Chapter 69: Sakura VS Naruto (Conclusion)
The third wave of the offensive.
The final battle!
The first wave of the wind jutsu was unexpected. The second wave of shadow clones bogged down the battlefield and bought time. Then the third wave, using the time gained from the previous two, summoned several hundred shadow clones at once, attempting to overwhelm Sakura with a human-wave tactic!
A dense mass of shadow clones filled the water surface, the sky, and the water below, rushing towards Sakura in a mighty torrent!
The girl narrowed her eyes slightly.
As far as her vision could reach, thousands of Narutos occupied her entire field of view, leaving not a single gap.
They blotted out the sun and sky, leaving no light!
The shadow clones in the front rank had already drawn their ninja tools and shot them out. Shuriken and kunai flew towards Sakura like a torrential downpour, covering the sky!
Bullying me because I can't clear the field, huh... Haruno Sakura stood on the water's surface and muttered to herself.
"Doesn't Sakura-chan have a ninjutsu that can clear the field?" The same question surfaced in the mind of every spectator watching the match.
"It's not that she doesn't, but that there's no time!" Shikamaru watched the battle below with a grave expression, analyzing it quickly in his mind.
Traditional Water Style relies on impact force for its power and is often grand in scale and time-consuming. For the super-large-scale water dragon bullet just now, Sakura had made preparations in advance to seize the initiative. And now, to deal with a 360-degree, no-blind-spot attack, she would need to use a high-level water jutsu. However, Naruto's offensive came wave after wave, leaving Sakura with no time to cast a high-level water jutsu!
As for the Water Gun Jutsu, as a linear-piercing ninjutsu, it was acceptable for fighting enemies on the same plane, but it was not up to the task of dealing with a three-dimensionally distributed offensive.
And the ultrapure water could indeed block Naruto's attack. The only problem was that the water shield made of ultrapure water was still suspended not far away, blocking the wind jutsu. It was probably too late to expand it into a water sphere to protect her whole body!
Moreover, a purely defensive strategy will only make her more and more passive...
Shikamaru glanced at the heavily panting Naruto in the distance. To be able to withstand Sakura's fists and feet and still endure the injuries to continuously use powerful ninjutsu—Naruto's willpower and desire to win were astonishing!
What was even more terrifying was that he had actually managed to push the flawless in both offense and defense Sakura to this extent...
To be honest, before this, Shikamaru himself had never thought of any strategy that could defeat a Sakura in perfect condition!
And now, although Naruto had made himself look miserable, and his astonishing chakra and stamina had been almost completely squandered, he seemed to have successfully pushed Sakura into a desperate situation?
Sakura, in this situation, what will you do...?
Shikamaru stared intently at the girl on the field, who still seemed to have victory in her grasp, calm and composed!
"Sakura-chan's chakra is fluctuating violently!" Hinata, standing next to Shikamaru, her Byakugan flaring, saw something that Shikamaru couldn't see—the stormy sea hidden beneath Sakura's calm exterior!
"She's generating such a massive amount of chakra. It's definitely not for ultrapure water or the Water Gun Jutsu! It can't be a water jutsu either; it's too late for that!" Based on her understanding of Sakura, Hinata also came to the same conclusion as Shikamaru.
"What on earth is Sakura-chan planning to do!"
It's been a month since I've seen her. Is Sakura-chan practicing a new ultimate move?
For no reason, Hinata thought of the young lady named Haku who had been by her side that day.
That peerlessly beautiful face with eyebrows like spring mountains and pupils like autumn waters.
Hinata smiled lightly. Why would I think of that person? She shook her head and refocused her attention on the field below.
Below, Haruno Sakura had already completed her ninjutsu.
"Ice Style: Cold Frost Ice Funeral!"
A bone-chilling cold air spread throughout the entire arena as the ninjutsu was completed!
Crack.
The water was freezing.
The turbid yellow water, which had been flowing quietly just a moment ago, in an instant, turned solid and firm, forming sharp-angled, exquisite and translucent blocks of ice. Under the pressure of the hard ice, the countless shadow clones hidden underwater and half-exposed on the surface couldn't withstand the high pressure and collapsed one by one, dispersing into puffs of white smoke.
The ice was growing.
The water flowed with her will, and the cold air solidified its form.
Under the girl's control. In the blink of an eye, an integrated ice wall grew on the ice surface, as solid as a rock, firmly protecting her. The ninja tools thrown by the shadow clones crashed against the ice surface, making a crisp sound of metal hitting stone, leaving only shallow little pits!
This was just the beginning.
Then, the cold air grew even more intense. In the boundless frost, sabers, spears, swords, halberds... even the simplest ice spikes, grew endlessly from the ice surface, from the air, either extending, breaking through the ice, or condensing in mid-air, sprouting madly like bamboo shoots after a spring rain!
