As one of the last bosses of Shippūden, Obito counted among those Sakura least wanted to fight, if she could help it. But as much as she wanted to slink back to Shikkotsu Forest with her tail between her legs, she knew running from her problems couldn't always be the answer.
Sakura hadn't even seen a hair from Hinata's head from the very start of the mission, and Shizune and Shino were still out there somewhere in the forest. She couldn't very well abandon her companions to whatever fate awaited them now, could she?
Not unless she fancied getting the White Fang treatment times two.
Kakashi-sensei's words echoed in her head: in the Ninja World, those who break the rules are scum, that's true... but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum!
Sakura had at her disposal herself, Kurenai, Kiba, and Akamaru— but what exactly could she achieve with this very limited roster? She didn't want them to die!
"I don't see anyone behind us!" Kiba shouted, glancing over his shoulder as he urged his mount onwards. "I don't think we're being followed!"
"Woof!"
Akamaru barked in assent.
"I sense faint chakra signatures ahead," Kurenai suddenly hissed. "More than fifty! Scatter!"
The group halted just short of a clearing in the woods and scattered without a word. Sakura silently darted up a tree and peered down through the leaves. Below, the clearing was littered with misshapen bodies, strewn about as if tossed by a careless hand. Some bore animalistic traits, such as furred limbs, snouts, claws— while others were unmistakeably demonic, with mottled, warty skin in every imaginable hue and great oni horns jutting from their foreheads.
And judging by some of the bodies, which were sealed inside what looked like giant pink crystals, their faces twisted in terror and frozen at the moment of death, Guren had clearly already passed through the area.
Boar! Dog! Bird! Monkey! Ram!
Sakura bit her thumb and slammed her palm on the branch she was perching on.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a quiet poof, a mini-Katsuyu appeared on her shoulder.
"I'm counting on you to watch my back," Sakura whispered to the slug.
"Understood, Sakura-san," mini-Katsuyu replied. "I will spit acid at your enemies."
Sakura's gaze drifted back to the clearing below.
All of those big crystals… an idea was beginning to take root in her mind. Usually, she would spam Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, drawing on the enormous chakra reserves in her breasts… but now, with little chakra left, she'd actually have to start using her brain again, instead of relying on her… other assets.
Come to think of it, hadn't she already gone through a similar experience?
Not far from this very lake lay Katabami Mine, where she'd confronted Kurosuki Raiga while still struggling with the aftermath of using the Breast Diet Jutsu for the first time. Back then, she'd been forced to rely on her wits to overpower a stronger enemy, rather than sheer strength…
"I'll stall the enemy here, I have an idea," Sakura spoke into her transceiver. "You two regroup with the others and find Hinata."
"I'm against this," Kurenai's tinny voice crackled in Sakura's ear. "The mission has already gone far beyond its initial scope. If the Akatsuki are somehow involved, we need to stay together."
"My plan will only work if the enemy underestimates me," Sakura insisted. "Besides, my job is to protect Team 8. I won't be able to guarantee your safety if you stay!"
Having lived through the Third Shinobi World War and as a full Jōnin, Kurenai knew the importance of following orders. And besides, Sakura was a Jōnin as well, so she had no right to command her.
"Very well."
"All right," said Kiba reluctantly. "But we're only leaving because we're worried about Hinata! We're coming back as soon as we find her, got it?"
Sakura rolled her eyes behind his back as Kiba and Kurenai left. Whatever helped him sleep at night.
No sooner had Kurenai, Kiba, and Akamaru vanished into the trees than Sakura dropped from her perch, landing lightly in the clearing. She closed her eyes and tapped one of the human-sized crystals with her knuckles, then held her hand just above its smooth surface, short arcs of electricity jumping between her palm and the crystal.
The crystal let out a musical hum.
Sakura opened her eyes and smiled. Yes, these would do nicely.
In any case, she didn't have long to prepare before Obito tracked her down, so she immediately plugged her ears with beeswax and strung wire through her shuriken. She was rather glad Sasuke had dragged her to the training grounds to practise Uchiha-style Shurikenjutsu after all…
…
Moments later, a man in black robes patterned with crimson clouds spiralled out of a rift in space centred on his single exposed eye, like a toilet flushing in reverse.
Obito frowned as he took in Sakura's curvaceous form among the tall crystals— he hadn't expected his prey to be the one fated to awaken Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan by dying in his arms. Still, it made no difference; he just wanted to vent a little. A broken toy could always be repaired or replaced.
"So, it's you," said Obito coldly. "It appears your friends have chosen you as their sacrificial pawn."
Rather than answering, Sakura flipped a few shuriken into her palm and flicked them at Obito with her middle finger, which she imbued with Chakra Enhanced Strength. The whirling metal stars whistled as they streaked through the air, passing harmlessly through his body and emerging from the back of his head.
"Have you given any thought to what I told you last we met?" asked Obito, unfazed by Sakura's sudden attack. "By the look on your face, I'm guessing you had a look at that stone tablet beneath Naka Shrine?"
Tak. Tak. Tak.
The shuriken clattered against the crystal behind him.
Sakura yanked on the thin razor wires attached to her shuriken, causing them to reverse course and ricochet off one another repeatedly, their return paths randomised as they flew towards the back of Obito's head.
"Rigged shuriken?" said Obito mirthlessly, as the shuriken phased harmlessly through the back of his head and emerged from the front, whistling back towards Sakura. "Such a boring trick— and you're supposed to draw them back before they hit something and make a sound."
Sakura's silence was beginning to annoy him. She hadn't responded to him even once, acting as though she couldn't hear him. And… now, she was weaving the Chidori's hand signs right in front of him! That hateful technique that had taken Rin's life!
"Fine, then," Obito said, sounding rather bored. "If you want to die that badly, then I don't mind helping you along."
Obito surged towards Sakura, fingers outstretched like claws. He was invincible! No matter how fast Sakura was, her Chidori would never reach him— his eyes were better than hers, able to anticipate her every move before she even thought to make them!
"Lightning Style: Chidori— Polarity Reversal!"
Obito's eyes spun rapidly as he reacted to the purple lightning coursing from Sakura's hand along the steel wires connected to the shuriken hovering a metre in front of him— just as yellow lightning burst from the tall crystal behind him, which she had just struck with said shuriken. The bolt arced through the air towards the back of his head and lanced straight through him, drawn to the very same shuriken that had just flown out of the front of his head!
"Guh!" Obito grunted, coughing out black smoke from his charred insides.
Direct hit! The jolting currents surged through his muscles, wrenching a spasm from him, but the Zetsu cells grafted to his body immediately started to repair the damage.
Obito's mind spun.
How had Sakura launched an attack without him noticing? And besides, that wasn't how the Chidori worked! Even if she'd extended the stab towards him like a lance, using shape transformation, or guided the lightning chakra along the steel wire attached to the shuriken, that still didn't explain how she'd managed to strike him from behind while standing in front of him!
Had she figured out the trick behind his technique, or had it just been blind luck!?