Chapters 70 & 71: Gamabunta VS Sakura
The orange-yellow, lantern-sized eyes were clearly visible in the smoke. Through the mist, a voice as loud as thunder boomed, as shocking as if someone were beating a drum right next to one's ear.
This had to be a creature of unimaginable size.
Just seeing its eyes, just hearing its voice, was enough to make one tremble!
The smoke quickly dispersed.
The giant summoned beast finally revealed its true face to everyone.
—A toad, a full four stories tall, stood on the ice surface!
It held a two-man-tall pipe in its mouth, wore a black cape the size of a playground on its back, and had a ten-meter-long giant sword hanging from its waist.
And... the vast, abyss-like amount of chakra within its body.
Just by standing there indifferently, the girl felt a presence like a deep abyss pressing down on her!
For a moment, the viewing stands were completely silent, as if everyone had been awed by the giant beast, not daring to speak a word.
"To think he actually summoned Jiraiya's toad—Gamabunta!" the Third Hokage and an Anbu member behind him muttered in shock.
Sakura pressed her lips together tightly, saying nothing.
She had already recognized this giant beast as Gamabunta.
One of the Sannin's exclusive summoned beasts, with terrifying combat power.
The last time she had fought a giant creature was during the battle with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death.
That time, she had faced the giant snake summoned by Orochimaru. It was similarly enormous in size, but its presence and chakra texture were far inferior to the giant toad before her now. If a comparison had to be made, the feeling it gave Sakura was closer to that of Orochimaru himself!
However, as a summoned beast, Gamabunta was far less of a threat to Sakura than Orochimaru.
After all, Gamabunta's body was too large. In comparison, a target as small as the girl would be very difficult for it to handle. Conversely, it was very advantageous for Sakura to deal with a target as large as Gamabunta.
So, although she was shocked by Gamabunta, Sakura was still very confident in herself.
She was just a little annoyed that Naruto could still pull out a cheat even after fighting to this extent... Is there any justice in this world! It felt as if the realistic Naruto world had suddenly turned into a hot-blooded, chuunibyou battle manga, where the protagonist could power up whenever he wanted!
Hmph, are you bullying us side characters for having no rights!
After complaining for a moment, the girl quickly turned her mind back to the battle.
The reason Naruto could power up was not really due to a protagonist's aura, but because he had a good father who had sealed the Nine-Tails inside him. When he sensed danger or his chakra was depleted, it would lend him its chakra to use. He was a pay-to-win player born with a cheat. Others—especially a girl like her from an ordinary family—could not compare.
The reason Sakura had a rare lapse in concentration during the battle was because the two clowns opposite her had actually started bickering in front of their opponent.
"You damn brat, what are you making so much noise on my head for! Get the hell down!"
"You bastard, I was being so humble just now, and you belittled me to be worthless. Give you an inch and you take a mile!"
"Hmph, you little brat! Who are you? Why should I think highly of you!"
"You're pissing me off! You were summoned by me, Uzumaki Naruto! I'm your master! You should be listening to me!"
"You damn brat, do you know who you're talking to? You dare to call yourself the master of me, Gamabunta the Toad... Are you looking to die? Huh?!"
...
Sakura was extremely speechless to find that Naruto, in just a few sentences, had submitted to Gamabunta's presence and was almost about to become his subordinate.
This shouldn't be the first time Naruto has summoned Gamabunta, right? Why does it seem like he's never communicated with him before? Did something go wrong with the first summoning?
As the ninja who summoned the beast, to actually become the summoned beast's subordinate...
This is a disgrace to all ninja, isn't it?!
The girl complained inwardly.
She couldn't watch anymore. The match wasn't over yet; was it really appropriate to be bickering so openly like this! The battle, which had just been raging and brilliant, had suddenly changed its style to a goofy comedy...
"Ahem."
The girl took a step forward, raised her hand, and controlled an ice spike to poke Gamabunta's foot, interrupting the comical conversation between the man and the beast.
"Hey, I say, you're Naruto's new contracted summoned beast? You don't look very skilled, but you've got a big mouth!"
The girl feigned a sneer.
"Naruto is my underling... you want to snatch him from me, did you ask for my permission!"
She could no longer stand Gamabunta's arrogance. The one he was bullying was her underling!
Gamabunta finally looked at Sakura properly—the opponent he was theoretically summoned to deal with.
Gamabunta didn't pay any mind to the girl, whose chakra amount was average and whose presence could not be called vast. He had seen many ninja like this. During the great ninja wars of the past, he could kill several of them with a single slap.
It was just that his presence alone was enough to scare away those petty characters. He never thought that someone would actually dare to come up and provoke him...
Even Jiraiya wouldn't speak to him like that.
