Opening Remarks
As he spoke, the cat-masked Anbu Ninja swiftly Hand Seals in front of his chest—
"Ninja Art - Yin Seal, activate!"
"Ninja Art - Cherry Blossom Impact, activate!"
Chakra surged within his figure.
Shino and Yugao were both somewhat taken aback.
They all turned and glanced at Sakura Haruno without prior arrangement.
A surge of Chakra erupted from the cat-faced ninja, causing his hair to flutter and dance without wind, as if a powerful aura was rising from the ground.
"You go help Sasuke; he should be heading north. Leave this to me."
The not-so-tall figure walked to the front of the group and blocked the way for the Sound Ninja.
"They are no match for me." His tone carried an undeniable confidence.
"..." Shino stopped talking.
His first reaction was to refuse Sakura's request. It made no sense at all—leaving the team members alone to deal with multiple powerful enemies while the captain and the others went to carry out the mission.
If one abandons another to save the first, what's the point of the mission to save the first?
However, he quickly realized that Sakura Haruno understood this principle.
Although the Fourteenth Squad has always treated the girl as a newcomer and protected her.
However, it must be admitted that, apart from being unskilled in teamwork and lacking experience in mission execution, this so-called newcomer is stronger than him and Yugao in every sense.
In fact...
"If I'm not mistaken, Sakura should be the strongest one in our team."
As Yugao gazed at the girl's slender back, she thought to herself that the girl's delicate figure was very deceptive, and it would be hard for ordinary people to imagine that such a girl with thin arms and legs contained such powerful strength.
Shino had once told her that during the new recruit assessment, he had underestimated Sakura, thinking she was only average, and thus became careless, resulting in him getting a severe beating from her.
Yugao wouldn't believe Shino's self-consoling words; she extracted the phrase "a moment of carelessness" and felt that the rest was basically true.
After the girl revealed her Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, she became a hot topic among Konoha's high-ranking ninjas. Shino, as one of the few Jonin who had actually fought with her, admitted that he was no match for Sakura, which sparked a wave of reactions in the community.
Some of the more radical ones even compare her to her mentor, Kakashi Hatake.
Yugao had no interest in engaging in meaningless discussions about who was stronger than whom; she only knew that Ying was powerful in a balanced way, without any particular weakness.
--It is important to clarify that although ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu are the three dimensions for measuring a ninja's ability, generally speaking, apart from Genjutsu- type ninjas, other ninjas do not place too much importance on their Genjutsu abilities. Therefore, as long as Taijutsu and Ninjutsu are both strong, they can be evaluated as having a balanced development.
If it were her, dealing with these Sound Ninja should be a piece of cake, right?
Without a doubt, the suggestion of splitting up the forces proposed by Irisviel was indeed the best way to maximize the team's combat effectiveness and provide assistance to Sasuke as quickly as possible.
Yugao understood this feeling very well.
"Shino... I'll leave this to her." Yugao sheathed her sword and said calmly.
Shino pondered for a long time.
He, a ninja who had fought Sakura Haruno, knew her fighting prowess all too well. Although embarrassed, he had to admit that this still-young girl's strength had already surpassed his.
The previous Fourteenth Squad's training with her hadn't brought out her true strength. In fact, the battles she was truly suited for were those where she fought alone. Even if she and Yugao stayed here, they wouldn't be of much help to her. Instead, they would only make her hesitant and afraid to use moves that could easily injure her own people.
Shino was also certain that this group of Sound Ninja would be no match for Sakura.
"Then, Yuan, I'll leave this to you... You must be careful!"
Shino finally spoke.
The two nodded slightly to Sakura, and then Body Flicker Technique vanished from the spot.
"Trying to leave? Not so easy!" one of the Sound Ninja shouted, jumping out.
He quickly Hand Seals, intending to use Ninjutsu to stop Shino and the other two.
However, to what extent was the cat-faced girl's reaction accelerated while she was in her Cherry Blossom Impact state?
"Hmph!" She sneered, Monstrous Strength Technique into her feet. Using the sudden surge of power, she unleashed a Body Flicker Technique, instantly appearing before the Sound Ninja and delivering a powerful side kick that sent him flying.
With the power of the Monstrous Strength Technique, one kick sent the ninja flying over a hundred meters away!
The opening move was a shocking Taijutsu attack that stunned everyone present. The ferocious speed and power made the Sound Ninja instinctively flinch. Clearly, no one thought they could be kicked hundreds of meters away and still survive...
But this was just the opening.
There are too many people.
She glanced around and said calmly.
The icy Chakra circulated within her body in circles. Influenced by the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, her mind, while caught in the frenzy of battle, also entered a state of iceberg-like calm.
She glanced around at the Sound Ninja who were stunned by her incredible speed. Although there were many enemies, apart from the Sound Four, the others were nothing more than insects to make up the numbers.
However, a large number of insects can be quite annoying...
The girl stared expressionlessly at her enemies, who were watching her warily. Her previous attack, a combination of Body Flicker Technique and a heavy kick, seemed to have misled them into thinking that the Anbu before them was a Taijutsu -type ninja. Since the enemies were focused entirely on guarding against her Taijutsu, this was an opportunity.
An opportunity to clear the area with Wind Blade Torrent.
Her next Ninjutsu will teach her enemies how to respect her Ninjutsu, instead of just focusing on her Taijutsu moves. She is a Ninjutsu- type ninja!
--If they were still alive by then.
"Reduce the number of enemies first," she said softly.
His killing intent was palpable, and his voice grew increasingly cold, each word seemingly carrying a chilling aura.
Hand Seals, and as he spoke, the Ninjutsu was already prepared.
A murderous aura emanated from the girl's outstretched index finger on her right hand!
Water Release: Wind Blade Torrent!
The Sound Ninja paid the price for underestimating Sakura's Ninjutsu:
An indestructible, high-speed, high-pressure stream of water, propelled by Chakra, shot out like the Bleach's scythe, reaping the lives of the Sound Ninja Group like wheat being harvested!
Whoosh—the water jet sliced through the air at high speed, its shrill sound signaling the clearing of the area!
Sakura casually waved her arm.
The silvery-white water line drew a fan shape on the ground.
Wherever it swept, rubble, broken wood, and human remains instantly blended together!
"Get out of the way!" A Sound Ninja, clutching his severed arm, jumped high to avoid the sweeping high-pressure water jets, shouting frantically.
Despite his warning, by the time the Ninjutsu stopped, very few of the twenty or so Sound Ninja who had attacked were still able to stand up.
The Sound Ninja luckily escaped the attack, apart from the Sound Four reacted relatively quickly, mostly avoided it because they were standing on the far left, giving them time to react when the girl's Ninjutsu swept across from right to left.
However, Catface's Anbu was still not entirely satisfied with the results achieved by Wind Blade Torrent...
"Tch, eight more...? That's not enough for an opening!"
Meanwhile, somewhere near the border between the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Fire.
A hidden cave entrance.
A man in a kimono with dark yellow, snake-like eyes appeared in a clearing in the valley with a white-haired youth.
"Hopefully today will be a fruitful day... And you, Dou?"
The man in the kimono said.
(There will be another update tonight. ~ Please recommend, comment, and add more chapters! ~~)