Slashing Techniques vs. Slashing Techniques!

The plan has changed somewhat from what was originally envisioned.

However, since the First Elder had made the first move, the Fifth Mizukage naturally wouldn't refuse.

The entire plan was originally undefined and subject to change.

The only one to blame is Sakura Haruno, an unplanned variable whose strength and identity were enough to disrupt the balance, so the Mizukage simply went all in and used the most decisive method.

However, the Grand Elders were clearly not mindless fools; they also had their own plans.

If winning her over doesn't work, they'll immediately switch to suppression; all they need to do is smear the reputation of Konoha Ninja. Of course, to smear them, from a ninja's perspective, they first need to defeat her.

Verbal attacks only work after defeating the enemy; even Naruto has to abide by this rule.

They had to be quick enough, from initially disguising themselves as reception staff, to the subsequent late-night visit, and now this sudden attack.

Every step was timed perfectly.

However... every step he took was a wrong one.

This step is included.

Those in the Elder's faction felt they had already overestimated Sakura Haruno's strength—at most, the level of Elite Jonin. To have such strength at her age was already quite remarkable.

As for Tomoaki Aono being defeated in one move? That was definitely due to his carelessness. That good-for-nothing can't do anything right!

This assessment of their strength is consistent with their underestimation of Mei Terumi.

If they had even a little bit of respect for the Mizukage, things probably wouldn't have escalated to this point.

The elder didn't resort to any tricks like a war of attrition. Sakura Haruno readily suggested resolving the issue through combat, which suited him perfectly. He promptly assigned a ninja who had been waiting on the sidelines since the earlier charade.

"Since that's how you see it," the Grand Elder said with satisfaction, "To save time, why don't we let him fight you?"

He pointed to the audience below. "Suikazan Harisenbon, come on over."

A tall, fat ninja stepped forward.

A murmur of surprise rippled through the audience!

There was some surprise.

"Why is it him?" "Are they going to send him out right from the start?" "If it's him, it's dangerous..." "Suikazan Harisenbon is much stronger than the average Jonin!"...

It's a pity.

"That girl probably won't live more than ten minutes..." "What a pity..." "I've heard that Suikazan Harisenbon loves to torture his opponents; fighting him is a nightmare! The Konoha envoy is in big trouble now..."

There are also rational analyses.

"Her opponent is a disciple of the Hokage, so her strength shouldn't be too bad. It might be another fierce battle!" "Not necessarily. No matter how talented she is, she can't be that strong at this age. She's not one of those famous Kekkei Genkai clan ninjas." "In any case, the Mizukage won't just watch her get killed by the Harisenbon, not even seriously injured. Once a winner is decided, he'll definitely stop the fight immediately." "Do you think someone like Suikazan Harisenbon would really be so obedient as to stop so easily? I doubt it."...

In general, everyone agrees that although Suikazan Harisenbon is not as powerful as his brother, he is still Elite Jonin- level ninja with superb swordsmanship, rich combat experience, and extremely strong abilities.

Conversely, the Konoha envoy appeared to have little power, and the fluctuations in Chakra were not obvious.

A murmur of discussion suddenly arose, and the ninjas below the stage all looked at the girl and the tall, fat man with strange eyes.

It's as if I can already see the outcome of this battle.

Even a high-ranking Mizukage standing next to the Grand Elder on the stage frowned slightly and turned to ask the Grand Elder, "Isn't it a bit much to let him go on stage? If he causes any trouble, it will be very troublesome for Konoha."

The Grand Elder waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he's careful!"

He gestured to the Suikazan Harisenbon; the latter nodded knowingly, but its killing intent only intensified.

On Sakura Haruno's side, both Pakura and Mei Terumi knew that she was very strong, so they remained calm and composed.

The only line spoken was by Sakura Haruno: "Can I kill him?"

She exuded confidence. Indeed, with her current strength, there was probably no one in the entire Mist Ninja besides Mei Terumi who could be considered her equal.

Pakura glanced at her, and seeing that she wasn't joking, said in a low voice, "Of course, it would be best if we could kill him!"

He had sparred with Sakura informally before, and knew the girl's strength was no less than that of Suikato Harisenbon, but he didn't know her limits. Seeing Sakura's nonchalant attitude, he couldn't help but remind her, almost whispering, "He's very strong, be careful! After the fight, pretend to rest, then leave this to the Mizukage keep their men occupied at the meeting, and we'll immediately turn around and raid their secret base!"

Sakura Haruno nodded.

Since the meeting room wasn't convenient for fighting, the group went to a nearby training ground.

The training facilities in Mist Ninja are much more complete than those in Konoha. The area is very spacious and has a river, making it ideal for Water Release ninjas to use.

