Support Squad

With a flick of her wrist, she killed the enemy. Feeling a life slip away beneath her hand, Sakura felt an unusual calm.

She was not a bloodthirsty person; in her previous life, she didn't even know how to kill a chicken.

But now, without anyone noticing, Sakura has become able to calmly and efficiently take a person's life.

She was already a ninja skilled in the art of killing. When the Sound Ninja ambushed her, she had already detected the restless source of Chakra, but she stood quietly, pretending not to notice. While using Ultra-Pure Water to form a water shield to protect her back, she silently condensed an ice blade and viciously stabbed the most active point of the Sound Ninja's Chakra with a backhand. The attacking Sound Ninja was thus instantly killed by her.

He collapsed behind Sakura, his blood gushing out and leaving mottled bloodstains on the girl's body, but she seemed unaffected and indifferent.

She was surprised by her own changes, yet calmly accepted herself as she was.

Since she didn't want to be killed, she had no choice but to kill. This was her way of surviving in the cruel world of Hokage.

The girl drew her sword, and blood flowed down the icy blade onto her hand. The somber dark red blood stood out starkly against her snow-white skin, like a rose painted on the most beautiful silk.

Sakura's hands were stained with blood.

Her heart remained as still as a frozen lake.

When the battle begins, she shows no mercy to her enemies.

The ice blade spun in his palm, changing from a backhand to a forehand.

With a slight turn of her wrist, a faint blue Chakra light suddenly appeared, and her power burst forth. The ice blade held by her slender fingers shot out like lightning!

Whoosh!

Another Sound Ninja who came head-on fell to the ground, a crystal-clear, chilling ice blade embedded in his chest.

They probably thought Sakura and Naruto were too young to be bullied. The two Sound Ninja who attacked were probably not even Chunin, and they were cleanly and decisively defeated. Naruto didn't even have time to react.

Orochimaru sent them here primarily as cannon fodder to buy time.

However, although the enemy's strength was lacking,... Sakura frowned; their numbers were enormous!

Having just taken down two, two more Sound Ninja charged in fearlessly, their strength seemingly quite weak. They appeared to have completely failed to learn from the mistakes of the previous two Sound Ninja.

"So eager to die?" The girl snorted coldly, clasped her hands together in preparation for unleashing Ninjutsu, but Teuchi Naruto.

"Save your energy, I'll take care of these two!" Naruto smiled confidently. He was startled by the Sound Ninja's sneak attack earlier, and when he came to his senses, the enemy had already been instantly killed by Sakura. He then realized that the enemy was just putting on a brave front and only looked fierce.

"Ninja Art: Multiple Shadow Clone Techniques - Huh?"

Pfft!

A dark shadow flashed past the two Sound Ninja, and blood suddenly bloomed in the air. Naruto had just gathered his Chakra when the two Sound Ninja collapsed to the ground.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

The dark figure landed in front of Sakura and Naruto. It was Kakashi who swiftly and decisively killed the enemy. His expression was more serious than ever before as he stared sharply at the two of them.

"Sakura, Naruto, listen up! It's urgent, so I'll get straight to the point..."

He looked at the empty stadium and solemnly addressed the two of them.

Off the field.

Previously, Baki discovered that the Fourth Kazekage was actually Orochimaru in disguise, which intensified his ominous premonition, making him realize that something seemed amiss.

After a difficult decision, he concluded that the safety of the Jinchūriki was more important, and decided to cancel the original plan, allowing Kankuro and Temari to accompany Gaara in the retreat.

"Sasuke is pursuing Gaara's team. Therefore, my new order to you is to form a support team to cover Sasuke's safe return!" Kakashi said in a deep voice.

He patted Sakura on the shoulder.

"Sakura, you've already reached Chunin level, so now learn to take on the responsibilities of Chunin! You'll lead this support team, and you'll decide on the personnel. My only requirement is that everyone, including Sasuke, returns safely!"

"I'm leaving this to you! There are too many enemies... I need to reduce their numbers first!"

Tsk! Sakura suddenly felt Kakashi's hand was heavy.

Sakura was confident in ensuring her own safety. However, leading a team and being responsible for everyone's safety was a first for her.

In these chaotic times, protecting oneself and three Genin ninjas is no easy task!

Sakura sensed Kakashi's trust in her.

Responsibility. That word carries such a heavy weight.

"I understand, Kakashi-sensei..." Without hesitation, Sakura readily accepted the order.

