Chapter 550: War of Attrition
The incomparably broad water curtain swelled like a mountain, as if a huge tsunami suddenly set off in the center of the ocean, making the Angel of Paper floating in the air look as tiny as an ant in comparison.
In an instant, Konan widened her eyes.
Her sandalwood-like lips opened slightly, moving as if she wanted to say something, but the boundless water wall mercilessly crashed down towards the woman.
Boom—!!
The roar emitted the moment the water curtain smashed down was louder than hundreds and thousands of thunderbolts. The overlapping layers of sound waves hit the air like a heavy hammer, rippling out a circle of transparent ripples visible to the naked eye!
Rumble rumble rumble!
The mountain-like water wall fell from the sky, carrying huge kinetic energy to collide with the sea surface, then rebounded and surged up, then fell again, going round and round, until it spread extremely far away, turning into restless waves on the sea surface.
The rumbling, turbulent sound also echoed wave after wave in the horizon.
After a good while, the vast and boundless ocean surface gradually returned to calm.
Haruno Sakura stood high on the giant wave, looking down at the ocean surface. On the gradually calming ocean surface, the Angel of Paper had disappeared without a trace.
"Dead?"
The girl's delicate eyebrows moved slightly, she released her hands, put away her chakra, and slowly landed on the sea.
Splash, splash—
The aftermath on the sea surface had not yet settled. The residual power of the ninjutsu still lingered in the seawater, the wave crests turbulent, the undercurrents rapid. The sound of the sea waves echoed clamorously, as if answering Haruno Sakura's question.
No, what truly answered the question was a familiar chakra looming between the sea and sky.
Konan's chakra.
Sakura frowned slightly. "Not only not dead, but it can even be said she is unscathed... huh?"
She captured that woman's aura. That still steadily fluctuating chakra indicated that the girl's attack hadn't achieved any effective results. It could even be said she returned without achievement.
The facts coldly proved that the Angel of Paper's secret technique not only immunized against her Taijutsu combat, but also nullified her Water Release attacks. It seemed only Fire Release or similar Kekkei Genkai jutsu could effectively harm her, but Haruno Sakura was not proficient in this path; her Fire Release was only at the level of being able to start a fire in the wild.
This also meant that the enemy in front of her—
"Makes one's head ache... she's a type that counters me quite a bit."
Haruno Sakura said softly.
But her expression didn't show much anxiety or headache. Instead, the corners of her mouth turned up, curving into an icy arc. Facing such a tricky enemy, Haruno Sakura's posture was still unhurried. After countless life-and-death struggles with powerful enemies, Haruno Sakura was no longer that immature girl who struggled in fear amidst Orochimaru's killing intent back then; what grew rapidly was not only the girl's height and strength, but also the mentality a powerhouse should have.
Admittedly, Konan's Person of God's Paper was a very troublesome ninjutsu, but so what?
She wouldn't lose. Haruno Sakura had enough confidence.
A moment later.
Several pieces of white paper floating on the sea surface suddenly trembled a few times.
They were seen slowly rising, shaking off water droplets, and flying out of the sea surface.
Swish swish swish!
As if a signal was given, immediately after, more papers flew out with a whoosh from the sea surface further away, and even from deeper underwater!
Thousands, tens of thousands of white papers rapidly shot out of the sea surface, converging into a ball in the air.
Piece by piece, the appearance of the Angel of Paper soon indistinctly condensed.
In less than a few seconds, right under Haruno Sakura's eyelids, the Angel of Paper had already restored her extremely beautiful face; unsurprisingly, there were no signs of injury on Konan's body.
The Angel of Paper restored her form, spread a pair of huge white wings again, and floated in mid-air.
She was unscathed, but it absolutely couldn't be said that Haruno Sakura's attack had played no role at all.
