The towering warrior charged forward amid roaring winds. With every step he took, his massive weight made the ground tremble slightly beneath him.
Sakura didn't dare hesitate. She rolled sideways to evade the incoming arrows, then attempted to break through to the right.
But the samurai ignored her completely.
He pointed his katana straight ahead.
His target—Daz's house.
He turned his head toward Sakura, a faint smile in his eyes.
Sakura's heart sank.
This man was even more insidious than she had imagined.
"You're asking for death!" Sakura shouted angrily, hurling several kunai from her pouch. The samurai easily dodged them, slicing apart the ones he couldn't evade with a single sweep of his blade.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two kunai flew past the warriors and struck the thin cords near the entrance to Daz's room, severing them instantly.
"Boom!!!"
"Boom!!!"
Deafening explosions erupted behind and around the crowd. Thick smoke billowed outward, swallowing most of the battlefield in an instant.
The samurai froze briefly, then his expression darkened.
"You dare mock me?!"
From the very beginning, Sakura's real targets had been the cords behind him—cutting them would inevitably trigger the traps.
Her face expressionless, Sakura charged at the samurai again. This time, her hands began forming seals rapidly.
It was time to test the results of her special training.
"Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist!"
The surrounding fog thickened to three times its original density. Combined with the rolling smoke, visibility dropped to an unbearable level.
The warrior instinctively scanned his surroundings and began moving.
He couldn't allow Sakura to lock onto his position.
Bang!
A sudden heavy punch slammed into his hardened armor, making him stagger. He swung his sword reflexively—but the figure vanished instantly.
He shifted a few steps to the left, only to be struck hard in the back. This time, his insides churned violently, as if his organs had shifted.
Furious at the lack of warrior's honor, the samurai roared,
"Damn it! Come out!"
Before his shout even ended, Sakura burst from behind him again and delivered another straightforward punch.
Her ability to pinpoint his position was simple: his massive frame and heavy armor made every step thunderous. By reading his movements and anticipating his psychology, she tracked him as he moved.
Just as she raised her fist again, the samurai suddenly stepped back—and seized her wrist!
He slammed Sakura into the ground like a discarded doll, producing a thunderous crash.
"Cough—!"
Agony surged through her body. A sickly-sweet taste filled her mouth, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
"You didn't really think I couldn't see through your tricks, did you?" the samurai sneered as he reached out to tear at her clothes.
He intended to humiliate her.
But to his shock, Sakura didn't dodge.
Instead, she kicked his sword away, seized the opening—and sank her teeth into his carotid artery!
"AAAAAH!"
Excruciating pain exploded through the samurai's neck. His entire body trembled as a crushing sense of death flooded his mind.
Driven by instinct, he raised his fist and slammed it into Sakura's abdomen.
"Let go of me!"
"I won't!"
"…!"
No matter how he roared or how heavily he struck her, Sakura didn't respond.
Her teeth only bit down harder.
The scene was eerily familiar.
During the Chūnin Exams, Sakura had faced the Sound ninja alone—and she had bitten her enemy then as well, refusing to release even as she was repeatedly struck.
Until Sasuke woke up.
It was hard to tell whether this was simply her nature—or whether her soul was beginning to merge with the real Haruno Sakura.
The warrior's pupils dilated. His punches became wild and unfocused.
The sounds grew weaker…
Thud.
After a dull impact, Sakura collapsed completely onto the ground—but her gaze remained fixed in the direction of Daz's house.
All that remained of the warrior was his ruined body. His head was kicked away like a ball, rolling off into the distance and leaving the crowd stunned in disbelief.
Sakura felt her body being gently lifted.
When she looked up, she saw a blond young man with whisker-like markings on his face, speaking softly.
"It's okay."
"They won't hurt you anymore."
Sakura stared blankly at Naruto. Then, at last, the fear she had been suppressing burst forth like a breached dam.
She clutched him tightly, sobbing quietly.
Naruto patted her trembling back, speaking casually,
"I'll take care of the rest of those bastards—huh?"
Looking ahead, he saw the charging crowd break apart in panic, crashing into those behind them. Chaos erupted everywhere.
They had been utterly shaken by Sakura's desperate counterattack—and had completely lost the will to fight.
Naruto laughed furiously.
"So every time I'm about to pull out my ultimate move, you mess with me like this?"
Don't use the same trick twice!
Naruto summoned his shadow clones and used the Nine-Tails' chakra to trap everyone remaining. The lackeys huddled together, staring at him as if he were a monster.
A shadow clone strode toward them with a sinister grin.
"I'm in a great mood today!" (sarcastically)
"Come on! Anyone who tries to run—I'll kill them!"
They exchanged helpless glances, then charged at Naruto as if marching to their own funeral.
Moments later, the Nine-Tails' chakra smashed them into the ground like seedlings.
Standing beside Sakura, Naruto pulled out medical supplies and gave her basic treatment.
The door to Daz's house opened, and Inari burst out in tears, rushing toward Sakura.
He had watched everything in trembling fear. His entire worldview had been shattered.
"Hey! Get back! Can't you see I'm treating her wounds?" Naruto snapped, pushing Inari aside.
Daz's daughter stepped forward.
"We'll carry her inside. I'll take care of the rest—this is easier between women."
Naruto nodded.
Sakura tugged weakly at his sleeve, hesitated, then said,
"Hurry up and dispel your shadow clone. Have the real one report the situation to Kakashi and the others."
Naruto gently placed her hand back down.
"What are you talking about? I'm the real one."
Sakura froze.
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well… the main reason is that every time you raise a death flag, something goes wrong. I was worried about you, so I sent a clone with Kakashi and the others. The real me came back to check on you."
Hearing that, Sakura's gaze softened, her cheeks warming slightly.
I was just crying in his arms… how embarrassing…
Daz and his daughter carried Sakura back inside.
Naruto looked at the dazed Inari and asked,
"What are you thinking about?"
Inari wiped away his tears and murmured,
"Big sister once told me that heroes are afraid too… I didn't really understand. But someone like her—can she be considered a hero?"
Naruto patted Inari's head and said gently,
"Looks like you still haven't done enough homework. You should systematically study the theory of heroism."
Inari froze.
Wasn't this the part where the protagonist explains everything to me?!
What just happened?!
Meanwhile—elsewhere.
Pakkun lowered his voice and whispered to Kakashi and the others:
"Quiet. We're almost there."
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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