Another Encounter with the Akatsuki!

By a river on the outskirts of Konoha.

It was evening, and the setting sun had already begun to sink in the west.

I was roasting fish with Naruto. As for Jiraiya... that guy had left the two of us behind to gather information. Crackle, crackle. I gazed boredly at the burning kindling as I waited for the fish on my skewer to cook, recalling my conversation with Jiraiya the previous afternoon-

On the road out of Konoha.

"Why... are you bringing me along?" I asked Jiraiya, puzzled.

There was no way Jiraiya had come looking for me simply because he had nothing better to do, so the most likely reason was... to let me meet Tsunade? But why did he want me to meet Tsunade in person... unless—an idea struck me in an instant! The possibility I had been considering ever since I transmigrated!

"You've already figured it out, haven't you..." Jiraiya's lips curled up slightly. "I'm going to introduce you to Tsunade and have her take you as her disciple!"

"And my purpose in looking for her is to get her to return to the village and inherit the title of Hokage!"

"If that's the case, couldn't I ask her to take me as a disciple after she comes back? You brought me along especially, so you must have another reason!"

"No, bringing you along so you and Tsunade can meet in person really is the main reason. Of course, with you around, I'll also feel much more at ease about Naruto's safety!"

"What do you mean? Aren't you going to protect us?"

"I need to gather information, because Tsunade's whereabouts still haven't been confirmed... and besides, you've already seen that the Akatsuki have their eyes on Naruto. So while I'm gathering information, I'll leave Naruto in your care! Don't worry, I won't be too far away from you two. You just need to hold out for a while. With your abilities, that shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"...I really give up with you. Fine, since that's how it is, leave Naruto to me!"

I was actually already prepared for the possibility of becoming Tsunade's disciple. In the original story, whether Tsunade had taken me as a disciple because I was Naruto's teammate or because I had a great talent for Chakra control, those conditions hadn't changed after I transmigrated. They had even gotten stronger, so Tsunade had no reason to refuse to take me as her disciple. Unless Kishimoto had deliberately arranged for Tsunade to take Sakura as a disciple just to make up the new Sannin.

Tsunade had several Ninjutsu I had coveted for a long time.

First was the Monstrous Strength Technique. What I had never understood about this technique was how the ** could withstand such enormous force without breaking down. Generating monstrous strength was no longer difficult for me. The Water Gun Technique could easily produce tremendous pressure, and instead of using that force to squeeze water, I could use it to propel my body through various movements. That was also the fundamental idea behind the Nintaijutsu I had created. The problem was that my Nintaijutsu had now reached an insurmountable bottleneck: my fragile ** couldn't withstand that kind of force. Of course I could smash an entire street apart with one punch like Tsunade, but then my whole body would immediately break down!

Without a doubt, Tsunade's Monstrous Strength Technique and her unparalleled Medical Ninjutsu complemented each other, and this was also the best way for me to overcome my Nintaijutsu bottleneck.

Still, I thought Tsunade's use of the Monstrous Strength Technique was rather unscientific. If her hands could unleash such destructive power, why couldn't she use that force to accelerate? Smashing an entire street with one punch had to take at least thousands of tons of force, right? In theory, applied to her feet, one push off the ground could accelerate her to a speed of 1,000 meters per second in 0.1 seconds... perhaps such a high speed would be hard to control, but with that, Tsunade should at least have been a speed-type or Taijutsu-type ninja... had she simply never thought of it, or was there some other mystery to the Monstrous Strength Technique that made it impossible?

Second was the Yin Seal.

The amount of Chakra I had had always been a major factor limiting my growth. Although I had now reached puberty and my Chakra reserves were increasing rapidly, I couldn't compare to ninjas like Naruto and Kisame at all. Even compared to Sasuke, I had no particular advantage-my spiritual power was too strong, and my ** strength had become a serious weakness holding me back! Unfortunately, things like physical constitution were mostly determined at birth. Even if I trained hard afterward, training like Lee, I still wouldn't build up Chakra reserves as vast as Naruto's. I would only get one step closer to my limit.

