"So, the act is finally over, Master?" Sakura Haruno said, a sneer etched on her face. She then pushed her Lightning Release Chakra Mode to its absolute maximum, her muscles twitching and spasming with the strain.
She hadn't activated Creation Rebirth. In this situation, wasting chakra on it was out of the question. If she couldn't break through the encirclement, what did it matter if she wasn't injured? Her only option was to pour all her power into the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
"Wait!" Choji stepped in front of Sakura, swallowing hard. "Do you know what you're doing? Lady Fifth Hokage, to help you..."
Sakura didn't wait for Choji to finish. She shot past him, launching an attack at Tsunade.
The fierce gust of wind generated by her incredible speed sent Choji stumbling. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Before he could recover from his shock, a deafening, thunder-like boom erupted from behind him, followed by an astonishing shockwave that sent several people sprawling.
In the center of the clearing, Sakura, who had just clashed fists with Tsunade, was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
Sakura hit the ground, her momentum unchecked, skidding across the earth for a considerable distance before finally slamming into a large rock and coming to a halt.
Seeing Sakura knocked away by Tsunade, the white-robed ANBU made a hand gesture, signaling his subordinates to move in and secure her.
Sasuke, seeing this, blocked the ANBU's path, preventing them from apprehending Sakura.
"All of you, stand down!!!" Tsunade roared, her command directed at both the ANBU and Sasuke. She then began to walk towards Sakura.
The force of their clash had left Sakura dizzy and seeing stars. She staggered to her feet, clutching her forehead as she watched Tsunade draw nearer.
Sakura couldn't understand it. How could there be such a vast difference in power when they both used the same monstrous strength technique?
She had even forgone Creation Rebirth to maximize her offensive power. And with the speed boost from her Lightning Release Chakra Mode, theoretically, that punch should have been far more powerful than any she'd thrown before.
Even if her strength was inferior to Tsunade's, at most, she shouldn't have gained the upper hand, but they should have at least been able to trade blows. Yet, in a pure contest of strength, the disparity was this enormous.
Is this the peak state of a Kage? Sakura shook her head, still dazed, as she saw Tsunade launch another attack. This was her last chance. Even if she couldn't win, she had to fight. Otherwise, there would be no hope at all.
From the impact of that first punch, it was clear: Master Tsunade's speed was not a bit inferior to her own, even with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode active. Her plan to escape using superior speed was now in tatters. All that was left was to fight.
Thwack! Boom! Crash!
The surrounding Konoha ninja heard only the sickening sounds of fist meeting flesh echoing from the direction of the battle.
Neither of them was using any flashy ninjutsu. They were relying entirely on taijutsu and monstrous strength. And because both were wielding such devastating power, the very earth beneath them suffered collateral damage.
"Hmph, not bad!" Tsunade commented, fighting with ease as she addressed Sakura.
Although that first punch had sent Sakura flying, Tsunade hadn't used a blow of that magnitude since.
And after trading a few more blows with Master Tsunade, Sakura realized it wasn't that Tsunade was faster than her; rather, Tsunade was anticipating her moves, making it seem as if she were faster.
Heh, combat experience is truly what I lack. Though Sakura and Tsunade were now exchanging blows, it was more of a one-sided beating, with Sakura taking most of the hits.
The more she fought, the more frustrated Sakura became. Without using ninjutsu, she couldn't escape this predicament. Given the current situation, Master Tsunade could easily incapacitate her with a single punch, just like before. But Tsunade clearly had no intention of doing so. It was as if she were merely toying with her.
After taking another punch to the face, Sakura used the opportunity to create distance. Gazing at Tsunade's face, Sakura felt her blood boil, her hatred for Tsunade skyrocketing.
"Is this all the strength you have?" Tsunade asked coolly.
Tsunade had already decided to use the forbidden jutsu to uncover the truth. Now, she just needed to defeat Sakura and bring her back to the village – and she had to defeat her openly and decisively. Otherwise, even if she brought her back, it would only lead to more trouble.
Looking at Sakura's icy, hate-filled eyes, a pang of regret struck Tsunade. The Sakura before her now bore no resemblance to the little girl with an upturned, innocent face who had once told her that her dream was world peace.
Sakura said nothing, silently forming hand seals. Her Storm Release Clone appeared beside her.
Her taijutsu was indeed no match for her master's, even with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Fighting in this mode was just asking for a beating.
The battle between Sakura and the Fifth Hokage left the nearby Konoha ninja utterly astounded. Earlier, when Sakura had first attacked, she had fallen for unknown reasons. Her fleeting display of speed had already led them to overestimate her, but they now realized they had still underestimated her.
Although Sakura was constantly being pushed back by the Fifth Hokage, if any of them were to fight her one-on-one, probably very few present could defeat her.
The jonin elites of Konoha also remained silent. Is this truly a chunin? To think she could achieve such strength at only thirteen years old. If I had gone against her, I might have been defeated through carelessness.
