Sparring

"A friendly spar?"

Sakura Haruno paused slightly, then looked at Killer B.

"That's right."

The Jinchūriki smiled and pointed to the house halfway up the mountain and the steps leading up the mountain, saying, "Valley of Clouds and Lightning is where I usually cultivate."

"Since we're here, why not have a little competition, stretch our legs, and kill some time? How about it?"

The girl frowned.

"Are you bored...?" she said, somewhat speechless, "Using sparring to kill time?"

"Honestly, it's actually quite boring." Killer B nodded.

They actually admitted it.

He is different from Naruto Jiraiya, who travels the world with Jiraiya.

Killer B has always been strictly bound by the village.

To protect the safety of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, the Raikage strictly ordered him not to leave the village's sphere of influence easily.

Especially after the Two-Tails Jinchūriki was captured by Akatsuki, the confinement order was further narrowed.

Kirabi, who hadn't left the village for a month or two, was very depressed.

So when a stranger from Konoha came to visit, he volunteered to accompany him—even just meeting a stranger would be fun.

As for sparring... that would be even more interesting.

"It's obvious you're very confident in your skills..."

Sakura Haruno glanced at him inquisitively and said calmly.

She took off her coat, revealing a close-fitting, pure black top underneath. The sleeveless, tight-fitting top exposed her two fair arms and clung tightly to the girl's slender figure.

"Your skills are not bad either." Killer B cracked his neck, speaking earnestly, "In terms of speed and strength, my older brother A is one of the best among all ninjas, but you actually managed to keep up with his movements."

The conflict that morning remained fresh in Killer B's memory.

Of everyone present, perhaps only a handful clearly saw what happened in that instant.

The Raikage was fast, but the girl in front of him was just as fast!

"The Raikage simply wasn't using his full power," Sakura Haruno said modestly.

Killer B smiled but said nothing.

He didn't know how much force Ai used, but Sakura Haruno clearly didn't use her full strength either, and easily freed her hand from Ai's grasp.

Killer B knew his older brother well; he could see a hint of surprise in A's expression at the time.

This makes the problem quite clear.

The girl casually tossed her coat onto the grass, cracked her knuckles, glanced at the several swords strapped to the Jinchūriki's back, and asked, "You use swords?"

"That's right."

Killer B drew two longswords from behind him, twirled them in his hand, and said, "So... you can use a sword too?"

Sakura Haruno pursed her lips and smiled faintly.

A chill gathered in his hand, and moisture condensed in his palm into two crystalline butterfly-shaped short swords.

"I wouldn't presume to say I know how to use it," she said, brandishing her gleaming silver short sword and executing a graceful flourish. "I only know the basics."

Sakura Haruno's swordsmanship, compared to her Ninjutsu and even Genjutsu, is indeed only at a superficial level.

"However, I do know quite a bit about how to deal with opponents who wield swords." Sakura Haruno looked at the sword in Killer B's hand, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her lips as she thought of someone. "Because I often spar with a friend... and his swordsmanship is quite good."

"Yeah?"

Killer B stopped what he was doing, stood quietly, and stared intently at the girl.

"So if I learn any techniques from you and then teach them to others..." She gripped her ice sword tightly, bowed, and slowly lowered her body, saying, "Please forgive me."

"Likewise." Killer B didn't seem to care, smiling calmly as he spoke.

A fighting spirit began to permeate the air.

The Jinchūriki arched his back, ready to strike, when a loud shout rang out, "Wait!"

Seeing the two girls get into a fighting stance, Shizune rushed over and grabbed the girl, asking, "What are you doing? What happened?"

"It's just a friendly spar, nothing will happen."

Sakura Haruno straightened up, brandished the ice sword on her body, and said calmly.

"Don't worry, Konoha," Killer B chuckled. "It's just a sparring match, no real fighting skills involved, nothing will go wrong."

Seeing that Shizune still wouldn't let go, the girl simply turned around and hugged her, whispering in the woman's ear, "Don't worry, he can't beat me. I'll use this opportunity to gather some information."

"I'm the captain, listen to me!"

After finally persuading Shizune to calm down, Sakura Haruno regained her composure. "Sorry... I kept you waiting."

"You're with her, aren't you?" Killer B asked. "It's just a friendly spar... I'll go easy on her, I won't use my real skills."

"Hehe." Sakura Haruno grinned.

Killer B's advantage lies in his status as the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, right? After all, he is Perfect Jinchuriki, able to fully unleash the power of the Tailed Beast.

