Bab 12: Sakura’s Own Secret Mission Pt2
Sakura, being someone who had reflexes honed to their limits, was able to block the sudden attack by lifting her kunai to intercept. Just barely being let off with the shattering of her weapon instead.
The bisecting cut hit hard.
The impact of the slash slammed her out a window and into the misty forest outside. Sakura had misinterpreted the strength of Zabuza. She remembered back that his specialty was killing.
As one of the seven Ninja Swordsmen, he was obviously more physically stronger than your average Ninjac. This was since normally swung his Executioner's Blade around in the midst of battle.
This initial underestimation came from the fact that Kakashi's strength fluctuated solely on his 'mood'.
It was hard to tell when his gears were meshing well.
Even though Kakashi was a genius Ninja who became a member of the Anbu at a young age, he didn't seem to live up to his achievements until the latter half of the Fourth Great Ninja War.
She thought her sensei only struggled against Zabuza because of his trickery and scheming…
But she was wrong.
It looked like the genuine article was powerful…
Sakura threw her broken blade to the side and looked around for Zabuza. Her calm broken again.
As ninja, there were certain rules one had to uphold in battle: Stay calm, judge choices, and act wisely.
Sakura had forgotten to do two of them.
Even though mist was obstructing her vision, the ninja samurai and small kunoichi sensed each other. This wasn't by sight or physical senses, but because their bloodlust seeped out too overtly.
Sakura's killing intent was berserk and without any target. It seeped into the environment like a fog.
But Zabuza was different.
He had never killed anyone without thought. It was always a determined action done by his two hands.
Thus, he charged at her like a killer shark.
Overwhelming her with force!
A giant edge fell on Sakura's position, but the motor skills of her future self seeped into her.
Several kunais were thrown into the air, then each used to deflect his both powerful and precise strokes. Each blade broke upon impact, but she managed to get in closer to her intended target.
*BOOM*
A punch struck and made an impact, which was followed by an ear-piercing combination of hooks.
"Cha!" Sakura roared, her target smashed into chunks. Blinded by the bloodlust flowing into her.
It was at that moment she blinked and saw the target beneath her. Which was broken to pieces.
She had destroyed a tree.
Zabuza had already circled around her without a sound. Watching her powerful attacks fearlessly.
'Strong…' There was no way he wouldn't think this after seeing what the little girl did to that tree.
But it was over.
His killing intent became silent. So quiet that Sakura couldn't sense his presence whatsoever.
However, a feeling of deja vu struck her heart.
'The neck…!' Sakura thought, but her actions were too late. A beheading slash was already swung.
She tilted her body to the side forcefully, even if that meant damaging herself in the process.
Two pills were thrown up and bit while she did so.
*Kchk*
An arm was lopped cleanly off Sakura's shoulder. It was such a deep cut that she almost bled out.
Deep crimson splashed on Zabuza's figure.
He expected her to go down, but the effects of the custom military ration pill and blood increasing pill had took effect. Her body instantly nourished, and the lost blood regenerated after closing the wound.
Sakura had no time to think anymore.
The pain of having her arm severed already put her into a hyper berserker state, but the experiences of her future self made her far more cunning… and far more ruthless to what she deemed to be her body.
She slapped her armless shoulder with a green Healing Chakra hand, forcing the bleeding to momentarily stop. Then grabbed the falling severed arm that was about to hit the ground.
"Shannaro!!" Her sequence of attacks became strange and unpredictable to her opponent.
Zabuza stepped back when the severed arm was used like a nunchaku. Except it was 'willed' by her.
The muscles moved according to her wishes.
She didn't care about dislocating her severed arm after closing the wound where blood would seep.
Making it much more flexible.
As expected, Zabuza made some distance after being bashed back by that strange fighting style.
Which was when she threw her arm at him.
'DIE!' Her bloodthirsty eyes no longer containing self-preservation. Her arm thrown like a javelin.
The severed arm even straightened up and clenched its hand like a mallet. Hitting on his blade.
Sakura followed behind it.
Chakra threads stitched her cleanly severed arm and shoulder stump together. She pushed the punch deeper. Putting her whole body weight into landing a blow that would pierce through Zabuza.
But was stopped midway.
Her lack of awareness of her surroundings caused her to miss two throwing needles that hit her body.
Going through her shoulder and knee.
The recently stitched together arm, which hadn't been fully reattached yet, was misaligned, and she also couldn't turn her body to drive the hook at that moment. The thrower had calculated this.
Haku didn't just throw his weapons randomly.
Sakura suddenly stopped attacking.
She suddenly regained some clarity while seeing the duo team up. Zabuza jumped out of her range.
'What was I doing again?' The girl picked out the needles in her shoulder and knee while thinking.
The scene of them protecting each other brought forth unpleasant memories… and her own regrets.
