The next morning
A thick morning mist hung over the dense forest.
Kakashi and his six friends leaped swiftly between trees like agile Monkey.
The intense pursuit had left all six of them somewhat exhausted, slowing their pace.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Old, Young, Disabled, and Disabled Team were having breakfast.
Pakkun, the Ninja Dog, sniffed the air. "Hey Kakashi, we're less than two hours away from Sasuke now, but if the fog doesn't clear, their scent will fade, and these kids look a bit tired."
"Oops!"
Tenten was the weakest in terms of physical strength. The continuous high-intensity pursuit made her unable to hold on. She slipped and fell from the tree trunk to the ground. After regaining her senses, she turned around in the air and landed steadily.
Sakura, who was closest to her, jumped down from the tree.
" Tenten, are you alright?"
"Thank you, Sakura. I'm fine, just a little tired. Orochimaru and the others ran too fast."
"Hiss..."
Their hearts tightened.
Suddenly, a faint sound came from beneath Tenten's feet. A large number of spells lit up under his feet, emitting a red light, and several burning Explosive Tag appeared where he stood.
" Tenten! Watch out!"
" Wood Release · Wood Locking Wall!"
"Boom!"
The Explosive Tag detonated, engulfing the two men in flames and smoke.
Kakashi and the others stopped.
Naruto was about to rush into the dust cloud when Kakashi stopped him. " Naruto! Rock Lee! Don't move rashly!"
But Sakura is still inside.
"Click-clack!"
As the smoke and dust cleared, a spherical wooden archway slowly appeared where Sakura Tenten had been standing. The Wood Locking Wall opened, revealing that Tenten and Sakura were both unharmed.
Rock Lee: " Sakura is amazing!"
Kakashi finally breathed a sigh of relief, " Sakura's Wood Release has become this hard?!"
At that moment, Pakkun, the Ninja Dog, sniffed the air and became alert. " Kakashi, there's someone over there. His scent is strange."
Everyone looked in the direction Pakkun was pointing.
A person slowly emerged from the thick fog, dressed in the same clothes as Orochimaru, and was obese.
It was Jirobo, Sound Four! However, at this moment, cracks appeared on Jirobo's face, like parched earth.
The Ninja Dog Pakkun said in a deep voice, "Hey, Kakashi, this guy has the aura of a dead man about him."
"The aura of the dead?"
" Eight Gates Released Formation - Fifth Gate of Limit - Open!"
Just as Kakashi had an idea in mind and was about to verify it, Rock Lee had already opened the Fifth Gate, his body transforming into green flames as he attacked Jirobo.
" Youth Concerto!"
A flying kick aimed straight at Jirobo's chest.
"Heh heh, Taijutsu, huh! Rock Strike!"
Jirobo swiftly threw out his right fist, colliding with Rock Lee's flying kick.
"Smack!"
After obtaining the " Kisame flesh" from the Hongshi, Rock Lee's physical abilities improved rapidly, and he could silently absorb his opponent's Chakra during battle, almost becoming stronger the more he fought.
Rock Lee kicked Jirobo's right fist and half of his body to pieces, but not a drop of blood flowed out; it was just Edo Impure World Reincarnation.
Seeing this, Kakashi naturally understood Jirobo's condition. "Lee! This guy is invincible, be careful."
Jirobo looked at his rapidly recovering body and said, "Hehehe, that's right, I am now an Impure World Reincarnation body. Not only am I immortal, but I also have unlimited Chakra. This body that Lord Orochimaru bestowed upon me is truly wonderful."
When Rock Lee's attack failed, he jumped up a tree to observe. In just a few seconds, he saw that Jirobo's body had fully recovered.
"This is troublesome!" Kakashi wasn't afraid he couldn't defeat Jirobo, but Orochimaru had already gone further and further away, making it much more difficult for him to pursue him. "This is Orochimaru's delaying tactic."
Sakura understood the situation. " Kakashi-sensei, Teacher Guy, you two go after Sasuke, I'll handle this guy."
Kakashi looked at Sakura: " Sakura, can you do it?"
Sakura untied the First Scroll from behind her. " Kakashi-sensei, Lady Tsunade told me that the Impure World Reincarnation can only be sealed with Sealing Jutsu, and I happen to know one of them. You guys go quickly, I'll catch up shortly."