To be honest, if I fought at full strength for three minutes now, continuously using Ninjutsu like Azure Water Release and Endless Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death, I could even reach close to Kage Level combat power, but I would be exhausted immediately afterward. Once I learned the Yin Seal, however, I could accumulate all the Chakra I produced each day inside the seal and draw it out when I needed it. The Chakra at my disposal would instantly increase severalfold, and at least in ordinary battles, I would no longer be limited by my Chakra reserves!

Moreover, I had a vague feeling that there was still a great deal of room for improvement in the Yin Seal... as for whether that feeling was right, I wouldn't know until I learned the Ninjutsu!

Most importantly, though, I could learn the Shinobi World's greatest medical master's understanding of the human body. And that was connected to the development of the third stage of my Azure Water Release! The first stage of Azure Water Release was to produce a small amount of Ultra-Pure Water for self-defense; the second stage was to produce a moderate amount of Ultra-Pure Water and use it for Nintaijutsu and Azure Water Release. As for the third stage, it involved applying Ultra-Pure Water on a deeper level... I had an idea, and if it worked, I might spend one or two years completing it in the future—it would definitely be a super Ninjutsu surpassing S-rank!

Shippuden was also said to take place two and a half years later, which meant I still had two and a half years to complete this training. Although I didn't know what enemies I would encounter in the future, if I really managed to complete these Ninjutsu, most ninjas wouldn't be a problem anymore, would they?

Thinking of the bright prospects that might await me, I couldn't help feeling a little pleased with myself. Still, ninjas had all sorts of bizarre abilities, and it wouldn't be strange if some people completely countered me. I couldn't get too confident!

"Sakura, what are you laughing at?" Naruto, sitting across from me, noticed me chuckling to myself.

I felt a little embarrassed. "Ahem, it's nothing. I just thought of something funny!"

Fortunately, Naruto didn't pay it any mind and changed the subject instead. "Sakura, I'm so bored! Can you teach me a few more Ninjutsu? Didn't you say there was more training to do after the Rasengan you taught me last time?"

I was quite happy to teach Naruto Ninjutsu. Someone with his personality wouldn't forget a favor. He was the male lead of a hot-blooded manga, after all, so he wouldn't fall short morally, and he was bound to become powerful in the future. One day he would become a major powerhouse I could rely on. Besides, he was my teammate. Wasn't it a pleasure for teammates to help each other?

Still, I had to criticize Naruto for being so obsessed with Ninjutsu!

"Idiot! You're not a Ninjutsu-type ninja to begin with. No matter how many Ninjutsu you learn, you won't be able to use them in battle! You'd be better off practicing your Taijutsu!" I gave Naruto a long-overdue knock on the head. "Besides, didn't I tell you about the Rasengan? With your current abilities, you still can't learn the rest. I'll teach you later!"

"Tch, if you won't teach me, then don't. You don't have to be so mean!" Naruto muttered quietly, looking thoroughly dejected.

"Tch! You really are a pain! Fine, I'll-" Naruto's expression had defeated me, and I was about to teach him a few Wind Release techniques to get it over with when I suddenly sensed something was wrong!

The feeling of being watched suddenly rose in my heart!

Enemies! And most likely, those two-

"Naruto-watch out! Someone's coming!" I quickly stood up, looking around as I warned Naruto.

Everything around us was calm and peaceful, and there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, but I was certain they were nearby!

"Come out!" I called toward the empty grass.

"I didn't expect you to be so alert, kid!" The speaker was a tall ninja with an ugly shark face. He appeared before us at the same time as Uchiha Itachi!

"You're... the ninja who blocked Kisame's technique with Water Release last time!" Itachi's words seemed intended to remind Kisame not to let his guard down!

"Showing up here this late... you're not out for a walk to enjoy the scenery, are you?" I asked a question I already knew the answer to as I stood in front of Naruto. Jiraiya and his jinxed mouth... I really had run into them! There shouldn't be much trouble if I stalled for a little while! If they were a little careless and got hit by the Water Gun Technique...

"We're here to take the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... please step aside. Naruto, come with us," Itachi said expressionlessly.

"Like hell I'll go with you! You're dangerous wanted criminals!" Naruto shouted nervously!

