Zabuza Attacks

The port city of Sapporo originally relied heavily on trade with the Land of Waves. As Gato gradually gained control of the Land of Waves' shipping, Sapporo was affected and became somewhat desolate, but its core essence remained, and its bustling atmosphere persisted. Top

The Team 7 arrived just in time for some festival or celebration. The Sapporo night market was bustling with activity, ablaze with lights, reflecting the dazzling lights, and filled with people in colorful clothes and hats, a scene of unparalleled prosperity.

After dinner, the exhausted Uncle Tazuna quickly washed up and went to bed early.

Sakura wasn't used to resting like this, so she said goodbye to Kakashi and went out into the street alone. She rarely went out like this in Konoha, but here she suddenly felt interested, though she couldn't understand why. Perhaps it was the unfamiliar environment that stimulated her.

After washing all her clothes, Sakura put on the kimono she rented from the hotel. The plain white robe was embroidered with a few pink plum blossoms. Her wet hair was tied up in a high ponytail. Without any makeup, she looked even more pure and charming. After hiding her sharp eyes, she didn't look like a bloodthirsty ninja, but an ordinary girl with a simple and elegant appearance.

Having adopted this disguise, Sakura sheathed her ninja edge and decided to truly experience the mindset of a young girl. Having been reincarnated as Sakura for so many years, she had already let go of those troubling thoughts. In this dangerous world, simply surviving was enough of a blessing. As a ninja whose life hung by a thread, she simply didn't have the energy to dwell on anything else.

Sakura felt that she was a girl now, so why should she feel ashamed of dressing like this? Besides, morals were worthless and would all fall off sooner or later!

I mustered up my courage and went out into the street. Naturally, the passersby didn't give me any strange looks; instead, they looked at me with appreciation. Without heavy makeup, I exuded a fresh and natural beauty that was unadorned.

Sakura, whose moral integrity had reached a new low, strolled briskly through the streets.

The night market in Sapporo is in full swing, a scene of dazzling lights and shimmering shadows. Pedestrians throng like dragons, a world of extravagance and intoxication. The lights are bright as day, the air is filled with the sounds of people, and the east wind is intoxicating.

Sakura, her childlike curiosity piqued, wanted to try everything that looked delicious and fun. The festival in Sapporo was different from that in Konoha; the night market here didn't need to accommodate so many ninjas, so there were many ninja-themed stalls and various games, like ring toss and toss. If anyone dared to set up a stall playing these games in Konoha, they'd be in for a world of trouble; any kid in Konoha could bankrupt them.

Fortunately, Sakura was kind-hearted and didn't force the seller onto the stage. She left all the items she had obtained to the seller—since she couldn't possibly use them as luggage anyway—and only took a finely crafted cat mask. The seller was so moved that he returned all the money and almost knelt down before Sakura.

Playing with the mask in her hand, Sakura hadn't walked far when she was captivated by a goldfish scooping stall. It wasn't that she liked the game itself, but rather that a cute little girl diligently scooping goldfish had caught her attention—Sakura wasn't a lolicon, but she thought little girls were the cutest creatures.

The game of scooping goldfish requires a high level of skill, and this little girl clearly hadn't mastered the technique. Although she really wanted to catch goldfish, she kept tearing the paper net by using too much force. The stall owner was watching with a sly smile as the little girl turned his pocket money into his income; clearly, this uncle wasn't a lolicon after all. Smack! The little girl puffed out her cheeks, angrily watching herself tear the net again. With a bitter face, she pulled out her last change from her pocket, counted it, and handed it to the stall owner, muttering to herself, "Just one last time..."

This time, the little girl held her breath, watching the swimming fish intently. She carefully aimed at a lone fish and slowly scooped them up one by one—it went very smoothly! However, just as she was about to succeed, the goldfish suddenly jumped, and it looked like it was about to tear the paper net. Suddenly, a slender finger reached out from the side and gently pressed on the net pole. The paper net instantly turned at a subtle angle, skillfully dissipating the force and avoiding a hole.

The little girl looked up and saw a slender figure wearing a cat mask standing beside her. She turned around, removed the mask, and revealed a smiling Sakura: "Want me to help you get it?"

The little girl looked blankly ahead.

Sakura took the paper net, seemingly without even needing to examine it closely. She lightly swung the net across the water and scooped up a goldfish, pouring it into the fish tank. Then, without pausing, she lightly swung the net across the surface again and scooped up a second fish, then a third, a fourth... The stall owner looked as if he'd seen a ghost. He could clearly see every movement of the girl before him, but he just couldn't understand how she could scoop them up like that! Her movements were so fluid, without the slightest pause, it was as if the lively fish had turned into dead fish, at her mercy. How could this be!

