Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The sound of ninjas darting between the Hokage Building's rooftops sliced through the air.
"Team A, all clear!"
A petite, pink-haired Anbu with a cat mask landed on the Hokage Building's roof, reporting into her communicator.
"Team B, all clear!"
"Team C, all clear!"
Hearing the responses, Sakura tucked away the communicator and stretched with a big yawn.
It had been a month since she joined the Anbu, and after tonight's shift, she'd finally get her paycheck!
"Looks like that's it for today. Time to clock out!"
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion shattered the calm, harmonious night, its echo reverberating across the village.
Sakura's excitement vanished, her face scrunching into a pouty cat-like expression.
"Emergency mission! The Hokage has already moved out. Head to the Uchiha clan's territory at the village's edge immediately!"
As expected, her captain's orders crackled through the communicator.
"Ugh, damn Uchihas!!!"
Sakura cursed under her breath, channeling chakra to her feet and speeding toward the village's edge.
South of the village, the Uchiha clan's territory.
Since the Nine-Tails incident, many Uchiha had relocated from the village center to settle here.
Now, on the streets of the Uchiha district, two ninjas were locked in a fierce clash, surrounded by a crowd of red-eyed onlookers watching the fight.
Since both were Uchiha, they were passionately trading Fireball Jutsu.
Of course, aside from disturbing the peace, their techniques weren't achieving much.
Whoosh!
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, landed on the roof of an Uchiha household, flanked by dozens of assorted Anbu.
Seeing the two fighters showed no signs of stopping, Hiruzen waved at the petite Anbu beside him.
"Hana, stop them."
Oh, come on—this old man's got a sneaky side.
With so many skilled Anbu around, he just had to pick the youngest-looking one?
Was this about making a statement to the Uchiha?
Still, since the boss gave the order, and for the sake of that paycheck…
Sakura's figure flickered, alternating between the Six Powers' Shave and Moon Step. She launched into the air, swiftly closing in on the two warring Uchiha.
Seeing Sakura's rapid approach, the two paused their fight, their double-tomoe Sharingan glaring warily.
Rat–Snake–Tiger–Monkey–Boar
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Yin chakra surged from Sakura's body. With a forceful exhale, an orange-red fireball roared toward the two Uchiha.
The other Uchiha onlookers didn't react—after all, it was the Third Hokage's order, so they couldn't interfere.
Instead, the two young Uchiha in the arena looked eager to take her on.
"Laughable! A Fireball that slow is supposed to hit us?"
"Using Fire Style against an Uchiha? Is she mocking us?"
The two, who had just been fighting each other, suddenly united against a common enemy. But their bodies still dodged instinctively.
Ninjas were fragile like that—capable of terrain-altering jutsu, but one graze from an opponent's technique could mean death or serious injury.
That's why even Genin or Chunin could, under specific circumstances, take down a Jonin.
"Scatter!"
Sakura clapped her hands together and shouted.
The single orange fireball suddenly split into two identical flames, each hurtling toward one of the Uchiha.
"A tracking Fireball… no, is it a genjutsu?!"
Some of the watching Uchiha's Sharingan began to spin.
Yet, the fireballs chasing the two young Uchiha remained.
"It can't be dispelled or reflected—how is that possible?!"
The same thought struck not only the onlookers—Uchiha and Anbu alike—but also the two young Uchiha being pursued.
Watching Sakura toy with a group of Uchiha, Hiruzen, puffing on his pipe, smirked.
Having mastered every technique Sakura knew, and with his seasoned insight, he'd already seen through the trick.
"Kids these days are something else."
Sighing, he lit his pipe and refocused on the scene.
"It's just a genjutsu—charge through it!"
One of the Uchiha gritted his teeth, drew a kunai, and stabbed at the fireball.
As expected, when the fireball engulfed him, he felt no heat.
The other Uchiha used the same method to break free.
They exchanged a glance, forming a coordinated battle stance, channeling chakra to unleash a jutsu.
"Ninja Art: Fire Style—Phoenix Flower Shuriken!" 2
One Uchiha hurled a barrage of shuriken while the other spat out Phoenix Flower flames.
In a combined technique, the dense swarm of flaming shuriken bloomed in an instant!
In that moment, Sakura was struck by the fiery shuriken!
Did they win??
Under the gaze of their Sharingan, the girl before them dissolved into a cascade of cherry blossoms, drifting dreamily.
"Impossible!"
The two young Uchiha's eyes trembled.
The watching Anbu and Uchiha experts were equally baffled.
Once could be a fluke, but repeatedly? Something was off.
Unless… they'd never escaped her genjutsu from the start!
Cold sweat dripped down their faces.
"What a… terrifying genjutsu!"
For the Uchiha, masters of genjutsu for years, this was their first time being dominated by someone else's illusion.
It was humiliating to admit, but a group of Sharingan-wielding Uchiha couldn't break a little girl's genjutsu.
It was like a kunai to the Uchiha's pride—opening their eyes twice over.
"Alright, you two, the show's over."
Sakura's voice rang out behind the young Uchiha.
The drifting cherry blossoms gathered into two pale hands behind them.
Her figure slowly materialized in the dreamlike scene, her hands radiating a chilling aura.
"Don't think you can take us down that easily!"
The two Uchiha, seasoned ninjas, analyzed the situation and deduced Sakura would close in for an attack.
Using her voice to pinpoint her approach, they unleashed a wide-range jutsu.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Drawing on the Naka River's water, they summoned a massive vortex, a white line of water crashing from the sky like a dragon.
Boom!!!
The raging torrent scoured the earth, their chakra senses spreading, instantly turning the Uchiha district's streets into a flooded wasteland.
"How's that?!"
The young Uchiha looked toward the girl standing on the water's surface.
They reached for their ninja pouches, ready to draw more weapons.
"Hey, first time I've seen someone give their enemy a home-field advantage."
"Well, I'll take it."
Sakura's clear voice rang out.
A cold wind blew, scattering flecks of white ice crystals through the air.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of spreading ice echoed across the field. In that instant, the flooded land froze, everything locked in place.
A snowy ice field encased the ground, trapping the two Uchiha in a prison of frost and snow.
"Phew!"
Leaning lightly against an ice pillar, Sakura exhaled a frosty breath.
Ice crystals dusted her pink hair, her soft hum blending with the cold wind, a testament to her battle-fueled excitement.
"Thanks for the treat~"
"You…"
A group of Uchiha ninjas flickered into view, surrounding Sakura.
One impatient Uchiha stepped forward, shouting, "What jutsu was that?!"
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