Both Sides Suffer Heavy Losses (Part 2)

Sakura Haruno is actually aware of her flaws; Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sasuke don't shy away from pointing out her personality issues. She just doesn't want to change. Changing oneself is incredibly difficult; to change oneself, one must first recognize one's mistakes. And in previous battles, this problem hadn't been exposed. Moreover, Sakura even felt that this personality flaw wasn't a problem at all, and was even beneficial.

There's a saying from an ancient time: one should not be arrogant, but one should not lack backbone.

Sakura Haruno's smooth-sailing battles had instilled too much arrogance in her. She even defeated the Second Hokage and Orochimaru combined, which made the girl become complacent and start looking down on others: Before the battle, Sakura even thought she could fight Uchiha Itachi and Kisame at the same time! But now, it seems that if Itachi were here, she would probably be dead by now.

Being Kisame was like a resounding slap across the face of a girl with her nostrils pointing outwards; it caught her off guard and left a deep impression.

Sakura Haruno isn't stupid; she's just recently become a little intoxicated by the illusion that her strength is starting to feel invincible. She's become a bit carried away and has lost her sense of self-importance, turning her pride into foolish arrogance.

Of all kinds of pride, being proud of one's good looks or one's strength is nothing special.

Being beautiful is not necessarily a good thing for a ninja.

Besides being easily looked down upon and seen as merely decorative, in war, beautiful ninjas, regardless of gender, once captured, suffer far more torment in the eyes of bloodthirsty enemies than ordinary ninjas. Torturing prisoners and venting bestiality on them—specific details might be comparable to the gruesome underground films of Eastern Europe in my previous life—were commonplace in every ninja war. While the manga naturally wouldn't depict such atrocities, it doesn't mean they didn't happen, nor does it mean that Sakura Haruno wouldn't have noticed them while reviewing the documents.

As for strength.

In her previous life, Sakura Haruno dropped Hokage because she found the later episodes' power levels excessively inflated and even collapsed, making it unwatchable. To her, the essence of Hokage lay in the Chunin Ninja Exams, while Shippuden completely negated Chunin Ninja Exams, so naturally, she had no interest in continuing. Whether Sakura regrets it now or not, she knows that with her current strength, against enemies whose power levels might later inflate to the point of absurdity, she'd probably just be a minor character on the battlefield. Therefore, she can't be proud of herself in that regard.

Insisting that one is right, refusing to reflect on oneself, and being overconfident to the point of being blind and arrogant—this kind of pride is perhaps the most conceited of all.

The sharp pain from her right hand not only hurt her body, but also made Sakura feel as if she had been slapped in the face, a burning pain shooting through her heart.

The moment of clash just now was the most dangerous of all of Sakura Haruno's battles. If she hadn't stabilized the Chakra of her Monstrous Strength Technique, and if Samehada had absorbed even more Chakra... she might be the one critically injured and dying right now.

Thinking about this, the girl felt a wave of fear and her face turned a little pale.

Knowing full well that the enemy already knew their intelligence, why did they assume the other party couldn't handle their moves and blindly charge in like a headless fly? Did they really think these battle-hardened missing-nin of Akatsuki were fools? Little did they know that when you treat everyone else as fools, you often become the biggest fool yourself.

Sakura Haruno walked over, tending to her injured right hand while silently reflecting on her actions.

Kisame's strike truly woke her up.

In terms of raw power, Kisame's Water Release and Chakra reserves are far inferior to Sakura's. The only thing to worry about is the Samehada sword. Sakura Haruno, who also possesses all of Kisame's information, dares to confidently challenge him to a one-on-one duel. How could she not have a way to deal with Samehada? If she plays it safe, Sakura wouldn't need to create such a dangerous situation and could still easily defeat Kisame.

"Cough cough," Kisame, leaning on his Samehada sword, forced himself to stand, still trying to speak, when he coughed up several more mouthfuls of dark red blood. "I didn't expect Samehada to fail to drain your Chakra. This so-called trap has actually gotten me caught in it... I've brought this upon myself!"

