The Source of the Trouble

Developing Hokuto Shinken was just an interlude in Sakura's career in the Anbu.

With the help of the Ice Clone, the Fist of the Hokuto Shinken Project didn't take too long.

However, by the time the plan reached its fifth punch, it was already more than a year later.

It's difficult to find a time when Sakura Haruno, Hinata, and Neji are all available at the same time.

Therefore, the development progress of the experiment has been repeatedly delayed.

Hinata's idea, which Qidian with two acupoints on the head, passes through the five internal organs, and ends at the heart, was proven effective by the Ice Clone, at least in the first five punches.

When the Hokuto Shinken reaches its fifth punch, it can amplify the user's strength by about ten times.

Compared to the Eight Gates Released Formation, the Hokuto Shinken is weaker, its amplified Chakra is gentler, and it causes less damage to the body, making it easier for the user to control. After all, the Hokuto Shinken uses pressure point techniques to open acupoints, while the Eight Gates Released Formation uses violent Chakra to directly open the acupoints, thereby gaining an astonishing power boost.

However, the story doesn't jump to a year and a half later...

Konoha 60th Anniversary.

In July of that year, Konoha suffered a sudden attack from Orochimaru during the multinational Chunin Ninja Exams, resulting in significant losses.

The Third Hokage was severely injured in the attack and was no longer able to serve as Hokage, so Tsunade had to succeed Hokage Position.

Konoha thus entered the era of the Fifth Hokage.

In August of that year, Sakura Haruno was promoted to Chunin.

At the end of September, Sakura Haruno joined the Anbu.

From then on, the name of the Ice Release Girl gradually spread throughout the Anbu.

A month or two later, in late autumn.

The leaves gradually turned yellow and withered, covering the ground. The autumn wind swept up a few leaves, which spun and fell in the bleakness.

Somewhere in the Land of Fire, deep in the forest.

The two groups of people were running swiftly through the woods, engaging in a brief chase.

After rushing for several kilometers, they finally realized that the distance between them and their pursuers had not increased; on the contrary, several ninjas were getting closer and closer. They stopped and turned to face them.

The three ninjas who had caught up with them also stopped in front of them.

All three wore masks, sleeveless bodysuits, and white vests, resembling members of the Anbu.

The Anbu of the ANBU, standing in the middle, looked unremarkable, with nothing special about him. On his left and right were two female ninjas. One was tall with long black hair reaching her waist, slender and graceful, while the other was much shorter and had a more delicate and youthful figure, looking more like a girl.

These were the three members of the Team Fourteen Anbu: Shino, Yugao, and Sakura.

Their mission is to capture traitorous ninjas.

The reason for using "they" is that this three-person Anbu team is a rare combination of two women and one man in Konoha. The Fourteenth Squad is mostly female, so it is natural to use "they" to refer to them.

"Lay down your weapons, surrender, and come back to Konoha to confess everything you did to betray the village. Then you might have a chance to live!"

Standing in the middle, Shino said coldly.

In response, however, the defector simply silently pulled out his ninja tools.

Surrender? They felt as if they had heard the funniest joke of their lives.

Having chosen betrayal, there's no way I can entrust myself to Konoha again. Even if there's a so-called "sliver of hope," it's a far more miserable existence than death. So, it's better to take a gamble and defeat the enemy—that's the real "sliver of hope"!

Thinking this, the missing-nin assumed a fighting stance.

They were very confident in their own fighting strength, believing that all three of them were Special Jōnin, and with the Ninjutsu they had obtained by betraying Konoha's information, they were capable of fighting even against Jonin.

As for the Anbu, Konoha's Anbu has long been a joke, hasn't it?

In the eyes of the three defectors, the Anbu and even Konoha were already rotten to the core! They rejected the applications of these three, who possessed Special Jōnin strength, to join the Anbu, but instead recruited a group of weak Chunin. Capable individuals were rejected on the grounds that they failed the political review, while mediocre and incompetent individuals filled the Anbu, holding positions without doing any work.

What's even more ridiculous is that there are ninjas who have just Chunin and managed to squeeze into the Anbu through connections with higher-ups!

How ridiculous this behavior is!

The ninja with the most powerful backing was a very young woman, probably the kept woman of some high-ranking official with unusual tastes! The missing-nin could even imagine that the girl was so eager to please a man, and that she was asking to join the Anbu for a prestigious position in the bedchamber of a high-ranking official.

Konoha has fallen!

It's no longer the ambitious and enterprising Konoha it once was, when the First and Second Hokage were alive.

The Third Hokage held onto his position for many years, stubbornly refusing to relinquish it. In order to protect his Hokage status, he openly Uchiha Clan and Kumogakure Ninja. To appease the Raikage's anger, he harmed the Hyuga Clan leader's younger brother and offered him to an enemy country, begging for peace on his knees!