They were bad people.
Criminals. Who knew what kind of things they had done in the past. They were no different from Gato.
So why did she feel sad while looking at them?
She remembered the sad eyes Zabuza made while holding Haku, who he'd thought of like his child.
'Sarada…' For some odd reason, she couldn't look away. Perhaps maternal instincts took effect.
The berserk state she was in mellowed out.
Her hysterical eyes regaining their calm and collective light. Compassion swallowing bloodlust.
She no longer wanted to be a killer anymore.
Would she be able to hold her daughter with peace of mind if she killed them? Slaughtering criminals?
Was this the path she wanted to go down?
Sakura looked at her bloody hands, and the bodies littered around. Her thoughts were hypocritical.
There was no going back after killing someone.
Perhaps if anyone had ever loved those people she killed, they would one day come after her in rage.
The only way to stop herself from going down a dark path… was to stop killing people altogether.
At least, to minimise the deaths as much as she could. Thinking of solutions other than killing.
'Yeah… This is much better.' That compromise allowed her mind to stabilise better than before.
Creating a harmony between present and future.
But her opponents didn't care.
The two Hidden Mist ninjas used made a gesture that thickened the fog. Allowing them to hide.
Noticing that Zabuza was using the obstructing mist to his advantage again, Sakura closed her eyes and stood in place. This time, she patiently awaited for the assassin's arrival. His attack.
His killing intent was silent…
The wind was disrupted, and the presence of a blade appeared behind her, but her body didn't stiffen. She used the fear of being bisected boost her will to crouch down to dodge his strike.
Her hand simultaneously reached out and grabbed the back of his Executioner's Blade to restrict him.
This was all done at the same moment.
The fact that Zabuza suddenly couldn't retrieve his blade after swinging… threw off his concentration.
Sakura made use of the opportunity to throw a powerful punch to his gut. A single fast jab.
Zabuza felt as if he had been punched by a mountain rather than a human. His body curved.
The same instant he lost all the air in his body…
…was also the same time he felt multiple Chakra Points on his body being sealed by a familiar technique. His eyes would have widened in horror
Someone who wasn't from the Hyuga Clan used the Gentle Fist to seal him!
"You're from the Hidden Leaf!" He roared.
"Bingo~!" Sakura spoke while turning her head towards Haku, who still seemed adamant in following Zabuza's intentions.
Although he wasn't willing to put his life on the line for Gato, he would do anything to protect Zabuza.
He kept Gato close to him and prepared to weave hand signs in order to use his strongest Jutsu!
Sakura didn't want to deal with Haku and his annoying Ice Mirrors, so she immediately initiated the 'Flying Thunder God- Level 2: Second Step'. A kunai left her hand and seemingly aimed to stop his hand signs.
Haku, who could still weave hand signs even if he had one hand, still continued his movements.
His right arm brought up his own kunai to deflect the throwing weapon to the side.
It was exactly at that moment his arm moved to deflect it… that Sakura appeared before him.
Like a yellow flash.
The timing of her teleportation were impeccable.
Haku couldn't change his course of actions in the exact moment he moved to deflect her weapon, the only thing he could do was watch wide-eyed a fist drove into his chest.
It also made him breathless for a second.
She used this opportunity to similarly capture Haku with movements so finesse that you'd think she had done this a hundred times already.
Her hands used the 'Gentle Manual Sealing Fingers' she was already an expert in using.
Even without the Byakugan, she could still predict where his Chakra Points would be. This was her expertise as a future 'Healing Goddess'. One who made a name for herself using her Medical Skills.
Since she knew the human body, all she had to do was look at a person to predict their pathways.
Then all she had to was accurately seal them using a similar technique to that of the Gentle Fist.
Truthfully, this way of fighting WAS actually based on those Gentle Palms that Hinata always used.
There's probably no one else who could identify Chakra Points without the Byakugan than her though. She probably couldn't teach it to someone unless they were as experienced as a Medic like her...
After the two assassins were neutralised, she turned towards the greedy fatty that was left.
"You... What do you want from me? Money?! I'll give you more than your employer to hire you!"
Sakura didn't put Gato into her eyes.
She unleashed a killing intent similar to that of Zabuza's onto him. One like a proud tiger.
Her eyes scary enough to make him wet himself.
'Leaving trash like him alive will only lead to problems in the future.' Sakura lifted the kunai she got back in the middle of subduing Haku, then ruthlessly brought it to his neck dangerously.
Then, as blood stained the man's shirt, she picked Haku and Zabuza up before leaving.
This would be the last time she killed in cold blood.
She made that promise. Even if that meant going against the ego of what she'd eventually become.
Rebelling against her future self.
Sakura decided to keep people close to her, or else she wasn't sure if she'd lose her mind again.
Hoping they could keep her from going insane…
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone