Chapter 220: Concede Defeat
"Just looking at taijutsu?" Ken'ichi looked back at Katsura-U. The question was very interesting.
Everyone knew that Haruno Sakura was a ninjutsu-type ninja, and her ninjutsu was very strong, but they had never expected her taijutsu to be so formidable as well.
"No, to be precise, it's about close-quarters combat," the glasses-wearing ninja from the personnel department, who was more particular about his words, said. The two on the field were not using pure taijutsu, but "nin-taijutsu," and the difference between the two was still very large.
For Sasuke, with his three-tomoe Sharingan, to not have a faster reaction than a ninjutsu-type ninja in close combat was absolutely not normal. He could see that it should be some kind of secret technique that could increase reaction speed.
With her faster reactions, stronger power and explosive force, as well as that sword style which was completely different from the samurai's taijutsu, although Haruno Sakura was not very gifted in taijutsu, she had never shown any signs of defeat in battle.
Although Sasuke's sword style was fast, it was not so fast that "Sakura Rush" couldn't react in time. Although his sword momentum was fierce, it was not more ferocious than the surging power of "nin-taijutsu."
"Sakura is a bit stronger, I think," Shino said, scratching the stubble on his chin. As a teammate who had witnessed her fight with all her might, he still had the right to say such a thing. "After all, she hasn't fully unleashed the power of her Monstrous Strength Technique yet."
Indeed, Sakura was still suppressing the output of her Monstrous Strength Technique.
"Tsk... it's hard to imagine how a child could be so strong," Ken'ichi said with emotion. Sasuke was, after all, a remnant of the Uchiha clan, which was rich in geniuses. It was imaginable for him to grow so fast. But Haruno Sakura... the Haruno family had never produced a ninja above the Tokubetsu Jonin level!
The few of them chatted idly on the small viewing platform for a few sentences.
On the field below.
CLANG—!
The blue lightning sword and the crystal ice blade collided in mid-air once again, and then they tacitly retreated at the same time.
They paused their fierce confrontation and began to pant heavily to catch their breath.
The tomoe spinning rapidly in Sasuke's eyes slowed down. He looked at Haruno Sakura and suddenly said, "You've pulled the distance again, haven't you!"
His tone was plain and quiet, without any unwillingness. It seemed that he had completely accepted the fact that his strength was inferior to the girl's. Ever since joining Team 7, Sasuke had always had a goal hidden in his heart, but one that everyone could see, and that was to surpass Haruno Sakura.
It was just that the gap in their strengths had fluctuated. Sometimes it had narrowed, and sometimes it had suddenly widened.
On the path of chasing Haruno Sakura's strength, Sasuke had never stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her. It wasn't until he had recently heard that she had fought against the "Akatsuki" and had fought to a standstill that Sasuke had realized that the distance between them had widened again.
Strangely, this time, he did not feel dejected, nor did he grit his teeth and want to immediately strengthen his training to close the distance between them. He just calmly accepted this fact.
Sasuke dispelled his Chidori Short-Sword.
"Not fighting anymore?" Haruno Sakura asked, twirling her sword, switching from a reverse grip to a forward grip, and tilting her head slightly.
"I've lost," he said, and there was some relief in his heart as he said it.
"I think that with the strength I displayed just now, the assessment should be no problem, right?" Sasuke knew very well that after using the Chidori Short-Sword, his strength could already occupy a place among the reasonably strong Jonin. It was impossible for the Anbu not to let him pass.
In terms of strength, he was already a Jonin. A 13-year-old Jonin.
In the past year or so of secretly comparing himself with Haruno Sakura, he had always been the loser... but in the constant failures, he had reached his current level. Sasuke himself had never thought that he could grow so fast.
And now, he had already embarked on his own ninja path. The in-depth training of Lightning Style had made his strength advance by leaps and bounds. The solid training, the clear goal, and the clear footprints of every step, the obvious changes that could be seen with every progress, had gradually changed Sasuke.
He no longer always stared at what others were doing, always afraid of being left too far behind, or even jealous of others growing up too fast. His mentality had gradually become calmer and more mature.
Perhaps he will never surpass Haruno Sakura in his entire life... so he just needs to surpass himself.
Ken'ichi, hearing what the two below had said, saw Sasuke raise his hand, asking if the assessment could end here. Because according to Sasuke's combat style, if the Chidori Short-Sword couldn't win, he would have to use the Raikiri Raging Stream.
But that move was obviously not suitable for use against a comrade...
Ken'ichi leaned out and asked. After learning that the remaining chakra he had was enough for one more ultimate move, he told Sasuke that as long as he could use that move, he would pass.
This was the benefit of being a proctor. You could see all sorts of gorgeous ninjutsu and feast your eyes.
Of course, what Ken'ichi didn't say was that, in fact, even if he hadn't used it, Sasuke would have already passed the assessment—if Jonin-level combat power still couldn't pass, then the threshold for the Anbu would be a bit too high.
"Hn... oh right, to be on the safe side, you should use a clone to take this move!" Ken'ichi said, turning his head to Sakura.
After all, this was just a spar to test their strength, not a life-or-death battle. The purpose was not to let the members kill each other, let alone to do something like "you have to kill the Jonin senior to make a spot for yourself to become a Jonin"...
In the end, Sasuke's Raikiri Raging Stream also satisfied everyone's curiosity as he had wished.
The two-meter-thick ice wall created by the ice clone could not block the assault of the Raikiri Raging Stream. The lightning ninjutsu, with its nature transformation pushed to the extreme, pierced through the ice wall that was obstructing it like cutting through tofu. The fierce blow directly opened a large hole in the clone's chest...
