three consecutive days, showed no signs of stopping and instead seemed to be getting worse.

Everything withered under the blizzard; the once lush forest was now just bare branches. Inside a cave, amidst the snowstorm.

"Damn it, are you crazy? You still contacted me during such a huge blizzard? Let me tell you, once my secret is exposed, you won't have an easy time either."

The Watermelon Pufferfish Demon, who had sneaked in through the wind and snow, spoke angrily in a low voice, as if afraid that others would hear him.

Uchiha Yoru, who had been waiting for a long time, smiled and shook his head, saying, "Don't be so formal, okay? We've been partners for so many times."

Companions? To hell with them! At this moment, Suigetsu Hobuki was filled with rage at Uchiha Yoru's insatiable greed and lack of any moral compass.

"Dude, do you have to play this game? I live in fear every day in the camp. Can you please stop asking me out? Do you know that if I'm discovered, my only option is to defect?"

Suigetsu Hozuki concealed himself very well, appearing as a ninja on the verge of collapse, caught in a compromising situation, worried about being discovered while simultaneously trying to avoid being threatened.

The other party was acting, and so was Uchiha Yoru. He smiled and patted the other party's shoulder, reassuring him like a superior: "Don't worry, I trust your methods. No one will find out. Besides, your Samehada sword is at a critical stage of research, so just wait patiently. Once the research makes progress, I will return the sword to you immediately."

Upon hearing news of his ninja sword, Suigetsu Hobuki's narrow eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Damn it! My precious ninja sword has been studied by you master and disciple! Just wait! I'll get my ninja sword back!"

"Don't look at me like that, as if I'm some terrible person. But you also need to think about your own problems. How long has it been? You keep making excuses and brushing me off with small fry. What am I supposed to do?"

After much bickering, Suigetsu Hozuki finally backed down. It wasn't that he was cowardly, but rather that the other party had leverage over him, and the presence of Samehada made him unable to act impulsively.

"I already told you, you should make proper arrangements to force Kisame and Mei Terumi to betray us. Then I'll take those two, and you can get your ninja sword back. We'll each get what we want."

Uchiha Yoru's shameless words immediately enraged Suigetsu Hozuki, who said, "Damn it, Mei Terumi is one of our Kirigakure's master ninja."

"Master, the elder of Kirigakure, although he is an old codger, he has the same power and status as the Mizukage. He is in charge of all affairs in Kirigakure. The most important matters in the village must be discussed with this elder. You have to give me some time."

At this moment, Suigetsu Hozuki was really in a bind. He said with frustration, "Although the other party is now under my command, I only have the authority to command operations. I can't let anything happen to them. We must ensure that nothing goes wrong. Also, Kisame Hoshigaki, I promised to give him to you, but right now I really need people under my command. If you need him urgently, fine, at most two months. I will definitely find an opportunity."

"However, without Kisame Hoshigaki as an ally, I'm afraid my influence on the front lines will be affected." Suigetsu Fuguki, the ninja who betrayed his village, felt no remorse whatsoever; instead, he was only concerned with his own interests.

Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded after hearing this, saying, "I'm not forcing you. It's best if you take it slow. After all, being absolutely sure will prevent you from leaving any leverage, which will make it easier for us to cooperate in the future."

"I've come to meet you today to inform you of something important." Uchiha Yoru shrugged casually and said, "I have intelligence sources, and I'm afraid someone will replace me as the commander on the front lines after spring. So let's join forces for something big soon. I'll give you a great reward, which will be good for you too."

"What! Someone's coming to replace you?" The shock in Suigetsu Hozuki's eyes was no joke. His greatsword Samehada was still in the other party's hands. If the other party were to transfer it, he would have made a mistake.

"Don't worry, they won't transfer me away easily."

Uchiha Yoru appeared relaxed, but Suigetsu Hozuki's eyes darted around as he feigned anxiety and asked, "Who will replace you?"

Anyone who didn't know better would think that Suigetsu Hozuki cared about him a lot, but actually he wanted to gather information about Konoha so he could perhaps do something about it.

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi".

Upon hearing the name, Suigetsu Hobuki immediately realized, "So it was him. He's quite skilled in Fire Release and Earth Release. If I didn't have Samehada, I might not have been able to hold out. He's a formidable opponent."

