Sakura vs. Naruto (Part 2)
The raging floodwaters, carrying broken branches and stones, rushed across the field. After a long time, the murky, yellowish waters finally calmed down.
Only a few withered green leaves remained, swirling in the water, with large bubbles occasionally rising to the surface.
The results are in.
Naruto's disheveled figure emerged from the murky water, his clothes covered in twigs, leaves, and filthy mud, with numerous purplish-red bruises on his body and a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Despite his serious injuries, his bright blue eyes remained undiminished, his gaze fixed intently on the girl above!
Looking at the calm Naruto, the girl let out a long sigh.
Despite using water from a scroll, this Ninjutsu still consumed a significant amount of her Chakra.
Fortunately, in the year since graduation, as her body has entered puberty, her Chakra reserves and ability to control Ninjutsu have grown by leaps and bounds. When she uses this super-large Ninjutsu, she no longer feels completely exhausted and unable to stand up, just like when Jonin. Of course, even though her current Chakra reserves are several times greater than Sakura's in the original story, she still finds it difficult to use this technique, and her stamina drops significantly.
However, it was all worth it.
Using this Ninjutsu, he wiped out all of Naruto's Shadow Clone in one fell swoop, avoiding being overwhelmed by the sheer number of Shadow Clone, and even causing some damage to the original Naruto.
Even for Naruto, the simultaneous destruction of hundreds of Shadow Clone was a tremendous drain on his energy, leaving him momentarily breathless.
Sakura noticed that Naruto's breathing had become erratic.
Remarkable results!
Next, before Naruto recovers, use Nintaijutsu to forcefully suppress him, and then defeat him in one fell swoop?
The girl pondered in mid-air. Her strategy for dealing with the enemy wasn't particularly sophisticated. Against a ninja like Naruto, who was prone to surprising opponents, complex tactics might not be effective.
The wind made the girl's clothes flutter loudly.
Naruto's visibly rapid recovery was urging her to make a quick decision, so after only a couple of breaths to catch her breath, she had already come up with this simple and straightforward strategy.
She leaped from mid-air and gracefully landed on the muddy water.
Parting the flowers and brushing against the willows, I stepped onto the water's surface.
Her delicate feet lightly touched the calm water, the murky yellow water gently kissing the girl's slender arches, stirring up fine and lingering ripples that spread across the tranquil surface of the pool.
Then, in the next instant, Lingbo Weibu suddenly transformed and sprang into action!
With each leap, his feet stomped out several large, increasingly deep craters on the calm water, causing water to erupt and splash wildly!
With the immense reaction force, the girl sprinted forward like a nimble cheetah, accelerating continuously until she disappeared in an instant, leaving only a pure white afterimage on the audience's retinas!
After a month of training with Haku, Sakura has learned far more than just one Ice Release technique!
Naruto's pupils lost focus at that moment—he lost sight of Sakura!
Naruto was startled.
The speed is completely different from when we sparred a month ago!
"So fast!" Neji's eyes widened. Even with his incredibly observant Byakugan, he had to concentrate fully to keep up with the girl's speed.
"Sakura... when did she change so fast?" The same question popped into Naruto and Hinata's minds at the same time!
Unbeknownst to them, the Nintaijutsu Sakura usually displayed was only a fraction of the technique's potential. Limited by the girl's physical endurance, reflexes, and Taijutsu skills, the Nintaijutsu still possessed immense untapped power.
For example, speed.
Nintaijutsu could certainly increase a girl's speed to another level, but if her reaction time can't keep up with her speed, then even greater speed will only bring her danger, just like when Kakashi first developed Chidori.
During her training with Haku, he taught her a lot about high-speed combat. The constant high-speed combat in the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals allowed Sakura to truly transform the experience she had learned into her own understanding. In just one month, Sakura's ability to control speed improved significantly, and the speed potential of her Nintaijutsu truly became her strength.
Sakura is now capable of handling the same speed as Lee when he's unloaded!
The intense battle didn't give the audience much time to marvel.
With her sudden increase in speed, Sakura caught Naruto off guard.
The girl's graceful figure flashed past Naruto. Just as Naruto lost sight of Sakura, the girl circled behind Naruto, turned sideways, spun around, pressed down on her shoulder, and kicked out!
The sudden burst of Chakra and the intense Ultra-Pure Water exerted at the joints amplified the power of this kick to its maximum.
Whoosh!
The water beneath the girl exploded with a deafening roar, sending countless splashes flying. Her raised left foot sliced through the air, creating a sharp gust of wind as she kicked towards Naruto's waist!
Naruto sensed something amiss behind him. He turned around and watched as the girl's slender, delicate foot lashed out at him with incredible speed. His face turned deathly pale. The girl's movements were too fast; he had no time to stop her!
Bang! Naruto was kicked by Sakura without any doubt and flew backward in a sorry state.
However, Naruto's counterattack was faster than anyone expected!
"Wind Release: Great Wind Breakthrough!"
A fierce gust of wind, mixed with sharp blades of air, roared out from Naruto in mid-air!
