Sakura watched the two ANBU opposite her. They were clearly determined to kill her. Any further hesitation, she realized, would likely mean being worn down and killed.
"I will go see the Hokage," Sakura stated, her voice ringing clearly in the ears of the two ANBU. "If you don't stop now, then don't blame me for what happens next!"
"As if that's possible!" the leader scoffed dismissively. He took a step back, hands blurring through seals. "Earth Style: Earth Spear Eruption!"
As the ANBU leader slammed his hand onto the ground, the earth trembled violently. Sharp stone cones erupted directly beneath Sakura's feet. She leaped backward instantly, barely avoiding the fate of being skewered.
But before Sakura could catch her breath, more stone spikes shot up from the ground, relentlessly pursuing her like shadows. Forced onto the defensive, Sakura continuously dodged. Just as she was concentrating entirely on evading the attacks from below, a wave of scorching heat washed over her.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" The other ANBU's attack struck Sakura dead-on.
"Go check if she's dead!" the leader commanded.
BANG!
Before the second ANBU could move, a loud impact echoed from where Sakura had been hit. As the smoke cleared, it revealed not Sakura, but a large sphere of swirling water.
"That's... Water Formation Wall!" the leader thought, inwardly astonished. To create this much water with no nearby source... her strength is truly formidable.
The water sphere dissipated. Within the area the jutsu had covered, the ground, previously bristling with stone spikes, was now completely flat. The shattered fragments of rock, pulverized by the churning water centered on Sakura, spread outwards like the aftermath of an explosion.
Sakura herself was slightly surprised. Water Formation Wall was supposed to be purely defensive, wasn't it? She hadn't expected it to cause such destruction.
But there was no time to analyze it now. Moving with incredible speed, Sakura closed the distance between herself and the two ANBU, firing pinpoint Storm Release lasers from her fingertips. The silent beams crossed the gap in an instant, aimed directly at them.
The two ANBU watched the lasers approach, making no move to dodge. The beams struck them without resistance... followed by two soft poof sounds as they were replaced by sections of wood logs.
"Hmph," Sakura snorted coldly, slamming her own hands onto the ground. "Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Her chakra reserves felt much deeper now than before. Whether they were hiding underground or not, she'd eliminate the possibility. As expected, Sakura felt a distinct chakra signature struggling within the rapidly forming mire.
Controlling the mud, she slowly forced the figure to the surface. It was the Earth Style user, the leader. But where's the Fire Style user?
"Gen! Attack! Don't worry about me!" the trapped leader suddenly yelled.
Sakura's hands were occupied maintaining pressure on the swamp to keep the leader subdued, preventing her from forming hand seals. This created an opening for his teammate.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" Hidden in the treetops, the Fire Style ninja 'Gen' reacted instantly to his captain's command, without a shred of hesitation. As ANBU, adherence to orders, even those endangering a comrade's life, was paramount.
Fire Dragon Flame Bullet wasn't like ordinary fire techniques. Its B-rank classification stemmed from the high level of chakra control required. Typically, upon release, the technique splits into three fiery dragons attacking from the left, center, and right to maximally restrict the target's escape routes.
This particular ANBU, however, was clearly a master of Fire Style. In his hands, the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet morphed into four distinct dragons, attacking from the left, center, above, and right – a truly inescapable, omnidirectional assault aimed at Sakura.
Heh heh, now you should be finished, the Fire Style user thought smugly, silently awaiting the inevitable outcome. No one can escape this technique.
Just as the fiery dragons were about to converge on Sakura, the Fire Style user's eyes widened in disbelief. What was he seeing? Seal-less ninjutsu?! He was certain he hadn't misread the situation – her hands were still pressed to the ground, controlling the swamp, yet a Water Formation Wall had automatically sprung up around her!
"Naive. Did you think my chakra control training was just for show?" A flicker that might have been mockery seemed to cross Sakura's lips, though still under the detached influence of the Gelel energy, she couldn't be entirely sure if she'd actually felt the emotion.
Sakura could only perform relatively familiar, commonly used ninjutsu without hand seals. And Water Formation Wall, being a technique she had slightly modified herself, was naturally one she knew intimately.
Ignoring the Fire Style user still perched in the trees, Sakura stepped forward and yanked the ANBU leader bodily out of the swamp. Manifesting a Storm Release laser on her hand, she made a swift, precise slash, severing both of the ANBU's hands at the wrists before dropping him unceremoniously to the ground.
Looking up towards the ANBU in the tree, Sakura called out, "If you don't get him to a hospital immediately, his hands will be permanently ruined. He'll never be a ninja again!"
"Ignore me, Gen!" the leader yelled, his voice fierce despite the mask hiding his expression. "Final order: eliminate her!"
Just as Sakura considered trying to reason further, she suddenly caught the acrid smell of gunpowder. Glancing sideways at the leader on the ground, she saw several exploding tags plastered to his chest, already smoldering.
"Absolutely insane!" Sakura muttered, instantly leaping back to create distance.
A deafening BOOM rocked the clearing. A small mushroom cloud rose briefly into the air, leaving behind the sharp smell of gunpowder mixed with the faint, metallic tang of blood.
"You killed him!" the remaining Fire Style ninja, Gen, accused, staring at Sakura.
Sakura finally understood completely. This group of ANBU, just like the patrol members, were pawns sent by Danzo specifically to frame her. She'd been fighting with her hands tied, trying to avoid lethal force against fellow villagers if possible. But she hadn't expected all these ANBU to be Danzo's loyalists.
"Very well," Sakura said, clenching her fists tightly. "If that's how it is, then there's nothing more to discuss!"
Simultaneously, Sakura sent a new mental command to her Storm Release Clone, which was still engaged with the other two ANBU. Initially, the clone's objective had been merely to incapacitate them. Following Sakura's new directive, the clone no longer needed to hold back. Only now did the Storm Release Clone reveal its terrifying potential as a true killing weapon.
"Hahaha~~ Come on then, kill me!" the Fire Style ANBU laughed maniacally. "Danzo-sama won't let you get away with this!"
He finally dropped all pretense. Laughing wildly, he ripped open his flak jacket. His entire upper torso was covered in exploding tags, already lit and moments from detonation.
Sakura kicked him away forcefully and quickly dispelled her Storm Release Clone. The clone had already cut down the remaining two ANBU, but they, too, were covered in exploding tags.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three more explosions ripped through the air. When the smoke cleared, nothing remained of the last three ANBU operatives but scattered debris.
Sakura pulled out another vial of sedative and quickly injected herself before releasing the Strength of a Hundred Technique. Looking around at the devastated clearing, she sat down heavily on the ground, an unshakable feeling that something was fundamentally wrong settling over her.
The battle had ended with four ANBU self-destructing. Didn't they need at least one person to escape and report back? It seemed... odd. And also... where was Sasuke?!
That's right! Sasuke! The realization hit Sakura abruptly. Sasuke was gone! Besides the wreckage on the ground, the forest was eerily silent, empty. An inexplicable chill ran down Sakura's spine. Carefully, she replayed everything that had happened since Sasuke first appeared... and it struck her that he really hadn't been acting like his usual self.
A cold dread slowly spread through Sakura's heart. It seemed she had truly fallen into a massive pit, one she feared might be impossibly deep to climb out of.