"Hey, why are you acting like a fool? I'm talking to you."
The figure known as "Inner Sakura" stared at the real Sakura tied to a cross, confusion written all over her face.
Sakura's mind raced. In this strange dream-like world, every moment felt like an eternity, yet her next words came without hesitation:
"Do you have a way to help me break free from Tsukuyomi?"
Inner Sakura glanced at her, a smug smile playing on her lips. Her tone carried immense confidence as she replied:
"Is that all this is about?"
"Watch closely, this lousy Tsukuyomi—"
!!!
At that moment, Uchiha Itachi suddenly felt a deep, deadly sense of danger!
—Reality—
A sharp whistling sound tore through the air, grazing Itachi's hair!
He arched back with a perfect iron bridge move, narrowly dodging the sudden punch aimed at his face and quickly retreated!
Just a second ago, sensing the change within the illusion, he had proactively dispelled his Tsukuyomi. If the genjutsu had been forcefully broken, the backlash would have inflicted severe mental damage on him!
"Huh?"
"You actually dodged that?"
"I guess I should say — worthy of the Uchiha weasel, huh?"
The "Sakura" who attacked grinned with provocation, stepping closer to the man clad in a black cloak with red clouds.
Itachi's eyes narrowed as he watched the pink-haired girl crack her neck with loud creaks. Something about her aura had shifted drastically.
It was as if someone entirely different had taken control of the body.
Was it… that second personality from earlier?
Boom!
The ground beneath her feet exploded as she launched herself like a streak of light toward Itachi!
There was no time for thought. Relying purely on the high-level observation granted by his Mangekyō Sharingan, Itachi's body moved instinctively, twisting to dodge her high-speed assault!
"Not bad at all!"
'Sakura' grinned wildly. Her first strike may have missed, but she didn't falter. She clenched her fist as chakra surged into her arm with terrifying power and—
Slam!
A monstrous punch crashed into the ground!
A massive shockwave erupted as the riverside embankment collapsed from the sheer force of the blow!
Itachi lost his footing and fell onto the surface of the water, trying to regain his balance.
Just then, a massive figure appeared behind 'Sakura.'
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Roar!
A ferocious water dragon, towering over 20 meters tall and with glowing red eyes, shot up and charged at 'Sakura' with a fearsome roar!
"Hah! You call that a dragon, you piece of trash?"
"You better apologize to all real dragons, bastard!"
'Sakura' showed no hesitation. Ignoring Itachi completely, she leapt into the air, facing the water dragon head-on. In her hand, chakra burned intensely in the shape of a beast's head, howling with fury.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion of water and wind was like a hurricane tearing through the battlefield!
Meanwhile, Itachi rapidly formed seals and launched another attack from behind the distracted girl:
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A roaring fire dragon spewed forth from Itachi's mouth, evaporating huge amounts of water as it hurtled toward 'Sakura's' exposed back!
Sensing the heat at her back, 'Sakura' grinned even more wildly. Madness twinkled in her eyes as the diamond-shaped mark on her forehead glowed a bright violet!
Black lines snaked down from her forehead, across her cheeks, neck, and into the rest of her body.
"Pain Heaven Kick!"
"Die!"
She suddenly turned and delivered a brutal spinning kick aimed at Kisame Hoshigaki, who had tried to sneak in from the side!
Crash!!!
The entire riverbed shattered from the impact!
Water surged back, the land fractured, and both riverbanks crumbled under the pressure. Trees snapped like twigs, falling as the very terrain split apart. For a brief moment, the riverbed itself was completely exposed.
"Kisame!!"
Itachi's scalp tingled as he watched the scene unfold.
If Kisame were dead, so be it — but how would he explain this to Pain? After all, entering Konoha had been his decision alone.
Then, his eyes caught something beneath the surface— Samehada, Kisame's sword, was swimming rapidly away toward the outskirts of Konoha.
He survived.
Back on the water, 'Sakura' was hit squarely by the tail end of the fire dragon. The flames scorched her vest, but were quickly doused by the torrential rain from the shattered water dragon.
She landed gracefully on the surface of the water, peeled off the charred vest and tossed it aside. Then, she ripped the burned remnants of her left sleeve off with one swift pull.
From her tool pouch, she drew a kunai and, without hesitation, sliced off the curled and scorched tips of her pink hair.
Itachi's eyes darkened.
This girl wasn't Haruno Sakura.
This was the manifestation of her Inner Self — her "inner personality," so to speak.
To put it bluntly: this was a lunatic.
There was no point in tangling further with a lunatic. What Itachi needed now was a quick and clean retreat from Konoha.
The chaos had already drawn the attention of nearby shinobi — no doubt the Leaf Ninja were closing in rapidly.
As for Kisame...
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw Samehada moving. Kisame would escape on his own. He needed no saving.
Meanwhile, 'Sakura' shook her head, now with short pink hair fluttering freely. She sighed with satisfaction and smirked at the black-cloaked man in front of her.
"What's wrong?"
"Want to go another round with me?"
Itachi narrowed his eyes further.
Was she… letting him leave?
Then, he noticed something odd.
'Sakura' opened her mouth slightly, as if preparing to say something else. His eyes widened. He stared hard at this girl — and the very next instant, turned around and left without hesitation.
'Sakura' watched his retreating figure and scoffed.
If he wasn't useful, she would have summoned the Monkey King Enma long ago and finished the job.
She glanced down at the strands of pink hair drifting on the surface of the water, showing no sign of sentiment. With a shrug, she walked toward the riverbank.
Just then, a distant voice called out.
"Sakura!"
"You okay—?"
It was Karin. She froze in place, staring wide-eyed at the short-haired girl standing ahead of her.
But someone arrived even faster.
Tsunade.
She frowned as she approached, taking in the sight of 'Sakura.'
Something was off. Very off.
The Sakura she knew was confident, but rational and composed.
The girl before her now? Nothing but arrogant confidence. Dangerous arrogance.
Those emerald eyes studied Tsunade with blatant scrutiny.
Then, she spoke.
"Hey, Cow Tits. What the hell are you staring at?"
Tsunade's expression stiffened.
The way this girl spoke, the sharp glint in her gaze — it was like staring into a blade.
"How'd those things get so big anyway?"
"Totally unscientific."
!!!
"You brat—! That's a gift from the heavens!"
(End of Chapter)
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