Psychological Advantage

The battle was over the moment the Rain Ninja trio couldn't break through the sea of clones.

Admittedly, the Genin who can participate in the Chunin Exams in other countries are not weaklings, but they are nothing compared to Sakura, who can even kill Chunin. The Rain Ninja trio has really messed up this time. Although Sakura has just gone through a big battle and has not fully recovered, and her limbs are weak, it would indeed be troublesome if they got close to her. However, she is more than capable of taking down the three of them with her Ninjutsu alone.

The sea of clones disrupted the three's formation, defeating the Rain Ninja one by one.

The first to be knocked down was the short, chubby guy who was lagging behind the other two.

His short, stocky limbs and stout build clearly indicated he wasn't Taijutsu- type ninja. However, he was quite fast at using Ninjutsu, and the moment he met the clone, he used the Water Substitution Technique to dodge the clone's charge. However, after jumping onto the river after the substitution, he discovered that this was the very place where Sakura had created the Water Clone using the Clone Technique.

Under the indifferent gaze of seven or eight pairs of eyes, and feeling the chill emanating from dozens of sharp blades pressed against his skin behind him, the fat man raised his hands without hesitation. "Sorry, I surrender!"

Then came the girl with black hair and a high ponytail who rushed to the front.

She possessed both speed and strength, and her Taijutsu was among the best of the Genin. Sakura's Water Clone couldn't even withstand a single move from her. However, against a sea of clones, her decent Taijutsu only earned her the assessment of "struggling fairly fiercely." Even though the girl with the high ponytail could take down four or five clones per second, seven or eight more would surge in afterward. Within a few seconds, she was surrounded by the Water Clone, and then, unsurprisingly, she was pierced through the shoulder from behind by an ice blade—the ice blade was used by the second-row clone in the encirclement, who used her companion's body as cover, piercing through both her companion and the enemy to injure her.

Then, faced with the swords wielded by the Water Clone, she did not hesitate to raise the white flag.

The shameless surrender of his two companions enraged the rooster-headed ninja with the earring. After cursing a few times, he fought alone, and before the clones could surround him, he risked being slashed by one of them to jump into the air, pull out the umbrella behind him, and was about to open the mechanism on it.

A flash of silver light streaked across the sky, and the sturdy umbrella, along with its upright rooster head, was instantly severed in two by the water jet, scattering in the wind. Thud! The rooster head landed on the ground, staring blankly at the broken umbrella in its hand, then foolishly touching its now-crested head. After a long silence, it fell to its knees with a thud, landing like a tiger.

"We apologize, esteemed Konoha ninja! Please forgive our rudeness and offense. This is our scroll; please accept it as an apology!"

You're the one with no morals... Sakura rolled her eyes and silently complained to herself.

After accepting the scroll, Sakura didn't kill them but released them directly. After all, she wasn't the kind of person who craved blood. Besides, a ninja's dying struggle can sometimes be terrifying, and now that she had the scroll, Sakura didn't want to cause any more trouble.

After all, the enemy wasn't just the three of them.

After stopping her Water Clone, Sakura leaned gently against a large tree, her right hand pressed against her chest as she silently sensed the remaining strength in her body. In the battle against the Rain Ninja trio, even though she had minimized the Chakra required for each clone, the sheer number of clones still consumed ten percent of Sakura's Chakra.

The girl, who had only recovered half of her strength, was in dire need of attention again!

Sakura took a deep breath.

"Come out! I can sense you... you rats!" The girl said coldly, looking towards a dark corner.

"Are you the rookie who claims to be the strongest?" The one who jumped out was none other than the Sound Ninja trio. They had been searching the Forest of Death all night and had recently discovered the ruins left behind after Orochimaru's battle with Team 7. Then they found signs of another battle here and rushed over immediately.

Having witnessed the devastation of the battlefield and the sight of the silver light severing the umbrella, the three Sound Ninja were certain that the girl before them was the culprit who had destroyed the vast forest. Despite their pride and arrogance, the Sound Ninja knew they couldn't possibly have done something so outrageous! The mountain of snake corpses was beyond their imagination; a powerful figure capable of withstanding such a swarm of snakes and killing so many venomous snakes and giant pythons was not someone they could afford to offend!

The only good news is that the powerful figure has encountered several battles in a row and should be quite exhausted by now!

The difference in their strength led them to accept Sakura's contemptuous title without daring to refute it, and they could only cautiously probe Sakura.

"Even if you're the strongest Genin, the recent battles must have taken a toll on your stamina. If the three of us attack together, we can definitely defeat you in your current state!"