Kakashi looked at Guy, who nodded at him. "Okay! Be careful!"
Naruto smiled at Sakura, " Sakura! You have to keep up!"
Sakura responded with a confident smile, "Go ahead! I'll make it!"
"Walk!"
Kakashi and the other four wanted to leave, but Jirobo wouldn't let them escape so easily. He quickly activated his Cursed Seal and entered Stage One, his entire body covered in triangular patterns.
"Trying to leave? Impossible! Earth Release: Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"
With a stomp of his foot, a five-meter-high stone wall flipped up, and he punched it, shattering it. A large number of shards of rock shot towards Kakashi and his group who were trying to leave, like Shuriken.
In his Impure World Reincarnation state, Jirobo can use Chakra without hesitation, and the range of his Ninjutsu is maximized.
Just as Kakashi was about to use Ninjutsu to defend himself, Tenten leaped upwards and swiftly released two bundles of scrolls. "Manipulation Tool: Twin Rising Dragons!"
Two bundles of scrolls surrounded Tenten like two swimming dragons, instantly unleashing a large number of ninja tools to intercept the flying debris!
Jirobo scoffed, "This level of force can't be stopped."
"Boom boom boom!"
What he didn't expect was that the ninja tools that erupted from the Twin Rising Dragons attack contained a large number of Explosive Tag, which caused a violent explosion after colliding with the rocks, blasting all the rubble away.
"Well done! Let's go!"
Pakkun the Ninja Dog pointed in one direction. "This way."
Kakashi and the others didn't linger and quickly left.
The rubble blasted by the Explosive Tag bounced off Jirobo and Jirobo instinctively covered his head with his hands.
However, when he realized he didn't need to defend himself and lowered his hands, he saw Sakura standing in front of him.
"A little girl? Pshaw, did they leave you here to die? You look incredibly weak, I don't know why Orochimaru chose you."
During the Chunin Ninja Exams, Sakura was also placed with the Cursed Seal of Heaven by Orochimaru, and Sakura was also among those Sound Four.
Sakura put on her gloves, a hint of anger in her voice. "(д╬) Hey, you fatso, you look down on women, huh? Orochimaru and I still have a score to settle, watch out or I'll smash you to pieces!"
"Was that Wood Release technique you used just now? I didn't expect you to have learned Wood Release. Let me see just how strong you are."
Having said that, Jirobo launched the first attack, charging straight at Sakura.
Having acquired the body of Impure World Reincarnation, he chose the most brutal method of attack: Taijutsu.
Sakura lightly leaped backward, her hands swiftly Hand Seals: " Wood Release: Cherry Blossom Tree!"
A cherry blossom tree quickly grew where Jirobo had been standing, blocking his way.
"Boom!"
Jirobo landed a powerful punch on a cherry blossom tree, snapping it in two, and the Red Cherry Blossom fell like rain.
After Jirobo snapped the cherry tree in two, he realized something was amiss and swept away the falling cherry blossoms, saying, "The strength of this tree is almost comparable to that of steel."
Then he accelerated again, increasing his speed by another third, catching up with Sakura before she hit the ground.
"Go to hell, you brat!"
Sakura reacted extremely quickly, and with her petite frame and agile speed, she managed to fight Jirobo to a standstill, although she remained on the defensive the entire time.
Sakura fought and retreated, constantly dodging Jirobo's punches at the last moment, but she didn't attack.
Jirobo seemed enraged by Sakura's constant dodging. After forcing Sakura back with a punch, he roared, "You're buzzing around like a fly, so annoying! Earth Release: Earth Prison Dome!"
Jirobo slammed his hands on the ground, and the ground began to rumble as stones began to move closer together.
Sakura exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of technique is this?!"
Just as Sakura was about to escape, stones suddenly flew up, blocking her path. They then flew faster and faster, eventually forming a ten-meter-wide Earth Prison that trapped the two of them in the center.
"Hehe, this is my Earth Release barrier. As long as I'm inside it, it will never be broken. And my Chakra is limitless right now, you have no way to escape. Let's see how you hide this time!"
Sakura was clearly panicked. "Damn it, how could they use such a despicable Ninjutsu!"