The sharp and keen blades, shining with a fierce, cold light, were molded into shape by the cold air in the blink of an eye, stretching far into the distance. Countless sabers, spears, swords, and halberds had, in just one or two short seconds, filled the entire arena, extending high into the sky!
Bang, bang, bang!
The remaining shadow clones were instantly plunged into an ocean of "ice weapons." The clones, who had won by numbers, now had a taste of being overwhelmed by numbers themselves. Under the all-encompassing pursuit of the mountains of ice sabers, ice peaks, ice spikes, and ice blades, although the shadow clones fought hard or tried to escape, they were outmatched and overwhelmed, and were soon cleared away.
Before long, the entire arena had turned into a sparkling, frozen kingdom.
The magnificent scene presented itself before the audience,引 a new round of climax and cheers from the viewing stands.
At this time, Naruto's army of shadow clones had already vanished into thin air, leaving only the real body still making a final struggle.
However, how could the exhausted and wounded Naruto dodge Sakura's ninjutsu?
With a command from a pair of fair, plain hands, several transparent water snakes danced gracefully. Naruto, beset on all four sides, was entangled by the water snakes from his feet up to his waist and shoulders in a moment of carelessness.
The girl's expression was indifferent. Her open hand suddenly clenched into a fist.
A chilling cold air surged up, freezing the water snakes into hard ice, binding Naruto tightly in place, unable to move, only to be at her mercy!
The situation was once again reversed.
Phew—! She let out a deep sigh of relief.
That brat Naruto had given her quite a few surprises. That wind jutsu had really startled her, and the follow-up combination was also very targeted. If she hadn't trained with Haku for a month and learned a few new moves, she might have been caught in a bitter fight!
He did train with Jiraiya for a month, after all. Naruto's progress is simply visible to the naked eye.
But, with his stamina and chakra already exhausted, even the most unpredictable Naruto couldn't turn the tables in such a desperate situation, right?
It's over...
The proctor, Genma Shiranui, was a little surprised, yet it was also within his expectations.
He could see it clearly. In terms of strength, Haruno Sakura was obviously a cut above. Uzumaki Naruto had almost no better way to deal with her and could only use the extremely chakra-consuming Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu to fight. To be able to fight to this extent, Naruto had really had it tough.
However, this was as far as he could go.
Standing on the waiting platform, Shikamaru confirmed his view.
He had thought of several plans for Naruto to feign weakness and attack when the enemy was unprepared, but all of them were ineffective due to a lack of chakra and stamina. A clever housewife can't cook a meal without rice. No matter how good a plan is, one must have the strength to implement it.
Naruto had indeed lost.
Hinata let out a soft sigh. Although she knew before the match that Naruto's chances of winning were slim, she was still a little disappointed when the result was revealed. However, with the person she liked on one side and her best friend on the other, it wasn't good to be biased towards either... She was still very happy that Sakura could advance.
Hn, I have to be happy, otherwise Sakura-chan will laugh at me for putting boys before friends again!
The audience on the viewing stands also knew that this match was probably about to end.
They began to discuss among themselves.
Experts see the technique, while laymen just watch the show. For ordinary people who didn't understand ninja, this show was quite exciting and intense, enough to be a topic of conversation for a long time.
However, there was still one person on the field who had not admitted defeat.
"Naruto... you lose!"
Sakura looked faintly at Naruto, who was trapped in the ice.
"No, I haven't lost yet!"
Naruto's azure eyes were full of an unyielding fighting spirit!
"How are you going to fight without chakra and stamina? You have no more chances!"
No, I still have a chance! Naruto recalled Jiraiya's training—
Hey, you damn fox, lend me your power!
The layer of ice was spreading up Naruto's body, sealing him tightly within a thick ice pillar.
But a new chakra suddenly surged out from within Naruto's body!
Frenzied, vast, and cold.
Unsettling. Terrifying. The trembling sense of oppression was so clear even from a hundred meters away!
Although he was sealed in an ice pillar, a fierce wind began to swirl around him!
"How... how is this possible!" The ninja present were all in disbelief at the scene before them!
"He's clearly out of stamina, how did he create such a massive amount of chakra!"
"No, this chakra... could it be...!" On the audience stands, the seated Hiashi unconsciously leaned forward slightly, staring in shock at the scene below!
"This is the Nine-Tails' chakra..." On the central viewing platform, even the Third Hokage couldn't help but be moved. "That brat Naruto, when did he learn this move!"
Below, the girl's constantly composed posture finally changed.
An almost tangible, massive chakra fluctuated violently within the ice pillar.
Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ram...
"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"
BOOM—!
The ice pillar exploded with a roar, shattering and scattering.
A huge cloud of smoke formed by the dissipated chakra filled the entire arena.
Through the mist, a colossal creature, dozens of meters high, stood majestically on the arena floor.
Hazy and indistinct, its form could not be seen clearly. All that could be seen was Naruto standing high on its head.
"Hey, kid, why is it you again!"
The huge creature said!
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