"Water Style: Thousand Feeding Sharks!"
As Kisame Hoshigaki completed his hand signs, countless miniature sharks made of water surged toward Sakura!
With Kisame standing on the surface of the water, the tiny sharks seemed to rain down from every direction, forming a terrifying wave of destruction!
Uchiha Itachi stood silently to the side, contemplating his next move.
Because of the joint attack on Konoha by Rasa and Orochimaru—and the volatile situation in the ninja world—Itachi had suddenly decided to return to the village. He needed to make his presence known again, to remind Hiruzen Sarutobi that he was still alive, and that he hadn't forgotten the promises they had made.
However, when he saw the ninja tools in Sakura's hands, a different thought emerged in Itachi's mind.
For him, the word "younger brother" would always take precedence above all else.
Sakura, unfazed by Kisame's aggressive assault, calmly pulled a shuriken from her pouch. Kisame's malicious grin turned into a sneer, mocking her attempt.
A single shuriken?
What could she possibly hope to achieve with just that?
"Giant Shuriken Technique!"
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Sakura didn't hold back at all. Combining her monstrous strength with two powerful shuriken techniques, she instantly shredded the incoming school of mini sharks into nothingness!
The storm of giant shuriken then continued its course, rushing toward Kisame like a dark tempest.
The wind howled. The water roared.
As if swept away by a black storm, everything in its path was torn asunder!
It was at that moment that Itachi made his move.
He darted forward directly toward Sakura!
Seeing that Kisame had been forced underwater by her previous combo, Sakura didn't hesitate—she immediately turned to engage Itachi.
But something was off!
Her instincts screamed at her—a trap!
Itachi, a chronically ill-looking man, dared to take her on in close combat while Kisame was still around?
Without thinking, Sakura lashed out with a powerful punch aimed directly at Itachi's head.
Itachi swiftly ducked, narrowly avoiding the blow. His hands blurred through hand seals with lightning speed!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
At such close range, Sakura had no time to dodge!
But if there was no time to evade…
Then she wouldn't!
Raising her other hand, her chakra surged violently like a roaring beast.
"ROAR!"
A solid chakra construct shaped like a feral beast burst out from her hand and smashed through the forming fireball with overwhelming force!
The momentum of the punch didn't stop—it hurtled straight toward Itachi's face like a meteor!
Had it connected, Itachi's head would've been pulverized like a watermelon under a sledgehammer.
But just as the blow struck…
Itachi didn't dodge. He didn't even blink.
Instead, his entire body exploded into a cloud of fluttering black crows!
Genjutsu?!
When?!
Sakura frowned, scanning the air thick with fluttering crows.
But the next moment, the birds vanished abruptly. Clearly, the slug hidden beneath her collar—Katsuyu—had played a role in disrupting the illusion.
Her mind snapped back to clarity.
But it was too late.
A hand, quick as lightning, wrapped around her throat.
Caught off guard, Sakura was slammed into a nearby tree with brutal force!
Her emerald eyes flashed with determination. She was about to retaliate—until she locked eyes with a pair of crimson, shuriken-shaped eyes.
Tsukuyomi.
Suddenly, Sakura found herself pulled into a bizarre world.
The sky was black. The earth below was blood red. Her own body had turned gray.
Her limbs were bound to a wooden cross, suspended in this surreal space. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free.
"Give up. This is my world."
Itachi's voice echoed in the void.
His cold, emotionless face appeared before her.
"Here, I control everything—time, space, reality."
"No matter how long you remain here, only an instant will pass in the real world."
"So don't expect your summoning beast to save you. There won't be time for it to even realize you've fallen under Genjutsu."
His tone was calm and detached. Clearly, he had already noticed the presence of Katsuyu during their earlier skirmish.
In order for an ally to dispel Genjutsu, they must first realize the victim has fallen under one. But Tsukuyomi operates in the blink of an eye—far too fast for external help to arrive.
Without wasting another word, Itachi raised a gleaming ninja blade in his hand.
He looked coldly at the restrained girl before him.
She carried tools from the Ninneko Clan. Most likely, she had a close relationship with Sasuke.
If he could crush her spirit using Tsukuyomi, then Sasuke would hate him even more.
But… should he kill her?
She was Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple.
If she died, Sasuke's life might become even more difficult.
Itachi hesitated.
He had sacrificed everything to pave a smooth path for his brother. He couldn't afford to ruin it now.
With that in mind, he drove his ninja blade mercilessly toward Sakura's chest.
If nothing interfered, the blade would impale her through the heart.
"Don't make the mistake of thinking this is 'just an illusion.'"
"In Tsukuyomi, pain feels exactly the same as in reality. So…"
But before he could finish—
Sakura's eyes flashed with defiance, her will unbroken.
If Kakashi could barely endure this, then she—
—a medical ninja trained in the Yin Seal—
—had no reason to fear it!
However…
Just as Itachi's blade was about to pierce her chest, his words suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
His eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him.
Impossible…
The wrist that held the blade—
—was gripped tightly by a pale, slender hand.
"Well, well… how embarrassing."
"Facing this damn weasel, and you still needed me to step in personally?"
In this colorless world of black sky and red ground, a splash of glowing pink appeared like a beacon of light between Sakura and Itachi.
A girl glowing faintly in fluorescent pink stood there, her smirk full of mischief.
Her appearance was exactly the same as Sakura's—face, clothes, everything identical.
"You?!"
Sakura stared, dumbfounded, at the girl standing before her. It didn't take long for the realization to strike her—
This was Inner Sakura?!
Itachi stood frozen, visibly shaken for the first time.
Someone had barged into his Tsukuyomi realm—and it wasn't the victim.
Tsukuyomi was born from the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan—a pinnacle of Yin Release, rooted in spiritual energy and mental strength.
To confront and interfere with such a technique head-on… it would require an equally powerful Yin Release ability.
Could it be?
Was this glowing pink manifestation Sakura's true Yin power?
For the first time, Itachi began to understand why Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken this girl under his wing.
So this was the reason.
A Yin user powerful enough to resist and even break into Tsukuyomi?
A force that could clash head-on with the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Perhaps… this was no ordinary girl.
Perhaps… she was destined to become something even greater.
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(End of Chapter)