Admitting Defeat

"Just look at Taijutsu?" Kenichi turned and glanced at Katsura U, a very interesting question.

Everyone knows that Sakura Haruno is Ninjutsu -type ninja with very strong Ninjutsu, but no one expected that her Taijutsu are also so impressive.

"No, to be precise, it's about close-quarters combat." The bespectacled ninja, who was quite particular about academic matters, said. The two people in the audience weren't using pure Taijutsu, but rather "Nintaijutsu," and the difference between the two was quite significant.

It's definitely abnormal that Sasuke, who possesses the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, couldn't react as quickly as a Ninjutsu- type ninja in close combat; he could tell that this must be some kind of Secret Technique that could enhance reaction speed.

With her faster reflexes, greater strength and explosive power, and swordsmanship that is quite different from samurai Taijutsu, Sakura Haruno, despite not being particularly skilled in Taijutsu, never showed any signs of defeat in battle.

Sasuke's swordsmanship was fast, but not fast enough for "Cherry Blossom Impact" to react in time; his sword strikes were fierce, but they couldn't match the overwhelming power of "Nintaijutsu".

"Sakura's a bit stronger, isn't she?" Shino said, scratching his stubble. As a teammate who had witnessed her fighting at full strength, he felt he had the right to say that. "After all, she hasn't even unleashed the full power of her Monstrous Strength Technique yet."

Indeed, Sakura was still suppressing the power of her Monstrous Strength Technique.

"Tsk... It's hard to imagine how a child could be so strong?" Kenichi remarked. Sasuke, after all, was the heir of the Uchiha Clan, known for producing talented individuals, so his rapid growth was understandable. But Sakura Haruno... the Haruno Clan had never produced a ninja of Special Jonin Grade or higher!

They chatted idly for a few minutes in the stands.

Off the field.

Clang--!

The lightning-blue sword and the crystal-clear ice blade collided again in mid-air, then retreated simultaneously in perfect unison.

They paused their fierce confrontation and began to catch their breath, panting heavily.

The rapidly spinning Tomoe in Sasuke's eyes slowed down. Looking at Sakura Haruno, he suddenly said, "You've widened the distance again!"

His tone was calm and quiet, without any resentment, as if he had completely accepted the fact that his strength was inferior to that of the girl. Ever since joining Team 7, Sasuke had always had a hidden goal in his heart, but one that everyone could see: to surpass Sakura Haruno.

However, the gap in their strength fluctuated, sometimes narrowing and sometimes widening dramatically.

On the path of pursuing Sakura Haruno's strength, Sasuke had never stood shoulder to shoulder with her. It wasn't until recently, when he heard her fight against the Akatsuki members and they were evenly matched, that Sasuke realized the distance between them had widened again.

Strangely, this time, he didn't feel frustrated, nor did he grit his teeth and try to immediately intensify his cultivation to close the gap between them. He simply accepted the fact calmly.

Sasuke removed the Chidori Short Sword.

"Aren't you going to fight anymore?" Sakura Haruno twirled her sword, switching from a backhand to a forehand grip, and asked, tilting her head slightly.

"I lost." He said this with a sense of relief.

"I think, based on the strength I just demonstrated, I should have no problem passing the assessment, right?" Sasuke knew very well that after using the Chidori Short Sword, his strength was enough to secure him a place among the Jonin, Anbu wouldn't prevent him from passing.

In terms of strength, he is already Jonin the age of one.

For over a year, he had been secretly comparing himself to Sakura Haruno, and he was always the loser... Yet, through these repeated failures, he had reached where he was today. Sasuke himself never imagined that he could grow so quickly.

Now, he has embarked on his own ninja path, and his in-depth training in Lightning Release has led to a rapid increase in his strength. Steadfast training, clear goals, and every step he takes is marked by distinct progress, and the changes that are clearly visible with each improvement have gradually transformed Sasuke.

He no longer constantly scrutinizes what others are doing, always fears falling too far behind, or even feels jealous of others' rapid growth. His mindset has gradually become more serene and mature.

Perhaps he'll never surpass Sakura Haruno in his entire life... so all he needs to do is surpass himself.

Kenichi hearing a few words from the two below, Kenichi saw Sasuke wave his hand, asking if the assessment could end now. Because according to Sasuke's fighting style, if he couldn't win with the Chidori Short Sword, he would have to use the Lightning Blade Torrent.

However, this move is clearly not suitable for use against teammates...

Kenichi poked his head out and asked a question. Upon learning that he had enough Chakra left to use one more powerful move, he told Sasuke that as long as he could use that move, he would pass.

This is one of the advantages of being an examiner; you get to witness all sorts of magnificent Ninjutsu, a real feast for the eyes.

Of course, Kenichi didn't realize was that even without using it, Sasuke had already passed the test— Jonin- level combat ability wasn't enough to pass, then the Anbu's requirements were ridiculously high.

"Hmm... right, just to be on the safe side, you should use your clone to take this attack!" Kenichi, turning his head to Sakura.

After all, this is just a friendly sparring session to assess strength, not a life-or-death battle. The purpose is not to make members kill each other, and it certainly won't lead to anything like "killing a senior Jonin to squeeze out a spot to become Jonin"...

In the end, Sasuke's Lightning Blade Torrent satisfied everyone's curiosity.

The two-meter-thick ice wall created by the Ice Clone couldn't stop the onslaught of the Lightning Blade Torrent. The Lightning Release Ninjutsu, pushed to its limit by its Nature Transformation, pierced through the ice wall like cutting tofu, and the vicious blow created a large hole in the clone's chest...

