Within the endless chaotic flow of rainbow light, the crimson Chakra gradually emerged, rapidly expanding and swelling, like burning steel tearing across the sky, filling the entire field of vision.
The black divine artifact unleashed by the wild god pierced through thousands of miles toward those who dared to defy it.
[Susanoo: Yasaka Magatama]
The many Missing-nins of Kirigakure were momentarily bewildered upon hearing this, instinctively looking up at the sky, where they saw torrents of fierce light gushing forth.
"Hey, comrade, that thing seems to be glowing?"
"Wait, why is it getting bigger?"
"What do you mean I should talk to Fugaku myself? How am I supposed to talk to him when he's already gone?"
"You're telling me to go see Fugaku?!"
"No way, I still want to live with all my might!"
Boom!!!
Pairs of bewildered eyes were illuminated by the blazing light of woven flames.
The ultimate attack born from the illusory and destructive Mangekyo Sharingan's Dojutsu caused the earth to tremble violently, spewing forth crimson lightning that tore through the void, engulfing countless Missing-nin of Kirigakure.
"Uchiha Itachi, you madman, what are you doing?!"
Seeing this, Suien's eyes nearly burst with rage, but it also caused a slight opening in his movements.
Seizing the opportunity, Shibuki flung the water sword in his hand, piercing through Suien's chest.
"Cough, you bastard..."
Suien coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell to his knees.
In the distance, Itachi, enveloped in the shadow of a deity, retracted his gaze, a faint curve lifting the corner of his mouth.
'This brocon!'
Sakura, who was clashing with him, saw through her opponent's thoughts with her Observation Haki and silently complained.
Transparent steam erupted from all over the girl's body as her Chakra ignited under the Boil Release.
"Boil Release: Unrivalled Stability!"
The wild and unrestrained power of the Giant Royalty's physique, combined with the physical enhancement from boiling Chakra, causing Sakura's fist to scrape sparks through the air.
Susanoo's shield rose once again, and the divine artifact, Yata Mirror, attempted to reflect the properties of the girl's fist.
However, pure overwhelming force suppressed all changes in attributes, violently tearing through the Chakra and shattering everything in its path.
It was pure, unadulterated power, crushing all flashy mechanisms as the pink fist shot straight toward Itachi's face.
Even the currently healthy Itachi felt a chill run down his spine in the face of such extreme violence.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames surged, scorching all things!
Dark flames carrying the power to annihilate everything descended, enveloping the girl entirely.
Her Observation Haki roared, frantically warning Sakura of the impending danger.
Faced with flames that, once touched, could never be extinguished, Sakura wasn't arrogant enough to test their temperature with her fist.
Reluctantly, her Chakra connection pierced through time and space, locking onto the anchor point of a Flying Thunder God Kunai below.
Whoosh!
A burst of spatial light erupted, allowing Sakura to easily traverse the long distance and escape the range of Amaterasu.
The black flames fell to the ground, instantly reducing a layer of rock to ashes, and the flames continued to spread, exhibiting the momentum of a raging wildfire.
"Hey, you're really going all out!"
Narrowly dodging Amaterasu, Sakura glanced back at the spreading black flames, a drop of sweat trickling down her temple.
She patted her tool pouch, and a small scroll fell out. Sakura hooked it with her toe, kicking it open to reveal the Fire Seal's Sealing Formula.
Boiling Chakra poured into it, and waves of sealing lines gushed out, swiftly entangling the black flames and dragging them into the scroll.
Itachi didn't respond, but at this moment, he wished he could exchange his Sharingan for a Byakugan so he could roll his eyes at the girl in front of him at all times. (T/N: Rolling eyes is usually to show the white of our eyes, so since Byakugan is all-white, well…)
Just listen to what she was saying… was that even human speech?
Who was the one who started by throwing a strength-based technique at someone's face? Besides, if he got hit by that technique, would he even survive?
"If we continue fighting like this, I'll have to use the Complete Body of Susanoo."
Itachi's cold voice pierced through the dusty battlefield and reached Sakura's ears. He raised his hand and pointed behind her, casually wiping the blood from the corner of his eye.
Following the direction he pointed, Sakura turned around and took in the devastated state of Takigakure.
"Tch..."
Sakura clicked her tongue, a look of irritation flashing across her face.
Seeing that she understood his meaning, Itachi dispersed the Chakra of Susanoo and instead flung a barrage of kunai and shuriken.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Nail Crimson!"
Fire Release ignited the ninja tools, sending burning shuriken spinning through the air.
Sakura's body swayed lightly a few times, effortlessly dodging all of them.
