War of Attrition
The vast curtain of water rose like a mountain, resembling a massive tsunami suddenly erupting in the center of the ocean, Paper Angel floating in the air appear as tiny as an ant.
In an instant, Nan's eyes widened.
She parted her lips slightly, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, when the boundless wall of water mercilessly descended upon her.
Boom--!!
The roar of the water curtain crashing down was louder than a hundred thousand thunderbolts, and the overlapping sound waves struck the air like heavy hammers, creating a circle of transparent ripples visible to the naked eye!
Rumble rumble rumble!
The towering walls of water crashed into the sea with tremendous kinetic energy, then bounced back up before falling again, repeating the cycle until they spread to the far reaches of the ocean, transforming into turbulent waves on the surface.
The thunderous roar echoed wave after wave through the air.
After a long while, the vast ocean gradually returned to calm.
Sakura Haruno stood high atop the giant wave, looking down at the ocean. On the gradually calming surface, the Paper Angel had vanished without a trace.
Is he dead?
The girl's delicate eyebrows twitched slightly. She released her grip, withdrew her Chakra, and slowly descended into the sea.
Splash--
The waves on the sea had not yet subsided. The residual power of the Ninjutsu still lingered in the seawater, the waves surged, the undercurrents were swift, and the sound of the waves echoed noisily, as if answering Sakura Haruno's question.
No, the real answer was a familiar Chakra that seemed to emanate faintly from the sea.
South's Chakra.
Sakura frowned slightly. "Not only are you not dead, but you're even completely unharmed...?"
She sensed the woman's presence. The still-stable fluctuations in Chakra indicated that the girl's attack had not yielded any effective results. In fact, it could have been a complete failure.
The facts coldly proved that the Paper Angel's Secret Technique not only rendered her immune to Taijutsu combat but also nullified her Water Release attacks. It seemed that only Fire Style or similar Kekkei Genkai Release Techniques could effectively harm her, but Sakura Haruno was not proficient in this; her Fire Style was only enough to start a fire in the wild.
This also means that the enemy before us—
"This is a real headache... She's the type that really controls me."
Sakura Haruno said softly.
However, her expression showed little anxiety or headache; instead, the corners of her mouth curled up in a cold, upward arc. Facing such a formidable enemy, Sakura Haruno remained calm and composed. After countless life-or-death battles with powerful foes, Sakura Haruno was no longer the naive girl who struggled in fear under Orochimaru's murderous aura; what had grown rapidly was not only her height and strength, but also the mindset befitting a strong person.
Admittedly, the Southern Paper Person of God is a very troublesome Ninjutsu, but so what?
She won't lose. Sakura Haruno has enough confidence.
A moment later.
Several sheets of white paper floating on the sea surface suddenly trembled a few times.
They slowly rose, shaking off water droplets, and flew out of the sea.
Swish, swish, swish!
As if sending a signal, more papers flew out from the distant sea surface and even the deepest part of the water!
Thousands upon thousands of sheets of white paper shot rapidly out of the sea and gathered into a ball in the air.
One by one, the pieces quickly and vaguely coalesced into the shape of the Paper Angel.
Within seconds, right before Sakura Haruno's eyes, the Paper Angel had regained her stunning beauty; unsurprisingly, there was no sign of injury on Nan's body.
The Paper Angel regained its shape, unfurled its enormous white wings, and floated in mid-air.
She was unharmed, but Sakura Haruno's attack couldn't have been completely ineffective.
Nan's purplish-blue hair lay flat against her head and temples as if it had been soaked, with streams of water trickling down her pretty face. Her clothes were already drenched—not from sweat, but from being completely soaked through, clinging tightly to her body, revealing her tall figure and perfect curves. Residual water droplets continued to drip from her cuffs and trouser legs, instantly shattering Nan's ethereal elegance.
The imposing, mountain-like aura she had just exuded had completely vanished from her.
"Hmph..." Sakura Haruno's smile held a hint of mockery. "Tsk, what a pathetic sight, soaked to the bone."
Nan's face hardened upon hearing this, and he replied fiercely, "Don't be so smug! Your moves are completely ineffective against me! No matter how many times you try, you won't be able to defeat me!"
Sakura Haruno shook her head.
"Is it really completely ineffective?" The girl raised her hand, pointing to Nan's wet hair, and asked calmly, "Even if your Secret Technique can make me immune to my attacks, casting such a technique still requires a lot of Chakra and stamina, right?"
"Your Chakra and aura have weakened considerably compared to before!"
The immense Chakra within Nan's body had indeed weakened. At this distance, Sakura Haruno, possessing extremely strong mental power, had incredibly keen perception. Even though Nan tried her best to conceal her aura, it couldn't escape the girl's senses.
The woman's delicate eyebrows furrowed suddenly.
"So what if I am?" Her face was deathly pale, and she was slightly out of breath, but she still stood straight and said coldly, "Even if I've expended a lot of energy... as the attacker, the power you expended using that level of technique probably far exceeded mine! In a war of attrition, you'll be the one who runs out of Chakra and collapses first!"
Her response was a girl's unrestrained laughter.
"Hehehehehe--"
Sakura Haruno laughed!
Compared to Chakra consumption...
Can an ordinary female ninja of Kage Level compare her Chakra to a Kekkei Genkai ninja who has mastered Senjutsu and the Yin Seal, and whose forehead stores an immeasurable amount of energy?
A cold laugh echoed across the sea, sounding jarring to the Paper Angel; Nan frowned deeply, her cherry lips pressed tightly together, her eyes growing even colder, yet she suppressed the urge to attack, for she knew she could do nothing to Sakura Haruno!
After a while, the girl's laughter finally stopped before Nan's patience reached its limit.
"Didn't you already gather information about me?" Sakura Haruno sneered, pointing her thumb to the mark on her forehead. "You haven't forgotten that I still have the Yin Seal, have you?"
Nan frowned even more deeply, biting her lip inwardly, but remained silent.
Ignoring her silence, Sakura continued, "Also, don't underestimate me! In the ocean environment, using this level of Water Release is hardly a drain on me... If you're looking for a war of attrition, you probably can't afford to play along!"
The girl was pleased to see the Paper Angel's expression change slightly. "You—stop bluffing!"
"You'll soon find out whether it's a bluff or not." Sakura Haruno clasped her hands together, assuming the Hand Seals. "And lastly, by the way, I'll deal with you..."
"I don't need to activate the Yin Seal yet!"
The Chakra was as vast as the sea. The girl stood with her hands in front of her chest, her slender fingers fluttering like butterflies. A huge amount of seawater rolled and condensed beneath her feet, forming a dragon that burst out of the sea with a roar.
Paper Angel's face turned cold, her beauty as frosty as ice. Chakra surged wildly from her fingertips, countless explosive tags coalescing into a giant spear, its sharp edge pointing directly at Sakura Haruno.
Even though they knew that such an attack would not be decisive, the two opposing women still launched a fierce counterattack without hesitation.
The thunderous clash of Ninjutsu echoed across the sea.
After a brief respite, the long war of attrition once again resounded through the heavens.
This was destined to be the strangest battle Sakura Haruno had ever experienced since becoming a ninja. There was no strategic counter-strategy, no exhilarating crushing victory; this battle was like falling into a quagmire, dull and endless.
Sakura Haruno didn't seem to be in a hurry.