Konan

Xiaozhi's "White Tiger", South.

He has no surname and is a war orphan. Land of Rain. In his childhood, he wandered with Nagato and Yahiko, and was later Jiraiya and taken in as a disciple by Jiraiya. He is one of the three founders of Akatsuki.

Their strength should be at least at the Jonin level.

This is all the information provided by the original world and Jiraiya. In the original world, Naruto never fought against Nagato, and Jiraiya hasn't been in contact with Nagato and the others for many years. There are many things that this perverted Pervy Sage is a muddle-headed master, is unaware of.

However, judging solely from her aura, Sakura Haruno was certain that Minami's strength was no weaker than that of the other members of Akatsuki.

Although her appearance is very deceptive.

Her pretty face was slightly cold, and her appearance was extremely beautiful, almost bewitching. When this young, cold beauty suppressed her smile, pursed her crimson lips, and looked at Sakura Haruno with indifferent eyes under deep purple eyeshadow, it was really hard for her to associate such an ice queen with the identity of an elder of the most feared underground organization in the entire Shinobi World, "Akatsuki".

Coincidentally, the outstanding female ninjas Sakura Haruno has met, those with exceptional skills, are usually also above average in appearance, ranging from Tsunade, Mei Terumi, Uzuki Yugao to Haku, Hinata, and Ino...

Even Sakura Haruno herself.

There seems to be no necessary connection between appearance and strength. But ultimately, ninjas are a game about Chakra, and the all-powerful Chakra has many other uses besides combat—as Tsunade's disciple, Sakura Haruno knows that her master is particularly skilled in a certain area.

So this is not surprising.

What struck Sakura Haruno as odd was that she had experienced countless massive battles and encountered a wide variety of enemies, from Kisame and Kakuzu to handsome, god-like figures like Uchiha Itachi of the Sasori of the Red Sand, but...

This was the first time she had ever faced a female ninja of this caliber.

Before the battle, she naturally wouldn't let the chaotic thoughts of "a beautiful woman like you becoming a thief" affect her mind, nor would she feel any pity for her opponent because of their gender...

--Who is fragrant and who is jade?

Sakura Haruno slowly raised her hand, astonishing Chakra surged wildly at her fingertips, and a flash of blue light appeared.

"Before we take action, I'd like to ask one question."

The pink-haired girl slightly raised her head, pointed at Nan flying in mid-air, and said coldly.

The Paper Angel's expression was indifferent, his delicate eyelids lowered, coldly looking down at the girl on the sea surface, rising and falling with the waves, remaining silent.

"Why?"

The girl asked.

Why would Jiraiya's students choose this path, forming Akatsuki and causing chaos throughout the Shinobi World, attempting to overthrow the world order?

She was Jiraiya's apprentice, and Sakura was Tsunade's apprentice. They could even be considered fellow disciples, yet here they were facing off against each other.

Even in the original story, they disregarded the kindness shown to them by taking them in and educating them, and personally killed their mentor, Jiraiya!

Why?

For Sakura Haruno, all of this was a bit hard to understand.

Jiraiya was a lifesaver for Nan Jiraiya the others! He taught three homeless orphans who couldn't survive to become successful, giving them the ability to live, which was equivalent to giving them a second life! Even disregarding the feudal concept of "a teacher for a day is a father for life," this was a great favor even in their previous lives.

Are Nan and his ilk such ungrateful wretches who murder their master?

Judging from Jiraiya's description, they don't seem to be that kind of people.

Because of this special relationship, and because of this lack of understanding, Sakura Haruno asked one more question.

Unlike before, when she would simply fight and have no say in why the enemy did it.

"Hasn't Jiraiya already told you everything?"

The Paper Angel slowly fluttered its wings, its voice distant and faintly responding.

Sakura Haruno frowned and said in a deep voice, "He has no idea that after he left you, you would actually establish Akatsuki and make so many mistakes!"

"Mistake...?"

A mocking smile suddenly appeared on the woman's lips, "That's just your opinion. Our path is something you people born in great nations and ninja villages will never understand!"

Between great powers...

The perspectives and beliefs of people living in a country caught between conflicting interests, orphans whose nations have been devastated by war and whose families have been torn apart, will never be the same as hers.

Sakura Haruno was speechless for a moment.

The woman's resolute gaze made her realize how powerless words were.

Between national and personal grievances and the deep affection for one's mentor, which is more important?

There's never a right answer to this kind of thing. All Sakura Haruno knew was that Minami was standing opposite her.

She is the enemy.

"If it were Jiraiya standing in front of you, stopping Jiraiya..." Sakura Haruno knew the answer, but still asked the last question.

Will you fight him?

Nan's wings paused for a moment.

She seemed to have thought about it for a long time, but answered without hesitation.

I will kill him.

The voice was as cold as an icebox, utterly devoid of warmth.

The woman's exquisite face was as hard and cold as an iceberg, seemingly unchanging.

Then, in the next second, it was sliced to pieces by a thin silver line!

Call out--!

The sharp rays, carrying the suppressed rage of their master, slashed down from the sky, cutting the woman into hundreds and thousands of tiny pieces in mid-air!

If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much.

