Both Sides Suffered Heavy Losses (Part 1)
Kisame stared intently in the direction from which the cold female voice came from, watching as Sakura Haruno, clutching her right shoulder, slowly emerged from the icy mist.
In the previous head-on clash, Kisame was indeed the final loser, severely injured and barely clinging to life. But the girl couldn't smile now either—her condition was also terrible.
As the dust settled, Sakura Haruno's figure became clearer: her entire arm was a bloody mess, with not an inch of intact skin to be found, bent at an angle that a normal arm could not possibly achieve, hanging limply at her side.
Just seconds ago, her arms were as straight and slender as jade lotus roots, but now they could serve as props in a top-notch horror movie from my past life: bloody wounds, white bones, a pool of dark red blood, and an abnormal shape that was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
"Hmph." Kisame let out a cold laugh. Although he was badly injured, his opponent hadn't fared well either.
The reason why the Monstrous Strength Technique requires such high Chakra manipulation is not only because it demands extremely precise control of Chakra to enhance muscles and unleash tremendous power, but also because it requires advanced Medical Ninjutsu techniques to protect the arm and repair the negative effects of the Monstrous Strength Technique. The latter is especially important because the Monstrous Strength places an enormous strain on the body, not to mention the immense recoil after unleashing such force. If one didn't know how to protect oneself, Sakura Haruno's arm would probably be ruined after using the Star Cannon Hammer a few times.
However, during the battle just now, Samehada absorbed too much Chakra the moment its fist made contact with Sakura Haruno's, almost causing the Monstrous Strength Technique to collapse and disappear. Although Sakura Haruno replenished her Chakra in time and barely maintained the last few percent of her strength, she really didn't have the time or energy to focus on protecting her arm.
This led to Kisame's initial victory followed by defeat: despite successfully setting a trap, Sakura Haruno overcame Kisame's skill with brute force. With her superior Chakra control, she managed to maintain the Star Cannon Hammer despite Samehada's Chakra suction and exchanged a solid blow with Kisame.
At the same time, Sakura Haruno's domineering and unreasonable behavior also cost her dearly: one of her arms was completely destroyed.
The girl emerged from the dust and mist, her light and steady steps still deliberate, her expression indifferent and calm. With her head down, she tore off the tattered right sleeve of her uniform with her left hand, performing Medical Ninjutsu while setting the bones in her right hand.
Ninjas seem to be made of special materials: Kisame is so badly injured, yet he can still barely stand up; Sakura Haruno is clearly enduring indescribable pain, but her cold and aloof face shows no sign of feeling any pain, and her voice doesn't even tremble.
This pain was nothing compared to the agony she felt when developing Ninjutsu using clones and doppelgangers; it wasn't even enough to make her, a six-foot-tall girl, frown.
Instead, she realized how careless she had been by rushing in without thinking, how foolish she had been to walk headlong into someone else's trap, and the feeling of being intellectually outmatched by others touched her deeply.
Sakura Haruno is a very proud person.
This statement wasn't meant to be derogatory; in fact, those closest to her are more likely to sense this. Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sasuke all share this assessment— Naruto is an exception; he's too oblivious to notice that arrogance.
In terms of interpersonal relationships, she is quite good, gentle and humble, a trait praised by the villagers and her fellow ninjas.
--I heard that girl recently ran into Orochimaru and even managed to defeat him. Her strength must be among the top in the village, right? Her record is impressive... She seems like just a pretty easygoing girl, truly a hidden talent!
This is an elite colleague from an Anbu.
--Yes, she greeted me. What a polite child! Despite her great strength, repeatedly defeating powerful enemies for the village, she hasn't picked up the arrogant attitude of those Jonin and Anbu. This child reminds me of the Fourth Hokage...
This is a ninja who spent his entire life Chunin.
Wow, the goddess smiled at me! Is she hinting at something? Could a goddess really be interested in a Genin ninja like me? Is it because I'm too handsome? Hehehe, come on, that beautiful female ninja I saw at the hospital last time also kept smiling at me. She's so gentle. What if she also...? Which one should I choose? They're both pretty good-looking, but as for their figures... hehe!
This is... well, let's not talk about it.
However, to others, it's a completely different story:
--Her stubborn ideas keep coming up, she always thinks she's right, she's as proud as a goose! She's getting harder and harder to teach!
This is a Konoha High Command with a deep and enigmatic career.
--To be honest, this was the worst class of students I've ever taught.
This is a masked young man.
--Don't let her squinty smile fool you, she has a terrible temper! When discussing Ninjutsu, she'll give you a disdainful look every now and then, as if any knowledge is basic common sense and anyone who doesn't is an idiot! And behind your back, she loves to nitpick textbooks and other people's notes, criticizing them mercilessly, acting all high and mighty! It's much more relaxing being with Naruto...
This is a boy with facial paralysis.
By the way, young man, your inclinations are dangerous.
The two completely different evaluations are just different aspects of Sakura Haruno, and both are actually correct—even the masked youth's harsh evaluation is an undeniable fact.
In many areas, such as certain humanities, social sciences, and scientific knowledge, and certain values, Sakura Haruno retains her views from her previous life. To other ninjas, this often appears as a strange and inexplicable insistence, making her seem arrogant.
--However, the reverse might be closer to the truth: it's because she's a rather proud person who always insists that her own ideas are right. This allowed her to maintain her original personality and character after transmigrating to this cruel ninja world, instead of going with the flow and being changed by this world to become a true ninja. Perhaps in the eyes of some other transmigrators, changing their values to be like everyone else in this world is what it means to integrate into this world; but with Sakura's pride, she would rather the world be changed by her, not the other way around.
Admittedly, in order to survive and to deal with the ruthless and unimaginably powerful enemies of the present and future, Sakura Haruno has compromised a lot with this world. She suppresses her inner thoughts and transforms herself more and more like a true ninja: skilled in combat, ruthless in her actions, and merciless in killing. But she can never become a true ninja in the real sense, that emotionless war machine who knows no means to complete missions—in the Hokage world, this is indeed the mainstream view that demands of ninjas, and this is how students are educated at the Ninja Academy.
Whether it's stubbornness or unwavering commitment, it doesn't matter.
It was this little bit of pride in her heart that supported the transmigrator in upholding her bottom line and preventing her from losing her true self—after experiencing so many events and so many life-and-death battles, it was truly not easy to do this.
(I'll post the second half of the chapter tomorrow morning; I'm too tired to write another thousand words.)