Chapter 354: A Long-Awaited Duel
The Konoha tradition: team members are generally a combination of two boys and one girl.
When Team 7 was first formed, the outside evaluation was a classic combination of a genius, a dead last, and a female ninja.
Female ninja. That was Haruno Sakura's label.
It didn't matter if she had talent or not, she was valued only because she was female.
Because in most cases, the role of female ninja in the team was to support, responsible for logistics, medical treatment, harassment, etc., and even became the regulator of the team atmosphere and the lubricant of interpersonal relationships.
Even a female ninja as strong as Tsunade, her positioning in the Sannin team was mostly as a medical ninja.
Only in Team 7 was it an exception.
Sasuke knew this very well. All along, the strongest member of Team 7 was not him, who possessed the Sharingan, nor Naruto, who possessed the power of the Nine-Tails.
It was Haruno Sakura, the one labeled as a female ninja.
This was a bit unimaginable to outsiders, especially those who knew their identities. Why would a civilian ninja stand out in such a team and leave the Uchiha and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki behind?
In fact, Sasuke had always been puzzled by this question.
How did the pretty pink-haired girl in his eyes grow to this extent today? Even as someone who claimed to know her best, Sasuke often found it incredible.
After awakening the three tomoe of the Sharingan, there was a time when he almost touched her back; but not long after she became Tsunade's disciple, her combat power soared like a rocket.
In the past two years, her battle records had become more and more impressive, which also made Sasuke a little stunned.
Clearly without a Kekkei Genkai or excellent physical talent, relying solely on cheat-level chakra control ability and obscure knowledge learned from somewhere, she just happened to grow rapidly!
Fortunately, he was no longer the ignorant and chuunibyou boy of the past, and would not feel dissatisfied with himself because of his teammate's progress. In fact, Sasuke was quite satisfied with his own progress speed. After embarking on the path of Lightning Style, almost every once in a while, looking back and comparing himself with his past self, he could feel his reborn growth. Down-to-earth training yielded down-to-earth growth. His speed, strength, ninjutsu, chakra amount, and sword technique were all advancing at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Moreover, such progress was far from reaching a bottleneck.
This sense of transcendence brought by constantly overcoming himself was also an important reason why Sasuke was not swallowed up by hatred.
The reason he couldn't catch up with Haruno Sakura was probably because his teammate was too magical.
Sasuke sighed in his heart, watching the girl in front of him forming seals meticulously and preparing for battle unhurriedly.
He knew what jutsu she was using.
The Yin Seal providing chakra amount, the Sakura Rush improving reaction speed, the ice armor wrapped around vital parts of the body, and the butterfly dual swords condensed in her hands; these powerful secret techniques modified or developed by her were her usual preparations for battle.
Plus the Monstrous Strength picked up casually in battle and the extremely fast Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.
Her offense and defense were impeccable!
When Haruno Sakura finished preparing, the two formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Although I'm not as good at developing ninjutsu as you," Sasuke said before the battle started, "I am full of confidence in the Chidori Youkai Form jutsu!"
As he spoke, he condensed the Chidori short sword. Before he finished speaking, he rushed out instantly!
The word "fast as lightning" aptly described the black-haired boy's speed and figure; in the eyes of others, Sasuke at this moment had turned into a deep blue lightning bolt, rushing towards the girl!
In an instant.
Sasuke appeared in front of Haruno Sakura. The close distance even allowed him to see the contraction of her pupils. The blue short sword in his hand swung down brazenly!
The sword light flashed, drawing a green sword shadow in the air, slashing towards Haruno Sakura fiercely.
The essence of the White Fang's sword technique was speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness; and Sasuke's sword technique had at least reached the level of the White Fang back then in terms of speed!
The ice blade and the lightning sword collided suddenly, and the crisp sound of metal colliding rang out!
"She can still block it... She's become faster again!"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Failing to hit, he instantly withdrew, avoiding Sakura's nin-taijutsu exertion.
The girl used the Monstrous Strength Technique with her right hand, swinging the ice blade with unparalleled force, cutting through the air, creating a strange whistling sound as it slashed at the afterimage left by Sasuke. The latter exerted force on his feet, crossed a few steps, and had already circled behind Haruno Sakura.
The second blade slashed out.
The other handle of the butterfly dual swords, the left hand palm blade lifted. The girl flipped her wrist, her movements gentle and brisk. The thin blade was as light as a fluttering butterfly, meeting Sasuke's lightning sword.
The two collided, making a crisp clashing sound again. Haruno Sakura's Eight-Slash Sword seemed light and effortless, but in reality, under the exertion of nin-taijutsu, there was a huge force meeting Sasuke's lightning sword!
Sasuke frowned slightly. The moves of the lightning sword in his hand turned from solid to void, letting the ice blade pass through the light and shadow of the lightning sword, avoiding the force transmitted by the Monstrous Strength Technique. He turned sharply under his feet, his figure instantly leaped and moved, circling around the girl. The lightning sword in his hand slashed out continuously, the fierce sword momentum attacking Haruno Sakura like a storm!
Clang, clang, clang!
In an instant, the two exchanged dozens of blows. The endless sound of swords clashing came from the battlefield, forming an inseparable piece.
This was the second time Sasuke and Sakura had engaged in close-quarters combat using Ice Style and Lightning Style since the Anbu assessment, where they fought as examinee and examiner respectively. (Chapter 218)
It had been a year since then. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura had stood still, but had grown rapidly. Their strength was no longer comparable to what it was back then!