Everyone was satisfied with the spectacular scene, except for Sakura Haruno —who was still feeling a chill down her spine from the resentful look her clone gave her before it died.

"So, Sasuke, you've passed the test." Kenichi ticked Sasuke's name, then turned to Shino and said, "Hey, what do you think of Sasuke?"

Shino shrugged. "What about Sasuke? Even if I wanted to recruit him into the Fourteenth Squad, it wouldn't make a difference. He'd definitely be in Kakashi's team. Although his fighting style is indeed quite suitable for our team, and he and Sakura are old teammates, so they naturally get along well."

He shrugged, making a helpless expression.

"Tsk, that's true... Well, that's the last one left. If you don't like it, come back next week!" Kenichi shook his head, stuffed the paper in his hand into the scroll, and turned to Yuichi Taketori, asking, "Should Sakura play the last one too?"

Yuichi Taketori eyebrow, gave him a noncommittal look, and then called out loudly to Sakura Haruno downstairs, "Sakura Haruno, do you still want to fight? It's the last match. If you don't want to fight, we're going back!"

"My Chakra is almost depleted," the girl said, raising her hand. "That's enough for today!"

Sakura was exhausted from taking care of these two and letting them fully demonstrate their abilities.

As for the Yin Seal? She used up all her Yin Seal during the previous Kakuzu against Kakuzu, so she hasn't stored much back up yet.

And using up Yin Seal reserves just for a sparring match, isn't that a bit too extravagant? If you can't win, just admit defeat... Sakura Haruno thought shamelessly, since her examiner had already acknowledged her strength anyway.

"It's alright, let's call it a day then." Kenichi and Yuichi jumped down from the balcony. "Thank you for your hard work."

He removed his mask and said to Sakura Haruno, "Thank you so much. I'll take charge of the rest of the assessment. Let's have a get-together for your Fourteenth Squad sometime!"

Sakura exchanged a few polite words with him, then stopped talking and prepared to leave with Yuichi.

As I opened the downstairs door, I bumped right into Katsura U, who had left the courtyard halfway through his journey, returning home.

This time, he was followed by a young girl.

With short hair, she followed behind Katsura U, her body mostly hidden, making her seem rather inconspicuous.

Sakura and Yuichi Taketori stepped back to make way, and she saw the new Anbu's appearance. Although she was wearing a mask, the girl immediately recognized her.

He then laughed and said, "Everyone here today is an acquaintance!"

The newcomer was also taken aback when he saw Sakura Haruno. He took off his mask, revealing the face Sakura recognized, and greeted her, asking, "Sakura, what are you doing here?"

"Sakura Haruno joined the Anbu before you. Although she's Chunin and you're Special Jōnin, she's your senior in the Anbu, so be careful," Katsura U explained. "Also, don't develop the bad habit of taking off your mask casually."

He glanced at Sakura Haruno as he said this.

"Oh, okay." The short-haired girl nodded in response and obediently put the mask back on.

"Don't listen to him," Sakura laughed. "Even the examiners weren't wearing masks during the test just now! Okay, I'm off now. Good luck on your test, Yuzuki!"

"See you later!" Sakura Haruno waved and then left with Yuichi, leaving behind a bewildered Yuzuki and Katsura U who rolled her eyes.

This guy broke the rules and got all smug about it! Katsura U was speechless.

Logically, as an examiner, Sakura should wear a formal uniform and a mask to set an example for the newcomers. Instead, she didn't wear a mask or a tight-fitting uniform, but instead wandered around in sandals, treating the assessment like a casual stroll...

Back at the personnel department, after Yuichi submitted the materials, the details of the second part of Sakura Haruno's Special Jonin assessment were also released.

Complete tasks independently.

The village believes that ninjas who are promoted to the Special Jonin need to have the ability to carry out missions independently. Therefore, what Sakura needs to do next is to complete a mission by herself.

"This is the task you will be completing next," Yuichi Taketori said, taking out a scroll. "You will need to complete it alone."

"Go back and prepare well. We'll meet here tomorrow, and I'll come with you to observe your mission."

He handed the scroll to Sakura Haruno.

Yingxin opened the scroll, glanced at it a few times, and raised an eyebrow. "You've found some clues about Xiao?"

The mission objective is to dismantle an underground bounty operation within the Land of Fire and capture its key figures alive.

Konoha needs to extract information from them.

And this bounty location has traces of Kakuzu's past presence.

Yuichi adjusted his glasses and said, "No, it's more likely that this is just the individual actions of an Akatsuki member. However, regardless, this is a very valuable lead, so we must be cautious and not let it go cold!"

Sakura Haruno quickly finished reading the mission briefing.

In terms of content and difficulty, this is a very typical Special Jōnin- level mission. The underground bounty hunters are all guards, but they won't be too strong, at most Chunin level. Powerful ninjas, even missing-nin, wouldn't be working as watchdogs in such a shady place.

Perhaps because it involves "Akatsuki," the village is being more cautious and that's why they sent her out.

She closed the scroll, tucked it into her bosom, and closed her eyes to ponder for a moment.

"I request to bring an interrogation team. If they don't participate in the combat, can it be considered that I completed the mission independently?"

Yuichi smiled faintly, "A wise choice. Even if you hadn't, I would have reminded you, but since you came up with it yourself, that's a plus... Leave the interrogation team matters to me, see you."

"See you later!" Sakura waved and vanished from Yuichi's sight in Body Flicker Technique.

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