His eyes were somewhat dim; the severe injuries were draining the ninja's vibrant life force, causing his burly body to hunch over.

"Your control over Chakra is truly astonishing," Kisame said weakly, stroking the hilt of Samehada. "Samehada can absorb half a Tailed Beast's Chakra in an instant, yet I've been taken advantage of by you!"

Samehada certainly suffered a loss; his current state was far from nonchalant. It looked as if it had been snapped at a ninety-degree angle, the once straight blade now L-shaped, the jagged spikes lying limply on the edge, resembling a dead fish. The power had been transferred from the Samehada sword to Kisame, and even that had nearly killed Kisame; how much more so would the Samehada sword, facing the Star Cannon Hammer Samehada head-on?

That said, Samehada is a fish, isn't it?

It seems that people speak the best words when they are about to die; Kisame's words carried a greater sincerity, probably because he was at the weakest point in his life.

Sakura Haruno was tending to her wounds when she heard this, and she looked up at him with some surprise.

She was reflecting on her mistakes when Kisame unexpectedly spoke up and admitted his own fault first.

"I didn't expect Samehada to have such a strong Chakra absorption ability, and I certainly didn't expect my technique to be able to counter it like this." After a moment's hesitation, the girl readily admitted her mistake. "Samehada... it's truly a powerful weapon."

When the battle reaches a stalemate, some people like to use words to influence the enemy, or exchange a few words out of mutual respect; but Kisame is almost dead...

Is this someone giving their last words?

Sakura doesn't usually chat with enemies during battle. She's making conversation now, but her Medical Ninjutsu hasn't stopped. She's determined that as soon as her right hand recovers enough to Hand Seals, she'll finish off Kisame!

"According to the information from the Land of Water, Samehada's ability to absorb Chakra is extremely strong, but it couldn't be this strong." Supporting her right hand with her left, Sakura Haruno carefully set the broken bones one by one and then quickly recovered under the effect of Medical Ninjutsu. She didn't stop talking and continued.

Many things, no matter how detailed or real, cannot be truly understood without personal experience, and Samehada's abilities are no exception.

The ability to absorb her Frost Ice Burial in an instant, and almost drain the girl dry the moment her hand touched Samehada, is truly astonishing! According to Chakra, it could even bite off most of Tailed Beast's Chakra in one bite. Using Kisame as an example, even if he unleashed four tails Naruto, he'd probably be drained dry in an instant, right?

With his powerful Water Release, Chakra Tailed Beast- level chakra, and impressive swordsmanship, coupled with the Samehada which completely counters ordinary Ninjutsu, it's no wonder Kisame was so confident. Without special abilities, any Ninjutsu- based ninja facing Kisame would be simply giving Chakra. Within Akatsuki, even someone like Kakuzu would have to run if he were to fight Kisame, and Sasori's Samehada Chakra Threads were completely countered by Samehada. As for Hidan and Deidara, they're even further behind. Even considering the entire Shinobi World, Sakura Haruno believes Kisame's strength easily ranks within the top ten. [Note]

"Hmph," Kisame sneered, head bowed, seemingly unintentionally saying, "The Land of Water... is inherently a country filled with lies and falsehoods."

Despite realizing that Kisame was openly trying to sow discord between the two countries, Sakura Haruno couldn't help but harbor suspicions.

Do they really not know?

Even asking Mei Terumi wouldn't get you an answer to this question, would it? It's terrifying; the two ninja villages haven't even entered their honeymoon period of cooperation, and suspicion has already begun to arise.

The girl's mind raced, a multitude of thoughts flashing through her head, which she then forcefully suppressed. She was still in the midst of a battle; she couldn't assume the fight was over just because Kisame was seriously injured, and that she had time to indulge in idle speculation!

"So that's your reason for betraying the Land of Water?" Sakura Haruno added meaningfully, "Do you know? In the Land of Water, Suikazan Fuguki was a martyr who sacrificed himself to stop you from betraying the village."