Everyone was satisfied with having watched a wonderful scene, except for Haruno Sakura—she was feeling a chill on the back of her neck from the resentful look the clone had given her before it died.
"Well then, Sasuke, you've also passed the assessment," Ken'ichi said, putting a checkmark on Sasuke's list, and then turned his head to Shino. "Hey, what do you think of Sasuke?"
Shino shrugged. "What do I think of Sasuke? Even if I wanted to pull him into Squad 14, it would be useless. He's definitely going to join Kakashi's squad. Although his combat style is indeed quite suitable for our squad, and he's an old teammate of Sakura's, so they're naturally compatible."
He spread his hands and made a helpless expression.
"Tsk, that's true... then there's only one left for today. If you don't like him, you can come back next week!" Ken'ichi said, shaking his head. He stuffed the paper in his hand into a scroll and turned to ask Takeuchi Yūichi, "The last person next, are we still letting Sakura fight?"
Takeuchi Yūichi raised an eyebrow, gave him a noncommittal look, and then asked Haruno Sakura downstairs in a loud voice, "Haruno Sakura, do you still want to fight? The last match. If you don't fight, we'll go back!"
"I don't have much chakra left," the girl said, raising her head and her hand. "Let's call it a day!"
In order to take care of these two and let them fully display their strength, Sakura was exhausted.
As for the Yin Seal? Her Yin Seal had been used up a few days ago against Kakuzu. She hadn't saved up much yet.
And to use the Yin Seal's stock just for a spar, wasn't that a bit too extravagant? If I can't win, I'll just admit defeat... Haruno Sakura thought without any integrity. Anyway, my proctor has already recognized my strength.
"It's fine. Then let's call it a day," Ken'ichi said, and he and Yūichi jumped down from the balcony. "You've worked hard."
He took off his mask and said to Haruno Sakura, "Thank you for today. Then the rest of the assessment will be presided over by me! I'll find a time to have a meal with you Squad 14 some other day!"
Sakura exchanged a few pleasantries with him and then stopped the nonsense, preparing to leave with Yūichi.
When she opened the small door downstairs, she happened to run into Katsura-U, who had left the small courtyard midway, returning.
This time, he was followed by a young girl.
She had short hair and was mostly hidden behind Katsura-U, giving her an unnoticeable presence.
Sakura and Takeuchi Yūichi took two steps back to make way. She then saw the appearance of the new Anbu member. Although she was wearing a mask, the girl immediately recognized her identity.
She smiled and said, "Everyone who came today is an acquaintance!"
The new recruit was also stunned when she saw Haruno Sakura. She took off her mask, revealing the face that Sakura was familiar with, and greeted her, "Sakura, what are you doing here?"
"Haruno Sakura entered the Anbu before you. Although she is a Chunin and you are a Tokubetsu Jonin, in the Anbu, she is your senior, so you should pay attention to that," Katsura-U explained. "Also, don't get into the bad habit of taking off your mask casually."
As he said this, he also glanced at Haruno Sakura.
"Oh, okay," the short-haired girl said, nodding and obediently putting her mask back on.
"Don't listen to him," Sakura said with a smile. "In the assessment just now, even the proctor didn't wear a mask! Alright, I'm leaving now. Good luck with your assessment, Yūzuki!"
"See you later!" Haruno Sakura said with a wave. After speaking, she left with Yūichi, leaving behind a bewildered Yūzuki and a Katsura-U who was rolling his eyes.
This girl is so proud of not following the rules! Katsura-U was a little speechless.
Logically speaking, as a proctor, Sakura should have worn the formal uniform and a mask to set an example for the new recruits. But she, on the other hand, didn't wear a mask, didn't wear a bodysuit uniform, and walked around in a pair of sandals, treating the assessment as a daily stroll...
Back at the personnel department, after Yūichi had submitted the materials, the content of the second part of Haruno Sakura's Tokubetsu Jonin assessment also came out.
To complete a mission independently.
The village believed that a ninja who was promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin needed to have the ability to carry out missions independently. So, what Sakura had to do next was to complete a mission by herself.
"This is the mission you need to complete next," Takeuchi Yūichi said, taking out a scroll. "You need to complete it independently."
"Go back and prepare well. Come and gather here tomorrow morning. I will follow along to observe your mission execution."
He said, handing the scroll to Haruno Sakura.
Sakura carefully opened the scroll and glanced at it a few times, and her eyebrows rose. "You've found some clues about the Akatsuki?"
The content of the mission required her to take down an underground bounty station in the Land of Fire and capture the key figures inside.
Konoha needed to obtain intelligence from them.
And this bounty station had traces of Kakuzu's previous presence.
Yūichi pushed up his glasses and said, "No, it's more likely that this is just the personal action of an Akatsuki member. But in any case, this is a very rare clue, so you must be very careful and not let the clue be broken!"
Haruno Sakura finished reading the mission brief in a few strokes.
From the content and difficulty, this was a very typical Tokubetsu Jonin-level mission. The underground bounty station had guards, but they would not be too strong, at most at the Chunin level. A powerful ninja, even a rogue one, would not be a gatekeeper in such a shady place.
Probably because it involves the "Akatsuki," the village will also be more cautious, which is why they sent her out.
She closed the scroll, stuffed it into her clothes, and closed her eyes in contemplation for a moment.
"I request to bring an interrogation squad. If they don't participate in the battle, it still counts as me completing the mission independently, right?"
Yūichi smiled faintly. "A wise choice. I would have reminded you even if you hadn't said it, but for you to have thought of it yourself is also a plus point... I'll take care of notifying the interrogation squad. See you tomorrow."
"See you later!" Sakura said with a wave and disappeared in front of Yūichi with a Body Flicker.
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