The girl's delicate face changed color instantly!
Without any Hand Seals or Chakra fluctuations, Naruto was able to launch a counterattack the instant his kick landed!
Moreover, this Ninjutsu was used at such close range!
Before she could even think about why Naruto was able to use Ninjutsu, the girl abruptly stopped her pursuit and retreated rapidly.
The tide of battle has turned!
The girl was fast. However, Wind Release: Great Wind Breakthrough was even faster!
Within seconds, it caught up with Sakura, who was frantically retreating, and sliced off the hem of her clothes. The wind blade, sharp as mud, left a mark of defeat in the girl's emerald pupils!
Despite the sharp blade at her side, the girl's tense face suddenly broke into a cold smile.
At that moment, she finally understood where Naruto's Ninjutsu came from. When she used the giant Water Dragon Bullet to clear the area, Naruto had already completed the hand seals for Wind Release: Great Wind Breakthrough, and the Ninjutsu was ready to be activated at any time.
When he realized that his Shadow Clone couldn't complete their Wind Release in time and couldn't gather in a group to counter Sakura's Water Release, Naruto had already thought of this move. He deliberately suppressed his Wind Release, wanting to give Sakura a surprise when she got close!
Sakura, caught off guard, failed to see Naruto forcefully suppress his Ninjutsu and was thus forced into a sorry state by this attack!
The examiner, Genma Shiranui, who stood at a distance and observed coldly, was one of only two people present who could see through the deception.
Even when on the verge of defeat, he firmly believes in his ability to win and immediately devises his next plan... This child is born with the potential to become a top-tier ninja!
Genma Shiranui, with Senbon dangling from his mouth, smiled slightly.
So, how should you deal with it?
Genma stared intently at Sakura.
The young girl on the field is facing a desperate situation!
Whoosh! The severed hem of clothing drifted into the swarm of wind blades, instantly turning into countless tiny fragments that scattered in the air and gracefully took flight.
A collective gasp rippled through the audience, creating a deafening roar.
There's no way to avoid it!
The next moment, the violent gust of wind swallowed the girl's slender figure whole, and then exploded with a bang!
With a whoosh, the indestructible wind blades cleaved the nearby water into countless droplets, which were swept up by the gale and splashed everywhere, turning into a summer rain that dripped wetly onto the ground.
Those with keen eyes could already vaguely see, through the sparse rain, the girl's slender figure standing proudly, unharmed, shrouded in a pale blue water shield.
At the last moment when the wind blades were closing in, Sakura used her most skillful Ultra-Pure Water, to transform into a water shield in time, firmly blocking the attack of the Great Wind Breakthrough.
Naruto had expected the Great Wind Breakthrough: Gale Style to fail. He hadn't even anticipated that a simple Wind Release would defeat Sakura. Forcing out her last line of defense— Ultra-Pure Water —was enough!
Opportunity can be seized in an instant!
Naruto's IQ is more than twice his usual level during battle. Having sparred with Sakura many times, he knows how difficult it is to defeat that seemingly weak girl. With Wind Release, he gains the upper hand, but just a moment's lapse in attention is enough for the girl to seize the opportunity and turn the tide!
We can't give her that chance.
Naruto was sent flying backward, didn't bother to adjust his posture and forced himself to continue using Ninjutsu!
As the girl blocked the Wind Release technique, a second wave of attack quietly began.
The attack came from... underwater!
The Kunai aimed at the girl's feet and suddenly thrust out from underwater; at the same time, two figures leaped out of the water, one shooting several Shuriken at Sakura, while the other pounced on Sakura without hesitation!
The timing was excellent.
Their perfect teamwork blocked all of the girl's evasive maneuvers.
The Ultra-Pure Water was forming a water shield to block Naruto's Ninjutsu, but it was too late to defend against the Shadow Clone's attack.
Despite being at such a disadvantage, the girl's delicate face remained indifferent as she stared blankly at Naruto's Shadow Clone.
With a swift movement of his right foot, he deftly dodged the Kunai, then viciously stomped on the Shadow Clone beneath his feet! He sidestepped Shuriken, but the other Shadow Clone had already rushed in front of the girl, stabbing her abdomen with Kunai!
"Got it!" the Shadow Clone said.
Two figures passed each other, and in that instant, neither of them saw what happened.
All that could be seen were Naruto's Shadow Clone, their smugness turning into helplessness.
"No... you're too slow!"
Naruto's Shadow Clone collapsed to the ground.
The seemingly flawless attack was easily neutralized by Sakura.
The girl's expression remained unchanged; instead, her emerald eyes grew even colder, like frost.
The attack just now was merely a prelude to Naruto's fatal blow.
The girl turned her gaze to the water. Underwater, Naruto's Chakra was circulating wildly, quickly taking shape during the moment when Sakura was fighting her Shadow Clone.
Then, one after another, Shadow Clone, from various directions—underwater, on the water's surface, and in the air—approached the girl wielding all sorts of sharp weapons!
It was like an endless Shadow Clone!
It's as if they're going to wear the girl down to death!