Near Yanluo Bridge, Border of Land of Grass / Land of Rain - Mid-November, Konoha Year 60
The darkness deepened. The incessant rain showed no sign of stopping, instead intensifying, falling harder and harder. Distant thunder rumbled ominously, accompanying the downpour. In the midst of this driving rain, two figures stood facing each other.
"Gasp... gasp... gasp..."
Haruno Sakura heaved ragged breaths, utter exhaustion lined her features as she stared across at Hanzo. She hadn't anticipated that his combination of sheer taijutsu skill and insidious poison alone could press her so hard, keeping her constantly off-balance. Hanzo hadn't employed any particularly devastating ninjutsu thus far; his chained scythe and the toxic breath exhaled from his unmasked mouth were proving almost impossible to counter effectively.
Rain mingled with blood, streaking down her face, blurring her vision. The immense chakra reserves granted by her released Yin Seal were dangerously low now compared to when the fight began. Hanzo's own jutsu weren't flashy, but his mastery of fundamentals was truly worthy of his 'Demigod' moniker. Right... Shishou mentioned Hanzo was a unique blend of samurai discipline and ninja arts. His basics are perfected, augmented by deadly poison... Most shinobi would die regretting their inadequacy against him.
Although Creation Rebirth continuously held the poison's lethal effects at bay, if Hanzo's infamous salamander poison could be neutralized so easily, he wouldn't have earned his fearsome reputation. As time wore on, Sakura's vision would swim in and out of focus intermittently. The poison wasn't being fully purged, only suppressed; it was steadily accumulating in her system. Sakura knew with chilling certainty that if Creation Rebirth faltered, the moment the threshold was crossed, she would collapse unconscious instantly.
Twisting away again to evade another attack Hanzo launched from behind her, Sakura directed her Storm Release Clone to lash out at him with its blade arm. Poof! Hanzo substituted with a log. Sakura sucked in a harsh breath, watching Hanzo materialize behind the clone, slashing viciously at it.
The Storm Release Clone's chakra form wavered slightly under the impact, then swung its bladed right arm in a backward arc to counterattack. But Hanzo wasn't caught so easily. With a flicker of movement, he disappeared, reappearing instantly beside Sakura herself, his scythe whistling as he swung, aiming for her neck.
There was a heavy thunk. The scythe blade severed a few strands of pink hair but stopped dead, unable to penetrate the skin beneath.
Sakura seized the momentary opening, lashing out with a punch at Hanzo behind her. But her speed was noticeably slower now; the punch struck nothing but rain-filled air. She pushed herself upright, rubbing her momentarily stiff neck as she released the Hardening Jutsu she'd applied there. Normally, the technique wasn't nearly this durable; boosted by the potent chakra flow from the Byakugō Seal, its defensive power was massively amplified.
Hanzo watched her stand, his earlier air of confident control gone. As expected of Tsunade's disciple? Or have I truly grown old? Her Hardening technique and that troublesome Creation Rebirth largely neutralized his poison and direct scythe attacks. And the constant harassment from that chakra clone was wearing him down. He'd thought he could finish this quickly, yet the fight had been drawn out this long.
But looking at her condition, she was clearly reaching her limit as well. Creation Rebirth held back the poison, but didn't eliminate it. Her movements were becoming sluggish, her chakra output weaker than before. He just needed to wait for her chakra to finally give out; then she wouldn't be a threat anymore.
And while the clone remained a nuisance, after exchanging blows, he'd gleaned its characteristics. It required constant mental focus from the caster to control, had an effective range of only about 100 meters, and while immune to purely physical strikes, chakra-infused attacks did drain its reserves. The clone was visibly smaller now, perhaps half its initial size.
The toxic purple mist exhaled by Hanzo still hung thick in the air. Sakura mentally assessed her remaining chakra – continuing like this, she'd be ground down eventually. The effects of the poison were deepening, her reflexes starting to lag, unable to consistently match Hanzo's speed. She was relying solely on the Hardening Jutsu for defense now. Damn it! Think, Sakura! I'll die at this rate!
Before she could formulate a new plan, Hanzo pressed his attack again. The Storm Release Clone moved instantly to intercept, its bladed arm parrying Hanzo's kusarigama. But clearly, the clone, lacking independent thought and relying solely on commands derived from Sakura's own combat experience, was ultimately no match for Hanzo's veteran skill.
