Synchronization

Night deepened.

While Sasuke and Naruto were enjoying their last meal Ichiraku Ramen, the Hokage's office was still brightly lit.

The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, hasn't left work yet.

She is considered a diligent leader, but it's quite unusual for her to work straight through until now without going home for dinner.

The main reason, of course, is Sakura Uchiha.

Her unruly disciple sent Sakura Uchiha back to the village, causing Tsunade a lot of trouble; but on the other hand, the village was delighted to have a trustworthy Kage Level shinobi join them, so this trouble suddenly seemed insignificant. Tsunade was actually hoping that Sakura Haruno would cause even more trouble!

In the Hokage's office.

She had just decided on their future plans with Sakura Uchiha —the latter choosing to stay in Konoha —and was now enthusiastically inquiring about Sakura Uchiha's actual combat strength.

The door was suddenly opened.

The girl who walked in gracefully was none other than Tsunade's beloved disciple, Sakura Uchiha.

Sakura Haruno.

"It's more reliable to ask me this question, Master Tsunade." She interrupted Tsunade, "Although she theoretically inherited most of my Ninjutsu, there are still some discrepancies in actual combat."

"It's you!" Sakura Uchiha suddenly stood up from her chair.

"Why are you back early?" Tsunade rocked her chair and chuckled. "Didn't you just finish your treatment tomorrow?"

"Because I've had some significant insights and breakthroughs in my training," Sakura Haruno casually waved her hand and walked to another girl's side, "The healing process went more smoothly than planned, ahead of schedule."

The two girls standing together looked just like twin sisters, with identical beautiful faces that were pleasing to the eye and difficult for onlookers to tell them apart.

However, after a brief moment of surprise, Tsunade quickly noticed the difference between the two: in addition to the obvious difference in the color of their pupils, their expressions, demeanor, and even the sense of Chakra were also very different.

For example, Sakura Uchiha might puff out her cheeks and angrily say to the real Uchiha, "You came back early, what am I supposed to do?"

While doing so, she poked Sakura Haruno's ribs with her pale fingers, expressing her strong protest.

That girl's adorable demeanor is a rare sight in Sakura Haruno.

"I'll serve as two Anbu for now. After the New Year, I'll return to Shikkotsu Forest for the next stage of my training." Sakura Haruno casually subdued the girl beside her, picked up a mask from the desk, and pressed it against her face, saying, "Back to the matter of combat strength..."

She turned Sakura Uchiha around so they were facing each other (the latter was angrily throwing off her mask. "It's dirty and torn, I want a new one!").

"I just need to update some data. I won't go into the past performance; let's use the latest data as a reference."

"Stand still and don't move."

Sakura Haruno pressed her hand against the neck of the other Sakura, leaning her body against her. The two girls' foreheads touched, their noses almost touching, so close that they could feel each other's warm breath. Their soft lips, separated by a few sheets of paper, were touched by the moist air.

"Relax."

Sakura Uchiha, dazed and confused, obeyed the original's commands, her mind blank, when suddenly a warm current surged into her forehead—

Sakura Uchiha then realized what had happened.

Spiritual alignment!

This usually occurs between the clone and the original.

She shoved him away, her eyebrows furrowing in shock and anger. "You, you! What have you done!"

"I did, I updated the data." Sakura Haruno spread her hands, looking completely innocent.

Sakura Uchiha slammed her hand on the table in anger, her face filled with grief and indignation. "You clearly said that I've already separated from the group!"

For some reason, when Tsunade saw Sakura Uchiha's face flushed pink with anger, she felt that the conversation between the two girls could be turned into a standard soap opera or a third-rate romance, with Sakura Haruno playing the role of the scumbag who stole a girl's innocence and then casually dismissed his actions as "nothing, I just left you some family genetic information."

Nothing happened between the two of them!

"Don't you know best whether you have independent thinking or not?" Sakura Haruno rolled her eyes at her and shrugged. "Besides, Chakra is energy used to transmit information. In short, I'm just transmitting information to you, and that's all I can do. I can't control your behavior or change your thoughts."

She tapped the clone's forehead, her cool fingertips helping the girl quickly calm down. "Think about it again."

Sakura Uchiha carefully reviewed the new knowledge that had appeared in her mind— Sakura Haruno had passed on all those insights to her, hoping that she would follow the orthodox path of ninja training.

This is really good stuff!

In the realm of fantasy and martial arts, these are the most important secret manuals that point directly to the Great Dao and lead to becoming a true immortal (Sage of Six Paths).

She racked her brains for a moment, and then began to believe that the true self would not harm her, and immediately regained her trust in the true self.

"Anyway, let's get back to the main topic!" Tsunade coughed twice, interrupting the two's staring contest. "Now let's assess Sakura Uchiha's true strength."

"The simplest way is to use a weaker version of me," Sakura Haruno said first. "Her biggest problem is that her body hasn't undergone long-term training and combat experience, so it doesn't match her current strength, and she probably won't be able to unleash her full theoretical combat power..."

Fortunately, this weakness will be greatly mitigated after a year or two of training and combat.

The same applies to the Yin Seal.

After becoming independent, Sakura Uchiha no longer shares the energy of the Yin Seal with her main body as a clone; she must start accumulating Chakra for her own Yin Seal from now on. Of course, Sakura Uchiha is not lacking in Chakra, so the amount of Chakra is not a major problem.