Moreover, at that time, Haruno Sakura did not use her full strength, but this time, she unreservedly used all the power of nin-taijutsu. The intensity of this battle could be imagined!
The green Chidori short sword and the silver-white butterfly ice blade drew sword lights and shadows in the air, colliding constantly. Sasuke's agile figure and Haruno Sakura's light posture interlaced non-stop, their movements swift as the wind, so fast that it was dazzling!
How fast was Sasuke who had activated the combined mode of Cat Youkai Transformation and Lightning Style Cloak?
Sasuke, who was originally a speed type, possessed the dynamic vision of the Sharingan, the body activation ability of the Lightning Style Chidori Mode, and after combining transformation with ninja cats, obtained the agile blessing of felines. With the superposition of the three, his speed could already surpass most Jonin.
But Haruno Sakura, who had activated Sakura Rush to stage three and started the brain overclocking mode, had accelerated her brain's thinking and reaction ability by a few points, and was also incredibly fast!
With several ups and downs like a rabbit rising and a falcon falling, the two fought fast with fast. Turning and moving, they exchanged dozens or hundreds of moves! Relying on their respective three-tomoe Sharingan and Sakura Rush stage three, relying on their respective Lightning Style Chidori Youkai Mode and secret technique nin-taijutsu Eight-Slash Sword technique, the two fought in a ball, the battle so fierce it was breathless!
However, Sasuke, who had activated the Chidori Youkai Form, still suppressed Haruno Sakura with his speed advantage; the latter's reaction was fast and her strength was strong, but her attack and movement speed were not fast enough. In such a high-speed battle, this subtle difference became the key for Sasuke to suppress the girl!
Continuous fighting finally exposed a gap in Haruno Sakura's defense. Sasuke seized the opportunity and kicked her away, landing her in the river.
Huff, huff...
Haruno Sakura climbed out of the river and stood on the water surface. Both were panting heavily.
"Your new jutsu... is indeed extraordinary!" Haruno Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead while casually eliminating the small wounds left in the battle, saying, "To be able to wear the Lightning Style Chidori Cloak under the Youkai Form after combined transformation, it's really a creative jutsu!"
"Hmph..." The corner of Sasuke's mouth curled up with a bit of pride, but he said, "It's just combining the jutsu I've mastered. Compared to your secret techniques, it can't be called innovative!"
"The combined transformation with ninja cats and the Lightning Style Chidori Mode can both greatly improve your speed and agility. Your new jutsu can superimpose these two amplifications. When you complete this jutsu, you will be the new generation Yellow Flash!" Sakura laughed, looking at the slightly smug expression on his face, and added, "Also, the cat ears are quite cute."
"Idiot, that's not the point to focus on...! Appearance doesn't matter, as long as it can improve strength." The corner of Sasuke's mouth that had just curled up instantly couldn't hold it, his face twitched, and he said anxiously, "In short, this mode consumes too much chakra. I can't last for a few minutes!"
He kept a straight face and continued, "So cut the crap and keep fighting! You went all out just now, right?"
"Of course." Sakura nodded and said, "Your strength is improving very fast! At this time last year, I could draw with you without using Monstrous Strength..."
"Tch... this is a matter of course. Otherwise, if I don't speed up, Naruto will catch up!" Sasuke said.
"Yeah, when Naruto masters the power of the Nine-Tails, maybe you will become the dead last of Team 7!" Haruno Sakura nodded and said seriously.
"Maybe the weakest one will be you then?"
"You two can surpass me?" The girl raised an eyebrow, pouted and spat, "Tch, I don't believe it."
Sasuke pursed his lips and didn't speak.
Indeed, although Sasuke suppressed her in the battle just now, taijutsu was not Haruno Sakura's forte. She hadn't used ninjutsu yet! Sasuke wouldn't think that was all of Sakura's strength just now.
He had already done his best just now, but could only be slightly better. Even his most confident speed couldn't defeat her... Sakura's reaction speed was faster than before! Her Sakura Rush secret technique should have been upgraded by another level, right?
Standing opposite the girl, Sasuke could feel how tricky she was. I wonder what kind of mood the enemies fighting her feel when facing her?
"Then, are you going to use ninjutsu next?" Sasuke said in a deep voice. "Then bring it on!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly exerted force on his feet and rushed towards Haruno Sakura again!
Haruno Sakura's eyes narrowed, her hands quickly formed seals, and a water wall instantly rose in front of her: "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
The hastily cast ninjutsu failed to stop Sasuke's steps. Under the Chidori Youkai Form, his charge was simply unstoppable, breaking through the interception of the water wall with the force of crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood. Facing the girl, he slashed horizontally from the air!
Crack—
Ice Clone?
The strange sensation made Sasuke react instantly.
The wound faded, and the face of Sakura, who had reverted to an ice block, suddenly revealed a strange smile!
Not good! The black-haired boy's face changed; in the next moment, the ice clone exploded with a bang!
It's this clone explosion tactic again, just like her students... Sasuke, who dodged the explosion in the nick of time and landed on the river surface with lingering fear, complained in his heart.
However, Sasuke relaxed too early.
Before he could stand firm, the water surface under his feet surged, and hundreds of clones leaped out of the water, densely covering half the sky, surrounding him in the middle!
The black-haired boy's pupils shrank violently.
Done for...
He instinctively exerted force on his feet, his figure erupted, dashing left and right, trying to forcibly break out of the encirclement!
"Mutually Multiplying Ice Clone Explosion Technique!"
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