The girl bit her lip, desperately trying to recall the tracking internship course she had taken at school.

"If a support team is to be formed, the number of people should not exceed four; otherwise, not only will we lose the advantage of speed, but we will also be easily discovered by the enemy..."

She looked around, selecting from among the Genin one by one.

"If we're going to support Sasuke, the first choice is definitely Naruto. With Naruto and me, our fighting strength is already sufficient, so my second choice is Shikamaru. His strategic thinking is very important to us."

"As for the fourth candidate, I also need a crucial person—someone who can track them down..."

Sakura pondered for a moment.

"Pick me, Sakura!"

Hearing a clear female voice, Sakura turned around abruptly. Hinata jumped from the audience seats behind her, her Byakugan glaring angrily!

"I heard what you said while reading lips over there," Hinata explained. "Since we need someone who can track Sasuke, then I'm the most suitable candidate!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow; her best friend volunteering to help was the best thing ever. Hinata's tracking ability and combat skills were both quite remarkable, making her a crucial piece of the support team she led.

But was her motive to help Sakura, or was she here for someone else? Sakura looked at her with a half-smile and nodded in agreement.

"You, me, Naruto, and Shikamaru... Hey, Shikamaru, you're pretending to be dead!" Sakura kicked Shikamaru, who was lying on the ground pretending to be under Genjutsu, with a black line on her forehead.

The posture is quite similar, but in Sakura's view, both the breathing rhythm and the amplitude of Chakra fluctuations indicate that Shikamaru is a completely conscious person.

"Hey, why did you have to drag me into this? I don't want to get involved in such troublesome things!" Shikamaru, exposed without any shame, sat up listlessly and said impatiently.

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed. This guy is good at everything, except he lacks motivation.

"Even I can tell you're faking it, do you think no one else can? Lying here is even more dangerous. Why don't you join my team? We're incredibly strong, and we can definitely guarantee your safety!" She coaxed Shikamaru gently.

Sakura's reasoning was sound, Shikamaru was clearly tempted.

As they were talking, the two girls suddenly acted in unison, each facing the enemy who attacked again from the left and right.

"Ice Release: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!" "Gentle Fist: Sky- Air Palm!"

On the left, a girl with Byakugan appeared delicate and frail, but her punches and kicks were as fierce as thunderbolts, and her every move was powerful. She unleashed a series of Air Palm from a distance, which emitted a faint, shrill whistling sound in the air as they struck the chests of the Sound Ninja, leaving deep dents in their chests!

The Sound Ninja uncontrollably vomited bloody fragments of internal organs and collapsed limply to the ground.

The pink-haired, blue-eyed girl on the right possessed a different kind of charm: she stood tall and graceful, her figure unmoved as a mountain in the face of the two attacking enemies. Her slender fingers flew like butterflies, Hand Seals, and her blue eyes were clear and sharp. Chakra surged around her, and the pool of blood flowing at her feet seemed to dance gracefully, transforming into streaks of blood that met the attacking enemies!

Whoosh...!

The girl's Ninjutsu was swift and ruthless; a continuous stream of blood arrows hurtled towards the enemy, weaving a dense, impenetrable net in the air that completely enveloped the terrified Sound Ninja! Screams erupted one after another as the Sound Ninja collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.

"Please let me join your team!" Shikamaru suddenly stood up, grabbed Sakura, and said solemnly.

Sakura and her two companions. "..."

Didn't you see our strength during the match? Now you're trying to prove your loyalty... Did you think we were too tired to fight anymore? Sakura mentally berated Shikamaru.

"Now that Shikamaru has agreed, let's get moving! Let's not get entangled with these enemies here!" Naruto urged.

Shikamaru stopped the restless Naruto: "Wait, how do we get out? I don't recommend going through the exit; there are bound to be a lot of enemies there!"

Bang! Before Shikamaru could finish speaking, a loud crash was heard behind him.

He turned his head and saw that Hinata the half-meter-thick outer wall with a single punch! Then, as if nothing had happened, she clapped her hands and said, "It's simple, get out of here!"

The two boys looked at each other, speechless: Hinata can be so violent and direct!

If I remember correctly, Hinata's family's Secret Technique is Gentle Fist!

As if seeing through their confusion, Sakura stood proudly with her arms crossed and said calmly, "I taught her."

"Let's go!" Without waiting for their response, he shouted in a low voice and led the way out.