No sooner had the southerner finished speaking than the battle began without warning!

--Perhaps for Sakura Haruno, this battle is different from the usual one; it also has the special significance of cleaning up the ranks.

The Paper Transformation Secret Technique made the woman immune to attacks from Sakura Haruno that could kill an ordinary person dozens of times over. The body parts that broke apart in mid-air suddenly turned into paper, folded, deformed, and split into countless paper darts, paused in the air, and then shot fiercely at her enemy.

Whoosh whoosh!

Thousands of paper darts shot out at lightning speed, creating sharp, piercing sounds that echoed through the air. The whistling sounds were so intense that they seemed to reverberate throughout the entire sky, creating a powerful and awe-inspiring spectacle!

A barrage of darts swept through the air, covering most of the sky and engulfing all of Sakura Haruno's vital points and her entire body, including her escape route. Nan's counterattack was truly fierce!

A powerful attack that would be a formidable threat to an ordinary ninja came crashing down upon her, but Sakura Haruno remained calm and composed, her expression unchanged.

Insect carving skills.

The girl's eyes seemed to convey this.

While Sakura Haruno's special skills were indeed no match for Minami, Minami's attacks also failed to put any pressure on her!

With her increasingly sophisticated neural modifications and reaction acceleration techniques— Cherry Blossom Impact Stage Three —and her ever-growing combat experience, ordinary offensive methods have begun to lose their effectiveness against Sakura Haruno.

Especially after her battle with the Third Raikage, the fastest man in the world, Sakura Haruno became even more confident in herself!

Xiaozhi's lightning-fast attack seemed too slow to the girl.

She moved so slowly that she even had time to do a sword flourish.

Sakura Haruno didn't dodge, but stood calmly in place.

A crystal-clear, icy short sword materialized in her hand at some unknown time. As the darts approached, she suddenly swung the sword to meet them. In that instant, the girl's arm and the short sword transformed into indistinct afterimages, effortlessly deflecting the high-speed swarm of darts with incredible speed!

Ding ding ding--

The paper darts were harder than steel, and when they clashed with the ice sword, they produced a sound like metal striking stone.

Nan's attack failed, and he couldn't even force Sakura Haruno to move a step before he reacted instantly.

Swish!

A sharp longsword suddenly appeared behind the girl, slashing towards her unsuspecting lower back with the force of thunder.

After passing Sakura Haruno, the swarm of paper darts suddenly drew a large arc, converged behind the pink-haired girl, and instantly reformed into Minami's body.

Her body had only just begun to solidify into her upper body, her slender waist still empty, when she suddenly unleashed this unexpected and devastating strike!

However, it's still not fast enough.

The moment Nan unleashed his strike, the girl seemed to have anticipated it and turned her head away.

His facial expression remained calm and expressionless.

The moment the long sword reached her, Sakura Haruno made her move... or rather, her kick.

Using the right foot as the axis and the waist and hips as the pivot, the shoulders are lowered and the body is leaned forward. The left half of the body rotates ninety degrees in an instant. The long and powerful left foot is lifted up suddenly, the thigh is tensed, the leg swings, and a fierce whip kick is suddenly swept out!

"Nintaijutsu: High Roundhouse Kick!"

Bang!

Sakura Haruno's counterattack was dazzlingly fast; she actually struck first despite being the one who attacked later.

Those slender, straight legs formed a straight line with her thighs, seemingly delicate and weak, but when she kicked Nan, it was like a straight, hard iron rod striking her body, carrying an unstoppable and immense force, crushing everything she kicked into bone fragments and flesh paste!

Nan's half-body turned into a shower of bright red dust, which then scattered in the air.

Like a crimson rose blooming in mid-air!

... Dead?

Sakura Haruno stopped standing, looking somewhat surprised and uncertain.

She couldn't believe that this powerful woman would die so easily at her hands... or at her feet.

The girl felt a chill run down her spine, and then, in the next instant, she suddenly sensed a familiar fluctuation of Chakra.

A fierce wind swept in from above.

Looking up, the blood, flesh, and bone fragments had long since turned into scattered pieces of paper, which then coalesced again into the woman's flawless and exquisite face. Her cold and delicate eyes gazed indifferently at the girl, and her right hand, painted with bright nail polish, gripped a sharp sword tightly.

Raise it high, then swing it down hard!

Call out--!

On a deserted island in the same sea area.

Such islands are everywhere on this sea between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire. Because of the Land of Water's policy of closing its borders and locking down its villages in the past, a large number of islands far from the shipping lanes are scattered and uninhabited, with only lush forests and flocks of seabirds.

This island was untouched by humans for centuries, until now, when a gaunt man in a giant wheelchair-like life support device and a beautiful woman stepped onto the island and hid their tracks in the trunk of the tallest and thickest ancient tree.

"So... did you meet anyone from Konoha?"

The man sat in the center of the hollow tree trunk, watching the paper butterflies fly in from outside, and asked in a hoarse voice.

The paper butterfly flew around the tree hole once and landed on the woman's outstretched slender finger. She paused for a moment, then gently closed her eyes, as if reading something.

A moment later.

"Yes, Nagato."

"I have found Sakura Haruno."