What I Was Best At...

Ice Release: Frost Ice Burial!

The Ice Release Girl's sudden burst of Chakra transformed into countless icy wisps, instantly turning the battlefield into a frozen wasteland!

The river flowing beneath the bridge, under the explosive release of Ice Release Chakra, transformed into wildly growing ice trees that stretched upwards from under the bridge in the blink of an eye, unleashing endless ice blades, ice spears, ice swords, ice darts, ice Kunai... turning the water, the earth, and even half the sky into a world of frost!

"So... so strong!"

Karin stood to the side, staring in disbelief at the astonishing Ninjutsu, holding her breath, her whole body trembling uncontrollably!

"Heart, Sasuke!" she instinctively reminded him, "She's very strong!"

That girl Sakura Haruno... is likely much stronger than Sasuke!

She reminded me too late.

Before Karin could finish speaking, Danzo was easily defeated by this move. At the same time, Susanoo was also blasted into dust by the girl's punch, and Sasuke sent flying backwards in an instant!

"Sasuke!"

Karin gasped in surprise.

Bang!

The red-haired girl lunged forward, trying to catch Sasuke, but instead they both crashed to the ground and rolled around in the mud, looking quite disheveled!

Using this buffer, Sasuke wasn't knocked down by the punch and struggled to his feet, leaning on Karin.

He held his forehead, his eyes stinging, his face filled with disbelief!

Is she really... Sakura Haruno?

How could Sakura's fist be so heavy!

"Cough!" Sasuke weakly spat out a mouthful of black blood.

"You're injured, Sasuke!" Karin's heart tightened, and she quickly stretched out her arm and placed it near Sasuke's mouth. "Bite me!"

The girl's arms, as white and delicate as lotus roots, were covered with grotesque teeth marks, a truly horrifying sight; yet Sasuke showed no mercy, grabbing Karin's hand and forcefully biting down on it, leaving new teeth marks on her smooth skin.

"Ugh!" Karin screamed in pain.

As his skin was bitten open, the immense life force of the Uzumaki Clan leaked out and flowed into Sasuke's body. The boy's weak and wounded body recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"Such vibrant life force... Is that girl a support-type ninja who possesses both sensory and healing abilities?"

Sakura Haruno saw everything that was happening out of the corner of her eye, but she remained calm and let Sasuke slowly recover his strength.

She simply turned slowly, looked back slowly, and gazed at the old man who was as hard as a rock, and said slowly.

"Shimura Danzō... what gave you the courage to stick your head out, you coward?"

"If I were you, I would have taken that chance and run far away, back into that turtle shell at the Root, instead of staying here to die!"

Danzo's eyes, which had just been trying to appear kind and approachable like the Third Hokage, had now completely shed that mask, becoming sinister and cold.

--That's good, it saves Sakura Haruno from being disgusted by his awkward pretense.

"As the Hokage, how could I possibly flee before the enemies of Konoha! And you, instead of cooperating with a formidable foe, attacked me, the Sixth Hokage..." Danzo's voice was like rough sand grinding in a jar, dry, cold, and lifeless, "Do you also want to become a traitor who deserts the village, Sakura Haruno!"

"To flee without a fight?"

The girl scoffed.

"You, who stubbornly defended the Root Base and didn't lift a finger when Pain invaded Konoha, do you even have the right to say such things?!"

"What were you doing when the Fifth Hokage exhausted her Chakra and fell unconscious to save everyone? You stood by and watched as the villagers perished. You were vying for power, forcibly taking the Hokage position while Tsunade was unconscious."

Sakura Haruno paused for a moment.

A murderous intent suddenly erupted!

Whoosh!

With nimble fingers, she deftly formed hand seals, controlling the icy world to repeat her old tricks: ice shards grew wildly, sharp ice blades chased after Danzo's figure, constantly squeezing his space to dodge.

However, Danzo's response was flawless: he darted and weaved among the ice shards, his body flying, his movements displaying the agility and nimbleness of a ninja, showing no sign of the sluggishness of an old man, as if the one fighting here was not a seventy-year-old man, but a vigorous young ninja in the prime of his life!

"I've already seen through the pattern of your Ninjutsu; this move is useless against me now!"

Even amidst the fierce battle, Danzo still had the energy to speak, his voice ringing out proudly.

At the cost of his life, he did indeed see through Sakura's moves and was able to deal with her Ice Release with ease.

While he was speaking, Danzo was still forming hand seals. The moment his words fell, he cunningly unleashed the Ninjutsu he had been preparing!

"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

Sharp blades of energy shot out rapidly from Danzo's mouth, shattering the tough ice shards they encountered along the way, and swept away everything in their path, ruthlessly attacking the pink-haired girl in front of the old man!

Boom boom boom!

The old man's sudden burst of Ninjutsu was not to be underestimated; the massive infusion of Chakra pushed the power of the Vacuum Great Sphere Ball to its limit! The hard ice layer shattered layer by layer under this attack, instantly turning into countless ice shards and water mist that filled the air and obscured vision.

Has it been resolved?