In conclusion, Sakura Uchiha is a powerful, well-rounded, and flawless ninja.

How powerful is it?

The division of strength in the Shinobi World was briefly mentioned in the previous article (Chapter 8). According to Sakura Haruno's experience, although many factors determine a ninja's combat strength and Genin different circumstances, in general, the strength of ninjas at each level, from Chunin to Jonin and even Kage, is clearly distinct.

But "Kage" level is not the end for a ninja.

Sakura Haruno deeply understands this.

From her humiliating defeat against Kakuzu, to her arduous battle against Sasori of the Red Sand, to her effortless victory over Orochimaru, then her masterful slaying of Kisame, followed by the Danzo crushing of Kisame... and finally, the breathtaking narrow victory over Pain. Along her journey, Sakura Haruno has fought numerous Kage Level enemies, progressing from grueling battles to overwhelming victories. Kage Level foes have gradually ceased to pose a threat to her. In other words, the gap between ordinary Kage and her has widened considerably.

She is a being beyond the Kage Level!

In layman's terms, this level can be called "Super Kage".

Sakura Haruno and Pain are probably just entering this level. In addition, Sakura Haruno believes that the gap between her and the First Hokage is not too big, so Hashirama Senju is also at this level.

Finally, Sakura Uchiha is slightly weaker than the original, but can be considered one of the top masters among the "Kage" level.

Sakura Uchiha was a little dissatisfied with this conclusion, but dared not loudly refute the original, so she pouted and muttered, "Super Kage, Super Kage, what's so great about that! Even the codename is so tacky, it sounds awful... After I train for a few more months, I'll definitely be able to reach that level on my own!"

Tsunade didn't care whether the name was tacky or not. She just felt that by classifying Sakura Haruno into different levels, Sakura Uchiha's combat strength became instantly clear. In short, she was one of the top-ranked ninjas in the Shinobi World.

"According to your method of classification, where do I stand?" the Fifth Hokage suddenly asked curiously.

Sakura Haruno gave a dry laugh and could only say, "Master's healing Ninjutsu, judging by its level, is definitely at the 'Super Kage' level."

Tsunade smiled modestly, about to say a few words of humility, when Sakura Uchiha began to undermine her. "Just talking about healing Ninjutsu without mentioning combat power, your subtext is that the Lord Hokage's strength is only average, right?"

That sarcastic and mocking skill is truly worthy of a woman who inherited Sakura Haruno's talent.

Of course, the consequence of offending both Tsunade Sakura Haruno was that Sakura Uchiha was kicked out of the Hokage's office. However, she was taken care of by ninjas who helped her with her accommodations and other trivial matters.

In the end, only the master and apprentice remained in the office.

After a few private words, Tsunade suddenly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, just now... you did have ways to control her, didn't you?"

Sakura Haruno chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.

"She will not harm the village or us," the girl said with certainty.

But her answer was ambiguous, as if she said nothing at all. Was it "she wouldn't do it," or "she couldn't do it"? Sakura Haruno didn't mention it, and Tsunade didn't delve into it either.

She was satisfied with the answer; that was enough.

"It seems you're starting to understand some politics," the Fifth Hokage chuckled. "So, do you have the answers to the questions I asked you before we went to Kirigakure?" [See Chapter 518 for details]

More than a month ago, Tsunade asked Sakura Haruno what she would do if the Genjutsu incident that happened in Kumogakure was not Genjutsu but a real event.

Sakura Haruno had considered this question. Although she wasn't particularly interested in researching these things, she had thought about them when she was bored during her previous healing process.

Tsunade meant to admonish her disciples with some basic political knowledge:

For example, don't let emotions replace judgment; or, don't let personal emotional outbursts or conflicts of interest override the overall interests.

This is the basic quality that a shadow, a village leader, a politician rather than a political figure, should possess.

Having figured all this out, it became clear what kind of answer Tsunade wanted from her.

"Looking at this from a Hokage's perspective," Sakura Haruno said slowly, "To retaliate on the spot, to give an eye for an eye, is the most foolish choice. War should always be the last resort. Before that, we should negotiate, exert pressure, and demand that the other side hand over all the culprits."

If she becomes Hokage and wields immense power, able to wage war at will, she will actually need to be more cautious in using her power, especially when it comes to the option of war.

After all, war always results in death.

The Fifth Hokage was fairly satisfied with Sakura Haruno's answer.

"Very good. I hope you remember what you've been thinking today." Tsunade said seriously, "Now, the question I'm leaving you with is: Why didn't the First Hokage unify the Shinobi World?"

Before the girl could answer, she waved her hand, sending her home. "Think about it sometime when you get home! That's all for today... I should go home and have dinner too."

"Oh, right, Jiraiya's been with me," Tsunade suddenly remembered something as Sakura Haruno was about to open the door. "He'll be taking Naruto back to Mount Myōboku for training tonight. If you go now, you should still be able to see Naruto and say goodbye."

The girl paused.

Is Naruto still using the New Year holiday for training? He's really working hard. But if that's the case, won't Sasuke's hopes for a full Team 7 be dashed again?

"I understand," she sighed and replied softly.

With a bang, Sakura Haruno casually locked the door.

The footsteps quickly faded into the distance and disappeared.

[I was so sleepy that I couldn't keep up after midnight, and my brain just wouldn't work anymore. I don't even know what I was writing anymore. Sorry.]