"Sakura!"
From a distance, Kakashi's eyes widened as he caught sight of the pink-haired girl drenched in blood. His heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that after the deaths of her father, comrades, and teachers, this time it was her—the student—who was next?
"Sakura!" Kakashi called out, his voice carrying a mix of concern and urgency.
Sakura, despite her battered state, noticed the familiar white-haired figure with the green melon-shaped haircut waving at her from afar. She managed a faint wave back.
Seeing Sakura still alive and moving, Kakashi exhaled a relieved breath, though his worry didn't fully dissipate.
"What happened?" he asked briskly as he closed the distance, concern etched across his face.
"Weren't you supposed to send a signal flare?" Kakashi's tone carried a hint of reproach.
"Where's the flare?"
Kakashi hadn't even begun examining her condition before his reprimand began.
Sakura's gaze drifted nervously, her fingers scratching at her cheek in embarrassment.
"Uh, that… isn't really important right now," she mumbled.
Meanwhile, Might Guy walked up beside them, his expression turning serious as he surveyed the battlefield where Sakura had fought Orochimaru. The ground was littered with countless severed snake corpses, remnants of a brutal clash.
Guy's eccentric nature aside, he was a competent shinobi—after all, he was a Jonin. His face darkened with concern.
"Kakashi, it's Orochimaru," Guy said without hesitation, picking up one of the severed snake heads with his fingers.
"I've already sent Sarutobi-sama word via Enma," Sakura added, tearing a strip from her sleeve to tie back her tangled, sticky hair.
"That means by now, the elders must know," she said grimly.
"You were reckless," Kakashi scolded, his usually lazy eyes narrowing in seriousness.
"To face Orochimaru alone? That's madness."
Sakura shrugged, wincing slightly as she recalled the pain of being impaled through the chest moments ago.
"Hey, I know. But I didn't catch the bastard yet, so here I am, still frustrated and bleeding."
Kakashi sighed but quickly resumed command.
"Make sure everyone outside the arena is informed about the situation. The Chunin Exam goes on."
"Increase security personnel. Sarutobi-sama won't allow any slip-ups during the exam."
Sakura understood her sensei well. The Chunin Exam wasn't just Konoha's internal affair—it was a multi-nation event, involving the Land of Fire, Land of Earth, and Land of Sound. Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the Hokage, would never halt such a significant event over one rogue ninja, no matter who it was—even if his name was Orochimaru.
"Alright, that's enough. None of you need to worry anymore," Sakura declared, her voice firmer despite the exhaustion evident in her movements.
"Orochimaru can't be doing well right now."
She glanced down at her bloodied hands, remembering the monstrous punch she'd landed on him using the 'Hundred Count' enhanced strength mode. His body must be on the verge of collapse, with his non-reanimation window quickly running out.
He'd underestimated her, failing to keep distance early on. If he'd chosen to fight from afar using ranged jutsu, she'd have been helpless.
Through this fight, Sakura had learned about her weaknesses.
Her master had once taught her the Body Flicker Technique, and though she'd practiced it for years, there was always a brief moment of rigidity when activating it. Against Orochimaru, she deliberately avoided using it—she didn't believe a seasoned veteran like him wouldn't seize that instant of vulnerability.
What she truly needed was a sensory ninjutsu to perceive the environment during the flicker, giving her advance knowledge of what awaited her at the destination.
This would compensate for the Body Flicker's flaw—she'd know what was around before arriving.
Better yet, this sensory ability would adapt dynamically as she moved.
At that moment, Sakura found herself envying Karui's Ketsuryugan—the mysterious "Divine Eye" ability.
Sakura's requirement wasn't to sense hundreds of meters around like Karui's eye could. Even a range of a hundred meters, or several dozen, or at the very least ten meters, would suffice.
"Okay, I'll arrange that right away. Sakura, take care of yourself," Kakashi said, his gaze heavy with concern as he looked at her bloodstained figure.
But as Sakura had expected, the exam would not be halted.
"Go ahead," she waved them off, watching Kakashi and Guy leave her sight.
Then, Sakura began walking toward the battlefield where she had just clashed with Orochimaru, searching for something.
"Got it," she muttered.
Beneath a tree lay a forehead protector gleaming faintly with metallic light. Sakura reached down and picked it up.
Just as she was about to lift it…
Boom!
Sakura reflexively threw a shuriken into the air.
A spike of stone shot down from above, colliding with the shuriken midair, sending a plume of dust into the sky.
She retrieved the forehead protector and slipped it back around her neck.
Her eyes lifted toward the figure descending from above.
Clad in red ninja garb, with short, tidy black hair, a forehead protector marked with the symbol of the Hidden Stone Village rested on her brow.
"Yo, Haruno Sakura, looking pretty rough there, huh?"
Because her own forehead protector strap had been severed by Orochimaru's sword, Sakura had stuffed it in her pocket. She looked up at Kurotsuchi.
Had this girl mastered the Earth Release: Rock and Earth Style technique so early?
"Yeah, ran into a stubborn opponent," Sakura replied with a challenging smile despite her drained chakra.
"How's that? I'm not in my best shape right now, you know," she said, eyes narrowing playfully.
Even after such a heavy chakra drain, defeating this opponent shouldn't be too hard for Sakura—as long as the opponent stayed grounded and didn't run away.
"Hmph. Should I take that as a challenge?"
Kurotsuchi regarded the bloodied pink-haired girl with a faint glint of sharpness hidden beneath her calm eyes.
Who was she?
The Hidden Stone Village's young prodigy—the 'little princess' of Iwagakure. She wielded the Earth Release techniques passed down from the Third Tsuchikage, her pride evident in every movement.
"Heh, seeing you like this, I'm feeling generous today."
"Haruno Sakura, take care of yourself. Next time we meet, you won't be so lucky."
Crossing her arms, Kurotsuchi gave Sakura a sly look before flying off into the distance.
Sakura scratched her head, amused despite everything.
This girl's personality, in a way, reminded her a bit of Naruto's.
But Sakura didn't want to deal with this now.
She had just finished fighting Orochimaru and wasn't interested in tangling with others.
She couldn't get to Kurotsuchi anyway. Besides throwing shuriken with brute strength—if she accidentally killed the old man Ōnoki, he might just quit.
Then there was Gaara—if provoked, he'd unleash Shukaku's power, which would be a serious problem.
Better to retreat.
"Hey Sakura, Naruto and the others are to the northwest," the slug perched on Sakura's shoulder spoke suddenly.
"They've also captured three others wearing Sound Village forehead protectors, just like Orochimaru's," it added.
Sakura heard this without replying.
She knew Sasuke and Naruto each mastered Chidori and Rasengan, respectively. Plus, Sasuke could enhance his body's cells with Lightning Release to increase speed drastically.
If they still couldn't handle those three, well… that would be disappointing indeed.
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End of Chapter
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