Danzo stared at the motionless mist, a sudden, ominous feeling rising within him, and then, in the next instant—

"I'm sorry, but I don't acknowledge you as Hokage!"

The girl's emotionless words came from behind Danzo.

The icy breath that accompanied the words sprayed onto Danzo's nape, sending chills down half of his body.

Danzo felt a pang in his heart and looked down.

An ice blade pierced his heart.

How did she... end up behind me?

On his deathbed, Danzo was filled with confusion.

Then, he was resurrected again, reborn in front of Sakura Haruno.

"This is the fourth time..." Karin, who had been watching the battle from afar, was astonished. "Danzo has been resurrected for the fourth time! What kind of Ninjutsu is this?"

"However, I've already seen through that girl's Ninjutsu!"

Upon seeing Sakura Haruno use Ice Body Flicker Technique for the second time, Karin, with her exceptional analytical abilities, instantly discerned the clues.

"Sasuke, listen to me!" The red-haired girl finished treating Sasuke, withdrew her arm, and hurriedly said, "That Sakura Haruno used the Body Flicker Technique, similar to the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique! But her Body Flicker Technique requires ice as a medium—"

"It's the Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals Technique."

Sasuke struggled to his feet, his face grim as he interrupted Karin.

His thoughts drifted back several years to his time in the Land of Waves, recalling the boy he met during a mission who used Ice Release...

Sakura Haruno's move was almost identical to the boy's, except that she treated the entire icy world as an ice mirror...

The only thing to worry about is her extremely fast casting speed and powerful attack force!

He stared coldly at the battle unfolding below the field, his expression gloomy.

Sakura Haruno's composure and strength during the battle finally made him realize something.

It is impossible for a person to change so much in just one year, let alone for a girl who was always so weak and timid in his presence to become so indifferent and cold.

However, her eyes and the emotions she conveyed showed that she was indeed the one who regarded him as a Sakura Haruno.

What exactly happened?

No, Sakura Haruno's matter is no longer important.

It doesn't matter anymore.

Anyway... in the end, he'll kill her, kill all of them, and complete his revenge!

Therefore, we only need to focus on her weaknesses.

"Your analytical skills are quite good."

The Ice Release Girl's cool voice suddenly rang out from behind the two of them.

Karin's eyes widened, a sudden sense of panic rising within her. Without a second thought, she whirled around and kicked out!

"All show and no substance," Sakura Haruno casually slapped her to the ground, curling her lip in disdain, "Don't get involved in this level of fighting!"

"Ice Clone?" Karin, supporting her eyes, pushed herself up from the ground and asked in astonishment.

"You deliberately let Danzo hear all this, didn't you...?" Sakura glanced at the wary Sasuke, then coldly said to the astonished Karin, "I'm warning you, if you dare to play this trick again, I'll kill you...!"

The clone then dissipated into a pile of ice.

Meanwhile, Danzo had clearly heard Karin's words from the sidelines.

Having been resurrected for the fourth time, he narrowed his left eye and glanced at the glistening ice beneath his feet.

"I see!" the old man sneered. "Ice Body Flicker Technique performed using ice...?"

He leaped up suddenly, his chest bulging, and unleashed a torrent of Chakra!

"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

Boom boom boom boom--!

The continuous roar instantly resounded throughout the entire battlefield!

Danzo no expense in expending a massive amount of Chakra, unleashing a continuous barrage of Wind Release Ninjutsu, causing violent explosions that engulfed the entire world of ice!

The crystal-clear and hard ice blocks were reduced to dust, ice shards, or water mist in the endless bombardment, disappearing without a trace.

"To limit Sakura Haruno's Ice Body Flicker Technique, he actually shattered all the ice blocks? A very decisive decision... Danzo actually has such decisiveness!" Obito Uchiha was watching the show from the sidelines, silently analyzed in his mind.

Off the field.

Sakura Haruno jumped out of Danzo's bombardment range and landed on the river not far away. She stood there, arms crossed, watching the old man's seemingly endless Ninjutsu bombardment with indifference.

Until the last intact piece of ice shattered into powder under the bombardment of the Wind Release.

Danzo finally stopped his Ninjutsu.

That Ice Body Flicker Technique, which was so fast he couldn't react at all, finally couldn't threaten him anymore.

The old man turned his head, his cloudy old eyes looking at Sakura Haruno, who had been standing by and watching.

"Well done."

"Now... I can't use the moves I used most last year and the year before."

The Ice Release Girl swayed gently in the river breeze. Beneath her delicate black sandals, the thawed, clear river flowed quietly after the Ice Release had dissipated, occasionally surging with white waves that submerged her fair feet, leaving wet streaks on her ankles.

The girl suddenly chuckled.

"Then I'll use the moves I've been using this year."

She glanced at the crystal-clear river at her feet, her expression remaining calm and serene.

"By the way, my specialty is Water Release."

[First update.]

[It feels like it's been a long time since I wrote a battle scene. I spent a bit more time getting back into the swing of things. I'm going out for lunch this afternoon, so today's update is early, and there might only be two chapters.]