Konan's blue-purple beautiful hair looked as if it had been through water, plastered on the woman's head and temples, water flowing down her pretty face stream by stream; her clothes were already soaked through—not the kind wet by sweat, but completely absorbed water from the inside out, clinging tightly to her body without leaving any gaps, completely exposing the woman's tall figure outline and perfect, exquisite curves. The residual water droplets were continuously dripping from her cuffs and pant legs, making Konan's fairy-like angelic demeanor instantly vanish completely.
That mountain-like heavy momentum from just now had completely disappeared from her body.
"Hmph..." Haruno Sakura's smile carried a bit of banter, "Tch, looking like a miserable drowned rat."
Hearing this, Konan's face turned stern, and she responded fiercely: "Don't be too proud, your moves are completely useless against me! No matter how many times you try, you can't defeat me!"
Haruno Sakura shook her head.
"Is it really completely ineffective?" The girl raised her hand, pointed at Konan's dripping wet hair, and asked calmly, "Even if your secret technique can immunize against my attacks, casting such a jutsu also requires a massive amount of chakra and stamina, right?"
"Your chakra and momentum have dropped quite a bit compared to just now yo!"
That massive chakra inside Konan had indeed declined somewhat. At this distance, Haruno Sakura, who possessed extremely strong spiritual power, had a very delicate sensory ability. Even if Konan tried her best to restrain her aura, she couldn't escape the girl's sensing.
The woman's delicate eyebrows frowned violently.
"So what if it is?" Her face was deathly pale, panting slightly, but she still straightened her body and said coldly, "Even if I consumed quite a bit of stamina... as the attacker, you using jutsu of that level probably consumed far more power than me! Fighting a war of attrition, you will be the one to run out of chakra and fall down first!"
Responding to her was the girl's unscrupulous laughter.
"Hehehehehe—"
Haruno Sakura laughed out loud!
Comparing chakra consumption...
An ordinary Kage-level female ninja, comparing who has more chakra with a bloodline ninja who has mastered Senjutsu and the Yin Seal, with who knows how much energy stored on her broad forehead?
The clear and cold laughter echoed between the sea and sky, sounding so ear-piercing to the Angel of Paper; Konan frowned deeply, tightly covered her cherry lips, her eyes becoming increasingly icy, but suppressed the urge to attack, because she knew she couldn't do anything to Haruno Sakura!
After a long while, the girl's laughter finally stopped before reaching the limit of Konan's endurance.
"Hasn't your Akatsuki already collected my intelligence?" Haruno Sakura sneered, extending her thumb to point at the mark on her forehead, "Don't tell me you forgot I still have the Yin Seal move?"
Konan's frown deepened, secretly gritting her silver teeth, but had no words in reply.
Sakura ignored her silence and went a step further: "Also, don't underestimate me too much! In the ocean environment, using Water Release of this level is not even considered much consumption for me... Wanting to play a war of attrition, I'm afraid you can't afford to accompany me!"
The girl was satisfied to see the Angel of Paper's expression change slightly: "You—stop bluffing!"
"Whether it's a bluff or not, you'll know right away." Haruno Sakura brought her hands together, making the starting gesture for forming seals, "Finally, by the way, to deal with you..."
"I don't even need to open the Yin Seal yet!"
With chakra as vast as the sea, the girl's hands stood in front of her chest, her slender fingers flying like butterflies. A massive amount of seawater under her feet tumbled into shape, condensing into a dragon, crashing out of the sea surface with a boom.
The Angel of Paper's pretty face was cold, glamorous as frost, chakra frantically pouring out from her fingertips. Countless explosive tags converged into a huge spear, its sharp point aimed from afar at Haruno Sakura.
Even knowing such attacks wouldn't play a decisive role, the two opposing women still unhesitatingly launched a bombardment against each other.
The rumbling collisions of ninjutsu echoed over this sea area.
The prolonged war of attrition, after a brief pause, resounded again through the clouds.
This was destined to be the strangest battle Haruno Sakura had experienced since becoming a ninja. There was no calculation of countering moves back and forth, nor the pleasure of a one-hit kill or crushing victory. This battle was like falling into a quagmire, dull, with no end in sight.
Haruno Sakura didn't seem anxious at all.