Home-Field Advantage
The girl took a deep breath and calmed herself down.
This was the first time she had come so close to water in battle since becoming a full-fledged ninja. Compared to her time at the Ninja Academy, the girl's understanding of combat had undergone a complete transformation, and her comprehension and application of Chakra and Ninjutsu were also vastly different from before.
Standing on the water.
A completely new feeling welled up inside me.
The river water within the Chakra's range seemed to become an extension of her limbs, which she could manipulate at will. At this moment, the girl had the illusion of controlling the earth. She had no doubt that she could easily manipulate tens of meters of water into a roaring dragon and bombard her enemies in an instant!
In such an environment, the amount of Chakra consumed by ordinary Water Release Ninjutsu is greatly reduced, while the power and controllability of Water Release Ninjutsu are rapidly increased. The closer to water and the more water in the environment, the more advantageous it is for Water Release ninjas. No wonder the combat power of traditional Water Release ninjas is so limited by the terrain!
Like a fish in water.
Her core Water Release Ninjutsu, Water Gun Technique, and the power of her Ultra-Pure Water are independent of the environment, so they didn't receive a significant boost here. Even so, Sakura felt that her fighting power had increased exponentially!
Meanwhile, as Sakura was adapting to her environment, Naruto was the first to complete his Ninjutsu.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
One after another, Shadow Clone, ready for battle, appeared rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, Naruto's vast army covered the water and riverbanks.
As far as the girl could see, her vision was completely filled with her clones, covering the mountains, fields, rivers, and beaches, leaving no gaps.
With his astonishing Chakra reserves, Naruto often unleashes hundreds of Shadow Clones at the start. While it might seem like a mindless tactic of overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers, it's undeniable that such a swarm tactic is virtually unbreakable for most ninjas.
The sheer pressure of being surrounded by hundreds of people is overwhelming.
The mass troop deployment tactic has always been a popular strategy. As the saying goes, "Once you learn my tactic of resource management, the rest is just a matter of attacking." And Naruto's massive Chakra reserves are the ultimate example of this tactic.
"Sakura, I'm going!" Hundreds of Shadow Clone shouted in unison, their synchronized cries creating a powerful and astonishing roar!
Hundreds vs. One!
The seemingly weak and outnumbered girl revealed a strange smile.
Human wave tactics?
With a light stomp of her heels on the water's surface, the girl's Chakra seeped from her feet into the river, merging with its flow.
Ninjutsu, silently taking shape beneath the water's surface.
Human wave tactics... I can do that too!
"Water Release: Legion Water Clone Technique!" the girl shouted softly.
The next moment, the calm, shimmering river surface suddenly boiled!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! One by one, Water Clone wielding crystalline longswords leaped out of the water like startled birds and landed on the surface.
One, two, ten, all the way up to hundreds...!
Strange Water Clone densely filled the water surface behind Sakura, creating a massive and countless spectacle.
At first glance, the Legion Water Clone seemed crudely made. They were only semi-transparent humanoid figures with clear facial features, but lacked the texture of clothing and skin, and had no expression whatsoever. They simply stood motionless, coldly staring at the enemy in front of them. This strange formation, neatly arranged, actually possessed a peculiar sense of intimidation.
Since it can be called a legion, its number is naturally not small.
Water Clone are a simple Ninjutsu, but even the simplest problems become much more complex when there are many of them.
In the Forest of Death, she had tried using such an army of Water Clone to fight enemies, and the results were quite satisfactory. Those simplified Water Clone consumed less Chakra and mental energy, but their power was not reduced by much. This was the prototype of the Legion Water Clone.
In the days following the exam, she devoted considerable effort to carefully studying this Ninjutsu.
In principle, the less Chakra consumed, the simpler and weaker the clone will be.
The currently popular Water Clone Technique achieves the most cost-effective balance among Chakra consumption, the power of the clones, and the degree of resemblance between the clones and the user—that is, the ability to confuse the enemy.
The Legion Water Clone Technique no longer emphasizes the resemblance between the clone and the user. Furthermore, it incorporates ice-type Chakra to create ice swords that enhance the power of the Water Clone, thus achieving a new, more cost-effective balance between Chakra consumption and the power of the clones. The trade-off is that the clones have bizarre appearances and require the user to master ice -Nature Transformation, making the technique more difficult to execute.
After this modification, the Water Clone Technique was completely transformed, from a Ninjutsu used to bully weaker opponents and lure enemies into a general offensive Ninjutsu. Therefore, Sakura renamed it the Legion Water Clone Technique, which can be considered an advanced version of the Water Clone Technique.
