Inside the Hokage Office, Kakashi discreetly tugged his mask higher as clan leaders and colleagues stared at him in surprise. A clumsy slash full of holes—that's supposed to be a White Fang technique? Give me a break!
[Starlit Night], razor-sharp as ever, sliced straight through the flying Fuma Shuriken mid-air. The shattered weapon was then sent hurtling back by simultaneous Gentle Fist strikes from Hinata and Neji, finally embedding itself into the tree trunk right at Mizuki's feet.
Sheathing her blade, Sakura slowly exhaled.
"The White Fang techniques truly live up to their reputation!"
"Hmph," Sasuke muttered expressionlessly beside her. He had already skimmed through the [Scroll] Kakashi gave him, which contained an impressively refined version of the White Fang techniques. What Sakura just used, however, was a sloppy beginner's slash, riddled with obvious openings. If that could be called the White Fang technique, then the enemies killed by Konoha's White Fang would surely die in disbelief.
"You got a problem with that?!" she snapped, instantly pressing the blade to Sasuke's throat—an unspoken threat that she'd strike if he dared speak out.
"No," Sasuke coldly replied with two words. Though internally he was fuming, his face remained unchanged.
"Lucky you don't. Even if you did, keep it to yourself!" Only then did Sakura happily return her sword to its sheath.
"Father... I'm truly unworthy of being your son. I couldn't protect your honor," Kakashi murmured, his eyes misty. From this day forward, the dignity of Konoha's White Fang would probably be gone forever.
"Aww, Kakashi, so that's the legendary White Fang techniques passed down in your family? Seems pretty ordinary!" Anko quietly nudged Kakashi's shoulder and whispered curiously before offering her own interpretation. "I get it now! It must be one of those 'barebones mastery' things—like how the Land of Iron practices Iaijutsu. A simple draw-and-slice can still pack some serious power."
Kakashi chuckled softly, though his heart was drowning in bitter despair. Internally, Kakashi slammed a fist against the wall—who in the world would interpret this awkward, flawed move as some profound return to simplicity?!
Meanwhile, Mizuki showed mild surprise at seeing his Fuma Shuriken effortlessly cut in half—but soon broke into a smile.
"I didn't expect there to be a sword prodigy here after all. So young, yet having mastered swordsmanship to such a level—it's no wonder you're confident enough to try stopping me."
"Oh, not really," Sakura modestly replied. "I've just always admired the White Fang techniques, so I trained for several years."
Nearby, Tenten and Hinata covered their faces with their hands. Those two were unbelievable—one genuinely thought the other's swordplay was genius, and the other lied right through her teeth without blinking. Don't they even notice how uncomfortable the whole situation is?!
Kakashi didn't even have the strength to speak anymore. His father's reputation was definitely ruined from today onward. Soon, stories would circulate among Konoha ninjas about how the White Fang's sword style had returned to simplicity.
"But what does it matter if your sword skills are strong?!
"I'm a chunin. Do you really think a recent graduate stands a chance against me?"
Mizuki smirked confidently. A few fresh academy students and an average ninja were no match for him. He still had the secret weapons Orochimaru gave him, so there was no way he'd lose.
"Of course we do. You're just a chunin! After all these years without being promoted to jonin, it's obvious you're weak!"
Sakura ruthlessly hit Mizuki where it hurt. "Against a weakling like you, I could kill ten of you with a single White Fang technique!"
"You..." Mizuki's eyes nearly popped from rage. Not being promoted to jonin all these years was a deep humiliation. Now Sakura had torn open that wound, making Mizuki so furious his face turned red with anger.
Chapter 96: The Collapsing Mizuki
In the Hokage Office, Kakashi sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, lips slightly moving while continuously reciting Buddhist scriptures. He feared he might actually lose control and go berserk. If his father's legendary [Legend of the White Fang] techniques truly looked like what Sakura was doing now, there would never have been the title [Legend of the White Fang] in this world.
"Damn brat, die!"
Mizuki threw another Fuma Shuriken while simultaneously jumping down to the ground, rapidly forming several hand seals with both hands.
[Earth Release: Cracking Earth Palm]
"What slow hand seals!"
Both Sakura and Naruto, along with Sasuke, scoffed disdainfully. Mizuki's speed when forming seals was extremely sluggish. Compared to someone like Itachi Uchiha, even Lee, who specialized in taijutsu, could keep up — he'd practically be on par with Mizuki.
"First use the Fuma Shuriken to distract us, then use Cracking Earth Palm to divert our attention before attacking from behind, right?"
Sakura scoffed coldly, instantly slicing the incoming Fuma Shuriken cleanly in half with a single sword slash.
"Now! Damn brat, you're finished!" Seizing the moment when Sakura had exhausted her previous strength, Mizuki rushed forward fiercely again and again, lunging repeatedly without pause.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Two loud shouts rang out simultaneously as Naruto and Lee launched [Leaf Whirlwind] attacks from both sides, kicking Mizuki on both cheeks. Mizuki's face twisted grotesquely from the double kick.
"Poof!"
The kicked Mizuki transformed into a puff of smoke and disappeared. At the same time, another Mizuki emerged from behind Sakura, aiming the kunai directly at the back of her head.
"He used Cracking Earth Palm to attack the ground, smashed the surface, and then created a Shadow Clone while hiding behind the smoke. The clone attacked head-on while the real him secretly used Earth Release to sneak up behind us for an ambush?"
Sakura's expression didn't change at all, though a hint of disdain flickered in her eyes.
"If we were really just inexperienced academy graduates, we might have fallen for that trap. Unfortunately for you, that Shadow Clone distraction trick won't work on us!"
"Ding!"
A light sound echoed. A tanto extended forward, blocking the kunai with its blade. No matter how hard Mizuki tried, he couldn't push forward even half an inch.
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