"It looks like you won't come quietly, so I'll just cut off your arms and legs before I take you away!" Kisame said cruelly, a bloodthirsty smile spreading across his face!

"Hey, have you forgotten I'm still here?!" The Chakra throughout my body seemed to boil. Facing powerful enemies I could barely hope to match once again, the first thing I felt was a burning desire to fight!

"If you want to take Naruto, you'll have to step over my dead body first! I absolutely won't let you take him!"

"I let you off last time, and now you dare come looking for death again? How very brave of you!" Kisame mocked. "Would it be too cruel to chop a cute little ninja like you into a dozen pieces?"

"Are you done boasting..." I said softly. "It's hard to say who let whom off last time!"

"Kisame, enough talk. Kill her, then take the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"

With those words from Itachi, the battle began!

Kisame raised Samehada and charged at me! The enormous Samehada descended toward me with unmatched force! The slash even whipped the air into a terrifying howl!

"Naruto, stay behind me!"

I wasn't afraid of Kisame's attack in the slightest. Physical attacks like this were already almost useless against me!

"Azure Water Release: Blue Water Clone!"

A lifelike clone stood in front of me and caught Kisame's Samehada with one hand!

"What?!" Kisame had assumed that a fragile Water Clone would never be able to take that blow. He hadn't expected my Water Clone to block his Samehada so easily, and the enormous disparity made him cry out in surprise!

The clone gazed coldly at Kisame, braced both hands against Samehada, and sent him flying over ten meters with a powerful kick! Kisame got to his feet looking somewhat disheveled, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and stared coldly at me. "There really is something strange about your Water Release... your clone is actually this strong, even though I didn't see you use much Chakra!"

"The strength of a Ninjutsu isn't necessarily related to how much Chakra it uses... you're behind the times, old man! You've got all that Chakra, but it's no use at all. You don't seem all that strong to me!"

"Kisame... don't let her words provoke you! There's something strange about her technique. It would be better to be careful!" Itachi said, giving me a calm glance.

"Hmph. You'll find out whether it's useless when you try it!"

"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

A tremendous amount of water gushed from Kisame's mouth, forming a wave several meters high that surged toward us!

I used Water Release to lift Naruto, the Water Clone, and myself high into the air. The wave rushed beneath our feet without affecting us at all! Still, Kisame's Chakra reserves really were absurdly vast. In just a few seconds, the hollow by the river had turned into a lake!

Seeing us dodge so easily, Kisame remained unmoved and continued forming Hand Seals!

"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"

A massive torrent of water surged up from beneath our feet, forming a giant shark that lunged at me with its jaws open! But as long as I still had enough Chakra to use Azure Water Release, a Ninjutsu that attacked through impact like this couldn't do anything to me! A water shield formed from Ultra-Pure Water floated beneath my feet, firmly blocking Kisame's Ninjutsu without so much as a ripple!

Kisame frowned. "Nice defense... then how about this!"

Kisame rapidly formed Hand Seals, gathering an astonishing amount of Chakra!

"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"

Endless water gathered into a terrifyingly huge shark. Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth, and each tooth alone was almost as tall as I was! The giant shark charged at me with overwhelming force!

"Roar-!"

The giant shark's charge swept up endless water and raised an earth-shaking roar!

This was no ordinary Ninjutsu! I could sense a strange Chakra reaction on every tooth, and they seemed to have some special function as well! Still, the Ninjutsu itself couldn't escape its nature as an attack using the impact of a massive amount of water. In the end, it was merely a somewhat unusual conventional Water Release technique!

"Azure Water Release: Absolute Defense!"

For all its imposing force, the giant shark couldn't advance an inch against Azure Water Release's defense! The strange Chakra on its teeth had no effect on Azure Water Release either! Even with such a vast amount of Chakra driving so much water, how much of it could actually strike me? It wasn't even as good as my Water Gun Technique, which concentrated all its power into a thread of water as thin as a hair! The giant shark was like something biting down on an iron ball: it swallowed the ball whole, only to break all its teeth!

"That ought to break your turtle shell!" With the scene obscured by spray, Kisame came rushing up with the current and spoke confidently!