Seeing the Storm Release Clone, Tsunade's expression gradually turned serious. She knew about Sakura's Storm Release Clone. It was indeed powerful, but she also knew its weaknesses. If the Storm Release Clone sustained damage, the damage would be reflected back onto the main body. Its advantages, however, were immunity to physical attacks, high-temperature properties, and the ability for its hands to mimic shapes.
This Storm Release Clone was a perfect counter to taijutsu. Only chakra-based attacks would be effective against it.
Tsunade then formed seals. Blue chakra manifested in her hand – the Chakra Scalpel. The chakra on Tsunade's hand then extended continuously, reaching a length of about eight inches.
The Storm Release Clone's hands also transformed into broad blades as it charged towards Tsunade. Sakura followed close behind.
Betrayed, toyed with – Sakura's heart had turned completely cold. The affection she had invested in Konoha for over a decade had been met with betrayal. Sakura couldn't bring herself to remain loyal to Konoha like Itachi Uchiha had. Her only option was to escape...
The two sides rapidly closed the distance between them. Just as they were about to make contact...
Suddenly, a figure appeared in their line of sight. Tsunade's face instantly paled in shock upon seeing the figure. The Chakra Scalpel in her hand vanished. She swiftly grabbed the figure, pulling it into her embrace, then twisted around in an incredibly counter-intuitive motion, her back now facing the oncoming Storm Release Clone.
Squelch!
A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Tsunade's mouth. Two bluish-white blades had pierced through her chest from behind.
Boom!
Sakura's mind went blank at the sight. The Storm Release Clone, deprived of its main body's control, froze in its attack posture.
"Didn't I tell you all to stay hidden and await my orders? What are you doing out here, Karin?!" Tsunade said, frowning at Karin, seemingly completely unfazed by the blades piercing her chest.
"I... I... I wanted to help!" Karin stammered meekly, then extended her arm. "Quick, bite me."
"No need." Tsunade frowned. The Chakra Scalpel reappeared in her hand. With a single strike, she shattered the Storm Release Clone's blades. Then, taking a step forward, she pulled the blades out from her back. The wounds on her body healed in moments, leaving no trace of injury.
Looking at Karin's evasive gaze, Tsunade sighed. It was true that Karin wanted to help, but it was Sakura she was trying to help.
Sakura, too, snapped back to her senses from the sharp pain in her wrists. The broad blades formed by her Storm Release Clone's hands had been shattered by Tsunade, and the pain had transferred directly to Sakura's own wrists.
However, seeing Tsunade unharmed brought a wave of relief. Sakura had never been in such turmoil as she was today, her mind constantly under immense pressure.
She hated Tsunade for the trap she had set, but at the same time, the years of their master-disciple bond were not so easily erased. These two conflicting emotions tormented her, like being caught between ice and fire.
"Sakura, are you, are you okay?!" Karin, biting her lip, darted away from Tsunade's side and ran towards Sakura.
Seeing Karin brought a fleeting moment of peace to Sakura's heart. Karin's suicidal appearance just now had clearly been an attempt to help her.
Forcing a smile, Sakura was just about to speak to Karin when an excruciating pain erupted from her back. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked down at the ninja sword protruding from her chest. Blood welled up in her mouth.
Karin watched, horrified, as someone suddenly flashed behind Sakura and plunged a sword into her body. Karin's expression instantly shifted from joyful surprise to sheer terror.
In Sakura's vision, time seemed to slow down. Karin's expression slowly morphed into one of horror.
Am I going to die? Sakura thought with no small amount of regret. The blade had pierced her heart directly. And she, in her pursuit of ultimate offensive power, hadn't activated Creation Rebirth.
They say that when a person is about to die, everything around them slows down. So, it's true.
Beside her, Master Tsunade's face was also slowly turning deathly pale. Heh, is she worried about me? Forget it. I'm about to die anyway. I forgive you for selling me out.
Huh, who's that? Sakura saw a figure slowly appearing in an open space not far away, as if in slow motion. But even after waiting for a long time, she couldn't make out who it was.
Never mind him...
...
...
It's so slow. Why am I not dead yet? Time really does crawl when you're about to die. Waiting for death is so boring. All I can do is look at this same scene.
Haha, Ino's expression is hilarious. And Shikamaru's... he probably doesn't know whether to be sad or, well, sad.
This single second seemed to stretch into an eternity, so long that Sakura began to feel that living was pointless. She even started to look forward to whether she would transmigrate again after dying.
Huh, wait. I don't remember experiencing this when I transmigrated from Earth. I just remember everything going black, and then I knew nothing. Oh well, might as well look forward to it this time.
...
Ugh, hurry up already! Sakura felt like yawning out of boredom, but she couldn't move at all, stuck in one position, only able to observe her surroundings with her eyes.
Huh, what's Karin taking out from her clothes?
...
Hey, why is she throwing it at me?
...
Huh, why does this thing look so familiar?
...
Huh, this thing is... this thing is...
...
The Stone of Gelel!!!