Making a Move

Shimura Danzō's expression instantly turned extremely somber, so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

The Sakura Haruno in front of him was not yet fully grown, and was half a head shorter than him, who was short and stocky. However, the vast Chakra on her body at the moment had raised the girl's aura to the level of a towering mountain, making people feel awe!

When they sensed it from a distance, they didn't feel anything; they just thought Sakura Haruno was very, very strong.

It wasn't until these Root ninjas, accustomed to operating in the shadows, faced Sakura Haruno in full force that they realized just how vast the gap was Jonin and Kage Level, and just how strong the girl who had repeatedly clashed head-on with Akatsuki truly was!

Their imposing aura was like a mountain, their killing intent like a surging tide!

Despite being outnumbered, Sakura Haruno's aura was like a heavy mountain or a tight net, covering the sun and earth and suppressing the members of Root in a gloomy atmosphere!

When a slightly weaker ninja is swept over by those bright, emerald-like eyes, he feels as if he has fallen into an ice cave or is walking naked on a glacier!

"The Yin Seal..." Danzo's already sallow complexion turned even more ashen, and he managed to utter these words through his cracked lips. "According to our estimation, your Yin Seal stored at most half a year's worth of Chakra, which should have been completely depleted in the battle with Kisame!"

"Is this all the nonsense you have to say?" The Ice Release Girl narrowed her eyes, coldly scrutinizing the terrified Root members before her.

She had no obligation to tell Danzo that the Yin Seal had already advanced. The energy stored in the purple mark on her forehead, besides the Chakra refined by the original body daily, also included energy provided by cloned humans, and more importantly, energy drawn from the earth's crust under the guise of a geothermal power plant in the Land of Snow...

Even disregarding the latter, Sakura Haruno's naturally generated Chakra is definitely not a single number.

With abundant energy input, the Ice Release Girl gradually escaped the predicament of always running out of Chakra. Her powerful and sweeping techniques have now become her regular weapons. Even in a battle like this, she did not deplete her Chakra reserves. In the end, the vast and pure Chakra in the Yin Seal was only reduced by half.

The transformation of her body by the Kekkei Genkai was completed last year, and now she has officially entered a period of rapid physical growth, with her height, strength, and Chakra all increasing at an accelerated pace. Among the benefits brought to her by the Kekkei Genkai, Chakra is only one of the less obvious aspects. After experiencing the comprehensive improvement in her physical attributes, Sakura Haruno sometimes can't help but sigh, no wonder people in this world so highly value bloodlines. Secret Technique, renowned teachers, precious ninja tools, hard work, and so on, all combined are not as good as being born into the right family.

It is truly a world brimming with malice and dark humor.

Getting back to the point, although Sakura Haruno is now fully enjoying the benefits of being a privileged user, she can still proudly say that her strength has little to do with whether or not she possesses Ice Release. Ice Release Girl has lost her Kekkei Genkai can still be very strong, it's just that her growth rate will be slightly slower!

In short, Danzo's intelligence gathering on Sakura Haruno was severely lacking! As a result, he failed to grasp the situation, was misled by Sakura's facade, and thought she was at her last gasp, so he rushed headlong into her trap.

This is truly a path to certain death.

But even if he's Danzo here?

The girl's eyes flashed with murderous intent. Her mind raced, and after a moment's hesitation, she finally let out a sigh.

Danzo should not have died here and now, and he certainly shouldn't have died at her hands.

Never mind...

"Get out of here, I don't want to kill anyone again today..." Sakura Haruno lowered her eyelids, her murderous aura released and then immediately withdrawn, and said in a low voice.

Danzo suddenly contracted!

To retreat or to fight?

Retreating might preserve your fighting strength and life, but it would severely diminish your prestige—charging in with great fanfare only to slink back in fear before the enemy even makes a move would make you a laughingstock, and how could you possibly command respect in the future?

So, should he choose to fight? He had absolutely no confidence in dealing with Sakura Haruno at her full strength, unless he revealed all his trump cards! However, those trump cards were meant to be used against that person... To waste them on something like this would be a painful loss!

Danzo hesitated, his expression shifting uncertainly.

When the time came, his indecisiveness became glaringly obvious. Choosing anything was a million times better than choosing nothing and being stuck in this rut!

Sakura Haruno, however, showed no intention of waiting for his response.

With light and graceful steps, she carried Sasuke on her back and walked leisurely out of the cave.

The Root ninjas blocking her way were ignored by the girl, who simply walked straight into them. Without Danzo's order, the Root ninjas dared not draw their swords or Hand Seals, and could only watch helplessly as she pressed against them. They stood up straight and tensed their muscles, trying to stop her, but they did not expect that her slender and delicate body contained an irresistible and immense strength, and they were all forcefully pushed aside.