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"

The moment Kisame and I caught sight of each other, he used the Water Prison Technique! But my Absolute Defense hadn't been broken, so how could the Water Prison Technique possibly work? Kisame had used the Ninjutsu without a second thought because he was far too confident, and that confidence was what set the stage for his defeat in the next instant!

The moment I heard his voice, I began rapidly forming Hand Seals-

"Water Release: Super Water Cannon Technique!"

A thread of water shot from between my fingers without warning! Everything in its path shattered like tofu under its impact. The giant shark was sliced cleanly in two, a flicker of shock appeared on Kisame's face, and then-

He was cut in two by the thread of water!

Splash-!

Kisame's severed body turned into several masses of water, streaked with spots of blood. They merged with the collapsing body of the giant shark and fell onto the water's surface with a deafening crash!

Tap-!

Kisame landed awkwardly on the water, barely managing to stand with Samehada for support. Samehada and his left leg had both been cut halfway through!

An artery had been severed, and blood gushed from the wound! Ghastly white bone was faintly visible through it!

I wasted no words and pressed my advantage!

"Water Release: Super Water Gun Jutsu!"

The thread of water struck Kisame's shoulder, easily punching a hole through it. I moved my finger, and the thread shifted gently with it, about to cut off Kisame's head and take his life-

"Dōjutsu: Amaterasu!"

Black flames appeared at my fingertip, burning straight through the thread of water and spreading toward my hand without stopping!

Smack! I immediately dispersed and flicked away the water I had condensed for the Water Gun Technique, throwing the black flames attached to it aside! Fortunately, I had kept a layer of Chakra water on my skin as a precaution. It blocked Amaterasu just long enough for me to react in that precious instant!

When I looked down again, Itachi had already retreated with Kisame. There was no one left on the water...

Tap! There was the sound of another person landing on the water.

"It's me, Sakura!" Jiraiya's voice came from behind me. I held back the Water Gun Technique I had almost launched again and turned around to see the serious expression on Jiraiya's face.

"Have they already been here?" Jiraiya frowned as he looked at the mess beneath his feet. The enormous amount of Chakra water Kisame had created was already gradually disappearing now that the technique's user had left!

Naruto, Jiraiya, and I landed on the ground.

"Whew..." I took a short breath. "Yeah, they tried to take Naruto, but I drove them off!"

Jiraiya warily surveyed the surroundings, carefully examining the traces left by the battle.

"This pool of blood...! Could it be-" Jiraiya said to me in some surprise. "It looks like they really were defeated!"

"Hmph!" Having defeated Kisame, I could barely keep a smug expression off my face. "That guy who uses Water Release, I think his name was Kisame, had all that Chakra for nothing. Both his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu were completely countered by mine. He was ridiculously weak!"

Indeed, if Kisame had kept wearing me down with clones and Ninjutsu, I probably wouldn't have lasted ten minutes. The problem was that he had been too arrogant and come at me with his real body. During the first three minutes, when I had plenty of Chakra, I could unleash terrifying destructive power! What was more, my abilities completely countered his Ninjutsu, so he couldn't bring out even twenty percent of his Chakra's power against me!

"Kisame..." Jiraiya looked at me with a bit of a headache. "What Ninjutsu did you use, anyway? Even an expert of that caliber was defeated by you!"

"It was the Water Blade Technique series, right?" Naruto answered before I could. "I remember you using it when you fought that Orochimaru guy before!"

"Hehe, Naruto, all that boasting I did to you about how strong this technique was didn't go to waste. You actually remember it so clearly!" I laughed proudly. "Jiraiya, old man, you haven't seen this technique yet, have you? It's an S-rank Ninjutsu I completed under Lord Third's guidance!"

I formed Hand Seals and used the Water Gun Technique to demonstrate for Jiraiya. The thread of water easily sliced a nearby boulder in two!

"Now I understand why Kakashi couldn't teach you..." Jiraiya said, somewhat at a loss for words. Although it was only a small demonstration, his discerning eye had already picked up on a great deal. "So you have more than just that Water Release!"

"Let's go. Even though they've been driven off, it's still not safe here. Let's spend the night in the next town!"

Jiraiya waved his hand, put those questions aside, and led us onward!