At last, the one who had been lying in wait in the snow—Xi—finally made his move. With a swift motion of his hand, he unleashed his most proficient illusion technique.
"Thunder Illusion: Pillar of Lightning!"
A blinding column of golden light surged toward Sakura, immediately engulfing her in its brilliance and stealing her vision completely.
"Nice work!"
The Raikage couldn't help but praise him, a cruel smile slowly spreading across his face.
Sakura, however, managed to quickly break away from the Raikage's assault, landing a short distance away, her breathing heavy but steady.
At that exact moment, Xi pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch and hurled it fiercely in her direction!
Sakura appeared completely unaware of the incoming attack. Her ears twitched slightly, then she twisted her body instinctively in an attempt to dodge, but the kunai grazed her cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood.
The vivid red trickled down her pale skin, a stark contrast in the snow-covered world.
"Looks like you're not the sensory ninja of this team," the Raikage sneered cruelly.
"Who knows?" Sakura replied. Her expression revealed a mix—one part panic, two parts hesitation, three parts stubbornness, four parts shock, five parts a readiness to die, and six parts determination to fight to the bitter end.
"Hmph, even at death's door, you're still running your mouth."
With that, the Raikage charged again!
He moved like a bolt of lightning, fists storming like a hurricane!
Sakura, acting purely on reflex, raised her arms in a crossed block to defend herself. But the Raikage's thunderous punch struck her with tremendous force, sending her small body flying through the air!
Yet he didn't let up. He launched forward again and in the blink of an eye, reappeared behind her!
"Heavy Flow Explosion!"
A punch like a falling meteor roared toward Sakura!
Her body flew like a ragdoll through the air, directly toward Xi!
"Xi, finish her!"
The Raikage's gruff face twisted into a cruel grin.
Anyone who took a direct hit from Heavy Flow Explosion couldn't possibly survive—not even with the so-called Yin Seal. There was no way she'd recovered so soon!
But as Sakura was sent flying, the corner of her lips curled into a satisfied, triumphant smile beneath her pink locks.
Yes, the Strength of a Hundred Seal hadn't fully recharged yet.
But what if she had already begun focusing her chakra to preemptively heal the areas likely to be attacked?
That's right—this was none other than the technique Yin Healing Wound Destruction!
Sakura had drawn inspiration from that scoundrel Kabuto Yakushi and, with a flash of brilliance, devised her own countermeasure.
As for predicting the Raikage's attack points? That was easy.
Sakura's chakra reserves were vastly greater than Kabuto's!
She was a taijutsu-type ninja who didn't consume much chakra during combat, and with the Yin Seal as a backup, she could blanket her entire body in healing chakra!
Most importantly, her mastery of medical ninjutsu and the Strength of a Hundred technique far surpassed anything Kabuto could dream of.
"Yes, Lord Raikage!" Xi's eyes lit up with determination. He pulled another kunai from his pouch and lunged at Sakura's falling figure!
But just as he closed in, Sakura slowly lifted her head—her vacant, unfocused eyes locking onto him.
!
Xi froze.
It felt like he had been caught in the sights of a ferocious predator!
Impossible!
She was supposed to be under his genjutsu!
Those unfocused eyes were proof!
"Heh… Gotcha, little mouse."
Sakura's soft murmur chilled Xi to the bone.
He was tricked!
She hadn't been affected by the illusion at all!
Or—worse—the intel was flawed. She was a sensory ninja too!
Taking the genjutsu hit and enduring the Raikage's assault had all been a ruse to lure him in—she was targeting him all along!
Xi's instincts screamed at him to run.
This girl had fought toe-to-toe with the Two-Tails, engaged the Raikage in close combat. There was no way he could go up against a monster like her!
Unfortunately, no matter how fast he was, it was nothing compared to someone like Sakura—who had both the Raikage's borrowed momentum and her own trained agility.
In a flash, a slender hand pressed firmly onto his shoulder.
In one swift movement, Sakura dislocated his arm with the precision of a top-tier medical ninja.
"Ahhh!!"
The pain of a dislocated shoulder shot through Xi's body like fire. Even the slightest twitch was unbearable.
With one clean kick, she knocked the kunai from his grasp, caught it mid-air, and held it against his throat!
"You—!"
"Coward!"
The Raikage exploded with rage. His tiger-like eyes burned with fury.
"Heh, if we're talking about being despicable, I'm not even close to your level."
Sakura remained entirely unbothered by his insults. If she wanted to, she could berate the Raikage for three days and nights without repeating herself once.
To her, his accusations were no more than a mosquito's buzz.
"A student of the Hokage, resorting to dirty tricks and taking hostages? Let him go, now!"
The Raikage's chest rose and fell with fury as he glared at Sakura, who stood shielded behind Xi.
"Lord Raikage!" Xi gritted his teeth and bore the pain. "Don't worry about me! Just kill her!"
"Shut up."
A cold glint flashed in Sakura's eyes, and with a flick, she dislocated Xi's jaw.
"Ugh—!"
Xi tried to speak, but only air came out. No words. His jaw hung slack, useless. Cold wind blew into his open mouth, and even his saliva froze mid-drip.
Sakura glanced at the Raikage, who was clearly fuming but hesitant to act recklessly. Her delicate pink brows raised ever so slightly.
Zhang Wuji's mother really said it best—"Don't trust beautiful women. The more beautiful they are, the more they deceive you!"
Then, Zhang Wuji had added, "It's not just the celestial beauties you can't trust—even men who seem loyal and righteous can't be trusted either!"
Hmm…
Sakura pondered this.
She seemed to fit both categories, didn't she?
Having successfully exploited the enemy's flawed intelligence, Sakura let out a subtle breath of relief.
Their knowledge of her clearly came from Orochimaru's side. And at that time, she hadn't yet mastered the Sky Dome Formation.
Next time she ran into him, she'd make him pay for that.
"Name your conditions. What will it take for you to release Xi?" the Raikage demanded, fists clenching tight enough to make bones crack.
"Simple," Sakura said calmly. "You leave right now."
"Once I've reached the safety of Konoha's forces, I'll let him go."
Only one eye peeked out from behind Xi's shoulder, but it glimmered with composure and confidence.
"Impossible!"
The Raikage snapped instantly, roaring in outrage.
But as soon as the words left his mouth—crack!
Xi's other arm was dislocated!
"Ugh! Ghh!"
The pain was unbearable. Xi made strange, muffled sounds, drooling uncontrollably. The saliva froze on his lips in the freezing wind.
The Raikage stood rooted to the spot, trembling with fury. His fists were clenched so tightly they made grinding sounds. He ground his teeth and finally growled:
"Fine! But I'm not letting you out of my sight!"
Sakura thought about it. Taunting a cat was one thing—but teasing a beast like the Raikage could easily go too far.
"Deal," she nodded. "Stay at least 100 meters away."
For a typical ninja, 50 meters would be more than enough. But this was the Raikage.
That distance wasn't to guarantee Sakura's escape.
It was to ensure Xi's death, should the Raikage do anything foolish.
(End of Chapter)
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