But he had reacted far too late. The Earth Wall had barely formed and was nowhere near stable. Sakura shattered it with a single punch, holding nothing back.
Sakura showed no sign of slowing down. She drove straight toward Ryota, her fist surging through the fragments of the shattered wall.
Ryota nearly jumped out of his skin. By the time he tried to dodge, his legs had gone weak, and he almost pitched forward onto the ground.
If he had managed to fall, he might have escaped the blow. But before he could, Sakura's fist slammed squarely into his stomach.
It felt to Ryota as though a boulder had struck his gut. The dull pain made his eyes widen, and he flew backward before landing with a thud!
Chapter 857: Going Separate Ways
Ryota sat on the ground, still looking stunned. He stared blankly at Sakura for a long moment before saying, "Girls from Konoha are terrifying!" He rubbed his stomach, his face twisted in pain.
Yamashita looked horrified too. He shrank back, afraid he would be next, but it was too late to run even if he wanted to.
Yamashita went over and pulled Ryota to his feet, then watched Sakura and the others in alarm, afraid they might charge without warning.
As soon as Ryota stood up, he heard Yamashita whisper, "Let's just hand over the Scroll. No matter how I look at it, we can't win!"
Ryota knew that too, but he was too stubborn to give up. "I haven't even made my move yet. Maybe I can pull it off!"
Yamashita pursed his lips and took a small step aside. "Then go ahead. I'm not throwing my life away!" He looked at Ryota as if waiting for him to prove it.
Ryota froze. After a moment's