Desperate Fighting and Bluffing

"You achieved that kind of power without using much chakra... That technique of yours is strong! I'm starting to take an interest in you too, hehe!"

Just as Lord Third had said, aside from its obvious strengths, my Water Blade Technique series had another hidden advantage: both its chakra consumption and fluctuations were minimal! Generally speaking, the more powerful a ninjutsu was, the more chakra it consumed and the greater its chakra fluctuations. An experienced ninja could sense the power of an enemy's next technique from the chakra alone and react in advance! But against the Water Blade Technique, that experience became a weakness. They would assume it was a powerful ninjutsu, let their guard down, and suffer for it! The more experienced they were, the more likely they were to fall for it!

That was exactly why Orochimaru had taken my Water Blade Technique head-on!

"He was cut in half, and he's acting like nothing happened! Is this guy a monster?" Naruto shouted, pointing at Orochimaru. "Then I'll just cut you into a thousand pieces! Let's see how you recover from that! Watch closely, this is the ultimate move I worked so hard to master!"

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Then more than a hundred Shadow Clones formed hand seals together-

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

What a spectacular sight it was, over a hundred Shadow Clones unleashing ninjutsu at once! Although the Wind Cutter Technique was only a simple rank ninjutsu, over a hundred Wind Cutters fired together formed a vast, surging mass of wind blades! A fierce gale howled! Over a hundred blades swept toward Orochimaru with unstoppable force, shredding everything in their path!

"Summoning Technique: Rashomon!"

A gigantic demon gate more than a hundred meters tall rose from the ground! The mass of wind blades slammed into it, carving pits and gouges into the dozens-of-meters-thick Rashomon until it was almost reduced to a single layer of skin, but they ultimately failed to break through!

Orochimaru leaped atop the Rashomon and opened his mouth, spewing out over a million venomous snakes that gathered into a disgusting mass. Hiss! A sinister blade protruded from each white snake's mouth!

Ram, horse, snake, dragon, rat, ox, tiger! Sasuke calmly formed hand seals-

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

An enormous fireball, even stronger than the Great Fireball, writhed like a raging dragon and crashed into the vast mass of snakes. Countless white snakes turned to ash in the blazing flames! The fire dragon roared as it reduced the mass of snakes to dust, then raised its head and charged at Orochimaru, who was crouched on the gate!

Boom! After taking two powerful ninjutsu, the Rashomon finally gave way and was blown to pieces by the fire dragon. An immense cloud of dust spread into the air, covering the ground! The dust was so thick that even the Sharingan couldn't see what was happening inside.

"Did it hit...?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

"Don't let your guard down. That's Orochimaru; one or two A-rank ninjutsu won't be enough to beat him-"

Before I could finish, Orochimaru used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind me and brought his sword down at my back!

"Huh?" Orochimaru was surprised to see a water shield appear out of nowhere and block the Kusanagi Sword. For all the sword's sharpness, it hadn't even caused a ripple on the shield!

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" "Water Release: Water Python Strangulation!"

Orochimaru and I unleashed our ninjutsu at the same time. The real azure snakes and the transparent water snake formed from the water shield tangled together. "Hey!" The water snake proved terrifyingly strong. With a sudden squeeze, it crushed the real snakes into minced meat!

Then the water snake seized the chance to coil around Orochimaru's arm!

"What a troublesome and bizarre Water Release!" Feeling the water snake's toughness, Orochimaru made his arm as soft and slippery as a snake in an instant. He slipped free of the Water Python Strangulation, leaped backward into the air, and rapidly formed hand seals!

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Orochimaru consumed a large amount of chakra to create several fire dragons at once. The fiercely burning flames took the shape of huge dragons and swooped down at me! Damn it, I'd forgotten Orochimaru could use Fire Style too!

There was no time to think. I quickly formed hand seals with both hands-

"Ice Release: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

Eight ice mirrors protected me from above and on all sides. This was the Ice Release ninjutsu Yuki Haku had taught me! My ninjutsu performed poorly against elemental attacks, so after learning the ice nature transformation, I'd learned a few Ice Release techniques from Haku. They worked better against Fire Style than Water Release did! The fire dragons collided head-on with the ice mirrors, but with chakra sustaining them, even their incredibly high temperature couldn't melt the thin mirrors! Still, I couldn't keep up a contest of chakra consumption like this. I had to go on the offensive!

The fire dragons finally ended-

"Water Release: Hidden Mist!"

A thick mist enveloped my entire body. This ninjutsu, modified from the Hidden Mist Technique, covered an area only meters across, saving the enormous amount of chakra it took to create mist over a wide area! I didn't intend to conceal my location completely; I only needed to keep the enemy from seeing my movements clearly. Within the range of this technique, my perception was extremely sharp, even behind my body. So once I used it, not only would others struggle to see my movements during close-range attacks, they would have even more trouble seeing which direction I fired the Water Blade Technique in. And as long as I maintained it, I didn't have to fear sneak attacks from behind!