The others stood aside and watched, leaving only Sakura Haruno and Suikazan Harisenbon on the field.

On one side was a burly man over two meters tall, and on the other was a slender girl a little over one and a half meters tall; the two stood face to face, and judging by the contrast in their figures alone, the Suikazan Harisenbon should have the absolute advantage.

The Grand Elder and the others nodded secretly, their faces showing confident smiles.

Suikazan Harisenbon drew his large sword from behind him and stood on the ground. His face was painted with thorn-like oil paint, and the blade was dark red, as if it had been soaked in dirty blood. He looked quite ferocious.

Sakura Haruno looked into his eyes, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sinister and vicious, filled with violent killing intent, and the aura emanating from him was so intense that it was almost suffocating.

However, this level of aura... is far from enough to move Sakura Haruno, who has seen people like Sasori of the Red Sand, Orochimaru, and Kakuzu!

"Interesting... Konoha's demon, it seems your strength is not bad either!" Suikazan Harisenbon was a little surprised to find that the girl opposite him was completely unaffected by his murderous aura.

He licked his lips, revealing an excited yet sinister smile.

"I hear you're the younger brother of Suikazan Fuguki, the previous user of Samehada," Sakura Haruno said calmly. "The sword you're using now is also a replica of Samehada, isn't it? Perfect, I'd like to witness Samehada's swordsmanship. I hope you won't disappoint me."

"That depends on how long you can last... I don't like to hide myself with Hidden Mist Technique like those cowardly ninjas, nor do I Water Release to bombard the enemy. My fighting style prefers to cut people down directly, first their limbs, and then, after you've bled dry, I'll finish you off with one strike!" The tall, fat man sneered. "So if you can hold out until your limbs are severed and you're still alive, then I definitely won't disappoint you..."

"You're very confident..." Sakura Haruno remained unmoved, calm and composed, and said, "Then let me witness the swordsmanship of the Mist Ninja. I'm actually quite curious!"

If I were to fight Kisame in the future, this battle could serve as a useful reference.

Following the etiquette of friendly competition, she formed the Seal of Confrontation and bowed slightly.

Then--

Call out!

A sharp whistling sound, like a weapon slicing through the air, suddenly rang out!

The Suikazan Harisenbon completely disregarded etiquette and failed to form the Seal of Confrontation. Taking advantage of the moment the girl bowed, it suddenly sprang up like a charging bear, wielding its long sword. A dark red streak of blood flashed through the air, tearing through the air with a thunderous roar as it slashed at Sakura Haruno!

This strike was swift and dangerous, powerful and heavy, with an overwhelming momentum!

When!

The sound of metal clashing against stone rang out suddenly just before the broadsword was about to strike.

Suddenly, the girl had two butterfly swords in her hands, which she crossed above her head to block the opponent's long sword that was slashing down at her!

The Harisenbon's pupils contracted sharply. This woman looked so thin and frail... how could she have such strength? He had already used all his strength, but she didn't budge an inch!

"Is your swordsmanship limited to sneak attacks?" Sakura Haruno turned her head and looked at him calmly.

Even with a sneak attack, the Harisenbon was still too slow... Compared to Kage Level offensive, this level of attack was nothing more than child's play!

"As long as we achieve final victory, the process doesn't matter, let alone these tedious formalities...!" The Harisenbon, oblivious to its own ignorance, sneered, adding sarcastically, "There's one more thing."

"Um?"

With a flick of his wrist, the Harisenbon's dark red longsword transformed into a long, eerie streak of blood, slicing through Sakura Haruno and slicing away a large chunk of flesh!

"This kind of large, long sword can not only cut people, but also slice them!" he sneered.

In an instant, a deep, bloody gash appeared on the girl's face and shoulder, revealing the bone, and several blood flowers bloomed from it. Blood gushed from her body!

"Haha, how does it feel to be disfigured?"

The Harisenbon out a maniacal laugh, destroying the almost perfect face and leaving permanent, ugly scars, which perfectly satisfied his tyrannical destructive desires!

Sakura Haruno's clear, cool voice rang out from behind him just as he was laughing, "Is this your sword-fighting technique? It's all sneaky and underhanded moves, honestly, it's boring!"

The Harisenbon's smile suddenly froze, and then--

Boom!!

"Ice Release: Ice Clone Explosion Technique!"

The Harisenbon's expression changed drastically—what was in front of him was a clone, and it suddenly exploded right in front of him!

In an instant, the Harisenbon instinctively Hand Seals: "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!" Its long hair instantly hardened and lengthened to protect its vitals, while at the same time, it swiftly retracted its long sword to block in front of it.

They reacted very quickly...

