On the street outside the izakaya, the two beauties stared at each other, sizing one another up. One was Sakura, still under her transformation; the other was her clone.
"So, you're the intruder!" the Sakura Clone declared, looking at the beautiful woman standing on the street. She's quite striking, exactly my type, really, the Clone thought internally. Too bad she's the enemy. If she weren't, I wouldn't mind making friends.
Sakura stared speechlessly at her clone on the rooftop, a feeling akin to having swallowed dirt settling in her stomach. Leave it to her own clone to pull off such a slick sneak attack. She'd nearly died by her own hand.
But now wasn't the time for self-praise. The critical issue was that this idiot hadn't recognized her original body. Sakura felt an expression akin to severe constipation forming as she looked at the pink-haired girl on the roof. Gods, kiddo, I'm so disappointed in you.
The Clone noted the flicker of pain on the beautiful woman's face with some surprise. Is she hurt? But my attack missed, didn't it? Or was she injured before?
Still, this could be an opportunity. This woman seemed incredibly strong – Ryuta's arms had been useless after just one exchange, and then there was Shiranui Genma nearby...
The Clone glanced towards Genma's position. The patrol members who had arrived with Ryuta were currently dragging the Jonin to a safer location.
With a quick flip, the Clone leaped down from the roof. She approached the woman slowly, deliberately putting on a lecherous expression. "Big sister," she purred, "it's such a waste for someone as beautiful as you to be a spy. A whole squad of ninja will be here any minute. You can't escape. Why not surrender now? I promise I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you."
Sakura felt utterly bewildered. Is this clone even mine? Seriously, would I do that? See a pretty face and immediately try to flirt?
Lost in that moment of stunned disbelief, Sakura didn't react as the Clone closed the distance. Just as Sakura considered trying to subtly signal her identity, the Clone suddenly struck, a pink fist lancing towards her face.
Seeing the pale blue chakra coating the fist, Sakura cursed inwardly. Not good. The clone's putting her full strength into this.
Sakura crossed her arms, infusing them with chakra to block her face. CRACK! With a sharp impact, Sakura solidly absorbed the force of her clone's punch.
The Clone watched as her punch merely knocked the woman back a step without causing visible damage. A flicker of disappointment went through her. Damn, just a clone's strength, after all. Even at full power, it's nothing compared to the original body. She found herself wondering where her real self was goofing off, still not having shown up.
It wasn't that Sakura didn't want to drop the Transformation Jutsu. But dispelling it now meant facing a volcanic eruption tomorrow. The Hokage's apprentice caught underage drinking, and assaulting people, and—worst of all—drunkenly fighting herself? If that story got out, Sakura figured she'd never be able to show her face in Konoha again.
Shaking her slightly numb arm, Sakura glared daggers at her clone. She'd never encountered such an idiotic clone – unable to even recognize its own original body. And that lecherous act earlier? Just a setup for the ambush. Yup, definitely my style, Sakura thought grimly. Ruthless enough to screw myself over.
The Clone wasted no more time. Since the first blow hadn't worked, her priority was to at least stall the intruder until reinforcements arrived. With a flick of her wrist, a Storm Release laser shot towards Sakura.
Sakura reacted instantly, dodging the beam. As she moved, she yelled at her clone, "Idiot! Stop it, you massive idiot! Moron!"
Hearing the woman call her an idiot, the Clone's previously calm demeanor instantly shattered. Idiot?! Even Hanzo had praised her during their battle! And now this clumsy, exposed spy had the gall to insult her?
"You're the idiot!" The Clone retorted, unleashing a continuous barrage of Storm Release lasers. "Getting yourself exposed as a spy! If that's not stupid, what is? Moron!" Thinking of spies reminded the Clone of Kabuto – if he hadn't revealed himself, he likely could have remained undercover indefinitely.
"Aaaargh!" Sakura felt like her lungs were about to explode with rage. The effects of the alcohol surged again, washing over her dwindling rationality. "You asked for this!"
