Watching the young girl charge towards him at extreme speed, the Kirigakure ANBU flicked his hand, and a kunai was already in his grasp.
Seeing the girl's fist coming towards him, the Kirigakure ANBU sneered, slashing the kunai towards her fist.
She charged over without any weapon. Judging by her performance earlier, her condition shouldn't be very good. Now it seems even more so.
In the blink of an eye, Sakura Haruno's fist and the ANBU's kunai collided. However, Sakura's fist was completely unharmed, while the kunai in the ANBU's hand, with a crack, shattered.
"Hmph," a cold sneer touched Sakura's lips. Then, twisting her waist forcefully, she extended her left hand and, with the momentum of her turn, backhanded the ANBU across the face.
With a crisp slap, the Kirigakure ANBU was sent flying into the air, then landed on the ground.
The Kirigakure ANBU was dizzy from the blow, his ears ringing incessantly. He struggled to prop himself up with his hands, shook his head, and spat out a mouthful of blood, a few teeth visible within it. His ANBU mask had also been shattered by that blow.
"Damn it, I was careless!" The Kirigakure ANBU's vision was blurry; he still hadn't recovered from that hit. He had thought that strange clone from their last battle was her trump card, but he hadn't expected it was just a fraction of her strength. He hadn't seen her form any hand seals, yet her fist was so hard. If it wasn't ninjutsu, then it was body modification.
And that slap, rather than an attack, felt more like a humiliation. Trembling, the unmasked Kirigakure ANBU stood up and looked calmly at the young girl. Humiliation meant nothing to an ANBU like him; his eyes were only on the mission objective.
Looking at the young girl, the Kirigakure ANBU didn't advance. Instead, he directly flickered and fled out of the courtyard.
Sakura, seeing the Kirigakure ANBU leave, quickly gave chase, following him out of Grandma Rika's courtyard.
Gradually, they moved further and further away from Red Leaf Village. Sakura didn't need to think to know he was doing it intentionally, but she no longer had any scruples.
When the Kirigakure ANBU stopped, Sakura glanced around and vaguely sensed that she seemed to have fallen into an encirclement.
Heh, it doesn't matter. I won't be killed anyway. Thinking this, Sakura felt not joy, but despair. How could one be happy in such a false world?
"I admit, I underestimated you before," the Kirigakure ANBU said. "But this time, you will definitely die here!"
As soon as his words fell, five figures darted out from the shadows; they were the same ANBU who had besieged Sakura earlier.
Sakura counted them and found there were only six in total, including that Kirigakure ANBU. Could there be two more hiding in the shadows, preparing a sneak attack?
"I told you, I would kill you to avenge my comrades!" the ANBU said through gritted teeth.
Looking at the furious expression on the ANBU's face, Sakura suddenly understood. It turned out Terumi Mei's massive Water Release jutsu from last time wasn't without effect; it had actually killed two of their members.
This also explained why it took them so long to catch up to her; it was because some of them had died.
"Then, come on," Sakura took a deep breath, formed a Tiger seal with both hands, and instantly, her body erupted with lightning.
Since she was in the Infinite Tsukuyomi space, Sakura no longer had any reservations. The Gelel Force was used up, Seijutsu was still not very useful, and for now, only the Lightning Release Chakra Mode gave her the biggest boost, though its side effects were also the greatest.
But what did that matter? This was a false world.
The six Kirigakure ANBU formed an encircling formation around Sakura, gradually tightening the distance. Except for the lead ANBU, the others swung their ninja swords and slashed towards Sakura.
Seeing their movements, which vaguely hinted at a combination attack, Sakura didn't get entangled with them. An explosive force erupted from under her feet, and she charged towards the lead ANBU.
The lead ANBU's intention was to force Sakura to attack him, and then his subordinates would attack from behind. From their last battle, the lead ANBU had noticed she wasn't good at dealing with multiple attackers.
But he never expected Sakura's speed to be this fast. Although he had secretly made preparations, in the blink of an eye, Sakura was already in front of him, and then a delicate pink fist grew larger and larger before his eyes.
Not good! The lead ANBU's pupils constricted. If this fist lands, I'll die.
With a sudden exertion of his waist, the lead ANBU leaned backward, but he clearly wasn't faster than Sakura.
With a peng sound, the lead ANBU was sent flying, twitched a couple of times after landing on the ground, and then stopped moving.
Just as Sakura was about to go up and deliver a couple more kicks, seven or eight water whips suddenly shot out from behind her, binding her tightly.
"Hmph!" Sakura couldn't even be bothered to speak. These people were all fake; there was no desire to taunt them at all.
With a forceful struggle, the seemingly sturdy water whips were snapped by her. They had used this trick during their last encounter, and they were using it again now. They really didn't learn.
Just as Sakura turned around to deal with the remaining Kirigakure ANBU, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower back.
The intense pain made Sakura involuntarily kneel on one knee. Then, she felt a wet sensation on her body. Reaching back, her hand came away covered in blood, and she also felt a kunai embedded in her back.
Enduring the pain, Sakura pulled out the kunai. Instantly, a jet of blood spurted from the wound.
"S-so painful..." Fine beads of sweat broke out on Sakura's forehead from the pain. It had been a long time since she had felt such pain.
This kunai, without a doubt, was thrown by the lead ANBU she had just hit. Actually, although Sakura had hit him with that punch earlier, she had also sensed him dodging.
So, the power that should have been a fatal blow was weakened somewhat. She had wanted to go up and deliver a couple more kicks but was hindered by the remaining ANBU. However, thinking that even if he didn't die from that punch, he probably wouldn't be able to fight anymore, she hadn't bothered with him. Who would have thought he could still launch a sneak attack?
Turning her head, Sakura saw the lead ANBU looking at her with a regretful expression, though his face had also been somewhat twisted and deformed by her punch.
Sakura was furious. Gripping the kunai in her hand, she threw it at him like a cannonball. Enhanced by the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the kunai she threw let out a whistling sound as it cut through the air.
Puchi.
Perhaps because the kinetic energy was too great, the lead ANBU's head exploded like a watermelon. After piercing his head, the kunai, its momentum undiminished, embedded itself in the ground.
The moment the lead ANBU died, Sakura sensed several killing intents rushing towards her.
Looking at the remaining Kirigakure ANBU charging at her with their ninja swords, Sakura, still half-kneeling on the ground, formed hand seals.
"Ninja Art: Strength of a Hundred Technique!"
Although the Strength of a Hundred had been exhausted in the Land of Sea last time, she had been replenishing it on the way to the Land of Grass. Though the time was short, it was enough for her to fight a battle of attrition.
But then, as if remembering something, Sakura's soaring aura weakened. This is just the Infinite Tsukuyomi...
Using the Strength of a Hundred to further amplify her Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Sakura quickly created distance from the approaching Kirigakure ANBU. However, the movement pulled at her wound, causing her face to twitch in pain.
After creating distance, she formed hand seals again. Creation Rebirth instantly healed the wound on her back and the earlier one on her arm.
Then, looking at the remaining five ANBU, Sakura revealed a cruel smile. The hunt begins!