Within the Land of Fire
Unseen in the shadows, three ninja wearing no identifying marks observed the confrontation unfolding between Kakuzu and Haruno Sakura in the center of the clearing.
Sakura, coordinating seamlessly with her Storm Release Clone, pressed the attack against Kakuzu. Yet, even facing a two-pronged assault, Kakuzu handled the situation with leisurely ease.
In the blink of an eye, they exchanged dozens of blows. Kakuzu was clearly growing impatient.
With a sudden backward leap, he disengaged. His three remaining mask monsters converged, surrounding Sakura from four directions, trapping her in the middle.
"Again!" Sakura groaned at the sight of the masks. Without a second thought, she flared her Storm Release chakra and charged alongside her clone, targeting one specific mask monster.
The targeted monster, which had been preparing a Wind Release jutsu, attempted to dodge as Sakura and her clone bore down on it. But Sakura was determined; she would destroy at least one of these things. She didn't know exactly what they were, but their ninjutsu output was immense, and they could even combine techniques.
Sakura had noticed the mask monsters themselves were far less durable than Kakuzu's main body. While her Storm Release could injure Kakuzu, the effect seemed limited. Against the mask, however, it was devastating.
In moments, Sakura and her clone tore the targeted mask monster limb from limb, ensuring it couldn't regenerate or revive.
However, taking the extra seconds to thoroughly dismember it allowed the other two mask monsters to launch their attacks.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!" "Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Seeing the inferno laced with crackling lightning rushing towards her, Sakura gritted her teeth, bracing herself to tank the hit. There was no time to cast a defensive jutsu. Her Creation Rebirth was still active; she should be able to withstand it.
...!
A wall of sand erupted before her just as the jutsu struck, absorbing the brunt of the fiery, electrical blast. The wave of heat washed over the sand barrier.
Sakura glanced back. It was Gaara.
"Help me hold him off," Sakura requested, pointing towards Kakuzu.
"..." Gaara looked silently at Kakuzu, then gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. He agreed.
Okay, first take out these mask things, then deal with Kakuzu himself, Sakura strategized.
But just as she turned her attention back to the remaining monsters, they darted towards Kakuzu. Before her eyes, they merged back into his body.
"Missing two hearts," Kakuzu remarked, his voice raspy as he looked at Sakura and Gaara. "It truly has been a long time since that last happened."
"What does he mean?" Sakura asked Gaara quietly.
"Those mask monsters... they are likely the source of his immortality," Gaara speculated, having observed the battle intently. "Your attack killed him earlier, and you just destroyed one of his masks. That means you've effectively killed him twice already."
"So that means he had four hearts?" Sakura followed Gaara's logic. "And each heart corresponds to a different nature transformation? I destroyed the Wind mask, so he can't use Wind Release anymore... If that's the case," she mused, "maybe he had even more than four originally? Five? Maybe even more?"
"He recalled the remaining masks now," Gaara added. "That probably means he's low on spare hearts within his body and needs to replenish them."
Kakuzu, meanwhile, was already considering retreat. This Konoha brat, despite her relative lack of combat experience, possessed abilities that partially countered his own. Her Storm Release's cutting power was dangerous; without his Earth Spear technique active, he couldn't block it effectively. Plus, she had no bounty on her head. Her youth and inexperience were weaknesses, yes, but dealing with her wasn't straightforward. He had gathered intelligence on her abilities now. He would withdraw, acquire new hearts, and deal with her later.
Suddenly, black threads erupted from Kakuzu's body, lashing out with blinding speed. They wrapped around Sakura, Gaara, and the Storm Release Clone, binding them instantly.
Immobilized, Sakura thought, "So this is his true speed." It was far faster than he'd shown earlier when fighting her alone. He'd clearly been holding back.
She wasn't overly concerned about her clone, however. Its entire form was essentially a weapon composed of high-energy chakra; these threads wouldn't hold it for long.