"Hehe, you little brat, you're pretty good. To praise you, I'll show you my strongest form. That way you'll know that even if you know Wood Release, you're helpless against absolute power."
By the sunlight streaming through the cracks in the rocks, Sakura saw Jirobo's body begin to change. His body gradually turned black and became much stronger, with bumps appearing on his forehead. " Lord Orochimaru also placed Cursed Seal on you, but you don't know how to use it."
Sakura touched the back of her neck. "Who would use such an evil thing?"
Seeing that Sakura showed no intention of attacking, Jirobo was quite pleased with himself, thinking that Sakura was intimidated, "Hahaha, I really want to kill you. But since you are one of Lord Orochimaru's targets, I'll just break your arms and legs."
Sakura took a step back, but ended up leaning against the stone wall. "You're dreaming! Damn it, let me out!"
Sakura only saw Jirobo's body flash before her eyes and appear in front of her.
Jirobo punched Sakura in the stomach. "Hehehe, in my Stage Two, my power has increased a hundredfold! And within this barrier, your Chakra will be slowly absorbed by me, so give up... huh?"
Jirobo, however, saw that Sakura, who was spitting blood, had a smile on her face, and that her fist did not feel like it had hit her, but instead cracked the earthen wall.
Sakura looked up and stuck her tongue out at Jirobo: "You've been tricked."
"Huh?! What's going on?!"
Sakura's body transformed into cherry blossoms and drifted within the Earth Release barrier.
Jirobo suddenly realized, "Could this be Genjutsu? When did this happen?!"
"Right at the very beginning."
Sakura's voice rang in Jirobo's ears, Jirobo immediately Hand Seals to dispel the Genjutsu, while simultaneously removing the Earth Release barrier.
"Untie!"
The earthen wall crumbled, revealing that Sakura was sitting cross-legged where she had landed after her jump, in the same spot where she hadn't moved.
Sakura's body was also covered in teardrop-shaped Cursed Seal: "Mr. Jirobo, don't misunderstand, my Cursed Seal were modified by Hongshi-kun, so they won't affect your body, and they're even more powerful!"
Why didn't you attack when I was under the Genjutsu?
Sakura pointed to the water droplet Cursed Seal on her body. "This is it. My Cursed Seal is different from yours. It needs to be refined slowly in a quiet place. My Genjutsu is cast using falling cherry blossoms. Your arrogance gave me plenty of time."
"You brat! Earth Release: Earth Mound Dumpling!"
Jirobo plunged his hands into the ground, lifted the huge rock, and threw it at Sakura.
Sakura, with a confident smile, said, "You just said that against absolute power, even with unlimited Chakra, it's useless. Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
The ground beneath Sakura's feet suddenly cracked open, and a ten-meter-long Wood Dragon burst forth from the earth, rushing towards the rocks.
"Boom!"
The Wood Dragon, as solid as diamond, plunged into the stone, instantly shattering it, and then hurtled downwards, striking Jirobo.
"Hehehe! Useless, I'm immortal!"
Jirobo's body was shattered into several pieces, but it is regenerating at an extremely fast speed.
Sakura Hand Seals again. "Didn't I just say I know Sealing Jutsu?!"
"Nani!"
" Sealing Jutsu: Cherry Blossom Seal!"
The Wood Dragon spun around, wrapping itself around Jirobo. As it wrapped around him, it continuously absorbed the Chakra within Jirobo's body, melting like liquid and enveloping Jirobo. Finally, the entire Wood Dragon transformed into a blooming cherry blossom tree, with numerous jutsu appearing on its trunk.
The seal was successfully sealed.
The Cursed Seal behind Sakura lit up, and the teardrop-shaped incantation quickly faded away.
The First's soul floated out, looking at Sakura with great satisfaction. " Sakura, you've combined Wood Release with Genjutsu. What a brilliant idea! But I noticed that your method of using the Cursed Seal is the same as Senjutsu. Did that Hongshi guy teach you that too?"
After using the Wood Dragon Technique and Sealing Jutsu, Sakura had depleted about 70-80% of her Chakra. Only after taking an enhanced Military Rations Pill did she reply, " Lord First, it was Hongshi-kun taught me this method."
The First nodded. "I see. After this matter is over, I need to have a serious talk with him."
" Lord First, please return to the seal. I need to go after Naruto and the others."
"Go."