"You've got a big mouth, brat! You dare to question my skills? Are you asking for a beating?"
Gamabunta said with a droopy, sullen face.
"Weren't you summoned to fight me? Stop talking and start doing. If you've got the skills, then knock me down!"
The girl said provocatively, completely unconcerned.
Gamabunta's eyes narrowed dangerously. This girl who looked so weak, her tone was actually so arrogant... He was already a little angry.
"Hey, brat, your name is Naruto, right! From now on, you'll obediently listen to my words. I'll take you as my subordinate!"
"This time, I'll help you defeat this person!"
For the sake of her being a Konoha ninja... I'll just scare her a little!
Gamabunta took a deep breath.
"Water Style..."
His cheeks puffed up high!
"Gunshot!"
He suddenly opened his mouth, spitting out a giant water sphere a full three-men-tall, which smashed towards Sakura with a whistle!
The water mass, containing a large amount of chakra, was fired out like a cannonball. A dangerous blue light flickered on its surface. The chakra-enhanced water sphere was probably even harder than steel!
Facing the invincible water sphere, the girl did not dodge, standing calmly on the ice surface.
"She's not dodging..." Gamabunta's eyes narrowed into a slit as he stared solemnly at the girl not far away.
BOOM!
Amidst the deafening roar, in an instant, ice chips scattered, debris flew everywhere, and a white mist suddenly rose, drowning the girl's figure.
The girl leisurely walked out of the ice mist, her steps light. The expression on her face was a half-smile.
A pale blue protective shield was faintly visible in the wind.
Gamabunta's face was impassive, but his eyes were slightly grave as he looked at the girl, saying nothing.
That shield actually blocked my Gunshot head-on... Gamabunta was in awe. His perception of the girl was quickly elevated from small fry to elite.
But he didn't know that the girl was equally amazed.
I don't know if my own trash talk is too low-level, but neither my deliberate provocation nor my show of force just now affected Gamabunta's spirit at all. As expected, these old seniors who have made a great name for themselves on the battlefield, even if they get angry, they won't lose their cool. The fluctuation of their emotions won't affect their combat at all...
So, why Naruto's talk-no-jutsu is so often successful is truly a mystery...
In any case, dragging this on with it would be endless.
After this, Orochimaru would still launch the Konoha Crush plan. She had to leave enough in reserve and couldn't use all her strength in the match.
Therefore, to catch the bandits, first catch the king.
The girl shifted her gaze to Naruto. After the desperate power-up, his stamina had dropped to its lowest point. With just one blow, she could defeat him.
It was just that he was standing on Gamabunta's head. How to get there?
The girl leaped up, as if she were going to force her way through!
So Gamabunta once again took a deep breath—
"Water Style: Gunshot!"
He shot seven or eight enormous water spheres in succession at the girl who had jumped into the air!
Getting hit by a water sphere, even if the shield was fine, would still be a hassle and hard to control.
So the girl stepped on a water mass and continuously changed direction. Her weaving and dodging figure was like a butterfly fluttering up and down, her slender steps exquisite and unparalleled.
Gamabunta's water spheres actually didn't hit her once!
However, the girl's turns and leaps, her graceful steps, while dodging the water spheres, also greatly reduced her own speed, allowing Gamabunta to lock onto her figure.
Gamabunta drew his sword.
It had killed countless famously ferocious ninja, and drunk the fresh blood of those violent and brutal ninja beasts. This was a ferocious blade!
He let out a low shout.
"Toad Short Sword Beheading!"
Gamabunta pushed off the ground with all his might, his figure shooting up, the short sword in his hand slashing horizontally through the air!
BOOM!
The ice surface under his feet couldn't withstand the sudden exertion of force from Gamabunta and shattered layer by layer, letting out an overburdened roar!
SWISH!
The short sword in Gamabunta's hand accelerated wildly. The tip of the blade actually broke the sound barrier and reached supersonic speed. The trace of the air being torn actually formed a visible white mist, and the sonic boom was as deafening as thunder!
A snow-white cold light traced a perfect arc in the air.
Gamabunta's swordsmanship did not have many fancy tricks.
It was just a simple slash.
A simple slash that concentrated the strength of his entire body onto the blade.
Fast. Precise. Vicious.
All the essence of Gamabunta's swordsmanship was in these three simple words.
Just such a simple horizontal slash, yet the girl was completely unable to dodge it.
The giant blade, carrying the full force of Gamabunta's body, slashed at the pale blue protective shield. Even the water shield made of ultrapure water was severely deformed by the slash, deeply dented!
Even Sakura's expression changed abruptly at this moment.