She has tried to make such improvements many times. She has a lot of ideas, and even if she only recalls the fan works she has seen before, she can "create" many Ninjutsu by copying them with her perfect Chakra control.
However, most of these were flashy but impractical Ninjutsu, seemingly fancy but actually full of loopholes and useless; sometimes they even developed Ninjutsu that were harmful and useless—such as some of the experiments they did with Hinata.
Until recently, after experiencing the mission in the Land of Waves and the battle in the Forest of Death, the girl's understanding of combat and herself has undergone a profound and transformative change.
They also gained a better grasp of Ninjutsu creation.
This Legion Water Clone is one of Sakura's recent acquisitions.
It was precisely because he had witnessed the girl's recent growth that Kakashi felt comfortable letting her develop her own Ninjutsu, while focusing all his energy on Sasuke. This biased approach also demonstrated Kakashi's trust and affirmation of the girl.
Of course, Ninjutsu like the Legion Water Clone is far inferior to the ace Water Release Water Gun Technique in terms of applicability, lethality, and cost-effectiveness. However, using the same move all the time makes one vulnerable to being countered, so developing more conventional tactics is also very necessary.
Moreover, Sakura wouldn't dare use Water Gun Technique Ninjutsu, which can be fatal at any time, casually during sparring. On the contrary, the Legion Clone Technique is easier to control and can be used in very intense battles.
At this moment, the two members of Team 7 were engaged in a fierce battle using countless clones!
Battles between clones, devoid of emotion and disregarding life and death, differ from the legionary warfare of real humans. One moment they can coordinate perfectly, killing enemies in perfect harmony, and the next they can betray their teammates, just to eliminate one more enemy.
There was no panic, no fear, no excitement, no collapse; the clones perfectly demonstrated a relentless, one-again-one battle pattern. Life and death were merely numbers to them; the battle was a brutal, visceral struggle, where every strike drew blood and every punch landed squarely, making it all the more cruel and direct.
Sakura, her Water Clone, leaned against her longsword, her Taijutsu light and graceful, her eyes cold and her face frosty as she silently attacked.
Naruto's Shadow Clone Kunai swinging or shooting, their punches and kicks as swift as the wind, their attacks as powerful as thunder, accompanied by incessant shouts and cries.
Bang bang bang--! Relying on her sharp ice sword and more agile Taijutsu, Sakura's Water Clone often gained the upper hand, killing several enemies in succession and detonating Naruto's Shadow Clone into clouds of smoke.
Swish swish swish--! Relying on sheer numbers and a life-for-life fighting style, Naruto's Shadow Clone stubbornly resisted Sakura's army offensive with a human wave tactic. When faced with attacks coming from all directions, even if the Water Clone managed to kill a few people first, they were quickly overwhelmed by the Naruto and turned into a pool of clear water returning to the river.
The two sides are locked in a stalemate!
Naruto's Shadow Clone failed to overwhelm Sakura with their sheer numbers.
Sakura's Water Clone also failed to break through Naruto's defenses despite their superior offensive capabilities.
The clones continuously turned into smoke and water and dissipated one by one. The two also continued to consume Chakra to create more clones to fill the gaps in their forces.
The battle lines reached a stalemate, and the battle between the clones was trending towards turning into a war of attrition.
However, in terms of energy expenditure, this is definitely at a disadvantage for Sakura.
Although the river is her home turf, and the Legion Water Clone Technique doesn't consume much Chakra here, Sakura isn't really that serious about thinking she can outlast Naruto in terms of stamina and attrition.
Realizing this quickly, the girl frowned slightly, decisively stopping the Chakra supply to the Legion Water Clone Technique, and clasped her hands together, rapidly Hand Seals like weaving through flowers.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Whoa--!
A massive amount of river water slowly rose with Sakura's gesture, being swept up dozens of meters into the air by Chakra. A section of the river, dozens of meters long, was pumped into the air, and a large section of the dry riverbed of the Yingying River was exposed out of thin air!
The Great Waterfall Technique is said to be as powerful as a natural disaster, and Sakura discovered that this was no exaggeration—if the river's flow weren't so great, she could have even created a widespread flood on this riverbank!
The girl opened her palm and slowly raised her right hand.
A massive amount of river water rose into the air along with that slender, delicate hand.
The clear river water was stirred up and became murky, blocking out the sunlight and casting a large shadow.
To block out the sun.
Just looking at the sheer force of it, imagining the water mass descending and cascading down in a frenzy, overwhelming, earth-shattering, and all-encompassing manner, sends chills down one's spine.
It is magnificent and awe-inspiring.
Then, the girl forcefully swung her raised right hand down.
The cascading river water roared towards Naruto like a tiger descending a mountain!