Chapter 4 – The Flower of the Leaf
The wind stirred the grass.
Sakura stood alone in her arena—hands still, heart steady. The environment was open: a rocky slope with scattered boulders and sharp turns. Good for cover, bad for vision. That made her think. Fast.
Across from her, her opponent approached with a confident gait.
Katsui Renga. Hidden Cloud genin. Broad shoulders, rough voice. His knuckles were wrapped, and he didn't carry weapons. A hand-to-hand type. No room for mistakes.
Sakura took a slow breath.
She'd trained for this.
Not just punches. Not just books.
She knew the human body down to the nerve. Thanks to Tsunade, every strike she threw mattered.
The system lit the air.
"Match Start: Sakura Haruno vs. Katsui Renga. Early Stage. No Death Allowed. Chakra Transfer Active."
No words. No taunts.
He charged.
Sakura stepped aside as the first punch came flying. It grazed her shoulder—strong. He threw another, and another, testing her movement.
She danced back, focused.
Timing mattered.
He smiled. "Scared?"
"No."
She struck his wrist—not to break it, but to redirect his momentum.
He stumbled forward.
Sakura pivoted and slammed a kick into his side. He grunted and rolled back, landing in a crouch.
He laughed. "Not bad. Got some strength."
Sakura stayed calm.
"Not enough to get cocky."
He moved again, and they clashed—fist meeting fist, foot meeting foot. Katsui was faster, but not smarter.
She noticed it quickly: he dropped his left guard when throwing combos.
He came in close again. She let him.
He raised both arms for a double hammerfist.
Too wide.
She ducked and stepped inside his swing, slamming her palm straight into his chest—chakra-enhanced, just enough.
Katsui gasped, wind knocked out of him, and fell back coughing.
He looked up in surprise.
Sakura exhaled.
"Your diaphragm. Tight cluster of nerves. You're lucky this isn't a kill match."
He growled and stood.
"Alright then. Let's go full."
He slammed his hands together—lightning chakra crackled down his arms.
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Cloud-style?"
"Static Gauntlet Technique!"
He dashed—faster this time—hands glowing.
Sakura reached into her pouch and flung a small smoke tag. It exploded in gray mist.
Then silence.
She didn't retreat. She was already behind him.
She slammed her elbow into the back of his neck, pushing chakra into the strike.
He staggered and swung wildly.
She caught his arm.
Another chakra push—not brute force, but controlled.
His muscles seized.
He fell forward, paralyzed.
The system flashed.
"Victory: Sakura Haruno."
"Chakra Absorbed: +8% Lightning Affinity | +Static Gauntlet (Basic)"
"Opponent Status: Conscious. Transferred. Reset."
Katsui vanished in a shimmer of blue.
Sakura took a long breath.
She looked at her hands—shaking just slightly.
Not from fear. From relief.
She won.
And not because she hit harder.
Because she thought faster.