Just as expected, the threads binding the Storm Release Clone began to sizzle and disintegrate upon contact, unable to withstand its inherent lightning and heat properties.
Sakura immediately directed the freed clone to release both herself and Gaara from their bindings.
"Just as I thought..." Kakuzu observed the dissolving threads. "This clone can only truly be destroyed by ninjutsu." He eyed the figure composed of pure chakra nature transformation.
"Fire Release: Searing Migraine!" "Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
No sooner were they free than Kakuzu unleashed another combination attack. This time, Sakura didn't need to block; Gaara's sand swiftly formed a protective barrier in front of them.
Sakura seized the opportunity. She commanded the Storm Release Clone to charge through the sand wall, directly into Kakuzu's oncoming jutsu. It's just chakra, she reminded herself, pushing past the anticipated feedback discomfort. Just chakra consumption and a bit of resonance blowback. No time to worry about that now.
The clone plunged headlong into the fire and lightning. Sakura gritted her teeth, enduring the wave of unpleasant sensations feeding back through her chakra network as she forced the clone onward.
Crack!
The clone's spear-hand pierced straight through Kakuzu's shoulder-mounted Fire mask, shattering it. The Fire Release jutsu instantly sputtered and died. Enraged, Kakuzu swung his left fist in a vicious arc, smashing it into the Storm Release Clone.
"Pfft!" Sakura coughed, spraying a fine mist of blood as the force of Kakuzu's blow resonated back to her.
"Are you alright?" Gaara asked, seeing her sudden reaction.
"I'm fine," Sakura shook her head, wiping her mouth.
She mentally cataloged another flaw in the Storm Release Clone technique. She had initially assumed it was immune to all physical attacks, but now she realized it was likely only immune to her own physical touch – a built-in safety measure. Enemy physical attacks could harm it, provided the enemy could withstand its inherent lightning and heat. And when harmed physically, the damage resonated back to her main body via chakra resonance – not as direct physical injury, but as a disruptive shock to her system, similar to Shadow Clone feedback but occurring in real-time.
Having lost another mask – another heart – Kakuzu finally made the decisive call to withdraw. Ninja, after all, were not samurai. There was no honor in fighting a disadvantageous battle to the death when retreat was a viable option.
He cast one last, deep look at Haruno Sakura, then, with a swift Body Flicker, vanished into the dense forest.
Sakura kept her Storm Release Clone active for another moment, scanning the surroundings to confirm Kakuzu had truly left, before finally allowing it to dissipate. With other unknown individuals potentially still nearby (those observers?), pursuing him wasn't the wisest course of action. Since the enemy had withdrawn, she wouldn't give chase.
"Sakura-chan! Are you okay?" Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin rushed over now that the immediate danger had passed.
Seeing her teammates were unharmed, Sakura nodded. "I'm fine." She turned to Karin. "Is the enemy gone?"
Karin closed her eyes, concentrating for a moment. "I can no longer sense his chakra."
"Hooo..." Sakura let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, finally deactivating her Creation Rebirth technique.
Just then, Baki approached, supported by Temari and Kankuro, with Juan following closely behind. "Captain Haruno Sakura," Baki began, his voice filled with profound gratitude, "thank you. Truly, thank you."
Sakura simply waved a hand dismissively. "Don't mention it." Her expression hardened slightly. "However, I will report this incident factually. That includes the enemy's claim that he was hired by the Sand Village to assassinate the Fifth Hokage."
"That's impossible!" Baki denied vehemently, instinctively, before forcing his tone to soften. "Captain Haruno, I implore you—please investigate thoroughly before making any final judgments. The friendship between our two villages hangs in the balance."
"I only report the facts," Sakura stated coolly, refusing to engage further.
Internally, however, she was processing the battle, assessing her own capabilities. With abilities that specifically countered certain opponents, she could now contend with fighters on the level of Kakuzu, or even Sasori. She felt a quiet sense of accomplishment. She was getting closer—closer to achieving the goal she had set for herself when she first arrived in this world.