The ninja drew a Shuriken from behind his back and raised it to block. The force of the blow still startled him. He had wondered how much strength a girl could possibly have, but the jolt through his wrist left him stunned.
Seeing the shock in his eyes, Sakura Haruno smiled. "And who told you girls had to be weak?"
She yanked her Shuriken back, twisted sharply in midair, and drove it through a gap in his guard toward his face!
He had never expected Sakura to pull off a move like that. Too shocked to dodge in time, he could only throw up his arm and take the strike.
Sakura did not press her luck. She kicked off his chest and flew backward, landing steadily beside Hinata Hyuga!
While Sakura kept the man occupied, Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuga had compared notes. Hinata's Chakra was still far from full, but she could clearly see another person hiding behind a tree.
Neither of them looked surprised or afraid. They stood there as if nothing was wrong. The moment Sakura landed, Hinata stepped forward and whispered, "There's one more. We'll attack this ninja together and draw the other one out. Then Ino can use the Mind Body Switch Technique!"
The three had been together since childhood. By now, their teamwork was so seamless that one sentence was enough for each of them to understand the plan!
Sakura smiled to herself. She looked at the ninja like a snake eyeing its prey. Hinata showed no emotion at all, which somehow made her even more chilling.
The ninja opposite them took an involuntary step back. Realizing he had retreated, he flushed with anger and charged straight at Hinata and the others, looking utterly vicious.
Even Tazuna, standing far away, was startled and nearly