Sakura certainly didn't use Chakra to kill the fish, nor did she cheat with Chakra. Having watched for so long, she had completely grasped the technique. This time, she simply used Taijutsu to catch the goldfish. These few moves looked simple, but they contained extremely profound skills. A few months ago, she would never have been able to do this. Ultimately, Sakura's mastery of Taijutsu had reached a new level.

The little girl thanked him after receiving the goldfish and left happily. Watching the stall owner's expression change from a sly grin to a mournful cry, Sakura, not without a mischievous urge, played around for a while longer, catching dozens of goldfish. Just as the owner hurriedly added a new rule to a sign, "Goldfish caught must be purchased," waiting for Sakura to leave before hanging it up, Sakura, seeing tears welling up in her eyes, stopped her prank and returned the net and goldfish to the owner.

She turned to leave, but didn't notice someone walking towards her from behind, bumping into Sakura. Sakura's slender figure was like a stone compared to an egg compared to him. Unexpectedly, the stone cracked upon impact. The man was knocked to the ground by Sakura, who only swayed slightly. The man's companion, a yellow-haired, non-mainstream thug dressed in strange clothes, Earth Flow aggressively in front of Sakura, demanding an explanation.

"Can't you watch where you're going? Huh? You bumped into my brother! Let me tell you, my brother's injured now. If you don't pay me a thousand taels, I'll sell you to a brothel!"

Sakura completely ignored his foul language. A thousand of him couldn't even compare to the strength of one of Sakura's fingers. If those two blond-haired guys knew that Sakura was a ninja, they would probably be so scared that they would wet themselves on the spot.

Sakura's only worry was how to deal with them without revealing her identity as a ninja. There might be Gato's spies around, so it was best not to expose herself unnecessarily.

Just then, Kakashi appeared in time to help Sakura out of the predicament. "What do you want to do to my friend?"

The two thugs exchanged a glance, and Kakashi's 1.8-meter height and bulging muscles made them hesitate.

"I'll remember you. From now on, walk with your heart on your side!"

After uttering a harsh remark, the two left without Earth Flow. Sakura was about to leave with Kakashi when she noticed Kakashi watching them with a thoughtful gaze, watching them until they disappeared from sight.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it just feels a bit strange... Never mind, let's go!"

The following day, Sakura and her group continued their journey.

"Once we cross this river, we'll soon reach the place to cross the sea," Tazuna explained.

Kakashi was about to answer when his expression suddenly tightened. "Wait... something's wrong!"

The attack came unexpectedly at that moment.

Before the words were even finished, a massive Kubikiribōchō, whistling and spinning, slashed towards Sakura and the others!

"Get down!" Kakashi reacted quickly, grabbing Tazuna and slamming him to the ground, shouting, "Sakura, don't be reckless!"

A faint blue film of water appeared on her hand. With her strong confidence in the Ultra-Pure Water, Sakura steadily blocked the Kubikiribōchō!

"Kakashi of the Sharingan...?" A cold, sharp voice seemed to come from above. Sakura looked up and saw a tall, thin figure with his upper body bare, suddenly standing on the tree in front of her.

Kirigakure, an S-rank missing-nin from Zabuza Momochi!

"And, that demon, could you please... give me back my sword?" Zabuza's voice seemed to carry a chill from the depths of hell, sending a shiver down Sakura's spine!

Before she could finish speaking, the figure in the tree had already disappeared. Sakura's heart tightened, Zabuza suddenly appeared behind her, his Kunai arcing through the air before viciously stabbing towards Sakura!

Sakura reacted quickly, dodging Zabuza's Zabuza attack by bending to the side and crouching low. With the help of Chakra, she delivered a fierce spinning kick to Zabuza, shattering his upper body into countless splashes of water that scattered in Zabuza!

"Whoosh--" Another Zabuza appeared, and the subtle difference in Chakra fluctuations indicated that this was not Water Clone! He snatched the Kubikiribōchō and swung it, intending to cut Sakura in two!

Having just executed a spinning kick, Sakura's body was completely unable to muster the strength to dodge this slash! In that life-or-death moment, Sakura actually leaped up with an unbelievable move! No, it wasn't a leap; she simply used Chakra water to lift herself up!

But Kakashi was faster. Before Zabuza swing his sword, Kakashi delivered a powerful kick, sending Zabuza and his sword flying more than ten meters away!

Sometime during the night, Kakashi's Forehead Protector was pulled up high, revealing his bright red Three-Tomoe Sharingan!

"Form a swastika formation and protect Uncle Tazuna! None of you are allowed to interfere in my battle with him. Now is the time when teamwork is most needed!"

Kakashi stared intently at Zabuza with icy eyes and said coldly.

[Please don't criticize the city name Sapporo]