A standard layer of ultrapure water shield could easily block a few tons of force, and a force of dozens of tons would only slightly deform it. But Gamabunta's erupting force of several hundred tons, concentrated on the tip of the blade, had unprecedentedly broken through the ultrapure water's defense!
Thump, thump, thump!
Hearing three consecutive deep sounds, Sakura broke out in a cold sweat, watching helplessly as Gamabunta consecutively broke through three layers of water shields! Fortunately, she had a sudden sense of crisis just now and had unhesitatingly put up several more layers...
At least he didn't break through the entire shield!
However, the huge force on the short sword, with nowhere to be vented, fiercely slammed into the girl in the air, sending her crashing into the high protective wall of the arena, deeply embedding her in it, instantly filling the air with dust.
"Although the slash was a bit high, Gamabunta clearly went all out... to think he couldn't even break a small water shield! What astonishing defensive power!" the Third Hokage watched the battle below with full concentration and praised in his heart. The battles of the rookies were really making even him a little nervous!
Beside him, the Fourth Kazekage took a sip of green tea, glanced at the Third Hokage, and said meaningfully, "Your village's rookies... are all very strong!"
As if implying that the Third was already getting old.
"You flatter me, Lord Kazekage!" the Third Hokage replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
The ordinary spectators who couldn't see the battle clearly were still arguing whether the girl had been killed by a single slash, but the ninja, from the grave expressions of Gamabunta and Naruto on the field, and from their chakra perception, had seen the truth.
The match... was still going!
"How is that possible! After being hit by such a slash, how can she still continue the match?" On the viewing platform, Hanabi, who was not yet used to keeping her Byakugan open for a long time, said unconvinced.
"But that's the truth!" Neji said without turning his head, veins bulging on his forehead, his Byakugan flaring as he stared intently at the field below.
On the arena floor.
Gamabunta's face darkened.
He had aimed for the upper part of the shield, originally intending to break it and have the blade graze the girl's scalp. But he never thought that his full-powered strike couldn't even break a small shield.
It was as if he had solidly struck a hard iron ingot!
His hand was actually numb from the reactive force.
He had only intended to scare her, but in the end, he was the one who was surprised.
Having slain Jonin and chopped down ninja beasts, Gamabunta had always been very confident. He had never thought his sword would return without success.
Who on earth was she?
Along with that, his impression of Naruto also grew a lot in his mind.
To be able to tangle with such an opponent and still have the spare energy to summon me, this brat Naruto is not simple either!
Just as Gamabunta was thinking, a sudden change occurred!
"You take a slash from me too!"
A clear shout came from above his head.
In mid-air, the unharmed girl jumped out from the dust, shouting as she held a giant ice blade, and slashed down at Gamabunta from the air!
The ice blade was a full ten-plus meters long. In comparison, the girl's figure was not even as wide as the blade's surface. The disparate proportion made one want to laugh.
It made one doubt whether she could really wield this giant blade.
But she really did wield the ice blade.
The explosive power of her chakra and the push from her ultrapure water allowed her to control the ice blade as she wished, with ease and composure.
And its presence was not weak at all!
Gamabunta did not dare to be careless. He held his sword horizontally in front of him, staring intently at the girl approaching from the air.
The gazes of the person and the beast met in mid-air.
The toad's orange-yellow eyes were huge and turbid, grave, sluggish, with a thick sense of oppression mixed with tenacity.
The girl's emerald eyes were confident and clear, sharp, agile, and as bright as a clear, cold moonlight.
The sun was high in the sky, yet Gamabunta seemed to see a bright moon.
CLANG!
The ice blade and the short sword met, instantly producing a collision sound that could pierce clouds and split rocks.
Gamabunta let out a muffled grunt. A huge force came from the short sword in his hand, making his fingers ache.
But his heart relaxed. The girl's charging presence had almost made him mistake her for another woman... That person's monstrous strength was something that even he had to take seriously. If it had been her, it probably wouldn't have been as simple as just his fingers hurting!
And the ice blade in the girl's hand, after all, was just temporarily condensed. In this one blow, it actually shattered with a boom, breaking into two pieces!
One piece of the ice blade spun up and then fell, while the other was still held in the girl's hand.
The girl's attack returned no results, and she used the rebounding force to leap far away.
What on earth are you planning to do?
Gamabunta looked at the girl who had leaped away at high speed, his expression a little confused, a little grave.
Meeting those clear and cold eyes again, Gamabunta was in awe.
You clearly know that an attack of this force is useless against me... Your eyes are not those of someone who would make a meaningless, venting attack! What exactly are you trying to do?
The corner of the girl's mouth quietly curled up, which made him feel that something was wrong.
He must have... overlooked something.
Gamabunta adjusted his stance, ready to slash over the moment the girl made a strange move!
