Transmigrator Makes Another Move (Happy New Year)

Chapter 42: The Transmigrator Strikes Again (Happy New Year~)

Sakura felt a chill rush from her heels straight to her forehead.

Almost instinctively, she put down the explosive tags and quickly formed hand seals, "Ninjutsu: Mist Technique!"

It was nearing dawn, and Sakura's technique resonated with the morning dew, causing the surrounding mist to thicken rapidly, reducing visibility to almost nothing.

Sakura bit her lip hard with her teeth. Soon, a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. The pain brought her back to her senses, weakening her fear and gradually restoring her ability to act.

Should I run now? This was Sakura's subconscious thought.

No, that's not right.

Normal enemies wouldn't 'kindly' warn their prey when they found them. Instead, they'd find a suitable moment and strike decisively.

Did acting directly make "them" hesitate, and would inducing an escape make it easier for "them" to strike?

Sakura immediately thought of the traps she had set.

Compared to the original story, the traps set by the transmigrator Sakura were more lethal and meticulous. For example, they were highly concealed, almost impossible to spot; the tools used were all sharper, more lethal weapons...

No, that's not right either.

Traps could at best play a supporting role and would hardly pose a real threat to a powerful enemy, but...

Sakura's eyes widened slightly, and she suddenly realized, it was Naruto!

After escaping, Naruto would need to find them again, and the enemy had explicitly given Naruto a small note before, indicating they had discovered his 'secret'.

As a Jinchuriki, the transmigrator Naruto was clearly a far greater threat than the traps, so the enemy's true concern was Naruto.

With this realization, Sakura retreated to Sasuke's side again. She would hold the fort until Naruto returned, and that wouldn't take too long.

She gazed at Sasuke, whose body was already beginning to emit faint black smoke.

"He's waking up soon too," Sakura murmured softly, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.

In a hidden thicket near the tree hollow.

"Found them... As per Lord Orochimaru's instructions, we'll make our move at dawn. Target: Uchiha Sasuke."

Dosu stood in the middle, his sleeves hanging straight down. Kin and Zaku on either side looked at Sakura's direction with playful expressions.

"Can we kill the other one? I think her Mist Technique is quite troublesome," Zaku stared at Sakura, a curve forming on his lips.

Dosu chuckled, "Is that even a question?"

Time quickly passed until morning.

To maintain a healthy chakra level, Sakura slowly let the mist dissipate. There was undeniable fatigue in her eyes.

"He still hasn't returned... Could he have really found Orochimaru?" Sakura muttered inwardly, tidying her ninja tools with her hands, her gaze fixed straight ahead. "If nothing unexpected happens, the encirclement of Sasuke should begin soon."

Suddenly, a small, fluffy figure flashed by. Sakura looked up and calmly threw a kunai, blocking its path. It was a squirrel, which was startled and immediately ran in the opposite direction.

Sakura stood up, took two steps forward, and said coldly, "The probing ends here."

The Sound Ninja in the thicket heard this, and their eyelids twitched.

"She found us?" Zaku's eyes showed surprise, but then he saw the pink-haired girl in front of him yank the thin rope in her hand.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Instantly, kunai burning with explosive tags shot forward like a volley of arrows. The three were greatly alarmed and scattered to the sides. The moment the kunai approached the thicket, an explosion swept through the area.

"BANG!!!"

Thick smoke billowed everywhere, accompanied by a grating sonic boom. One area instantly cleared, revealing the three standing there. Dosu put his hands back into his sleeves, looking at the clear-eyed young woman before him with a strange smile.

"Wake up Uchiha Sasuke. We want to have a match with him."

"Sasuke?" Sakura showed no fear, only a hint of a sarcastic smile, as if she had surrounded the three before them.

Then, she sternly shouted, "You should worry about how to defeat me first, you dogs of Orochimaru, daring to bark wildly in front of me!"

"BOOM!" A violent aura instantly surged around her. Accompanied by her pink hair flying in the wind, she looked like a victorious female general returning from battle.

Sakura's aura made Dosu realize that her tired appearance while guarding Sasuke earlier was completely an act, designed to lure them in. At this thought, his expression became serious.

"In that case..." Dosu murmured softly, then suddenly lunged forward like a swift beast towards Sakura, his right hand behind his back, and his left hand slightly rolling up his right sleeve.

Sakura's assessment of them as "[Orochimaru's dogs]" had deeply stung Dosu.

Sakura's figure magnified in his eyes, but strangely, the girl before him seemed to have no reaction, just staring at him with a cold smile.

Is it a trap? Dosu instinctively looked left and right. The moment he was distracted, a vibrant green figure appeared beside him!

"Konoha: Whirlwind!"

With a powerful, whipping kick, Dosu was sent flying to the side. The only exposed eye slowly widened, looking at Rock Lee, who had assumed an offensive stance, with disbelief.

"You, who are you?" Dosu reacted, his gaze deepening.

"Konoha's beautiful Azure Beast, Rock Lee." Rock Lee had one hand behind his back and the other extended forward, his eyes sparkling. His bowl cut, swaying in the wind, made him look even cleaner and more dashing.

"Thank you, Lee," Sakura walked over and patted his shoulder, causing Rock Lee to blush. He stammered, "S-Sakura, it's my duty. I said I would protect you..."

"Mm, be careful not to be ambushed."

Sakura hadn't forgotten that the transmigrator had discovered their hiding place. Even until just now, she had been observing their surroundings, but unfortunately, there were no changes.

She bypassed Dosu, whose eyes already showed killing intent, and focused her gaze on Zaku behind him.

"If I remember correctly, Zaku interfered after Rock Lee unleashed the Front Lotus, so I just need to tie up Zaku during that time to take out Dosu, creating a two-on-two situation," Sakura muttered to herself, concealing her figure behind Rock Lee as she began forming hand seals.

At the same time, Dosu watched Rock Lee continuously unwrapping the bandages around his hands, and a bad feeling immediately surged within him. He lunged towards Rock Lee, moving with the speed of lightning.

But in the blink of an eye, Rock Lee shifted his position, lowered his center of gravity, and with a kick, sent Dosu flying into the air!

Sakura seized the opportunity. As Dosu flew upwards, she charged towards the two of them, sending her chakra-infused fist towards the ground.

She intended to create a chasm and split the battlefield!

But just then, a kunai with a white paper strip attached flew towards Sakura from an unknown direction. She dodged it, and the kunai embedded itself in the ground, revealing the white paper strip to Sakura. On it were written two small characters:

[Hehe]

Sakura froze for a moment, then sharply turned in that direction, but saw no one.

A great fear gripped her heart, and a terrible thought began to form.