"Damn it, if that bastard comes, I can't just cower like a coward once the battle begins on the front lines, can I? But once we engage in combat, the Samehada sword I'm wielding will be fake when it's exposed. What am I supposed to do then?"

Previously, the two of them had at least made secret deals and had fought several times, which could be considered fake fights. However, the other party would not fake a fight with him.

Suigetsu Hozuki looked anxious and gritted his teeth angrily, saying, "Either give me the Samehada sword first, or this can't be done."

It was obvious that Suigetsu Hozuki had seized the opportunity to try and get his Samehada back, but Uchiha Yoru just sneered with narrowed eyes.

"Fat pig, stop your damn act. You've been putting on an act since you came in. I'm already being lenient by not exposing you. Now you're pushing your luck. Stop playing these tricks on me. Do it or don't, I have Samehada. At worst, I'll just report to the village that I defeated you and took Samehada. That'll be a great achievement."

Seeing the murderous look in Suigetsu Hozuki's eyes, Uchiha Yoru sneered, "Don't glare at me. I have all your weaknesses, but I haven't left a single one."

As Uchiha Yoru's facade crumbled under his harsh rebuke, Suigetsu Hobuki's feigned anger gradually vanished, revealing a sinister gaze fixed intently on his opponent.

"Kid, even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Don't go too far!"

"I'm going too far? Fine, go back now, and we'll fight like nothing happened, you dare? You're all old foxes, stop pretending."

People like Suigetsu Hobutsu are too cunning. There's only one way to deal with them: ruthlessly crush them.

"Since you're not leaving, let's get down to business." Seeing the silent Suigetsu Hobutsuki, Uchiha Yoru, after giving him a warning, decided to offer a sweet treat, and his tone softened from its previous arrogance.

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi is coming to replace me. We'll keep it a secret at first, since he needs to stabilize morale. I don't think you'll miss this opportunity, will you?"

With a teasing expression, Uchiha Yoru shook his head and said, "Don't worry, with my track record, Sarutobi Shinnosuke will definitely not easily go to the battlefield to fight you unless he makes a major breakthrough."

Nobody's a fool, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke understands the principle of having seen the best before him.

"Some people in the village want to end this pointless war. I'm afraid that after sending Sarutobi Shinnosuke to the front line this time, they will choose a defensive posture to wear down the morale of your Kirigakure. Once your Kirigakure finds that there is no benefit to be gained, they will end this meaningless friction. Or perhaps your Kirigakure is confident that you can take over the Land of Whirlpools."

Seeing Uchiha Yoru's confident demeanor, Suigetsu Hozuki, unusually, revealed his true thoughts, sighing with frustration, "Perhaps you're overthinking it."

"Let me be frank with you about the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools. There aren't many people in our Kirigakure who agree to open up this battlefield, especially now that we're in a stalemate. There are even more people who oppose it. It's just that our Fourth Mizukage is thinking something. He's like a stubborn turtle determined to wear down your Konoha."

"Many people in the village secretly speculated about the Mizukage's thoughts. I personally believe that the Fourth Mizukage wanted to take this opportunity to weaken the major clans and thus establish his supreme power."

Suigetsu Hozuki looked like a wise man, as if he had made his own deductions. However, this scene only elicited a hint of mockery from Uchiha Yoru.

You're probably overthinking it. What do you mean by "your Fourth Mizukage"? It was clearly Obito who wanted to fight to the death, purely for revenge out of love. There's no such complicated reasoning behind it.

Konoha failed to protect Rin, and the Mist Ninja participated in the operation to kill Rin. It's safe to say that the Mist Ninja and Konoha fought tooth and nail, and even the Fourth Mizukage would applaud.

"Alright, what I'm telling you now is that we're planning something big soon. Once Sarutobi Shinnosuke arrives, just use whatever means you have."

Uchiha Yoru met with Suigetsu Hobuki today to discuss taking action before his replacement arrives.

To put it bluntly, it was Suigetsu Hobutsu who revealed the information about their mines to him, and Uchiha Yoru secretly led a group to attack them. After a great victory, he could pocket 50-60% of the spoils.

Similarly, when Suigetsu Hozuki attacked Konoha's escort route, he intercepted Konoha's chakra metal and refined iron, and also pocketed a large kickback.