As they squeezed past Danzo, everyone in Root heard a soft laugh, yet it seemed to ring right next to their ears.

"Laugh."

What should have been a gentle curve of the lips, a clear and melodious laugh, sounded to everyone else as utterly contemptuous and extremely unpleasant.

Danzo's facial muscles twitched, but he endured it like a ninja turtle; others, however, could no longer bear it!

"What's there to be so arrogant about!" A burly Root ninja suddenly erupted, his eyes wide with rage, veins bulging, and he roared as he leaped into the Danzo! Judging by his physique alone, he was a formidable man; specializing in Taijutsu, although he couldn't match Might Guy's unparalleled skill in Taijutsu, he was still enough to dominate Root, which was why Danzo brought him out to participate in the capture of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.

While his Taijutsu were outstanding, his fiery temper and irritability were even more pronounced! Seeing Sakura Haruno's disdainful gaze, looking down on everyone in Root, he acted rashly and launched an attack without any regard for the consequences!

The cave floor was pounded into deep pits by pure physical strength. The ninja, who sprang up, rushed to the girl in a few steps. His fist, as big as a sand bowl, was clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white and cracked. It generated a fierce punch and slammed into Sakura Haruno!

Rumble rumble rumble--!

The imposing figure charged forward with overwhelming force, its momentum as powerful as a war chariot, utterly unstoppable!

An arm thicker than a girl's thigh and a fist several sizes larger than her face slammed straight toward Sakura Haruno's head with a sharp whistling sound. The stark contrast made Sakura Haruno seem as insignificant as a child in front of this ninja. However, to the others in the cave, the true comparison of strength was exactly the opposite!

"That idiot Terai!"

Danzo was secretly annoyed.

Terai's quick temper is rare even within Root. If it weren't for his outstanding strength and bravery in battle, making him one of Root's few talents capable of direct assaults, Danzo wouldn't have tolerated him.

However, it seems that a disobedient tool is worthless no matter how useful it is... Even if Terai manages to survive this battle, Danzo will immediately deal with him!

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Danzo's mind, but none of them stopped Terai from saving him; at the same time, as he watched coldly, Sakura Haruno raised her fist and fiercely clashed with Terai!

"Monstrous Strength Technique: Star Cannon Hammer!"

The air seemed to be pierced through section by section by this punch, turning into a sharp wind that blew onto Terai's face; the arrogance on this fierce ninja's face finally vanished under the ferocious power of the Star Cannon Hammer, and the color drained from his face in an instant...

Boom!

As Danzo expected, the next moment, Terai was sent flying backward at an even faster speed than when he charged. Half of his body was turned into a bloody pulp, and he flew through the air like a kite with a broken string. His scream was cut short in mid-air, and he was already half dead before he even hit the ground!

"Do it!"

Danzo completely ignored the fate of that fool who couldn't see the difference in strength, and shouted in a deep voice the moment Terai was sent flying.

The only redeeming quality of this idiot was that he helped Danzo make up his mind—since the fight had already begun, there was no going back. Danzo was, after all, a man of some stature; he wasn't that cowardly!

Danzo's shout, though forced by Terai's unauthorized intervention, was perfectly timed. It came at the exact moment Sakura Haruno threw her punch, her old power exhausted and her new power yet to be generated, and just as she reached the center of the crowd, surrounded by everyone! Danzo's seasoned combat experience was evident from this.

With this command given, the Root ninjas, who were already prepared to attack, raised their weapons, Hand Seals, swinging swords, or drawing Kunai, shuriken, and other ninja tools, aiming at Sakura Haruno in the center of the crowd!

However, the girl, who was surrounded, was not nervous or panicked at all; instead, a smile appeared on her lips.

Although the girl was smiling, there was no smile in her eyes; her gaze was cold and distant.

The smile on his face was both a mockery of Danzo's cunning tricks and a triumphant laugh at finally turning his back on him and no longer having to feign compliance with him!

Since the Root ninjas don't consider her a comrade and are going to attack ninjas from their own village, then don't blame her for using the same methods she uses on enemies against Danzo and his subordinates...!

Yin Seal: Stage Three, activated.

A surge of violent Chakra erupted from the purple mark on her forehead, stirring up restless gusts of wind that whipped Sakura's beautiful hair high into the air, making it flutter like a god descending to earth.

Cherry Blossom Impact: Stage Three, now open.

The moment this technique was activated, the air seemed to turn into a viscous swamp, and the Root ninjas' lightning-fast movements suddenly slowed down as they struggled laboriously and slowly in the air swamp.

Then.

She disappeared from Danzo's sight.

(I had writer's block yesterday... I found a book and read it all the way to the latest chapter in one go, but it was so boring~~)