Sakura bit down hard on her tongue, trying to force clarity through the haze of pain and exhaustion. She snapped her arm up, pointing a single finger, unleashing a concentrated Storm Release beam towards Hanzo. Hanzo, though engaged with the clone, kept a wary eye on Sakura herself. Seeing the beam, he effortlessly sidestepped. With a flicker of intent from Sakura, the beam, having shot past Hanzo, arced sharply back, lancing towards the center of his back.
Hanzo hadn't expected the beam to change direction mid-flight, but even so, he evaded it again with contemptuous ease. He then infused chakra into his scythe and hurled it directly at Sakura.
Seeing the oncoming scythe, the Storm Release Clone darted forward, intercepting it, blocking Sakura's body with its own. The scythe impaled the clone squarely through the side.
Thump!
At the exact same moment the scythe struck the clone, Sakura gasped, spitting out fresh blood from the feedback shock, clearly suffering internal injury. Wiping the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, she felt a wave of despair wash over her. She was rapidly running out of ways to fight Hanzo. The flaw in her Storm Release Clone – the way chakra attacks transferred impact force back to the caster – remained an unfixable weakness. Hanzo had undoubtedly deduced it from her reaction just now.
Although the clone was immune to physical blows, being composed of pure chakra made it vulnerable to chakra-infused attacks. Developed as an advancement of the Shadow Clone technique, damage taken was transferred directly to the caster. Its power was formidable, but the weakness was glaring.
Hanzo had struck the clone, yet it was Sakura who reacted with pain. He paused, momentarily stunned, a flicker of understanding crossing his features. Then, when he looked at Sakura again, it was as if regarding someone already dead. "It ends here," he stated coldly. "If I'm not mistaken, when your peculiar clone takes a chakra-infused attack, the damage transfers back to your main body, correct? Heh heh. Didn't Tsunade teach you not to use unrefined techniques? Doing so only hastens your demise."
Saying this, he infused chakra into his scythe again and lunged towards Sakura. Simultaneously, he lashed out with another blow, striking the clone again. Sakura immediately coughed up another mouthful of blood.
Thunder continued to rumble in the distance. The fight had dragged on from late afternoon until now, leaving Sakura utterly drained, body and spirit. The chakra from her Yin Seal was almost entirely depleted. The effects of Creation Rebirth were fading rapidly. And Hanzo's last blow tore open new wounds before the previous ones had fully regenerated.
Forming a seal with one hand, Sakura dispelled the Storm Release Clone. Reabsorbing its remaining chakra gave Creation Rebirth a final, desperate surge – the last flicker of a dying candle.
In the deepening twilight and heavy rain, Sakura's expression was obscured. Only the two silhouettes could be dimly perceived, standing braced against the downpour.
"Ready to give up, brat?" Hanzo asked, also breathing heavily now, his weapon aimed steadily at her. His own condition was far from unscathed; he'd avoided using chakra enhancement on his weapon earlier precisely to conserve his own reserves. He hadn't wanted to prolong the fight. Discovering the clone's critical weakness had been unexpected. Now, seeing her dispel it, he felt a grim sense of relief.
BOOM!!!
Forked lightning lit the scene starkly for an instant. Haruno Sakura was braced on one knee, deathly pale, blood staining her lips. Her eyes were disturbingly vacant, devoid of expression. The final image burned into her sight was Hanzo, scythe raised high, lunging towards her.
Then the lightning passed, plunging the world back into rain-lashed darkness. Accompanying it, besides the wet, tearing sound of a blade meeting flesh, was agonizing pain ripping through her body.
BOOM!!!
Another flash of lightning illuminated the tragic tableau. Sakura looked down at the kusarigama blade buried deep in her abdomen, then up at Hanzo looming over her, close enough to touch. The ghost of a cold smirk touched her lips. "Got... you..."
Using the very last dregs of her chakra, Sakura's left hand clamped down like iron on Hanzo's weapon arm. Her right hand clenched into a fist and slammed into Hanzo's chest.
"DIE!!!"
Hanzo's eyes widened in sudden terror as her deceptively weak-looking fist connected. Careless! Seeing her dispel the clone, seeing her vacant eyes, he'd let his usually cautious instincts be lulled. The fight had dragged on too long, his patience worn thin. Seeing victory within his grasp, he'd let his guard down fatally. He'd walked right into the opening Sakura had created – using her own body as the ultimate bait.
Unfathomable, destructive power surged into Hanzo's body. He felt blinding agony exploding from his chest and back simultaneously.
BOOM!!!
