Chapter 133: The Miscalculating Shino
Katsura-U led Sakura to a large room with a tightly closed iron door.
"This is the women's changing room, and next to it is the bathroom," Katsura-U said, stopping at the door and pointing to the bag Sakura had just received. "I won't go in. You take a shower first, change into your uniform, and then I'll take you to meet your new teammates."
Sakura nodded and walked in.
Nothing titillating that the audience would love to see happened in the bathroom—it was full of partitioned individual stalls, with no young ladies baring their souls to one another.
And even if she had seen... there was nothing to get excited about. After all, after so many years, she had been in the women's bathhouse in Konoha many times.
You might not believe it, but she didn't know if it was because very few ninja came to the women's bathhouse she went to, but she always felt that the scenes inside were mostly an eyesore—for example, various cylindrical or even spindle-shaped bodies, or several layers of love handles, which in contrast made her own barren figure seem like a scenic view.
It was better to look at herself—although she was a bit flat, at least she wasn't an eyesore.
The girl washed quickly. Even without mentioning that there was someone waiting for her outside, she was not the type to take an hour-long bath.
The water from the shower was warm and plentiful, enough to immerse her entire person in the warm stream, which was very relaxing.
She casually used her chakra to control the water flow to wipe her body. Although she had just finished a battle, she hadn't sweated much, nor was she covered in any dust.
That Anbu ninja, Shino, is quite strong, the girl thought while playing with the water in the warm, steamy air.
It was the first time she had met a ninja who started a battle with a genjutsu.
The battle hadn't been long. It could even be said that it had ended after just a brief probe.
At that time.
"Genjutsu: Mist Servant Technique!"
Shino's hand seals were very fast. Almost in the second after Katsura-U had announced the start of the battle, he had finished the seals and cast a genjutsu.
At the same time as he cast the genjutsu, he casually threw out a few kunai and then rushed towards the girl.
Using a simple, instantaneous genjutsu to put the enemy in a momentary trance, and then taking the opportunity to launch an attack. A weaker opponent would be defeated because they were too slow to break the genjutsu and had no time to dodge his subsequent offensive. Even a stronger enemy would fall into Shino's wave after wave of attacks after breaking the genjutsu, thereby losing the initiative and falling into a disadvantage.
However, if the opponent was Haruno Sakura, then it was a different matter.
"The genjutsu had no effect on Tobi at all..." Katsura-U, who was watching from the side, was a little surprised.
The power a genjutsu could exert was inversely proportional to the spiritual strength of the subject. With Sakura's spiritual strength being nearly seven times that of an ordinary person, it was difficult for this simple genjutsu to even cause her a moment of confusion.
So Katsura-U saw that Shino's genjutsu tactic had completely failed: the girl was not affected by the genjutsu, easily parried the kunai that Shino had shot over, and then began a taijutsu clash with the charging Shino.
Shino's taijutsu, which incorporated the essence of his ten or twenty years of experience as a ninja, seemed simple and unadorned, but in fact, it was strange within the ordinary, seeking danger in stability. It was like an undercurrent lurking in the deep sea; on the surface, it was calm, but underneath, the current was surging.
Katsura-U, who was often responsible for receiving new recruits, had seen Shino fight with rookies many times. Some rookies, seeing that Shino's taijutsu was conventional, would think that his taijutsu was not refined and would launch a fierce attack. Then, often in a moment of carelessness, he would seize an opportunity and an opening in their attack, and then launch a storm-like counterattack, instantly falling into a disadvantage or even being defeated.
And the fight on the field now was indeed as usual. The rookie was coming on strong, but Shino was on the defensive, struggling. All one could see was his defensive skill, with no opportunity for him to counterattack.
This was precisely the rhythm that Shino usually liked the most: usually, his defense would look like it was on the verge of collapsing, but in fact, Shino still had room to spare. Close-range taijutsu was the most dangerous kind of battle for a ninja. A single mistake could result in serious injury. But Shino had the confidence and ability to control this rhythm, to calmly observe his opponent's openings in the perilous taijutsu clash, and to wait for an opportunity to launch a counterattack.
Not blindly pursuing power or speed, but being able to skillfully control the rhythm of the battle—this was undoubtedly something only a true taijutsu master could do.