I moved at high speed to Orochimaru's side and drove a punch at his abdomen. I felt something slippery, and Orochimaru's abdomen twisted as if it had no bones, bending at an angle far too extreme for an ordinary person to dodge my fist. This guy was neither human nor snake! Several punches in succession slipped off the slimy liquid, doing little damage to Orochimaru. Finally, I raised my elbow and swung it sideways, using Blue Water at the same time to lock his head in place. My elbow finally struck Orochimaru's head hard!

Dirt sprayed everywhere! Orochimaru's body turned to earth under that heavy elbow strike...

"Hehehe..." Another Orochimaru had just emerged from a tree when I hit him with a Water Gun Technique, cutting him in half. He turned into a puff of white mist and dispersed into the air.

Another clone!

"Huff, huff..." The fierce battle was draining my chakra and stamina at high speed. The pace was so fast that I hadn't even noticed Naruto and Sasuke had suddenly gone quiet!

"Naruto? Sasuke?" While Orochimaru had yet to launch another attack, I hurriedly called out around me.

"Don't worry... They're only asleep!" Orochimaru suddenly appeared. Naruto and Sasuke lay at his feet, their lives uncertain!

In the instant my attention faltered, "Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!" I suddenly saw blood pooling beneath Naruto and Sasuke! Dead! They were dead!

My mind went blank for a moment, then I snapped awake. It was genjutsu! Orochimaru had already rushed to my side. The Kusanagi Sword extended from his throat, and he swung his head to slash down with it! A line of blood opened from my shoulder to between my breasts before the Blue Water shield blocked the blade!

Enduring the searing pain, Orochimaru and I unleashed ninjutsu at the same time once more-

"Water Release: Super Water Gun Jutsu!" "Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

The white snakes knocked me flying. The next instant, a line of water sliced through Orochimaru and his snakes alike—and they turned to earth and vanished!

Bang! My Water Clone blocked Orochimaru when he appeared behind me, but a snake at its feet suddenly turned into a sharp sword and stabbed straight through it. The water froze into ice as soon as it flowed out! Paying no heed to the wound, the Water Clone swung down an ice kunai filled with wind-nature chakra, slicing Orochimaru's Earth Clone and its inferior Kusanagi Sword to pieces!

"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"

That move again! Blood loss had sapped much of my strength, and I didn't have much chakra left. I barely managed to raise the ice mirrors and block the fire dragon, but the chakra overexertion made the world spin around me. A giant snake erupted from beneath my feet and knocked me into the air. I felt the bones throughout my body shaking and breaking...

I landed right beside Naruto and Sasuke. I struggled to get up, but my feet slipped and I fell to the ground again! Footsteps gradually approached. I forced my eyes open and looked at Orochimaru. Was I going to be killed?

"Tell Sasuke... if he still wants to see me, he should do his best to pass this exam!"

The footsteps gradually receded.

"And he must also defeat my three subordinates, the three Sound Ninja..."

It seemed... I was safe.

Blood loss and my injuries made my vision go dark. Intense dizziness washed over me in waves... Wait, I couldn't fall asleep here! If I did, I really would die! At the very least, I had to finish this technique first...!

I struggled to form hand seals, controlling the last of my chakra to complete one final technique-

"...I'm... counting on you for everything!"

I sank into darkness.

The sun gradually rose, and the mist dispersed.

Once my last means of concealing my tracks had completely vanished, I was helplessly exposed before the three Sound Ninja who had been searching the area for Sasuke.

I'd only recovered a tenth of my chakra, and I was covered in injuries and unable to move. More importantly, there were two wounded people still unconscious behind me. No matter how I looked at it, I felt like I'd reached a dead end! Besides the Sound Ninja, who had seen traces of the snake ninjutsu and were searching for Sasuke in the area, all the commotion yesterday afternoon was very likely to attract more enemies... By following the river, we'd strayed far from the place where we received help in the original story. In other words, I'd better not count on anyone coming to our aid...

The only good news was that my Shadow Clone had helped clean me up earlier, so I didn't look as battered as I otherwise would have-at least on the surface, I didn't look badly hurt. As a result, the cautious trio of Sound Ninja hadn't rushed to attack...

That also made it easier for me to bluff.

But after I dealt with two probing attacks from the Sound Ninja, they finally lost patience and swaggered out of the corner they thought was well hidden.

"Hmph, finally decided to come out, have you? Bugs hiding in a corner!" I wore a contemptuous smile.

The Sound Ninja in front paused. "You spotted us long ago?"

"Tch, your chakra was as conspicuous as a lighthouse in the dark. You weren't even trying to rein it in!"

"So what if you spotted us first? Your sensing ability is just a little stronger, that's all! There are three of us!" The Sound Ninja in the lead sounded a little rattled. "We'll kill her first, then finish Sasuke off!"

With my stamina as it is now, I'll collapse after three Water Gun Techniques at most... I used up a lot of my ultrapure water fighting Orochimaru, too. More importantly, they use sound to attack, and Azure Water Release doesn't offer much protection against that... I analyzed the situation quickly. My fragile condition left no room for carelessness; one mistake and things would spiral out of control! Strangely, though, despite my disadvantage, I didn't seem to feel nervous at all...

