Daz's new home was located in a forest near the coast, surrounded by towering trees. In the early morning, a thin layer of mist would blanket the area, making it even more concealed.
Normally, very few people could find this place, which was why Kakashi felt comfortable leaving Sakura behind to guard the house.
After watching the others leave, Inari cautiously pushed the door open and stepped outside, tugging gently at Sakura's sleeve.
"Big sister… are they going to defeat the enemies?"
Sakura turned to him, her expression softening.
"Yes. They're going to get rid of the bad guys."
These days, Sakura was the only one who regularly took time to visit Inari in his room. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they didn't—but even silence felt like conversation.
"But…" Inari said hesitantly, his expression conflicted, "will they end up like my dad?"
"They might," Sakura replied bluntly.
Inari froze.
Sakura continued calmly,
"A hero isn't someone who can do everything. A hero is someone who chooses to do what they know might be impossible."
Inari nodded in confusion, still not fully understanding.
They'd had similar conversations many times before. In Inari's mind, if heroes could die, then heroes were fake—they didn't exist at all. Sakura always patiently corrected him, explaining that heroes were symbols of spirit rather than invincible beings.
A god?
What did that even mean?
Such abstract ideas were far beyond Inari's understanding.
"Wait…" Sakura suddenly sensed something was wrong.
The mist around her seemed thicker than before.
"Inari, go back inside," she said, her gaze sharpening as she began checking the thin cords hanging beside her, each tied to a small bell.
The cords extended outward in different directions. Some were connected to traps, others were simply planted in the grass. Any disturbance would make the bells ring.
Sakura glanced over them.
The bells were still.
The strings hadn't moved.
Am I overthinking this?
Inari trotted after her in small steps.
"Big sister, what's wrong?" Staying near Sakura made him feel braver.
"It's nothing… maybe I was mistaken—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Staring into the mist ahead, her pupils suddenly contracted.
Dark silhouettes were forming within the fog. The air itself felt restless, gusts of wind passing through it intermittently.
At first, the sound was barely audible—but it quickly grew louder, like stepping into a bustling city.
Daz and the others were startled and rushed out of their rooms. When they saw the dense black mass, they sucked in sharp breaths.
"Get back inside," Sakura said quickly, pushing Inari toward the door.
"Block the entrances with cabinets and furniture, and grab anything you can use to defend yourselves."
"Big sister, what are you going to do?" Inari asked anxiously, his voice trembling.
Sakura gently patted his head.
"It'll be fine."
She motioned for Daz and the others to shut the door immediately.
"Prosperity!"
Sakura let out a long breath and turned to face the surging crowd.
The mob halted.
The men in the center slowly parted, retreating to either side of a narrow path. A tall man in samurai attire stepped forward.
Both sides and the back of his head were shaved clean, leaving only a topknot. A longbow and a single arrow were strapped across his back.
With every step he took, the surrounding temperature seemed to rise.
Sakura's expression grew grave. This was yet another "NPC" she had never encountered before.
The tall man spoke slowly,
"No wonder we couldn't find you no matter how hard we searched. So this is where you've been hiding."
"Please ask Mr. Daz to come out. Mr. Gato wishes to have a word with him."
Boom!
A violent surge of chakra erupted from the man's body.
Sakura's hair whipped violently in the wind as she muttered coldly,
"Is this what you call a negotiation? You might as well admit it's a threat."
"If you insist," the man said, drawing his long blade and pointing it at her.
"Madam, I advise you not to make things difficult for yourself."
Someone nearby sneered.
"She's pretty cute. Brothers, how about we have some fun with her later?"
"Rip her dress first, then her pants. You can keep the shoes, socks, and ribbons."
"Hahaha—sounds good!"
Hearing the vulgar remarks, Sakura's legs trembled involuntarily.
She was afraid.
It wasn't that she'd never fought enemies before—but back then, Sasuke and Naruto had been by her side, with Kakashi supporting them from behind. Even at his weakest, Naruto still had the Nine-Tails as a cheat.
There was no problem a Tailed Beast Bomb couldn't solve.
And if there was—just fire another one.
But now, she was facing an endless number of enemies alone, and their leader clearly possessed a special ability.
No system.
No Nine-Tails.
No teammates.
No room to retreat.
"Scared?" the tall man asked casually.
"How about we both take a step back? You go ask Mr. Daz. I'll have my men spare your life. Deal?"
Sakura remained silent.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
She bit down hard on her lower lip until blood seeped out. Regaining control of her body, she pulled on her gloves and tied her pink ponytail high.
She remembered what she had told Inari earlier.
What is a hero?
A hero isn't someone without fear—but someone who chooses to act despite it.
"Even if tens of thousands stand against me," Haruno Sakura whispered,
"I will still go."
She charged straight into the crowd—like Uchiha Madara charging into the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Bang! Bang!
Sakura slammed her fists into the invaders, her sharp strikes targeting vital points. She used her own body to shield against arrows fired from behind, weaving relentlessly through the mass of enemies.
"Watch out for her punches!" a burly man shouted.
She closed in instantly—and with a simple punch, shattered his front teeth.
Powerful.
Precise.
Unstoppable.
She didn't even use ninjutsu—only pure taijutsu.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a long arrow tore through the air straight toward her.
Sakura flinched and hastily drew a kunai to deflect it.
Thud! Thud!
The arrow pierced through several people and slammed into Sakura, sending her flying sideways along with the bodies.
She rolled several times to dissipate the impact, then sprang back to her feet and looked into the distance.
The towering samurai was already drawing his bow again, pulling it into an exaggerated arc.
"Cough… Lu Bu, is that you?" Sakura wiped the blood from her mouth as she dodged another massive arrow. The arrowhead slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.
Strands of hair clung to her sweat-soaked face.
She shifted to a more stamina-efficient fighting style—then began smashing the ground itself, using the terrain and timing heavy blows to catch enemies off guard.
But she was still only a genin.
Her stamina was steadily draining.
The surrounding crowd began to lose its sanity. They couldn't believe a seemingly delicate woman could fight like this.
Pfft!
At last, a man drove a spear straight through Sakura's body. He let out a triumphant shout—only for her form to dissolve into flowing water.
When he turned around, Sakura's real body sent him flying with a single punch.
Water Release: Water Clone Technique!
Seeing this, the samurai finally stopped waiting within the crowd.
He charged straight at Sakura.
He intended to deal with her personally.
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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