But he saw the girl's fingers leap like a cat's cradle as she quickly formed the hand seals.
"Ice Style: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
The other piece of the ice blade, as it passed over Gamabunta's head, the ninjutsu was completed at the same time.
Gamabunta, almost in the instant he sensed the chakra fluctuation above his head, drew his sword and slashed.
"Toad Short Sword Beheading!"
Unable to turn around to deal with the threat above his head, Gamabunta aimed for the caster in front of him.
A strike as swift as lightning.
But it suddenly slashed into empty air!
The girl's figure had already disappeared into thin air.
An ice mirror was left in the sky, which was shattered by the sharp blow.
Gamabunta knew without thinking where Sakura had gone and said urgently, "Naruto, be careful!"
It was, after all, too late.
The broken blade of the ice sword was transformed into a demonic mirror by her chakra, linking the two spaces. The girl plunged headfirst into the piece of the ice blade she was holding and passed through the other demonic mirror that had swept over Gamabunta's head.
A swift blow struck the unprepared Naruto on the back of the neck, completely knocking the exhausted boy out.
The match was over.
Gamabunta silently watched as the girl, carrying Naruto like a kitten, landed on the ice surface.
He had been summoned by Naruto to fight in a match. Since the match was now over, there was no need for him to continue staying here.
Before returning to Mount Myoboku, he carefully sized up the girl standing gracefully on the ground.
Strange ninjutsu, and Ice Style... Konoha is about to have another powerful kunoichi, is it?
Gamabunta put away his short sword and took a long drag of his pipe.
"It seems the winner has been decided... there's no need for us to continue fighting."
Puffs of light smoke were slowly exhaled from his mouth. Gamabunta's powerful voice came through the smoke.
"You brats are really something to be reckoned with. I hope the next time I'm summoned, I'll have the chance to fight alongside you! Farewell!"
Poof! Gamabunta turned into a cloud of light smoke and disappeared from the arena.
Sakura's constantly tensed nerves finally relaxed. And the proctor, Genma Shiranui, had already stood in front of the two of them at some point.
"The winner is very clear. The winner of the first match is..."
Genma paused for a moment, letting the gazes of the entire audience and Sakura on the floor focus on him.
"Haruno Sakura!"
He announced the result loudly with a smile.
The girl on the floor, her constantly tense little face also relaxed, and she broke into a serene smile.
Clap, clap, clap...
Scattered applause sounded from the audience stands. Gradually, as if reminding everyone, it spread throughout the entire arena, becoming warm and intense.
What a brilliant match...
Whether it was the commoners who had come to watch the show, or the ninja who had seen the technique, they all thought so from the bottom of their hearts.
Screams and shouts echoed throughout the entire arena.
"That was just too amazing!" "...A brilliant match!" "You were both so cool...!"
The audience couldn't help but whisper to each other, enthusiastically discussing the match just now. When they got excited, they would even use their bodies to gesture.
"That Water Dragon Bullet was so cool! Coming down from so high up, boom, boom, just hearing that sound felt super exciting and super strong!"
"No, no, that Ice Funeral move was the cool one. It froze the whole arena in an instant! And those shadow clones, there were hundreds of them, all wiped out in one move!"
"Don't you guys think that toad was super majestic and domineering? Such a big toad! Aaargh, yahey, hahoo—! Take this, Toad Short Sword Beheading!"
"Hey, hey, 'take this' was that girl's line..."
...
Ordinary people preferred those earth-shaking, grand scenes. But for ninja, the other things the two displayed in the match were also very worthy of attention.
"Hmph... they're all discussing those few large-scale ninjutsu. These people don't understand the truly brilliant parts of the match at all!"
"That's right, like those two probes at the beginning, the clone swap, many Chunin can't even do that!"
"That Uzumaki Naruto actually fought very well. Especially that wind jutsu, to be able to delay its release and completely fool that girl, that was a stroke of genius!"
"That Ice Style jutsu was also very unexpected! Strange, since when did our Konoha have an Ice Style ninja?"
"I heard a person named Yuki joined our village recently..."
"That's not her. She's from the Haruno family. I recognize her dad; their features are somewhat similar."
"Hey, don't you guys think there was a problem with the chakra Naruto was using just now?"
"It seems to be the Nine-Tails' chakra..." "No way, he didn't show any signs of losing control at all!" "Has he already learned to control the Nine-Tails' power?" "Wasn't he just a detestable little brat a few years ago?" "I saw him last year, and he had only learned a little bit of manners. I didn't expect him to be this strong now!" "He's grown so fast..."
Even Kurenai was a little surprised. "To draw out the Nine-Tails' chakra without losing himself..."
"That's right... everyone is very surprised!" Asuma smiled calmly.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!