Happy New Year!

The following day, at the Konoha Anbu building.

This somewhat mysterious place is actually quite unremarkable on the outside; several interconnected buildings form an ordinary architectural complex, with a large courtyard in the middle.

This is where the Anbu conducts assessments, daily task handovers, and training.

Because the year-end is approaching and the village is experiencing a surge in visitors, most of the Anbu will not be going out on missions in the near future. Instead, they will remain in Konoha on duty or on standby, making the once gloomy and quiet building more lively.

Shino, who hadn't appeared for a long time, was one of the security personnel on duty.

Readers may remember this veteran Anbu occasionally plays the role of the sarcastic commentator. He is Sakura Haruno's Anbu Captain, highly skilled but lacking in distinctive features—making him particularly easy to forget.

He was sitting in his usual spot—in the courtyard of the Anbu —on a special viewing platform reserved for the examiners, watching with great interest a rare and exciting battle unfolding below.

The two fighting off the field were a pair of Taijutsu ninjas. One was tall and slender, holding a long sword with a cold gleam like snow and a blade as bright as the moon. Her attacks were like a tidal wave. She was Uzuki Yugao, who had returned to the ranks of ninjas.

On the other side was Kakashi Hatake Copy Ninja with a scarlet left eye, Tomoe spinning around it, Kunai in his hand, and a solid, impenetrable defensive stance—a rare sight in the Anbu building.

Whoosh whoosh!

Ding ding ding!

In the arena, two figures moved swiftly and intertwined, sometimes clashing with sharp blades and striking each other with cold peaks, sparking intense flames; at other times, they retreated three feet and exchanged Ninjutsu attacks, kicking up layers of earth and creating bursts of thunder.

The two were locked in a fierce battle, their fighting spirits running high and neither gaining the upper hand.

Even with Shino's professional perspective, he felt that the pace of the two's battle was faster than he had imagined. It was nothing like a sparring match Jonin ordinary Jonin. Even he, an Elite Jonin, felt that he couldn't keep up with the pace!

Quick!

It was so fast it was dazzling.

Yugao brandished her long sword, transforming it into a fierce and ruthless azure sword shadow. Her slashes, cuts, interceptions, and thrusts all tore through the air, accompanied by sharp and mournful whistles. Wave after wave of attacks continued relentlessly, leaving the onlookers overwhelmed.

Kakashi defended beautifully as well, wielding two Kunai shone with exquisite, subtle silver light, intertwining and colliding with Yugao's longsword in mid-air. The wildly spinning Tomoe clearly reflected Yugao's every move.

The female swordsman's attacks were like a torrential downpour, but the white-haired youth defended flawlessly, leaving no room for error and even having the capacity to launch a counterattack.

BOOM!

Another wave of powerful sword attacks ensued. This time, Yugao, unable to break through, became slightly impatient and attacked too fiercely. Kakashi seized the opportunity to exploit the weakness in her swordsmanship and kicked her in the abdomen!

The two figures, who had been entangled together, suddenly separated.

The female ninja was sent flying backward. Kakashi counterattacked successfully, but instead of chasing after her, he Hand Seals on the spot. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball hurtled towards them.

Yugao's pupils contracted, and she exerted force in her waist, suddenly flipping over and landing on her ground. Her long sword whistled as it drew a silver arc in the air, and then suddenly slashed out a cyan blade shadow!

Boom!

The fireball was cleaved in two by the long blade shadow and exploded in front of Yugao!

She mustered her Chakra, about to turn and charge back, when she saw Kakashi lazily put away his Kunai: "That's enough for now, I'm a little tired. I admit defeat!"

"Hoo--" Yugao sheathed her sword and stood up, letting out a long breath.

She touched her forehead and found it was drenched in sweat. Looking at Kakashi on the other side, she saw that he was tired, as if he had only just warmed up.

Yugao and Shino could tell at a glance that the real winner should be Kakashi.

