Convinced

Shino pounded like a drum, his heart leaping wildly. A sharp pain shot through his temples, a testament to his years of combat experience that he absolutely could not take this kick head-on.

No, we absolutely cannot let ourselves be grazed by that kick!

"Damn it! Move!"

In that critical moment, Shino felt his body go limp and he was completely unable to move.

Despair— Shino was utterly plunged into despair!

Hey--ya!

The girl shouted and slammed her high kick into the ground.

Katsura U's eyes widened; the familiar stance of that kick made him realize something—

"Wait, could this be Lady Tsunade's Monstrous Strength Technique...!"

Katsura U felt a sudden dryness in his mouth. He knew the power of Tsunade's Nintaijutsu, of course. The violent and unrestrained power of splitting a street in half with a single punch was something that anyone who saw it would never forget!

That's Secret Technique that can instantly increase strength to hundreds of tons...

Just by looking at the momentum, you can feel the power of that kick.

However, Shino did not move.

Get out of the way, Shino!

Why isn't it moving?

Katsura U anxiously watched the battle unfold on the field.

Then he finally realized that Shino didn't not want to dodge, but was simply unable to move.

Damn it! Katsura U's mind went blank. Seeing that Shino was about to die here, he no longer cared about the rule that he could not interfere with the assessment and rushed over desperately.

Hurry, I have to catch up! Katsura U shouted frantically in his heart.

However, it was too late.

Boom--!

Katsura U watched in despair as the girl's Heavenly Foot of Pain slammed into the ground.

He missed it.

Gravel flew everywhere, and dust filled the air, almost completely obscuring the view.

"Cough, cough." Katsura U coughed forcefully, fanning away the dust with his hand.

"Shino? Shino!" he called out weakly, thinking about the last scene he had just witnessed, in Shino still hadn't dodged.

If Shino had actually taken that kick head-on... he would likely be dead. Katsura U knew this in his heart, but he just didn't want to think about it.

The girl's Monstrous Strength Technique, though not yet on par with her master's, was already terrifying in its power. Just looking at the dust it kicked up and the cracked ground, one could tell that it was something no ordinary person could withstand.

Katsura U was already in despair.

He plopped down on the ground, his mind a jumble of thoughts, unsure of what to do or what to do.

Then he heard Shino's voice.

"Cough cough, Katsura U, move your butt away, you're pressing on my hand!"

Although he was weak and listless, it didn't seem like the kind of weakness one would expect from someone who had suffered a serious injury.

Shino is not dead!

Katsura U quickly stood up. Only then did he realize that although Shino's Chakra fluctuations were not obvious, they were very stable, and he obviously did not seem to be injured.

The dust quickly settled, revealing Shino lying on the ground, and the figure of Anbu wearing a cat-face mask beside him.

Katsura U breathed a sigh of relief. Looking closer, he realized that Sakura's attack hadn't been aimed at Shino's body...

"It grazed my feet and hit the ground," Shino, standing up and looking at the large crater in the ground. "I lost... Tobi, thank you for going easy on me."

Shino readily admitted his defeat.

Although he had acted arrogantly before, his decisive admission of defeat immediately improved Sakura Haruno's opinion of him.

The ground of the examination room was completely blasted open by this move. Soil and stones cracked out like a spider web, and a large section of the flat ground was dented, forming a deep pit.

A feeling of relief welled up in Shino; he simply couldn't imagine what it would have been like if that blow had landed on him.

"I guess when they finally find the body, they'll have to piece together a pile of minced meat from the dirt, "Shino thought.

"You're welcome," the girl said calmly. "When I noticed you seemed unable to move, I immediately changed direction."

Katsura U and Shino were definitely overthinking it; how could she possibly use lethal force during a sparring match...?

"Shino, did your legs give way just now?" Katsura U teased, looking at Shino's dusty head, as if his hair had turned white overnight, and he couldn't help but chuckle as he relaxed.