But really, if we unleash the full power of the Eight-Tails, can we really defeat her?

Who showed mercy? We'll only know after the fight!

Then let's fight.

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly, bent over, and looked at Killer B.

"Well then... I'll go!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl transformed into a pink blur, shooting out like an arrow!

Clang!

The butterfly dagger collided with the standard longsword of the Kumogakure Ninja!

For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand.

Across the four clashing swords, Killer B stared intently at Sakura Haruno, his expression shifting from relaxed to serious.

Those seemingly slender and fair arms could unleash such immense power, even firmly pinning his longsword down, rendering it immobile...

No wonder she was able to easily break free from Ai's grasp!

"You're incredibly strong..." Killer B frowned. "It seems I can't take your attacks head-on."

Fortunately, swordsmanship is not something that can be won by brute force alone...

The Jinchūriki thought to himself, and suddenly withdrew some of the power from the long sword in his hand, struggling to redirect the girl's unrestrained power to the side.

Bass!

The friction of swords against each other produced a chilling metallic clang.

Killer B twisted his body violently, escaping Sakura Haruno's suppression in an extreme posture.

With a sudden burst of strength in his feet, the man retreated abruptly, landing to the side.

"You're very strong, but what about your speed?"

Killer B his feet, creating a shallow crater. In an instant, he transformed from a retreating figure into an advancing one, becoming a javelin that shot out at lightning speed!

"Let me see... just how fast you are!"

The man roared and, in the blink of an eye, rushed to Sakura Haruno's side!

The longsword flashed, leaving a cyan blade shadow in the air, its whistling sound sharp and urgent as it slashed towards the girl's arm.

"Taijutsu: Acrobat!"

Killer B's sword speed is in no way inferior to Sasuke's.

In fact, with his superior Lightning Release ability and physical strength, his sword is even slightly faster than Sasuke's!

However, for Sakura Haruno, who had unleashed her Cherry Blossom Impact and fought against various high-speed enemies, it wasn't fast enough.

Clang!

The ice sword and the longsword clashed suddenly, and a chilling sound rang out as metal struck stone!

The girl's eyes met Killer B's for the second time.

"How was it?" she said casually. "My reaction speed wasn't bad, was it?"

The man's eyes narrowed.

Fearing Sakura Haruno's power, Killer B his plan failed. With a few quick steps, his agile movements, like a leopard cat, allowed him to instantly circle around to Sakura's other side.

He raised his longsword once more, letting out a sharp, eerie whistle, and slashed fiercely at the girl again.

The second strike was unleashed!

With its excellent angle, power, and speed, Killer B thought to himself that if he hadn't been facing such a formidable enemy and under immense pressure, he wouldn't have been able to unleash such a perfect strike so easily!

But, perfection...

But it is still not strong enough.

Sakura Haruno's eyes were fixed on Killer B's figure. When she saw him slashing horizontally, she flipped her right wrist and gripped the butterfly short sword tightly. Her movements seemed light and nimble, but in reality, she met him with even greater speed and power!

Clang!

The girl's Eight Slashing Blades accurately blocked Killer B's attack route for the second time.

An immense force surged forth from the point where the swords clashed, hurtling towards Killer B!

Hundreds of kilometers away.

In a temporary secret base.

The White Zetsu, resembling a pitcher plant, suddenly poked its head out of the ground and reported to the Masked Man before it, "Sakura Haruno and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki left Kumogakure and gone to Valley of Clouds and Lightning. Shouldn't we take this opportunity to do something? Like, get rid of Sakura Haruno?"

Upon hearing this, Obito remained silent. He simply stood up, walked out of the cave, casually found a large rock to sit on, and silently gazed into the distance.

After a long while, he turned his head and glared at White Zetsu.

"Valley of Clouds and Lightning is the training ground for the Kumogakure Ninja, which means it's located within the traditional sphere of influence of the Kumogakure. If trouble breaks out there, unless a swift victory is achieved, the Kumogakure Ninja will quickly come to our aid..."

"Moreover, even Pain would find it difficult to face both the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Sakura Haruno at the same time, wouldn't he?"

After all, they had already witnessed Sakura Haruno entering Sage Mode a few days ago...

A cool breeze whistled outside the cave, ruffling the Obito.

"Don't worry... White Zetsu," the man said coldly, "I've already prepared a plan."

[Third update.]

[I'm really out of writing, but I've still managed to update a full nine thousand words today. Even though it's only three chapters, it's a way of making up for the missed update on the 2nd.]