What is most despicable is that the Third Hokage promoted Danzo, his former teammate and current Hokage's Danzo, to a high-ranking position in the Anbu, allowing him to secretly brainwash ninjas with inhuman methods and form the Root to persecute ninjas who had different political views from Konoha in order to maintain his rule.

This incident reveals just one aspect of Hiruzen Sarutobi's despicable nature!

Those ninjas brainwashed by the Will of Fire have lost their ability to think; they couldn't even see something this simple. Fortunately, their unbrainwashed comrades, who still possessed the ability to think freely, were able to gather together, and everyone's strength was quite good...

They were all at the Special Jōnin, so it should have been a piece of cake for them to deal with the Anbu Ninja who were no longer living up to their reputation.

The other party is just a little faster...

Look at these three Anbu Ninja! There's even a short guy who looks obviously incompetent and a liability who's managed to sneak into the Anbu team!

Looking at their skinny arms and legs and short stature, what kind of fighting power could they possibly have? The Anbu has fallen to this level; do we still need to be wary of them?

Moreover, they also possess Secret Technique obtained from Orochimaru.

With that in mind, the missing-nin prepared to attack.

A large-scale battle ensued the instant the defector drew his Kunai.

--And it ended at that very moment.

Suddenly, Yugao was at the forefront, accelerated, and her beautiful figure disappeared from the defector's retina in an instant.

Then, a flash of light appeared.

A silver crescent moon streaked across the sky.

Whoosh—when Yugao reappeared, she was already behind the missing-nin.

She slowly sheathed her sword. Behind her, the head of a missing-nin silently slid off his neck, the stunned expression forever frozen on his face.

A clean and swift kill.

Yugao's stunning attack made the remaining missing-nin realize the vast difference in strength between them.

"She's Jonin..."

"W-Why are Jonin chasing us?!"

The two missing-nin cried out in alarm. The fighting spirit and courage that had just surged within them vanished without a trace, like snow under the bright sun, in the face of such a formidable enemy!

Without a second thought, one of the missing-nin threw out a smoke bomb and then swiftly Body Flicker Technique under the cover of smoke.

He glanced back as he moved quickly.

For some reason, the two Anbu standing at the front didn't move to follow. Instead, they both looked at the Anbu Ninja at the back of the group, who was noticeably shorter than the other two.

They didn't catch up... He breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a vague unease.

Then a clear female voice came from afar:

"Shoot him, Shinso!"

These were the last words he ever heard in his life.

Whoosh! The Wind Blade Torrent of water sliced through the air and pierced his heart.

The effect is outstanding; it's a one-hit kill.

I still have Secret Technique I haven't used yet... Then the missing-nin's vision went black, and he fell to the ground forever.

"Shoot him, Shinso?"

Yugao turned around with a curious look and asked. The enemies were being killed one after another in one move, so the Fourteenth Squad seemed to have become complacent and even started chatting on the battlefield, completely ignoring that there was still an enemy who had taken cover under the cover of smoke.

Chance!

The moment the Anbu Ninja had unleashed a powerful Water Release turned his head, distracted by the long-haired woman's question, the last missing-nin hiding to the side had a sudden realization.

This is his chance to escape!

She's a Ninjutsu- type ninja, so her Taijutsu probably isn't very good...

The missing-nin rushed out, Body Flicker Technique appearing behind the girl, a dagger pressed against her neck.

"If you want her to live, let me go!"

He grabbed Sakura Haruno, roared, and pulled her backward.

The other two ninjas did not attempt to rescue their teammate.

The kidnapping plan went surprisingly smoothly. The girl showed no sense of danger whatsoever and was easily taken hostage. The other two ninjas did not attempt to rescue their teammate; instead, they retreated to a distance!

Was he going to abandon his teammates? He was filled with doubt and surprise, and he gripped the Kunai in his hand even tighter, the sharp edge pressing a bloody mark on the girl's fair neck.

"Back off! Back off! Get even further back!"

The weakness of the Anbu surprised him greatly. Even the female Jonin who had instantly killed his comrade retreated repeatedly at his shouts, and the girl he was holding hostage in his arms was also obedient and showed no sign of wanting to resist.

Maybe this girl is the type who's really good at Ninjutsu but terrible at Taijutsu!

Although the missing-nin had some doubts, he was mostly overjoyed: it seemed he really could escape from these Anbu, and even kidnap this cute girl along with him without any problem!

Then, hehehehehe...

The last missing-nin was dreaming.

Then he heard a voice.

Ice Release: Clone Great Explosion Technique!

Boom!

(1/. Again, 000 words~ Please recommend, comment, and add chapters~~)

(Someone asked me about getting married or being a lesbian. My answer is: single and no P! P is meaningless in battle-themed shows. However, I might post a side story in the book club to satisfy some people, hehe!)

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