When fighting Orochimaru, just telling his real body from his clones had given me a headache, not to mention that many times it was actually the real him attacking, only to immediately switch places with a clone using the Substitution Technique if the attack went badly... When I'd read the manga, those tricks had always left me confused. I'd kept wondering why those ninja turned into clones every time they were attacked. Only after coming to this world, especially after my recent fights with those powerful opponents, had I understood: sometimes it really was a clone attacking, and sometimes the Substitution Technique was performed so quickly and seamlessly that it left no trace...

But when it came to fighting these rookies-

"Get her!" shouted the Sound Ninja captain, whose head was wrapped up with only one eye exposed. He rushed in front of me and threw a fierce punch. I raised my hand to block-boom! My arm exploded into a spray of blood!

"Haha, you were just bluffing! You looked so tough-" The Sound Ninja's voice abruptly stopped! He looked down and saw a hand gripping a kunai that had pierced the left hand he'd instinctively raised to block, then plunged deep into his abdomen! "H-how?!"

The blood splashed to the ground and turned into a puddle of clear water! The place where the tip of my Water Clone's left elbow had been blown apart had already frozen into a block of ice! The kunai pulled free—and blood gushed out! Without the slightest change of emotion in its eyes, the Water Clone gazed with detached cruelty at the Sound Ninja as he clutched his abdomen and collapsed weakly!

I had quietly created a Water Clone in hiding from the very beginning!

"A Water Clone... Doesn't it disappear when it takes damage?!" the two Sound Ninja behind him exclaimed in shock.

"Because-" I rushed out of hiding and delivered a heavy kick to the remaining male ninja. Forcing myself to ignore my body's protests, I used nintaijutsu! "That's no ordinary Water Clone!"

The Sound Ninja raised his right arm to block my attack, but the force of the kick broke it outright, bending it at a horrifying angle! The kick sent his body flying more than ten meters!

"Ah!" The Sound Ninja clutched his right arm and screamed in pain!

My Water Clone gripped a kunai blooming with blood and the blue light of wind-nature chakra, and slowly walked toward him-

"Still want to fight?"

"N-no, we're done!" The last remaining female ninja hurriedly pulled out their scroll and threw it at my feet. "You can have the scroll. Please let us go!"

"...Cough, cough. Before we go, I want to ask you something." The Sound Ninja who'd been stabbed in the abdomen was still stubbornly alive. With his companion's help, he managed to stand. "Who's stronger, Sasuke or you?"

"If it were Sasuke..." I narrowed my eyes slightly. "He'd have an even easier time dealing with you than I just did!"

I watched them limp away, then finally breathed a sigh of relief and sank to the ground, my whole body limp...

That fight had looked easy, but I'd actually used up every last bit of my stamina and chakra! Having the Water Clone threaten them with a kunai at the end had been a complete bluff. If they'd really kept fighting, they would have discovered I couldn't even stand steadily!

Now, if another enemy appeared, all I could do was pray for protection from above. I had no strength left to fight at all-

"So, in other words, you're already..." A voice came from the tree, its words filled with powerful confidence. "Completely unable to move, aren't you?"

"Neji Hyuga... That's you, isn't it?" I'd noticed him long ago, but as a fellow Konoha Ninja, he should be a friend rather than an enemy. I didn't have the strength to judge anymore! At worst, he would only steal the scroll and wouldn't kill us... "Did you see a team that couldn't fight back and come to take advantage?!"

"No... What interests me more," Neji said, jumping down from the tree, "is what kind of enemy could leave your team in this state!"

"And even in such poor physical condition, you still managed to drive your opponents off. That's what I'd expect from one of the Ninja Academy's newest twin stars..." Neji looked at me with his Byakugan, veins bulging fiercely around his eyes. "The girl genius, Sakura Haruno!"

"Hmph, even a girl genius has times when she ends up on the ground." I scornfully spat out the title. "Is that what you wanted to say? And using your Byakugan on a girl without permission is very rude!"

"As for the one we fought before..." I lay on the ground, gazing at the clear blue sky, and said calmly, "It wasn't a team. It was just one person... Look a kilometer downstream along the riverbank. You can see it, can't you? There, he defeated us without a scratch..."

"What...!" Neji was shocked by the battlefield, where a vast stretch of forest had been destroyed, and by my words!

"Don't worry, he isn't an examinee..."

We were quietly silent for a while. Neither of us spoke.

"Forget it, I'm leaving... These Chunin Ninja Exams are getting more and more interesting! So how strong is Sasuke Uchiha, then?! You'd better not disappoint me! I'll be waiting for a fair fight against you in the third exam!"

"You want to know how strong I am?" a voice suddenly rang out-

"There's no need to wait for the third exam. Let's do it right here!"

Cloud-like markings covered Sasuke's face as he challenged Neji with a wicked smile!

A powerful, evil chakra burst from his body!