The sound of explosions echoed in the distance, but in this section of the battlefield, only the metallic clash of weapons and the swift footsteps of ninjas could be heard. The surrounding vegetation had already been crushed by earlier battles, turning the clearing into uneven ground of loose earth, broken rocks, and fallen trees.
Sakura Haruno charged forward with clenched fists, her eyes filled with determination. With each strike she delivered against the common enemies, the ground trembled. Her power, inherited from Tsunade, was not just physical — it was a symbol. A warning that underestimating the strength of a Leaf kunoichi was a fatal mistake.
Beside her, Sai moved across the field like ink flowing over paper. With a simple motion, he drew with the brush hidden in his sleeve a series of black tigers that came to life in midair. The creatures lunged at a group of enemies, roaring with hostility. When they collided, they exploded into ink, obscuring the field of vision.
Sakura leapt onto a rock, breathing steadily. That's when she felt it — a presence, strong and precise, approaching with surgical accuracy.
— "Sai… we've got company."
Sai had sensed it too. His eyes went to the edge of the mist created by his own art, and from it emerged two imposing figures.
— "Chōjūrō… from the Hidden Mist. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," he murmured, narrowing his eyes.
Alongside Chōjūrō came Ao, a skilled sensor, wearing the Mist's forehead protector, with one detail that made Sakura's eyes widen: the Byakugan in his right eye.
— "They came heavily prepared…" she muttered.
Ao didn't waste time. Activating the Byakugan, he instantly scanned the two ninjas in front of him.
— "Haruno Sakura. Disciple of the Fifth Hokage. High brute strength, medical precision, regeneration seals not activated."
He turned slightly.
— "The other is Sai. Former ANBU. Specialist in summoning-based art jutsus. Must be interrupted before he sets the field."
Chōjūrō spun his sword, Hiramekarei, which seemed to vibrate with compressed chakra energy.
— "Let's finish this quickly, Ao."
The battle started in the blink of an eye.
Chōjūrō lunged forward with absurd speed, his blade extending like a rod of energy, aiming straight at Sakura. She blocked the strike with her forearms, the impact cracking the stone beneath her feet, but she endured with a grunt.
— "Impressive… your strength is just as they said," Chōjūrō remarked, retreating with an elegant spin of his sword.
— "You'll need more than that to take me down!" Sakura shouted, charging at him with a punch that shattered the ground. The swordsman dodged at the last second but felt the air compress around him.
Meanwhile, Ao and Sai engaged in a battle of strategy.
Sai retreated with light movements, drawing as he dodged precise attacks. Ao's eyes tracked every movement attempt with perfection.
— "If you think I'll let you manipulate the field with your creatures, you're mistaken." Ao unleashed a detection seal, causing explosions around Sai that forced him to stop momentarily.
— "He's reading even my chakra flow… I need to deceive him."
Sai drew a black cloud of birds that scattered into the air, covering the field with ink. Amid the confusion, he moved beneath the mist and appeared behind Ao, attempting to strike him with a kunai.
— "Tch… predictable." Ao spun and blocked precisely with a kunai, kicking Sai in the chest and throwing him back.
At the same time, Sakura and Chōjūrō continued in a fierce fight. Each of her strikes was like thunder. Each of his evasions like a slicing wind. He used Hiramekarei as an extension of his body, expanding and shrinking it to counterattack and maintain distance.
— "You're fast for someone with such strength," he said, sweating. "But my sword can cut through even the chakra of your regeneration… if I hit the right spot."
Sakura growled.
— "Then try."
She focused chakra in her feet and made a monumental leap, landing with a brutal punch that made the field quake. The ground cracked, projecting debris like shrapnel. Chōjūrō was thrown back but rolled on the ground, raising his sword in front.
— "This woman… she's a monster!"
At that moment, Sai appeared beside her, blood oozing from his shoulder.
— "He read me perfectly. We need to separate them."
Sakura nodded.
— "Leave Ao to me."
She charged straight at the Byakugan user. Ao tried to read her movements, but she was too fast. Sakura increased chakra in unpredictable points, making it difficult to read her chakra channels.
She faked a move to the left, and the moment Ao tried to anticipate, she spun and delivered a direct uppercut to his chin.
CRACK!
Ao's body flew, colliding with a nearby rock and collapsing unconscious.
Sai, meanwhile, completed his seal and an ink serpent coiled around Chōjūrō, who retreated by leaping onto a broken tree.
Chōjūrō looked at the two, aware he was now at a disadvantage.
— "I've fulfilled my role. The information has already been passed. Retreat is the logical option."
With one last glance, he vanished into the mist, leaving his injured allies behind on the field.
Sakura dropped to her knees for a second, breathing deeply. The seal on her forehead pulsed, but she kept it sealed.
Sai approached, wiping blood from his mouth.
— "We're alive. For now."
She nodded.
— "But this was only the beginning."
The battlefield returned to chaos around them. But there, at least for a moment, the Leaf ninjas held their ground.
As the sounds of battle echoed again — the thunder of distant techniques, the screams, and the clash of colliding chakras — Sai remained silent for a moment, eyes fixed on Sakura.
She stood before him, fists clenched and chest heaving. Covered in dirt, scratched, her arm slightly trembling from the impact against Ao… but still standing. Proud. Firm. Unshakable.
Sai couldn't help it. He watched her with more attention than he should. That overwhelming strength, the precision in her movements, and — above all — that determination in her eyes. A strength that didn't come just from jutsus or medical training, but from within. A motivation he knew all too well.
"She still thinks about that Sasuke guy…"
He thought, almost with a trace of admiration. But also with… respect.
"She trains so hard, gets hurt so much, risks her life… just to measure up to someone who might never come back. Who might not even recognize her anymore."
He wondered what moved a person like that. What made someone carry that kind of pain without complaining, without showing weakness. Sakura never said it aloud — but Sai saw it. In her eyes, her fists, the way she clenched her teeth when Sasuke's name came up. It was a love and a pain that had turned into strength.
"Even if I never understand that feeling fully… I admire it in her."
Sakura turned briefly, noticing his gaze. She just nodded, still panting.
— "Let's go," she said firmly.
Sai averted his eyes, as if caught doing something strange.
— "Yes… Sakura-san."
And together, they moved toward the next front line — because the war was far from over.