When the thick smoke from the explosion subsided, the figure of the Suikazan Harisenbon was revealed: he was covered in wounds, with several broken icicles embedded deep in his body, and even the part of his body protected by the long sword was full of minor injuries.

"Ice... you're an Ice Release Kekkei Genkai ninja! When did you use the Clone Technique?" The Harisenbon turned around, gritting its teeth, and said weakly, "Why didn't I notice at all!"

"Of course you wouldn't notice," Sakura Haruno said with a sneer, "Because from the very beginning, it was a clone that appeared!"

She conjured a butterfly-shaped ice blade in her hand and walked towards the Harisenbon.

"I've seen your offense just now, now I want to see how you defend!"

The moment she spoke, Sakura Haruno disappeared from the Harisenbon's sight. The next moment, she instantly appeared behind the Harisenbon, her twin swords creating a sharp gust of wind as she swung them towards the Harisenbon's back!

An inch longer means an inch stronger; an inch shorter means an inch more dangerous.

The shorter the weapon, the greater the risk.

However, when Sakura Haruno, wielding a short weapon, closed in on the Harisenbon, the one in "danger" became the Suikazan Harisenbon wielding a long sword!

At this moment, the long-handled sword was too busy to maneuver in defense. The Harisenbon's expression changed. Without having time to investigate why the enemy's Body Flicker Technique was so ridiculously fast, it hurriedly spun the long sword. As the dark red blade rolled, the hilt of the long sword blocked Sakura Haruno's short sword with a clang!

"Use the hilt of the knife for defense?" The girl raised an eyebrow and asked casually.

Sakura Haruno didn't use her Monstrous Strength Technique. With a nimble and light flick of her wrist, the silver-white crystalline dagger in her hand moved and flew, silently drawing a beautiful arc in the air, bypassing the hilt of her opponent's long sword, and heading straight for the Harisenbon's neck!

"So how do we dodge this move?" she sneered.

The Harisenbon had already exhausted its sword strikes and was now unable to turn around and intercept Sakura Haruno. Its burly body suddenly paused, and it crouched down to try to dodge the attack. However, Sakura's sword strikes were incredibly fast, instantly leaving a deep, bone-revealing gash on its back.

In an instant, a brilliant flower of blood bloomed on the man's back!

This is only the second trick!

As Kage Level expert, Sakura Haruno's Taijutsu are definitely not bad; even without using her Monstrous Strength and only using Cherry Blossom Impact, she can make the Harisenbon look miserable by relying on the advantage of close combat with short weapons!

The Harisenbon snorted coldly, beads of sweat suddenly appearing on its forehead. This kind of face-to-face close combat was far too disadvantageous for the longsword user; in just two moves, the Harisenbon was already swaying precariously, unable to withstand the damage.

Call out!

Suppressing the excruciating pain, the Harisenbon twirled its blade, wielding a dark red longsword that spun in a circle, whipping up gusts of fierce wind, before twisting its body and slashing back at Sakura Haruno! This strike wasn't meant to kill, but merely to force the enemy back; a longsword was far too difficult to wield in close combat!

The blood-red blade was drawn, its whistling sound sharp and piercing.

However, while this seemingly fierce move might be effective against ordinary Jonin, it appeared too obvious and too slow to the girl who had activated Cherry Blossom Impact!

Is this all the defensive tactic they can come up with? The Harisenbon has run out of tricks... The girl's eyes suddenly turned cold; he was no longer of any use.

Sakura Haruno unleashed her Nintaijutsu, leaping into the air and fiercely wielding her right hand to block the Harisenbon's longsword!

With a sharp clang, the Harisenbon's expression changed. The girl once again unleashed power far beyond his imagination, suppressing his long-prepared horizontal slash with the strength of a single hand!

Sakura Haruno revealed a dangerous smile, but her hands didn't stop moving. Then, she flicked her left wrist, and the Butterfly Ice Blade suddenly slashed out. The strike was as fast as lightning, and the blade forced the air apart, emitting a chilling shriek, as it slashed down at the Suikazan Harisenbon!

"Nintaijutsu: Eight Slashing Blades!"

The Harisenbon was startled and quickly pulled out its long sword to block the attack, instinctively turning its head to the side.

The next second, a wrist, along with the long knife it was holding, whirled and flew out, landing far away on the ground!

"You're finished," Sakura Haruno said coldly.

She lunged into the Harisenbon's arms in one swift motion, and before the Harisenbon could even react in shock, the long sword in Sakura's hand had already pierced through its chest!

The elder's expression changed, and he suddenly raised his right hand high!

(Third update! Bonus chapter for 000 monthly votes! Sorry for being late, this battle scene took too long to write and delete!)

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