Uchiha Sasuke pulled back the scarlet sword from the enemy's corpse. The blood-stained sword looked even more eerie, and against the backdrop of the surrounding snow, it made people feel even more daunting.

After nearly two years in the Anbu, Sasuke finally caught up with Uchiha Itachi, the former captain of the Anbu, in terms of position, although he was nearly four years behind.

Sasuke was quite satisfied with his experience in ANBU.

A solid foundation, multiple experiences of life and death, and physical growth have allowed him to feel his strength changing with each passing day.

Although the targets of most of the missions are wandering ninjas, rebellious ninjas, bounty hunters, and evil ninja bandits, since these villains can roam freely in the ninja world, they must have their own unique qualities.

Although there are many powerful guys, most of them are uneducated and have no systematic education. They include swordsmen masters, samurai, ninjas with no self-aware bloodline limits and secret techniques, and guys with some unique expertise.

Sasuke went through various tests by eliminating them one by one.

The time when I followed Mizuki and Amazo to fight against Orochimaru in the Land of Wind was undoubtedly the time when I felt the deepest.

Unlike half-baked ones like Uzumaki Naruto and Gaara, Sasuke was really eye-opening to see how real masters used high-end power to fight.

This is much more intuitive than witnessing Jiraiya fighting Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo from afar.

The most dangerous time was undoubtedly when he fought off the killer in the Bear Country.

The powerful and strange bloodline limit and secret technique made Sasuke feel for the first time in the past two years that death was so close to him.

Fortunately, everything was resolved in the end.

"Captain, they have all been cleared!"

"Deal with the bodies and prepare to withdraw!"

With a swing of the sword, a red line appeared on the snow. With a turn of the wrist, the sword returned to the sheath.

A small but famous bandit gang was destroyed, and several notorious rebel ninjas became stepping stones for Sasuke.

Although Sasuke's real name cannot be revealed to the world due to his Anbu mission, "Falcon", who wears a bird mask and moves at a speed beyond the limit of vision, has begun to gain considerable fame in the Anbu.

Being a ninja is indeed a profession that requires experience, but what is most convincing is strength and combat record.

A moment later, the Konoha Anbu withdrew to erase all traces, and the flying snowflakes buried everything again.

As for Bai Jue, who was watching everything in secret, he never showed up from beginning to end.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Itachi's younger brother, they are really alike!"

…

For the ninja, the year is coming to an end, and there is no such thing as the end of the year. There are no landlords collecting rent, and no tenants being forced to sell their children.

Shuimu still prefers this peaceful time. It would be even better if it weren't for the impending war.

Sitting in the sun is peaceful and relaxing!

The only thing that made people a little dissatisfied was that it was a bit cold.

There was no wind, but breathing the cold air still made people feel a little uncomfortable.

For Xiao Meixing, all this was not a problem. She was dressed warmly and sat in Mizuki's arms, sitting on the top of the giant bear with Mizuki.

Below, Xiaochun was wearing a red chakra, which was very conspicuous against the background of white snow, causing Xiao Miyuki to reach out and pull the long hair that Hata-kun had changed into for winter from time to time.

The little girl was so happy when she saw the ninja training for the first time that she couldn't stop smiling. I don't know what she was so happy about. I guess it was the greatest pleasure for the family to bring her out to play.

In comparison, Mizuki was amazed by Komiyuki's thick nerves. Maybe it was because she knew that Hata-kun, the ferocious beast with sharp teeth and fangs, was not dangerous, but except for being stunned at the beginning, she was not scared to tears.

It seemed that she really liked this feeling of being superior. Xiao Miyuki babbled from time to time and danced rhythmically following Xiaochun's movements.

Although the one-year-old child can already say a few simple words, Shuimu still doesn't understand what the little guy is saying most of the time.

As if dissatisfied with the lazy Mizuki's indifference, the little guy grabbed Mizuki's thumb and kept pulling it.

"What is this? You want to go down and play too?"

I guess in the eyes of ignorant young children, apart from eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping, there is only playing left.

Mizuki let the giant bear lie down, then slowly jumped down and placed little Miyuki on the soft snow. The snow immediately submerged the little guy's knees.

Surrounded by the soft snow, the curious little guy picked up a small ball of snowflakes and put it into his mouth. He smacked his lips, tasted it, and found that it had no taste and was not delicious at all. Then he spat out the snow water with a bitter face.

“You’ve suffered a lot!”

Mizuki smiled and wiped the stains off the corners of Miyuki's mouth, then picked her up.

"How many times have I told you not to eat anything you don't know about!"

Although the expression was not clear, Shuimu knew that this little brat could understand everything, and his innocent face could not deceive Shuimu's eyes.

Shuimu pressed the crooked bear-skin hat on the little guy’s head… no, it was a bear fur hat.

Stupid giant bear, Shuimu didn't skin him because this guy has been working hard recently.

For a bear that doesn't hibernate, it's useless to have so much warm fur. Shuimu decided to make use of the fur and asked someone to cut off a lot of it to make hats, gloves, blankets, etc. They seem to be quite useful.

Kotsubaki paused when she sensed Mizuki approaching.

"What, the little guy can't stand it anymore?"

Children have limited patience. Although it’s fun outside, they can easily get bored if they stay in one place.

"Let's go, time is almost up!"

It has been a month since Gekkou Hayate and Uzuki Yugao's daughter was born. While I am free during this time, I can go and visit her.

"I'm telling you, you're going to be a big sister from now on, so you have to behave elegantly!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

Xiaochun took the child from Mizuki.

Soon after, only a series of footprints disappeared into the distance.

…

As the old year comes to an end and the new year begins, Orochimaru will also put down the experiments in his hands.

His parents died in the Second Ninja World War when he was young, and his teacher Sarutobi Hiruzen also died at his hands. It seems that the person who could be called a bond with him no longer exists.

What has supported Orochimaru to reach this point is his desire for the unknown and his unwillingness to accept death!

"He's gaining fame. Is this Sasuke? Am I being underestimated by sending him out of the village so confidently?"

Orochimaru was quite interested in the information brought by Kabuto Yakushi.

"The seeds that have been planted are about to blossom and bear fruit. This is really happy news."

The three-year period is just around the corner, it's time to prepare!