Just moments ago, Sakura had considered giving the Clone a hint. But now, her alcohol-addled brain had only one thought: catch this clone and beat the ever-loving crap out of it to vent the fury of being insulted.
She stopped dodging. Chakra erupted from her body, a powerful aura enveloping her transformed figure. Her speed increased dramatically as she launched herself directly at the Clone.
Seeing the woman's explosive chakra surge, the Clone's expression changed drastically. Damn it, where are those reinforcements?! she thought frantically. I can't hold out much longer! The urge to dispel herself and warn the original body was strong, but there was no one else here capable of stopping this intruder. If she dispelled now, they'd lose track of the enemy completely. She had to hold on until help arrived.
The Clone's chakra reserves were limited. She had been expending energy continuously with the Storm Release lasers. Now that her opponent was engaging in close combat, the Clone had no choice but to abandon ninjutsu and rely solely on taijutsu for defense.
Meanwhile, Sakura, fueled by alcohol and righteous fury, was dead set on teaching this stupid clone a lesson. She also refrained from using ninjutsu, opting instead to aim punches directly at the Clone's face.
Honestly, the whole situation could have been resolved if either simply dispelled the Shadow Clone. But both had their reasons not to. The Clone feared the 'enemy' escaping and felt compelled to stall until help arrived. Sakura's original body, on the other hand, was simply incensed by her clone's stupidity, and spurred on by the alcohol, stubbornly fixated on the need to personally beat some sense into it.
They traded blows relentlessly. It had to be said, fighting oneself was incredibly frustrating. Aside from having significantly more chakra than her clone, Sakura wasn't gaining any real advantage. Worse, she had to constantly control her strength to avoid destroying the Clone outright, which would defeat the purpose of teaching it a lesson.
The Clone grew increasingly frustrated as well. Every move she made seemed anticipated, forcing her onto the defensive. Although the opponent clearly had the upper hand, she didn't seem intent on killing the Clone. It felt more like she just wanted to... beat her up???
After another clash of fists, Sakura and her clone staggered backward, both panting heavily as they stared at each other. Anxiety was plain in the Clone's eyes, while Sakura only grew more infuriated the longer the fight dragged on. Looking at the identical, delicate features across from her, another wave of irrational anger surged.
"Idiot!" Sakura hissed, eyes blazing as she ground out the words through clenched teeth. "Let me hit you—just once—and I'll go with you!"
She'd been bottling up her fury all night and was reaching her limit. First that greasy landlord, then Ebisu, and now even her own clone was pissing her off. Who had she wronged? All she'd wanted was to relax for a bit!
"'As if I'd believe that! And you're the idiot!" The Clone retorted, watching the woman warily. Has she figured out I'm a clone? she wondered. Is that why she's so insistent on punching me?
SNAP.
Sakura felt the last thread of her strained rationality break. The Yin Seal on her forehead instantly unfurled. An even more immense wave of chakra radiated outwards, her hair floating around her head from the sheer force of her aura. As the Seal released, the potent energy of Gelel flooded her system.
Her emotions seemed to be instantly drawn away, leaving her strangely detached. Yet, bafflingly, even without the rage, the intense desire to strike her clone remained.
Her legs coiled slightly before launching her forward. The sheer, surging power once again caused the ground beneath her to buckle and crater, the impact zone far larger this time. Nearby shops caught in the shockwave began to crumble and collapse. Faster than the eye could follow, a black blur flashed across the distance—Sakura had vanished from her previous position.
The Clone stared, momentarily dumbfounded, at the charging woman. Even though the attack was already upon her, the Clone didn't move. That diamond pattern on the forehead... the Yin Seal... it was utterly, unmistakably familiar. In the entire world, only two people possessed the Yin Seal: Tsunade-sensei... and herself.
In that instant, the Clone's own thread of reason snapped. A single, horrifying thought echoed relentlessly through her mind:
I... was insulting myself?