The difference is that every time, there's a hint of resentment in Suigetsu Hobutsu's greedy gaze. This greedy brat always makes him spit out more than 50% of his spoils. Damn it, this brat is trying to eat both sides.

……

This blizzard lasted for a full half month before the sun finally peeked out. The snow in the forest was terrifyingly thick, reaching two to three meters. This shows just how extreme the weather in this world can be.

Not only are the trees extremely tall, with each tree reaching the sky, but the extreme weather is also extremely harsh.

Inside the camp at Konoha's base.

With a solemn expression, Uchiha Yoru held the brush and wrote on the scroll, while saying to the person who came to report from inside the tent, "This is the recent merit book, and I will report it to the village truthfully."

"You're all here, perfect timing. This is the letter of recommendation I wrote for you, along with your contributions. I personally believe that Kurenai Yuhi, Yugao Uzuki, Anko Mitarashi, Might Guy, and others have made enough contributions and have the strength to be promoted to Special Jonin. Also, Deivashi, as one of the three members of Genma's team, has improved her strength quite quickly recently and has made a lot of contributions. I'm prepared to vouch for them and petition the village to promote them to Special Jonin."

"And then there's the future of our village. Umino Iruka, Mizuki... they've been working hard since they came to the front lines, and they've barely qualified as Chunin. I think we should give some encouragement to these young people."

Uchiha Yoru seemed to be promoting one of his own, and the ninjas inside the tent all showed gratitude upon seeing this. In contrast, Hatake Kakashi, standing to the side, frowned somewhat.

"Yoru, what you're doing might cause some people to be unhappy." Kakashi Hatake's meaning was clear: by promoting your own people like this, you're obviously trying to build a faction. Isn't that a bit too direct?

Uchiha Yoru, however, smiled and shook his head, personally writing the report scroll, while the ninjas who had been summoned below all showed expressions of gratitude.

The promotion of Special Jonin and Jonin requires selection and recruitment, and the recommendation letter from a fellow Jonin is especially important, as it is almost a guarantee.

During wartime, some steps might be omitted, but regardless, the promotion to Jonin rank requires the Hokage's personal signature.

Chunin generally follow two paths: one is selection and recruitment, based on a combination of strength and mission workload, resulting in Chunin with generally average abilities; the other is selection through the Chunin Exams, where they are almost always chosen based on widely recognized talent, essentially the elite selected from the best squads.

Outstanding performance under special circumstances, special consideration, meeting the required standards, or being promoted to a higher level.

Another situation is during wartime. Although it's not the Ninja World War right now, it's still a battlefield, and he's qualified to submit an application to the village. However, such an application needs to be reviewed for a year to determine if it's qualified.

After finishing the letter, Uchiha Yoru smiled and said to Kakashi beside him, "I'll leave this Chunin Selection scroll to you, Kakashi. Go down and have these genin sign it themselves, then we'll see how well they've done this past year."

"Alright." Since Uchiha Yoru had already made his decision, Hatake Kakashi wouldn't refuse. He put the scrolls that required the genin's personal signatures into his weapon pouch, and then it was the turn of the chunin who were to be promoted.

The promotion from Chunin to Special Jonin represents a significant gap.

The Book of War details that Genin (lower-ranking ninja) are the village's main fighting force, and they are the most numerous. Chunin (middle-ranking ninja) are highly skilled individuals, such as captains. Jonin (high-ranking ninja) are the most elite ninjas, possessing extraordinary strength. Special Jonin are those between Chunin and Jonin.

You could say that genin are like soldiers, chunin are like squad leaders, jonin are like centurions, and jonin can be considered to be at the junior officer level.

Kurenai Yuhi, Yugao Uzuki, Anko Mitarashi, Might Guy, and Deivashi all showed excited smiles. The difference between Chunin and Special Jonin is extremely large. Although they are not yet true Jonin, they have at least taken a step closer.

"The night is amazing! I'm sure I'll be the first Jonin to become one!" Mitarashi Anko said excitedly as she stepped forward, picked up the scroll, and prepared to sign her name.

Just as Mitarashi Anko was excitedly about to sign her name, the commendation on the scroll instantly froze her smile, and the smiles of the people around her were now filled with suspicion as they looked at each other.

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(End of this chapter)