Chapter 216: Anbu Proctor Haruno Sakura
After visiting Yūgao and convincing Sasuke, Haruno Sakura didn't have much to do recently.
The preliminary preparations for the Land of Snow base were pretty much done.
Sakura didn't plan on telling Kakashi about this, because if he were to object, the girl had no confidence in persuading him. Kakashi was not a little kid like Sasuke whose worldview had not yet stabilized. And besides, even if Kakashi knew about this, he wouldn't be of much help...
However, it would still be some time before the Land of Snow mission could begin.
She had just sent the letter out. The person who would deliver it was Asama Takehiko. This great director had not stayed in the Land of Snow to assist Kazahana Koyuki like his uncle, but had continued to travel the world to film his movies.
During this period, he was filming on location near Konoha and had even taken the time to visit the two members of Team 7.
Having him help deliver the letter was absolutely reliable. It was just that it would take a few more days—Asama Takehiko was only a few scenes away from finishing. After filming for a few more days, he would return to the Land of Snow and, by the way, deliver Haruno Sakura's letter.
Then she would have to wait for Kazahana Koyuki to send a representative with the mission commission sheet, which would take a little more time.
All in all, there were probably still about ten days to wait.
During this time, she had also taken the opportunity to fill out the promotion application for Tokubetsu Jonin and submit it.
The efficiency of a ninja was much faster than that of a letter carrier.
And so, it was her Tokubetsu Jonin assessment that came first.
Compared to the grandeur and excitement of the Chunin Exams, the Tokubetsu Jonin assessment was much simpler. There was no particularly complicated competition or other event. Instead, the personnel department would coordinate with other departments to assess her.
The Chunin Exams were far more serious and formal than the Tokubetsu Jonin assessment because the Chunin were, in essence, the backbone of the village's ninja class.
Not counting academy students for the moment, the Genin rank included everything from academy rookies who had just graduated to the "combat power of five, scum" Genin who had struggled for more than a decade but still didn't have enough talent to be promoted. The former usually lacked experience, while the latter's combat power was mostly not high—Naruto, who had been taken out of the village by Jiraiya before he had had time to be promoted to Chunin, was an exception.
Therefore, in the eyes of the village, relying on Genin to carry out missions was definitely not reliable.
As for the Tokubetsu Jonin and Jonin, their numbers were too small. As an elite force, they could of course not be asked to deal with those missions that were large in number but not very difficult.
What the village truly relied on was the middle-tier Chunin. They had enough experience and intelligence, they understood teamwork and could also carry out missions alone, and their combat power was passable... so most missions actually required a Chunin (or above) to lead the team.
Therefore, the Chunin Exams were also the grandest and most lively exams in Konoha. Because this exam needed to assess the various qualities of the Genin, its form was varied, and every year they would rack their brains to test their abilities from all aspects.
And the Tokubetsu Jonin assessment was much simpler. It only tested two aspects.
First was combat power.
"I've already looked at your resume," the ninja from the personnel department, wearing glasses, said, sitting at his desk and gesturing to Sakura. "My name is Takeuchi Yūichi. I am the main person in charge of your assessment this time."
The resume that Takeuchi Yūichi was talking about was, of course, not the sheet that recorded how many missions of what rank Sakura had carried out. That level of information was not a big deal at all. During the Chunin Exams, when Kabuto had drawn this kind of information into character info cards, no one had objected. After all, this kind of data had no value in being kept secret.
When Sakura was carrying out missions in the Anbu, she often felt that the ranks of these missions were a bit inflated, probably because these internal missions were not rewarded according to the mission rank.
For example, the first mission to search for Orochimaru's base had been marked as an S-rank mission. In fact, that mission had only been raised to the highest rank because there was a possibility of a direct confrontation with Orochimaru. In the actual execution of the mission, they hadn't even encountered a single person, let alone run into Orochimaru. Their mission had been as easy as an old lady going to the market to buy groceries.
Such an S-rank mission could be completed by any Chunin and naturally could not prove Haruno Sakura's strength.
What the glasses-wearing ninja was holding was Sakura's combat resume. On it was recorded Haruno Sakura's recent battle records. This kind of record, which contained a ninja's ninjutsu secrets and combat habits, was the truly top-secret intelligence.
Although the content of Sakura's file was not much, it could be described as gorgeous: a recent head-on clash with the Akatsuki's Immortal Duo, finishing off Orochimaru's elite subordinate Kimimaro some time ago, and various enemies she had faced while carrying out missions in the Anbu...
"From the records, you already possess the combat power of a Jonin, or even an Elite Jonin. Promotion to Tokubetsu Jonin is more than sufficient," he said calmly, pushing up his glasses and looking at Haruno Sakura. "But we still need to conduct a close-range, on-site inspection of your strength."
"So how will that be done?" the girl asked faintly, tilting her head slightly. Her soft, pink hair gently swayed and brushed against her cheek, and she pushed it away with her hand.
"Very simple," Takeuchi Yūichi nodded and said. "Normally, for a Chunin whose combat resume has no notable achievements, we would arrange at least six or more practical combat exercises within three days to test whether they have the strength of a Tokubetsu Jonin. But for you, it won't be so troublesome. You just need to demonstrate a few of the ninjutsu that appear on your record on the spot, and then have two practical combat tests."
He stood up, put the form back into the scroll and put it away, and said to Sakura, "Come with me. The Anbu happens to have new recruits joining today. You will act as the Anbu's proctor and assess their level! And I, as your proctor, will assess whether the strength you display is qualified to become a Tokubetsu Jonin..."
"Basically, as long as you can display ten percent of the combat power listed on your resume, you will be qualified to be promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin!"
He led Sakura with a familiar air to the small courtyard where Shino had once tested her.
Waiting for them were two elite Anbu ninja. One was a tall Anbu with a dog-face mask whom Sakura did not recognize, and the other, in casual clothes, was Shino.
Sakura's face was full of black lines when she saw him—that guy really hadn't followed Dr. Terumi Inin's medical advice to stay in the hospital and recuperate. After just a few days in bed, he couldn't stay still and had quietly slipped out to wander around.
And now he had even wandered over to the Anbu to play with his friends.
She gave Shino a harsh glare. If the occasion wasn't wrong, she would have definitely given him a good scolding—Shino's status in Squad 14 was gradually being suppressed by the two females.
Shino, knowing he was in the wrong, quickly put on an innocent expression and gave her a pleading look, begging for mercy.
Sakura, however, paid him no mind. She just made a gesture, indicating to Shino not to worry, that she would definitely snitch on him to his girlfriend...
Sakura's proctor didn't care about the two members of Squad 14's antics. He directly showed his order to the other Anbu ninja. After the two exchanged a few words, he turned his head back to Sakura and said, "It's all set. Next, you will be here and temporarily act as the proctor in place of Ken'ichi."
So this unfamiliar dog-faced Anbu was named Ken'ichi.
Sakura nodded and stepped forward.
"Well, before that," the masked Ken'ichi reminded her, "Haruno Sakura, you should first go and change into your Anbu uniform, mask, and ninja shoes. Oh right! Your cat-face mask was broken again a few days ago, right? The spare one is the only one left. The newly ordered mask will take a few more days to arrive..."
To have her mask smashed twice in a row, she was really something else.
He scratched his head, troubled as to whether he should find another mask for her to wear temporarily—it was just that that was a bit against the Anbu rules. Just then, the door on the building next to the courtyard was opened.
The four of them looked over in unison. The one who had walked in was precisely Shino's old friend, Katsura-U. And behind him was an Anbu who was obviously a new recruit.
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