Of course, Sakura Haruno also heard another version of the law in the Land of Water —that is, Kisame's law in the manga—that Kisame killed the traitor Suikazan Fuguki, but had no evidence to prove it, and had to defect from Kirigakure with the crime of harming his comrades.

"Heh heh heh..." Kisame chuckled mockingly, dark red blood splattering everywhere as if it were free, but he seemed oblivious, only snarling, "The traitor who betrayed the village has become a hero who defended it, and the one who eliminated the traitor for the sake of the village has to flee it in the end, ha ha... How laughable, what a despicable village!"

"Is that so?" Sakura said noncommittally. Under the powerful healing of Yang Release Chakra, the bones in her right hand had been set. She began to lower her head and comb through the wounds in her muscles. The flesh, which had split open layer by layer like old tree bark, was slowly healing.

"You've seen my file, so you should know that I recently cooperated with the Fifth Mizukage in the Land of Water to wipe out the Suikazan Clan." The girl's expression was somewhat nonchalant, as if she was focusing most of her energy on treating her right hand. She slowly said, "Guess what I found in the spoils?"

Kisame didn't respond, but simply looked up and stared coldly at Sakura Haruno.

Sakura didn't seem to mind, paused for a moment, and then continued, "The secret documents of the Suikazan Clan record the following event..."

"When they arrived at the scene, they found that Suikazan Fuguki had awakened from the Genjutsu in his final moments."

Sakura Haruno's voice was devoid of any emotion; she uttered this sentence in a flat and clear tone.

Genjutsu? Could Suikazan Fuguki's actions be the result of Genjutsu? It's not impossible, because something even more absurd happened to the Fourth Mizukage!

Kisame's pupils suddenly contracted, and his true tiger-like body trembled.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Do you think I'd believe that? It's just another lie."

If his defection was also a result of Madara Uchiha's manipulation, then what was the point of him coming to Madara's Akatsuki to seek a real world? Kisame could not, and did not want to, believe the words of his enemy!

The two remained silent for a moment, neither interested in bringing up the topic again.

Before long, Sakura's treatment was nearing its end, and her right arm had fully recovered.

"Hmph, whatever," Sakura Haruno said casually, flexing her right hand and looking at her palm. "I'm not interested in your Land of Water's past. Who is the illusory and who is the real is none of my concern. Anyway... after today, the names of Kisame and Samehada will disappear from the Shinobi World!"

Her slender fingers danced nimbly in the air, fluttering like butterflies, making various Hand Seals, signifying that her right hand was nearing recovery and that its owner was about to regain the ability to perform powerful Ninjutsu.

This also implies that she is about to kill Kisame and then rush back to Sasuke's battlefield to support him as quickly as possible.

"Heh heh, is that really so?" Kisame's voice suddenly became strong and full of energy, not at all like someone who was seriously injured and on the verge of death.

He suddenly straightened his previously hunched back and said with a cold laugh, "I guess there's something else the Kirigakure hasn't told you."

Even without Kisame's reminder, Sakura Haruno noticed the problem; in fact, if she hadn't been focused on performing Medical Ninjutsu on herself, Sakura would have discovered the anomaly much earlier.

"Samehada actually has the ability to heal its user..." Sakura Haruno's expression was tense as she stared at Kisame's quietly healed body, uttering each word slowly and deliberately.

Unfortunately, just as she was treating her right hand, Samehada was also silently using the Chakra it had absorbed from Sakura Haruno to heal Kisame's injuries.

And now, just as Sakura is about to regain her right hand's fighting ability, Kisame's injuries are also nearing complete recovery!

[Note: This is merely the protagonist's opinion and does not represent the author's stance. It does not participate in any debate regarding power rankings! However, Samehada's abilities are truly somewhat overpowered, completely disrupting the balance like a cheat code. In the manga, only cheat codes can defeat cheat codes, with Might Guy being the only exception.]