Another streak of lightning lit the sky. A young girl, impaled through the stomach by a ninja's scythe. Her right fist connected with the ninja's chest. And that ninja's back exploded outwards, gore and viscera erupting in a gruesome spray.
Painfully, laboriously, Sakura pulled the scythe from her abdomen. She pushed Hanzo's lifeless body aside, then collapsed beside him. It's... over? Nothing left. Chakra utterly spent. Her soldier pills... lost somewhere in the chaos of the fight.
It was all over. She had killed Hanzo. And she herself was dying. That's... okay. Her name would be remembered forever in the shinobi world. At twelve years old, she had defeated the legendary Demigod, Hanzo of the Salamander. Maybe she could even be an inspiration for future generations of Konoha shinobi.
She wondered, fleetingly, if her name would make it onto Konoha's Memorial Stone. Hanzo was Ame's leader; Ame and Konoha were still technically allies. What did her actions constitute? An act of war? In that case, perhaps... she would be condemned.
Doesn't matter now. So be it. At this moment, tears threatened to well up – not from pain or weakness, but from thinking of her parents, Yasubuki and Kizashi. They would be devastated. But Karin is there. Hopefully, Karin's presence could ease their sorrow somewhat.
Compared to that time she'd been terrified into tears by those invaders back then, facing her own death now, Sakura felt far calmer. She still held regrets, many of them, but she could face this end with acceptance. Towards the approaching darkness, Sakura managed a faint smile, accepting her destiny.
This is how it ends, then. Looks like I can't walk with you any further, Father... Mother...
Her head lolled slightly. Gazing at Hanzo's lifeless form beside her, Sakura slowly... closed her eyes...
Takigakure Village
After two days of careful investigation, Sasuke had obtained the available intelligence concerning Kakuzu. The source was Senji himself. As one of Takigakure's elders, one of the few remaining from older generations, he only possessed fragmented memories and rumors, but it was still valuable progress.
Afterwards, Sasuke formally proposed an official alliance between Takigakure and Konoha. Shibuki and Senji readily agreed. The recent attack had taught the people of Takigakure a harsh lesson: having a powerful ally would make them far less vulnerable. Especially an ally as powerful as the Hidden Leaf Village.
It was now the late evening of the second day since Sakura had departed. She had yet to return. Sasuke and Naruto prepared their departure from Takigakure; even if Sakura did succeed, she wasn't likely to return here. The village was still recovering from the attack, focused on rebuilding, so Shibuki and Senji didn't press them to stay longer. Thus, Sasuke and Naruto began their journey back towards Konoha.
The return trip would be significantly faster than their arrival. Freed from the need to travel at Shibuki's pace, the two figures moved swiftly through the forests surrounding Takigakure.
Suddenly, as if struck by a shared premonition, both stopped at the exact same moment.
"Sasuke," Naruto spoke first, his voice unusually subdued. "I... I suddenly have a really bad feeling. Like something heavy is pressing on my chest..."
Sasuke was startled; he felt it too, a sudden, inexplicable unease. He usually dismissed such vague premonitions, but that Naruto felt the same… Did something happen to Sakura?
"Let's just hurry back to the village," Sasuke said, shaking his head, trying to dismiss the nagging sense of unease. "Sakura's probably fine, maybe she's already back in the village." It was only two Chunin she went after, he tried to reassure himself. Sakura will be fine.
"B-but..." Naruto protested, his voice tight with anxiety. "I really feel awful, Sasuke. What if something really did happen to Sakura-chan?"
"Don't be an idiot," Sasuke shot back, perhaps sharper than intended, hiding his own worry. "You'd get hurt long before she ever would. Didn't this mission show you the difference in your abilities?"
Naruto fell silent then, unconvinced, his face drawn and worried. He followed closely behind Sasuke as they pressed on towards Konoha, a heavy sense of foreboding settling over both of them.
...
...
"What! Sakura-chan still isn't back?!" Naruto yelled, staring in utter disbelief at the Chunin behind the counter at the Konoha Mission Assignment Desk.
"That's correct," the staff member confirmed, flipping through the logbook in his hand. "Chunin Haruno Sakura has definitely not checked in here or reported mission completion."
Standard procedure is to report here unless the mission involves the Hokage directly, Sasuke reasoned quickly. Maybe she went directly to report to Tsunade?
"Naruto, come on," Sasuke said, turning sharply on his heel. "We'll ask Lady Fifth ourselves."
"Hey... Sasuke, wait up..." Naruto hurried after Sasuke, both of them heading towards the Hokage Tower with growing dread.
......