"Earth Release: Yellow Spring Marsh!"
The girl's fingers flew, forming hand seals. Chakra infused the earth, activating the ground as water and soil combined, creating a large marshland in the open space.
And one by one, the Missing-nins of Kirigakure, having just turned to flee upon seeing Itachi's Fire Release Ninjutsu, found themselves trapped in the suddenly transformed marshland.
Immediately after, shuriken and kunai bathed in flames descended from the sky, revealing the ferocity of the Uchiha Clan's renowned Fire Release.
These Ninjas stared wide-eyed in confusion, and in their final moments, a flash of insight crossed their minds.
"Damn it, you bastards are actually working toget…"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Flames shot forth, kunai pierced through, and shuriken sliced apart. The reluctant realization of Kirigakure's Missing-nins was drowned out by the sharp screech of metal.
Afterward, not a single soul remained.
The flames created by Fire Release burned everywhere, while Sakura and Itachi stood facing each other.
"The Jinchuriki of Takigakure was relocated earlier. It seems they knew we were coming."
"Also, remember to warn the village that someone is collecting the Tailed Beasts. It's that organization called Akatsuki."
Taking advantage of the noise from the burning flames and the billowing smoke, Itachi quietly reminded Sakura.
"Got it. I'll bring the message back. Is there anything else you want me to tell Aunt Mikoto?"
Brushing the dust off her clothes, Sakura studied the increasingly tall young man before her.
"No."
Amid the flames, Itachi's pupils trembled almost imperceptibly.
His black clothes began to stir as black crows emerged from within, scattering in all directions.
Watching him leave, Sakura suddenly felt something heavy in her hand.
She opened her palm to find an eyeball immersed in nutrient fluid, resting quietly in her grasp.
"Take care of Sasuke for me. When the time comes, please help him retrieve the other one from Danzo."
His voice faded into the distance, eventually drowned out by the crackling of the flames.
Seeing that this guy cared more about his brother than his mother, Sakura muttered under her breath:
"Damn brocon!"
But complaints aside, the mess still needed to be cleaned up.
After storing Shisui's eye in a storage scroll and keeping it close, Sakura looked back at Takigakure, which is now consumed by fire and in ruins.
Tiger - Bird - Hare
Sakura formed hand seals and slammed her palms onto the ground!
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Chakra drew water from nearby sources, sending it cascading down from the sky to wash over the battlefield.
In addition to erasing all traces, it also extinguished the flames engulfing Takigakure.
After the man-made disaster, the village was filled with dead and injured residents. The village's leader, Shibuki, had also fallen unconscious from overdosing on Hero's Water and exhausting his Chakra, leaving the entire village in chaos.
Sakura gathered the remaining villagers and summoned Katsuyu to heal them.
A few hours later, Shibuki, having just regained consciousness, immediately paid a visit to Sakura.
"We owe you a great debt for your assistance this time!"
Bandaged and kneeling before Sakura, Shibuki bowed deeply.
"Don't rush to thank us just yet. We are Shinobi. This time, Shibuki-san, you hired us for a mission, so we need to properly settle the payment~"
Sakura lazily tilted her head, while Naruto and Sasuke behind her did their best to maintain stern, impartial expressions to add to their intimidation.
"The Medical Ninjutsu was my personal contribution, so I won't charge you for that."
"But as for the combat… one current S-Rank Missing-nin, Uchiha Itachi, four Chunins and thirty Genins among the Kirigakure's Missing-nins..."
With every word Sakura spoke, Shibuki's heart clenched tighter.
Takigakure had just been invaded, and its wealth and productivity were almost completely destroyed.
At the same time, the village had to support the funds and supplies for its main forces fighting outside the village. The burned homes needed rebuilding, and the traumatized villagers needed to be appeased.
And now, an S-Rank mission reward was being slapped right in his face.
'No money, really no money! Even if we squeezed Takigakure dry, we couldn't come up with that much!'
'…Wuwuwu, Father, why didn't you tell me being a leader would be so expensive!'
"Um, Haruno-san, our Takigakure truly..."
Scorched by the gaze of the girl before him, Shibuki's voice was bitter, but for the sake of the village, he had to speak up.
He swallowed his bitterness, his voice hoarse as he said, "We truly can't afford this reward."
"No money? That's easy to solve!"
Shibuki's eyes lit up, hearing the girl's angelic voice.
Then he looked up and saw Sakura on the tatami, her emerald-green eyes half-closed, admiring his distressed state.
After a long while, she laughed heartily, full of delight.
"I've heard that Takigakure seems to have..."
After hearing the girl's words, Shibuki felt as if he had been plunged into the depths of winter.