A chill crept up Sakura's body, spreading from her heels all the way to her forehead.
Almost instinctively, she lowered the explosive tag and rapidly formed hand seals."Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist!"
As dawn approached, her technique blended with the morning dew. In an instant, the surrounding fog thickened, visibility dropping to nearly zero.
Sakura bit down hard on her lip. Blood quickly seeped from the corner of her mouth. The pain snapped her back to her senses—fear receded, and her ability to act steadily returned.
Should I run now?The thought surfaced from her subconscious.
No—that wasn't right.
Most enemies wouldn't "kindly" announce that they had found their prey. They would wait patiently for the perfect moment and strike decisively.
Would acting directly make him hesitate, while trying to flee would actually give him the opening he wanted?
Her mind immediately went to the traps she had set.
Compared to the original storyline, Sakura's traps as a transmigrator were far deadlier and more intricate. They were positioned higher, nearly impossible to detect, and incorporated far more lethal tools.
Still… that wasn't enough.
Traps could at best serve as support—they were unlikely to seriously threaten a truly powerful enemy. But—
Sakura's eyes widened slightly as realization struck her.
It's Naruto.
After escaping, Naruto would need to find them again—and the enemy had clearly left a message, signaling that he had already discovered Naruto's "secret."
As a jinchūriki who had also traveled through time, Naruto posed a far greater threat than any trap ever could. That meant the enemy's true fear wasn't her defenses—it was Naruto himself.
With that in mind, Sakura retreated back to Sasuke's side. She planned to hold a defensive position until Naruto returned. It shouldn't take too long.
She looked down at Sasuke. His body was faintly shrouded in black smoke.
"He'll wake up soon," Sakura murmured, her gaze sweeping the surroundings.
In a concealed patch of bushes near the tree hollow—
"We've found them," a voice whispered. "According to Lord Orochimaru's orders, we'll act at dawn. Our target is Uchiha Sasuke."
Dosu stood in the center, his sleeves hanging at his sides. Beside him, Zaku and Kin watched Sakura with interest.
"Can we kill the other one?" Zaku asked with a grin. "Her mist technique is kind of annoying."
Dosu sneered. "Do we even need to ask?"
Morning arrived quickly.
To preserve her chakra, Sakura allowed the mist to gradually dissipate. Fatigue showed clearly on her face.
He still hasn't come back… Did he really find Orochimaru?She silently organized her ninja tools, eyes fixed forward.If everything goes smoothly, the encirclement of Sasuke should begin soon.
Suddenly, a small furry figure darted past.
Sakura looked up and calmly hurled a kunai to block its path—it was only a squirrel. Startled, it immediately fled in the opposite direction.
She stood up and took two steps forward, speaking coldly:"That's far enough. Stop testing me."
The Sound ninja hidden in the bushes blinked in surprise.
"She noticed?" Zaku said, startled—but his expression changed instantly as the pink-haired girl yanked a thin wire in her hand.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Kunai tipped with explosive tags shot out like a rain of arrows. The three scattered in all directions, barely avoiding the barrage. As soon as the kunai reached the bushes, explosions erupted.
"BOOM!"
Thick smoke billowed, accompanied by deafening shockwaves. When the smoke cleared, an open clearing appeared, with the three standing exposed.
Dosu slid his hand back into his sleeve and looked at the girl before him with an eerie smile.
"Uchiha Sasuke, wake up. We're fighting him."
"Sasuke?"Sakura showed no fear—only a mocking smile, as though the three of them were already trapped.
She shouted sharply,"You'd better figure out how to defeat me first. Three of Orochimaru's dogs barking in front of me—how amusing!"
A violent surge of energy erupted around her. Her pink hair whipped upward, and in that instant, she looked like a victorious general returning from battle.
From her breathing alone, Dosu realized something chilling—the exhaustion she had shown while guarding Sasuke had been an act. She had been baiting them.
His expression grew serious.
"In that case…" he muttered.
Suddenly, he leapt forward like a wild beast, lunging at Sakura. His right hand stayed behind his back while his left tugged slightly at his sleeve.
To be fair, being called "Orochimaru's dog" had struck a nerve.
Sakura's figure rapidly filled his vision—but strangely, she didn't react at all. She simply stared at him with a mocking expression.
A trap?
Instinctively, Dosu glanced around—and in that split second of distraction, a pale green figure flashed in beside him!
"Leaf Hurricane!"
A powerful spinning kick sent Dosu flying. His single exposed eye widened in disbelief as he looked at the newcomer.
"You—who are you?" Dosu demanded darkly.
"The beautiful blue beast of the Hidden Leaf—Rock Lee!"
Lee stood with one hand behind his back, the other extended forward. His eyes sparkled, his bowl-cut hair swaying in the wind, making him look sharp, pure—and oddly handsome.
"Thank you, Lee," Sakura said, stepping up and patting his shoulder.
Lee instantly flushed red."I—I should be thanking you, Sakura! I promised I would protect you!"
"Mhm. Be careful—don't get ambushed."
Sakura hadn't forgotten that the time traveler had already discovered their hiding place. She continued to observe her surroundings carefully—but nothing changed.
Stepping past Dosu, whose eyes were now filled with killing intent, she turned her gaze to Zaku behind him.
"If I remember correctly, after Lee uses the Lotus, he'll be defeated by Zaku. So all I need to do is stall Zaku during that window and draw Dosu away—turn it into two-on-two," Sakura muttered, positioning herself behind Lee and beginning to form hand seals.
At the same time, Dosu saw Lee begin unwrapping the bandages from his hands. A deep sense of dread surged within him, and he rushed forward at full speed.
In a blink, Lee shifted positions, lowered his stance—and kicked Dosu straight into the sky.
Sakura seized the opportunity, charging forward. As Dosu soared upward, she slammed her chakra-coated fist into the ground.
She intended to split the battlefield.
But at that moment—
A kunai with a slip of white paper tied to it flew toward her from nowhere.
She dodged instinctively. The kunai embedded itself in the ground, revealing the paper.
On it were two characters:
[Wow]
Sakura froze.
Then she whipped her head in that direction—
No one was there.
Her heart dropped as a terrible thought surfaced in her mind.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "A Witty Life in the Naruto World" is 30 chapters ahead there