I went over and patted the dirt off Shino's back, making the air dusty again.

"How did it feel to almost meet your Bleach?" Katsura U asked with a smile.

"Hmph, you'll see when you fight her!" Shino replied irritably, shaking his hand. "My hand is still a little numb!"

He was still a little incredulous. He turned to Sakura Haruno and asked, "Tobi, are you really a Ninjutsu- type ninja?"

He felt like he'd been tricked by Katsura U. Could Ninjutsu- type ninja really be this skilled in Taijutsu?!

--Um, sorry, there really are ninjas who are incredibly skilled in Ninjutsu Taijutsu).

Sakura immediately smiled, although the mask concealed her smile.

This Shino is probably still a bit unconvinced! Does she think she's a ninja specializing in Taijutsu?

Indeed, having unlocked Cherry Blossom Impact and Nintaijutsu, she is far stronger than most Taijutsu- type ninjas.

"I really am Ninjutsu- type ninja... What I used just now was Nintaijutsu." She turned her head and said, without revealing that she had just used the Ninja Art - Cherry Blossom Impact, a technique that is currently only known to the members of Team 7 and Tsunade.

"Nintaijutsu?" Shino was a little confused. This term wasn't very common; most ninjas wouldn't call "using Chakra to enhance the body to greatly increase the power of Taijutsu" "Nintaijutsu."

Then he quickly realized: unless this blessing used a very special and complex technique, resulting in its extraordinary power, making it necessary to specifically mention it when using it—

"Monstrous Strength Technique," Shino said softly.

Sakura nodded, acknowledging this.

Shino took a deep breath. "So you're Tsunade's disciple... Sakura Haruno!"

It was her. Shino immediately understood.

This girl's name was widely known among the upper echelons of the ninja pyramid.

Unexpectedly, many people initially thought she was just a so-called "lucky girl," meaning that her status Hokage disciple was somewhat questionable.

This title would be fitting to describe the girl in the original work; she had no family inheritance, no innate Kekkei Genkai, and no outstanding talents. Apart from having a relatively large forehead, she was quite mediocre in every way.

To become Hokage's disciple is probably the result of using up all the luck of one's entire life.

Time travelers also face the same disadvantages, which is why she is equally unpopular.

However, after the Chunin Ninja Exams, the opinions seemed to change overnight.

Sakura Haruno's fighting prowess during the match, along with her Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, surprised many.

The fact that she mastered the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai at such a young age is enough to make people look at her with new respect. Compared to those Second or Nth-generation ninjas who are powerful because of the bloodline inherited from their parents, she, a first-generation ninja who created her own Kekkei Genkai, is naturally more respectable. The difference between them is roughly equivalent to the difference between Sicong, the "national husband, "Kazuma.

Not to mention the fighting prowess the girl displayed during the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Many people have begun to change their minds, believing that Sakura Haruno, having mastered Ice Release, will eventually become a powerful ninja, and even reaching Kage Level is not impossible. After all, in the mainstream view, mastering Kekkei Genkai is still a shortcut to becoming strong.

However, Shino now realizes that everyone is probably wrong; it wasn't Ice Release that made Sakura Haruno a success.

It will be Sakura Haruno who masters Ice Release.

Just like Hashirama Senju mastered Wood Release.

From this sparring match, Shino learned a lot: the power of Taijutsu, the techniques, and the reaction speed couldn't be simply summarized as Ice Release ninjutsu. As Ninjutsu- type ninja, Sakura Haruno's mastery of such powerful Taijutsu was definitely not simple!

And this is merely her "ordinary" Taijutsu). What about her Ninjutsu?

Shino. He feared that if they fought again, and Shino knew how to dodge her Nintaijutsu, he would still be the one to lose!

He took off his mask, revealing his true face—the face of a middle-aged man in his late twenties, approaching thirty.

"My name is Ito Shino. Nice to meet you."

Following the etiquette of the Anbu, he revealed his real name to his trusted comrades.