The tall samurai charged in with a gale at his back. His sheer weight made the ground tremble softly with each step.
Sakura couldn't slack off. She rolled to evade incoming arrows, then tried to break out to the right—
But the samurai ignored her. He aimed his katana forward.
Target: Tazuna's house.
He turned his head toward Sakura, a half-smile on his face.
Sakura's stomach dropped. This guy was dirtier than she thought.
"Die!" she snapped, flinging the few kunai she had left. The samurai dodged easily, and with a flick of his blade knocked aside the ones that came too close.
Whip! Whip! Two kunai sailed past him and struck the strings near Tazuna's door—cutting them clean.
BOOOOM!!
BOOOOM!!
Explosions erupted behind and around the crowd. Thick smoke swallowed half the battlefield.
The samurai froze for a split second, then his face twisted black. "You dare play me?!"
From the beginning, Sakura had been aiming her throws at the strings behind him. Cutting them triggered the traps.
Expressionless, Sakura lunged at him again—and this time her hands flashed through seals.
Time to test the special training.
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist!"
The fog thickened instantly, layered with the rolling smoke. Visibility plunged to almost nothing.
The samurai instinctively scanned around, moving constantly.
He couldn't let Sakura lock onto his position.
BAM! A brutal punch crashed into his armor, jolting him. He swung—empty air. The figure vanished.
He moved left a few steps, and his back was slammed again. This time his guts churned like they'd shifted inside him.
Furious at the "dishonorable youth," the samurai roared, "Damn it! Come out!"
Before he finished, Sakura burst in from behind and hammered him with another plain, savage punch.
She could pinpoint him for one simple reason: his size and armor made each step heavy and loud. She'd read his mind—baiting him into constant movement, then using the sound to track him.
Her fist was about to land—
And the samurai abruptly retreated, snapping his hand out to grab her wrist.
Like tossing a doll, he hurled Sakura into the ground with a thunderous slam.
Cough! Agony ripped through her. A metallic sweetness flooded her mouth, and she spat blood.
"You really think I couldn't see through that childish trick?" the samurai sneered. He reached down to tear at her clothes.
He was going to humiliate her—
Sakura didn't dodge. She kicked his sword away, seized the opening, and lunged forward.
Her teeth sank into his carotid artery.
"AAAGH!" The samurai convulsed in shock, his brain screaming danger—death.
He panicked and hammered fists into Sakura's stomach. "Let go!"
"Let go, damn you!"
"…"
No matter how he punched, Sakura didn't answer. Her jaw only clamped harder.
It was the same scene as before.
Back in the Chunin Exams, Sakura had bitten an enemy and refused to release even under brutal counterattacks—until Sasuke woke up.
Who knew whether this was her personality… or whether her soul was slowly merging with the real Haruno Sakura.
The samurai's pupils started to lose focus. His punches became sluggish, mindless. His voice dwindled to a gurgle…
Thud.
With that final dull impact, Sakura collapsed, eyes still fixed toward Tazuna's home.
The samurai's body stood for a heartbeat—then toppled. His head, already severed, rolled away like a kicked ball.
Someone gently caught Sakura's falling body.
She looked up.
A blond boy with whisker marks whispered, "It's okay now."
"They won't hurt you anymore."
Sakura stared at Naruto, and all the fear she'd forced down burst out like a dam breaking. She clutched him and began to sob quietly.
Naruto patted her trembling back, trying to sound casual. "Leave the rest of these trash to me—huh?"
He looked up.
The front ranks were already scattering, crashing into the people behind them in panic. The whole crowd dissolved into chaos.
They'd been scared out of their minds by Sakura's desperate counterattack.
Naruto laughed, half furious. Seriously? Every time I charge my ult, you pull this?
You don't get to use the same trick twice!!
He made shadow clones. Red Nine-Tails chakra arms lashed out and dragged every fleeing thug back. They huddled like rats, staring at Naruto as if he were a monster.
One clone strode up with a chilling grin. "My mood is f—ing amazing right now." (Not.)
"All of you rush me together. Anyone tries to run, I'll kill him."
They exchanged looks, then charged like mourners at a funeral—
Only to be swatted into the ground by a giant chakra hand, planted like rice seedlings.
Near Sakura, Naruto pulled out medical supplies and did quick first aid. Tazuna's door opened; Inari came rushing out with tears streaming, throwing himself at Sakura.
He'd watched everything, terrified, his worldview shattered.
"Move, brat. I'm treating wounds here." Naruto shoved Inari aside, annoyed.
Tazuna's daughter stepped out too. "Carry her inside. I'll handle the rest—it's easier between women."
Naruto nodded.
But Sakura grabbed his sleeve tightly. After a breath, she said, "Hurry up and dispel your clones. Have your real body tell Kakashi what happened."
Naruto carefully placed her hand back down. "What are you saying? I am the real one."
Sakura blinked.
Naruto scratched his cheek, embarrassed. "You raise a flag every time and then something blows up. I didn't trust leaving you alone, so I sent a clone with Kakashi and Sasuke. The real me came back to guard you."
For a moment Sakura's eyes softened. Then the heat rose in her face.
Wait—she'd just cried in his arms…
Ugh. So embarrassing.
Tazuna and his daughter carried Sakura inside. Naruto looked down at Inari's dazed face.
"What're you thinking?"
Inari wiped his tears and murmured, "You said heroes can be scared, big sis, and I didn't understand… So people like her are heroes too, right?"
Naruto rubbed Inari's head gently. "Looks like you just haven't done enough homework. Later, you should properly study the theory of heroic history."
Inari froze.
Dude, shouldn't you be giving me a heartfelt protagonist speech right now?
What's with homework?!
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Pakkun whispered to Kakashi and Sasuke, "Keep it quiet. We're almost there."
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