"Indeed... the previous battles have taken a lot of toll on my stamina!"

The girl slowly walked towards the Sound Ninja, her expression cold.

"Now is indeed a good opportunity to defeat me!"

The girl's voice was calm and indifferent, without the slightest fluctuation, as if it were not a matter of her own life, but something insignificant.

The girl's footsteps drew ever closer to the Sound Ninja, her killing intent growing ever colder.

Twenty-five meters. This is the distance most Ninjutsu- type ninjas prefer, Ninjutsu range is generally longer than this. From this position, they can calmly unleash their Ninjutsu before the enemy gets close. The girl continued forward.

Despite believing they had the upper hand, the Sound Ninja couldn't help but quietly take a step back in the face of the girl's cold gaze and imposing aura.

"Come on! Don't you have... a numerical advantage?"

The Sound Ninja turned pale. The Rain Ninja, who had just boasted of their numerical advantage, had been drowned by the clone, Kaisa, while the girl before them remained unharmed. Who knew what methods she would use to deal with them next?

The three of them couldn't help but take another step back.

Was it just a bluff? The three Sound Ninja initially thought the girl was just putting on a brave face, but faced with her increasingly strong aura and ever-closer steps, they lost confidence.

Twenty meters. This is the dividing line between the optimal combat distance for Ninjutsu -type and Taijutsu- type ninjas. Above this distance, Ninjutsu- type ninjas have the advantage, while below this distance, Taijutsu- type ninjas have the advantage. The girl crossed this line without hesitation.

Didn't you already exhaust your energy? Why don't you look weak at all!

Aren't you a ninja specializing in Ninjutsu? Why are you getting any closer to us?

The usually arrogant spiky-haired Sound Ninja roared inwardly, but dared not utter a word of his inner rage. The fierce expression on his face froze as the girl approached step by step.

A bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

The girl continued to approach, but the Sound Ninja took another step back.

Fifteen meters. At this distance, even advanced Ninjutsu is too slow to be used unless Hand Seals beforehand. Otherwise, Ninjutsu -type ninjas can only fight like Taijutsu- type ninjas!

However, the girl's arms simply hung down naturally, and her delicate hands, which could instantly transform into deadly weapons, relaxed effortlessly on her sides, swaying gently.

The ground was already faintly lit, and in the dim light, the Sound Ninja could see the girl's expression. Her delicate face was indifferent and cold, yet showed no sign of fatigue; the coldness in her emerald eyes seemed capable of freezing a person into an ice cube!

The successive battles left no obvious wounds on her body; only dark red bloodstains congealed on her body and clothes—clearly enemy blood splattered there—creating a stark contrast to her fair, smooth skin.

Was she really exhausted? The Sound Ninja, who had been so confident just moments before, suddenly had this thought in their minds.

The Sound Ninja boy, whose eyes were completely bandaged up, finally couldn't withstand the pressure and roared, "Don't come any closer! I'm not afraid of you!" before unleashing a powerful shockwave at Sakura!

Boom! After the smoke and dust cleared, the girl who had retrieved the Ultra-Pure Water Earth Flow!

Ten meters is already the psychological limit for the Sound Ninja.

"Your attack doesn't even scratch an itch... What, is this all you've got?" The girl's tone even carried a hint of disappointment!

"W-What? It didn't work at all!" The beautiful face of the long-haired, black-haired Sound Ninja girl was now filled with terror. "Monster, she's a monster!"

The girl took a step forward ten meters. Chakra quietly gathered in her hands, emitting a faint blue light!

"Run!" Terrified by the Chakra, the Sound Ninja shouted, and the three of them vanished from the girl's sight at once, fleeing the area as fast as they could!

The girl snorted coldly and dispersed the Chakra in her hand.

If the Sound Ninja had really swarmed her just now, given her remaining stamina, she might have actually lost! However, the suspicious Sound Ninja were intimidated by Sakura's imposing presence.

To some extent, this tactical talent can also be considered a skill.

After standing there for a while, confirming that the Sound Ninja had indeed gone far away, Sakura turned around and prepared to return to her hiding place to continue resting.

Having faced two waves of enemies in extremely poor physical condition, she was already exhausted. There shouldn't be a third wave of enemies, right?

Right now, all she wants is to get a good night's sleep.

However, her wish was destined not to be fulfilled in the short term.

Sakura, who had just taken a step, suddenly stopped.

A black line stretched out from the shadows of a nearby tree and connected to Sakura's shadow.

"Shadow Imitation Technique... Success!"

Three figures landed behind Sakura!