Just based on this taijutsu skill alone, it was enough for Shino to be proud. It was not an exaggeration to call him a powerful taijutsu ninja. However, Shino was actually a ninja who was well-balanced in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu—his ninjutsu was in no way inferior to his taijutsu.
Shino indeed had the capital to be proud. As an Anbu proctor, his strength was also outstanding among the Anbu!
An ordinary rookie would find it very difficult to defeat him in the test. Even if they had the upper hand for a moment, it was often just an illusion created by Shino to lure the opponent into a strong attack.
But today seemed to be a little different.
"No... it seems Shino is really being suppressed by Tobi!" Katsura-U's eyes narrowed as he saw a few clues in the battle on the field.
Indeed, as Katsura-U had said, the proctor Shino on the field was on the verge of collapsing in the taijutsu exchange. This was not an illusion set up by Shino, but a real situation of being at a disadvantage!
Cold sweat had already appeared on his head. The features under his mask were twisted into a ball. He gradually clenched his jaw, struggling to resist his opponent's attacks. He couldn't imagine that this little girl, who was a head and a half shorter than him, could have such sharp fists and feet.
The power coming through from her fists was so terrifying that it had completely suppressed him, leaving him breathless!
The immense force he had experienced just now was indeed not an illusion, nor was it the effect of some ninjutsu!
"Damn it, is she really not a taijutsu-type ninja?!"
Shino roared in his heart. Facing his opponent's punch, he subconsciously crossed his arms to block Sakura's attack.
"Monstrous Strength Technique - Star Cannon Hammer!"
Smack! A deep and heart-stopping sound came from the point of impact between flesh and blood. For a moment, Shino thought he had been hit by an Earth Style - Meteor technique. Although he had accurately blocked this punch, the surging power that came from the fist's surface, which was enough to split mountains and crack rocks, had completely crushed him. His legs went weak, and he stumbled, his body uncontrollably taking several steps back. Then he sat down on the ground with a plop, only then managing to dissipate this force.
What astonishing power! I clearly blocked it, yet I was still knocked down by a single punch, as if I had been hit by a meteor from the sky!
Shino felt that the place where his arms had been hit by the girl's fist had already gone completely numb and was so heavy that he couldn't even lift his hands. No, not just his hands, but his entire body was numb from the force that had passed through!
Indeed, those who could enter the Anbu were no ordinary people. He had been completely defeated by a powerful taijutsu ninja before. A taijutsu-specializing elite Jonin like Gai could indeed easily defeat him if it were just a taijutsu match. But the inexperienced girl before him was a ninjutsu-type ninja!
When had he ever been so battered by a ninjutsu-type ninja using taijutsu?
What's more, the opponent was still a yellow-haired—no, pink-haired—brat who had just started to develop.
Shino's breathing was chaotic, his thoughts in a mess.
He had been completely defeated in terms of taijutsu. The opponent's taijutsu strength was unimaginably powerful. Just by taking one of her moves head-on, he had been completely knocked down.
The taijutsu strategy of showing weakness to lure the enemy in was completely ineffective against this cat-masked ninja. He shouldn't have used close-quarters combat from the beginning! He was very clearly aware of this point in his heart.
However, he did not know that the Star Cannon Hammer just now, Sakura had held back ninety-five percent of its power. If Shino had not known Sakura's identity, and had been given a hundred more guts, he would not have dared to take a punch using the Monstrous Strength Technique head-on!
The correct combat thinking at this moment was to immediately withdraw from the battlefield, avoid the opponent's fists and feet, and continue to fight with ninjutsu and genjutsu. But at this time, Shino's body was completely disobedient, as heavy as a stubborn rock.
His hands were so numb they were constantly trembling, making it difficult to even form hand seals.
In a ninja's battle, close-quarters combat was undoubtedly the most cruel and dangerous way to fight. Once you were completely suppressed, it was very difficult to get away, and you could only be suppressed until death!
Shino struggled to his feet. His hands and feet were sore and numb, and his body ached from the girl's fists and feet. His body was protesting wildly to his brain, resisting further action with rapid breaths. He could barely move.
I need to do something, but I can't do anything!
Shino could only stare intently at the girl, watching her leap high, her straight legs raised high above her head.
"Monstrous Strength Technique - Castle Tower Kick!"
Shino's heart was pounding like a drum, his mind a complete blank.
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