"Kakashi actually seemed to be handling things quite well just now..." Shino to himself, "That lazy guy must have been training really hard these past two years."

He glanced at Kakashi, then turned his attention back to Yugao, his eyebrows involuntarily raising.

If Kakashi's significant improvement in strength, breaking through the Kage Level, is an expected surprise, then Yugao's current combat power is, to some extent, a shock.

"Wow, Yugao! You were away from the team for two years, and now that you're back in the Anbu, your strength has actually improved instead of decreased?"

Shino smirked and stepped off the stage.

It's important to know that although Kakashi has a somewhat derogatory nickname, "Fifty-Fifty," looking at his fighting career over the years, those who could truly go Fifty-Fifty with him were never mediocre opponents! Any weaker fighter would have fallen at his feet long ago.

Kakashi is a genius ninja who Jonin at the age of 1! Before leading Team 7, he was already a renowned Elite Jonin. After taking Sasuke as his student, he trained even harder and gradually unlocked the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. In terms of strength, he has firmly stepped into the threshold of Kage Level.

In contrast, consider the Yugao...

Before her injury and subsequent withdrawal, she wasn't a particularly strong ninja. Although she had risen to the Jonin thanks to her powerful swordsmanship, she was ultimately just a woman (Sakura Haruno: Watch your words!), and not exceptionally outstanding.

But now, after her comeback, she has actually made great progress in strength, and can fight Kakashi to a standstill. Her Chakra and power are clearly much higher than before, which really amazes Shino.

Yugao smiled modestly and waved her hand, "Not at all! I've only improved a little. Compared to Kakashi- senpai, I'm still far weaker. Just now, if senpai hadn't held back, I'm afraid I would have lost badly. Besides, senpai didn't even use any of the Mangekyō Sharingan techniques!"

Those who can advance to the Jonin level, how could they be slow to react?

When Yugao first started training for her comeback, she noticed something unusual: despite not having seriously trained for over two years, her Chakra and strength had increased dramatically compared to before? This was completely illogical!

She herself couldn't find a reasonable answer to the unusual change in her strength. However, some incorrect options could be ruled out; it couldn't possibly be that her body suddenly awakened some kind of Kekkei Genkai after giving birth!

Yugao did have some speculations and ideas. For example, was she influenced by a certain guy? Just looking at that guy's rocket-like rate of power expansion, it's no wonder Yugao would make such a connection.

What is the truth?

Sakura Haruno herself probably doesn't know either.

The body, genes, Chakra, Kekkei Genkai —they influence each other, are closely connected, and have a complex and intimate relationship... This is something that a medical novice like Sakura Haruno can't fully comprehend.

Unable to answer the question, Yugao simply avoided the main point and steered the conversation towards Kakashi's Sharingan.

The white-haired youth, not wanting to reveal his secret, scratched the back of his head, chuckled, and tried to steer the conversation away. "The Mangekyō Sharingan... well, it's really nothing special..."

He underestimated the common people's curiosity about the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan. Not only did Yugao gaze at him tenderly with her bright eyes, but even Shino, a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, stared straight at him with his eyes wide open.

"Just pick anything you can, satisfy our curiosity, hehe!"

A bead of cold sweat suddenly appeared on Kakashi's forehead.

"Um... the Mangekyō Sharingan..." Kakashi chuckled dryly, "It's that everyone's eyes have a different pattern after they awaken it. Mine, for example, is shaped like a triangular throwing star..."

He was racking his brains for something to say when, suddenly, the gate to the courtyard was pushed open.

Two girls of similar build entered through the door.

Walking at the very front, with pink hair, blue eyes, a beautiful face, and a charming smile, was none other than Sakura Haruno.

A step behind her, a slender, graceful girl wearing a mask, was of unknown identity.

"Oh... so it's Sakura and... ah," Kakashi raised an eyebrow, recognizing the mysterious girl. He quickly changed the subject, laughing, "It's quite a rare sight to see you here!"

