Chapter 224: It Seems I've Finally Caught Up to Those Two — Sakura Haruno
Facing the overwhelming ninjutsu attacks, Sakura remained calm.
"Dark Style."
She extended her right hand, palm facing a mask monster spewing a high-pressure lightning ball. The berserk Lightning Style chakra was absorbed rapidly upon contact with her palm, disappearing without a trace like a mud ox entering the sea.
Immediately after, a Fire Style: Great Fireball from another mask monster roared towards her.
Sakura didn't dodge. A metallic sheen appeared on the surface of her body.
"Steel Style."
The fireball exploded on her, flames swallowing her figure. But when the flames dissipated, she still stood there. Apart from her clothes being slightly charred, her body was unharmed.
"Ice Style: Wall of Ice Crystals!"
Her hands rapidly formed seals. Massive amounts of cold air surged from her body, quickly condensing into several thick ice walls in front of her, temporarily blocking the impact of other elemental ninjutsu.
Behind the ice wall, a strange glint flashed in Sakura's eyes.
"Die! You monster! Why won't you just die!!!!"
She cast her gaze towards Hidan, who was still futilely self-harming nearby, his mind on the verge of collapse.
"Lava Style: Molten Attachment."
A stream of scorching lava sprayed from her hand, instantly entwining the noisy Hidan. Hidan instinctively tried to dodge, but the lava was extremely fast, instantly covering one of his hands.
"Ah~~~"
"Feels gooooood~~~~~"
His hand was constantly destroyed by the lava's corrosion, which spread towards his body. After a burst of pleasure, Hidan immediately severed his own arm.
"Boil Style: Skilled Mist Technique."
Immediately after, a highly acidic mist spread out. Hidan tried to dodge quickly.
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow!"
In the interval of dealing with Kakuzu's attacks, Sakura even pulled a pale bone blade from her arm and threw it at an incredible angle. It instantly pierced through Hidan's knee as he tried to struggle, nailing him firmly to the ground.
All this happened in the blink of an eye.
Sakura perfectly combined her multiple Kekkei Genkai with the scientific ninja tools of the Hidden Sound Village.
The chakra blade in her hand occasionally switched to energy blade mode, slashing at Kakuzu's mask monsters. The "Chakra Absorption Device" on her left wrist activated at critical moments, weakening the power of Kakuzu's ninjutsu. Several "Flying Raijin Kunai" engraved with formulas were cleverly placed around the battlefield by her.
Then, combined with her elusive "Stealth Device," she maneuvered through Kakuzu's storm-like attacks, launching surprise assaults from time to time.
Several micro "drones" flew out from her sleeves, hovering over the battlefield, transmitting Kakuzu's movement patterns and heart locations to her perception in real-time.
Kakuzu grew more alarmed the longer he fought.
"What is the background of this brat?"
"Mastering so many Kekkei Genkai, unheard of!"
This girl's fighting style was too bizarre! Endless Kekkei Genkai, unheard-of combat tools—all made him feel an unprecedented difficulty.
"Hidden Sound Village—Sakura Haruno."
Sakura just stared coldly at Kakuzu, as if looking at a dead man.
Kakuzu glanced at Hidan, that trash. Suppressed so easily, completely unreliable.
"Useless! Can't even handle a little girl!" Kakuzu cursed inwardly.
"Must end this quickly!" Kakuzu roared in his heart; he couldn't drag this out any longer.
He suddenly recalled all remaining mask monsters into his body. Black Earth Grudge Fear tentacles surged madly around him, revealing the hearts beating with different chakra natures on his chest.
"Little girl, I am a ninja who once fought the First Hokage!"
"To push me to this point, you should be proud!"
Kakuzu's voice became hoarse and low, full of oppression. "Let me show you my true terror!"
Five hearts beat in unison. Wind, Lightning, Fire, Water, Earth—five natures of chakra merged violently within his body. They then formed a devastating torrent of energy, condensing in his gaping mouth, ready to burst forth.
The air trembled with this power, and the ground began to crack.
However, Sakura did not give him this chance.
She took a deep breath, her hands slowly coming together. Fire, Wind, and Earth—three natures of chakra began to merge, compress, and qualitatively change within her in an unprecedented way.
A heart-palpitating aura of destruction emanated from her.
"Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
A translucent cube emitting white light rapidly formed between her hands and shot towards Kakuzu at astonishing speed.
Kakuzu's pupils contracted violently. From that small cube, he felt a terrifying power sufficient to threaten all his lives!
He wanted to spew the energy condensed in his mouth, but the Particle Style was faster, and it seemed to lock onto his chakra.
The cube accurately hit Kakuzu's chest, passing through his body.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an eerie silence.
Kakuzu's body, along with all the hearts inside him, was decomposed into primordial atoms under the power of the Particle Style, disappearing completely into the air without leaving a trace.
The battle ended.
Kakuzu, one of the Akatsuki's Zombie Duo, was completely defeated and dead.
Hidan was bound layer by layer by tough vines created by Sakura's Wood Style and thick ice condensed by Ice Style, completely immobilized on the spot.
Sakura landed slowly, her chest heaving slightly. She took out a blank sealing scroll and began preparing the sealing jutsu.
"You—you monster! I'll cook you into a mushy, shattered, sticky mess!"
"Lord Jashin will never let you go!"
"Just you wait! Even if my body is crushed and only my head remains, I'll crawl out and bite your throat off!"
"As long as I'm alive, I will never let you go!!!"
Hidan screamed with his last bit of strength, his voice full of spite and unwillingness.
Sakura remained expressionless, only speeding up her hand seals.
"Noisy."
She responded indifferently, no ripple in her eyes.
"To a test subject, faith is meaningless."
As the final seal was completed, a huge "Seal" character emerged from the scroll, sucking Hidan and the earth beneath his feet into the scroll.
She had completed the mission assigned by Orochimaru.
Just then, an exceptionally powerful chakra fluctuation suddenly erupted from the distant horizon.
That is Sasuke's chakra?
He returned to Konoha too?
And Naruto…
Sakura cast her gaze into the distance. Her pink hair lifted gently in the breeze, brushing past her emerald eyes.
The backs she once admired seemed close at hand now, yet still so far away.
Can the current me… finally catch up to your footsteps?