The night passed in excitement.
Even though the system had added a mission failure penalty mechanism because of him, Hirito chose to ignore it.
He wasn't sleepy at all. Instead, he activated the auxiliary skill Moonlight, absorbing moonlight to accelerate his cultivation speed.
At the same time, thanks to the Parasitic Seeds' continuous backflow of chakra, his strength steadily climbed.
By the time dawn arrived, Hirito stopped using Moonlight and switched to cultivating through Photosynthesis.
The results weren't overwhelming, but they were something.
His current strength had reached the upper limits of a standard Jōnin, more than twenty times stronger than he was as a Chūnin. Now, he was just one step away from breaking through into Elite Jōnin.
It was almost 8:00 AM.
Since his work shift started at 8:30, Hirito always woke up around 8, bought breakfast from a nearby shop, and then headed to work.
Special times required a special routine.
Librarian duty was originally supposed to rotate among four Chūnin, giving them a regular break schedule.
But due to staff shortages, only Hirito and Kamimura Kaishu currently worked at the library. Aside from one day off per week, the rest of their free time was limited to evenings.
Before 8:00, something unexpected happened—a knock on the door.
It had been a month since Hirito transmigrated, and besides that one time when Kamimura Kaishu asked to swap shifts due to a family issue, no one had disturbed him at home.
Pausing his training, Hirito got up and opened the door.
Standing outside was a Jōnin he wasn't personally familiar with, but had heard of—Machida Aoi.
Though not a famous ninja, Machida was a direct subordinate of Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, often tasked with handling sensitive operations, gathering intel, and delivering official messages.
"Kurokawa Hirito, congratulations. You've passed Lord Hokage's review and have been selected as one of this year's final candidates for Jōnin promotion. Please come with me to report to the Hokage Building."
That one sentence left Hirito frozen, utterly confused.
What the hell?
I... became a Jōnin? Just like that?
The Hokage reviewed me? Since when? How did I not know about this?
Seeing the shock on his face, Machida Aoi chuckled and said, "Lord Hokage expected you to be surprised. He'll explain everything once you arrive at the Hokage Building. I'm just here to deliver the message. We'll be colleagues from now on—let's take care of each other."
This Machida Aoi wasn't just tactful, he was genuinely likable.
No wonder he remained a close aide to the Third Hokage for so many years.
"Alright, I'll gather my things and head over." Hirito was still flustered.
Unable to make sense of it, he quickly washed up, strapped on his Konoha forehead protector, and left the house with Machida.
Hokage Building – Hokage's Office
Inside, seated at the desk and puffing on his long pipe, was Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But Hirito's attention was quickly drawn to another presence in the room.
Someone unforgettable.
A famous figure from the original story. One of the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya the Toad Sage.
He hadn't expected to see Jiraiya at a time like this.
From what Hirito remembered, Jiraiya had been wandering since the end of the Second Great Ninja War. Although he surely played a part in the Third War, there was little public information about him during that period.
From the memories of his original body, Hirito knew that Jiraiya hadn't been in Konoha for at least three months.
"Lord Hokage. Lord Jiraiya." Standing inside the office, Hirito forced himself to stay calm as he greeted them.
He had no idea what Sarutobi Hiruzen was planning, nor what would happen next. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.
After all, a Jōnin appointment wasn't a trivial matter.
Even during war, ninja promotions were taken seriously. Hirito had always been an average Chūnin—there was no real reason for him to leap straight to Jōnin.
No one would willingly accept a title they couldn't live up to.
Ninjas weren't fools. If someone pursued empty fame without matching ability, they'd only end up dead without understanding why.
"It seems Jiraiya wasn't lying. Kurokawa Hirito—you're calmer than I expected," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, breaking the silence and adding a layer of tension.
The words stunned Hirito.
What's that supposed to mean? What exactly did Jiraiya tell him? Are they familiar with each other?
Before he could ask, Hirito glanced toward Jiraiya, who was casually leaning against the window sill. At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen began to speak again.
"Age 23. Born January 1st, Konoha Year 23. Graduated from the Ninja Academy at 11. You and Minato were classmates, if I recall correctly."
"You didn't get along well with Minato. It started around graduation, when you developed feelings for Kushina, but Minato ended up shining brighter—and the rivalry began."
"You were promoted to Chūnin at age 15. Since then, you've held four different jobs. Your latest post is librarian. You even restructured the library system about two weeks ago—and I personally praised your efforts."
The words kept coming. Sarutobi Hiruzen was laying bare every aspect of Hirito's past.
But after all that, he still hadn't revealed his intentions.
Hirito was curious—but didn't dare interrupt.
With his current strength, he couldn't confront Hiruzen or Jiraiya head-on.
Until he reached a level of absolute power, keeping a low profile was essential. That was the most basic rule of survival.
"Alright, old man. You've said enough. You're going to scare the poor guy into thinking we're interrogating him or something," Jiraiya interjected, leaving the windowsill and walking over to Hirito.
Disturbed by his comment, Sarutobi Hiruzen set down his pipe and went quiet.
"You must be wondering why you've suddenly been appointed as a Jōnin and summoned here to the Hokage's office."
Jiraiya spoke casually, but with surprising familiarity—like he'd known Hirito for a long time.
He even slung an arm over Hirito's shoulder, acting like they were old friends reunited.
"Uh…" Hirito was completely thrown off.
What the hell is going on?
Could the system have been exposed?
No—that was impossible.
If anyone had found out about his secret, they wouldn't be treating him this kindly.
"Lord Jiraiya, Lord Hokage—just say what you need to say. I don't think I've done anything wrong, right? The way you're acting makes it feel like an interrogation," Hirito finally said, no longer willing to play passive.
End of the Chapter.
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