"Kakashi-sensei, it's really rare for you to be here, okay?" Sakura Haruno rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "By the way, I think I just heard you say that you lost to Sister Yugao?"

"No, no, Kakashi- senpai gave it to me," Yugao quickly explained. "He hasn't even used the Mangekyō Sharingan! Shino and I wanted to learn more about the Mangekyō, but he absolutely refused to use it. It's so infuriating!"

The mysterious girl suddenly took a step forward.

"Regarding the Mangekyō Sharingan..." She glanced indifferently at Yugao and Shino, her Chakra suddenly swirling, and her eyes beneath the mask instantly turned crimson.

Yugao and Shino stared at the girl's eerie eyes and gasped.

There... there is a four-cornered windmill that slowly rotates.

This girl also possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me, and I will try my best to answer them.

Sakura Uchiha's eyes were indifferent as she calmly spoke.

The entire room fell silent.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

It took Shino a while to come to his senses. He swallowed hard and forced himself to remain calm, asking, "Who... who are you?"

"A new Anbu recruit preparing for his onboarding assessment," Sakura Uchiha said calmly.

A newcomer? Are these monstrously powerful newcomers all the rage now? Shino a wry smile, exchanged a glance with Sakura Haruno, who nodded almost imperceptibly, acknowledging her identity.

"I can't test someone with the Mangekyō Sharingan," Shino said matter-of-factly. "However, I have heard a saying... that only the Sharingan can contend with the Sharingan."

In an instant, all four pairs of eyes turned to Kakashi.

Sakura Uchiha: "Great! I'm really looking forward to it!"

Kakashi: "?"

Then, this lazy white-haired ninja was thoroughly humiliated by his student's clone.

Aside from using the Mangekyou Mangekyō Secret Technique, which he could only use once every few attempts, Kakashi tried everything he could, but he still couldn't defeat Sakura Uchiha. The latter only used a few incredibly skillful Ice Release, which still managed to knock Kakashi to the ground.

After fully absorbing the knowledge and insights taught to her by Sakura Haruno, Sakura Uchiha's Ninjutsu became even stronger.

Just like the previous reversal, this time, Kakashi, whose strength is firmly at the Kage Level, became the one who was utterly defeated.

"Did I pass the test?"

After finishing her work, Sakura Uchiha clapped her hands, feeling refreshed, and asked Shino with a smile, leaving behind a completely exhausted Kakashi.

"Of course!" Shino wiped the sweat from his forehead, somewhat embarrassed, and chuckled dryly.

After accompanying Sakura Uchiha through the entire process, it was already dark when we came out.

As the streetlights begin to illuminate the scene, the New Year's celebrations are about to begin, and the number of tourists is increasing.

Sakura Haruno was walking down the street when she suddenly felt a little lonely.

The bustling street had nothing to do with her.

In her original plan, the New Year's celebration should have been spent together by Team 7. But in the blink of an eye, Naruto went to train, Sasuke had undergone eye transplant surgery and was now lying in the hospital, leaving her alone wandering the streets.

The mysterious girl, now with a new identity in the Anbu, was in a great mood. She walked ahead of Sakura Haruno, her steps almost skipping with joy.

Turning her head, she noticed a faint sadness hidden beneath the calm face of the person in question. Suddenly, she smiled sweetly and took Sakura Haruno's hand.

"Why are you feeling sad on such a happy day! Cheer up!" Sakura Uchiha shouted. "I'm here with you, let's go watch the fireworks!"

Sakura Haruno was pulled along by her, and walked forward against her will.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the sky, and enormous, magnificent, and dazzling fireworks burst forth.

The two girls stopped as if by unspoken agreement and looked up at the sky.

Bright fireworks illuminated the girls' peach-blossom-like faces.

"Happy New Year!"

Sakura Uchiha turned her head and spoke loudly to Sakura Haruno, smiling brightly.

"Um... Happy New Year!"

Sakura Haruno blinked, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Happy New Year to everyone! May all your wishes come true!