Chapter 44: Desperate Struggle

Forest

Shrouded in thick mist, Sakura warily eyed the two Water Clones of Zabuza before her. A single Water Clone possessed half the strength of the original, but two wouldn't necessarily equal the original's full power. Still, they would undoubtedly be difficult to handle.

I'll give it a shot. There's always the insurance policy, Sakura thought, glancing back at Dazuna, whose escape route was blocked by Sasuke. Zabuza was after money, not a vendetta against Konoha. This desperate measure was her only recourse.

While Sakura was strategizing, the two Water Clones charged, their Kubikiribocho cleavers swinging, one from the left and one from the right. Sakura swiftly retreated, but the two-meter blade of the Kubikiribocho was too long; the tip grazed her arms, drawing blood.

"Hmph, hmph. Is this all you've got, brat? If that's all you're capable of, then die!" Zabuza sneered, closing the distance again. The Kubikiribocho descended towards Sakura from above.

Sakura had miscalculated her retreat distance earlier, but she wouldn't be caught again. She used a quick Body Flicker, putting space between herself and Zabuza, then used the Mystical Palm Technique to heal the cuts on her arms.

Sakura had confirmed that although Zabuza's Water Clones were strong, they didn't use ninjutsu, relying solely on taijutsu. Sakura herself knew the Water Clone Jutsu. While a clone had half the original's strength, it differed from the Shadow Clone Jutsu in that chakra wasn't evenly distributed. Because water was the medium, the clone only needed enough chakra to maintain its form.

The amount of chakra in a Water Clone depended on how much chakra was allocated to it. Zabuza's consistent use of taijutsu was likely to conserve his main body's chakra for keeping Kakashi trapped. However, because Sakura was proving difficult, Zabuza had created two clones. Therefore, these two clones shouldn't be too strong. She just needed to keep her distance and use her specialty: long-range ninjutsu.

"Heh heh," Sakura smirked. It seemed she still had a chance.

"What are you smirking at, brat?!" Zabuza roared, angered by Sakura's expression.

"I'm just laughing at your overconfidence. The same ninjutsu won't work on me twice," Sakura retorted, deliberately provoking Zabuza to create an opening to eliminate the clones.

"Heh heh... Don't get cocky just because you're wearing a headband. Only those who've experienced life and death can be called true ninja! In other words... only those listed in my bingo book qualify as ninja. You're not there yet!" Zabuza said calmly, not taking the bait.

Sakura frowned, abandoning her plan. It seemed she had no choice but to fight head-on. She created distance again, aiming to use her strengths against Zabuza.

"Oh? Did you figure out my weakness so quickly, brat?" Zabuza observed, noticing that Sakura wasn't rushing in recklessly but rather keeping her distance. He knew she'd analyzed the situation.

"Brat, your battle instincts are impressive, but—jonin are not something you genin can comprehend!"

Sakura suddenly sensed something was wrong. One of the Zabuza clones in front of her vanished in an instant, and she felt a chilling presence approaching from behind.

Body Flicker Technique!

Although the Body Flicker was a relatively low-level ninjutsu, its effectiveness depended on the user. The difference between a genin and a jonin using it was vast. And she'd miscalculated again – this was Kirigakure's Mist Body Flicker. Within this thick fog, using related ninjutsu consumed less chakra.

Damn it. She was still inexperienced in fighting ninja, making the same mistake repeatedly. There was no time for regret. Sensing the Kubikiribocho descending from behind, Sakura quickly crouched, forming hand seals and summoning an Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall to push Zabuza upwards. The Kubikiribocho whistled past the top of her head.

The Zabuza behind her was launched upwards, but the one in front was already upon her. Jonin were truly formidable; he hadn't used ninjutsu, while she had completely fallen into his attack rhythm. She had no opportunity to even use her own jutsu.

Seeing the Kubikiribocho about to strike, Sakura could only hope that this Water Clone's blade wasn't as sharp. She instantly activated the Hardening Jutsu, covering her arms, and crossed them to block the blow.

Thud!

A dull sound reverberated from her arms. The immense force drove Sakura to her knees, but fortunately, this wasn't the real Kubikiribocho. She'd blocked the attack.

Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the Zabuza she'd launched upwards descended, aiming to impale her with his cleaver. Sakura's pupils contracted, and she hastily dodged to the side, avoiding the lethal strike.

Sakura quickly distanced herself again, hesitating no longer. She formed water bullets at her fingertips and fired them at the two Water Clones. Jonin were difficult to kill, even if they were just Water Clones. Zabuza evaded her attacks. He wouldn't be caught by the same trick twice, having already learned his lesson.

"Brat, I admit you've earned the right to wear that headband. But that's all. Now, let's see how you handle this," the Zabuza on the water said, and two more Water Clones rose from the surface.

Sakura felt a wave of despair as she saw the new clones. While Water Clones weren't strong individually, this was Zabuza's domain, and the clones were coordinating seamlessly. Attacking without hitting them would only waste chakra.

Sakura briefly considered turning around and killing Dazuna. That way, Zabuza wouldn't bother with them anymore, since he was only after the money.

Just as Sakura's eyes flicked backward, Zabuza suddenly appeared before her. "Haha! Brat, you still have the energy to worry about others? Worry about yourself first!" he roared, swinging the Kubikiribocho.

In that moment of distraction, Zabuza had seized the opportunity. Sakura was reminded of Kakashi-sensei's words: "No matter who your opponent is, you must give it your all."

There was no time for anything else. Sakura channeled her exceptional chakra control to her feet and performed a backflip, narrowly avoiding Zabuza's attack.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" As Sakura leaped into the air, a Great Fireball slammed into one of Zabuza's Water Clones below, reducing it to a puddle.

Looking back, Sakura saw Sasuke and Naruto. In the distance, Dazuna was being protected by one of Naruto's Shadow Clones.

Just moments before, Sasuke, Naruto, and Dazuna had witnessed Sakura's perilous situation against the two Water Clones. Dazuna spoke, "You two behind, go help her. I won't run."

"Hmph," Sasuke grunted skeptically.

"Go help her. I won't run. That young girl is fighting so desperately to protect her comrades. It makes me feel ashamed. I was too selfish, but I have my reasons. I hope you understand. Don't worry. If you truly are defeated, I'll go with Zabuza. Because I lied about the mission rank and put you in danger, I was too selfish," Dazuna said calmly.

Sasuke had also assessed the situation. If they were only dealing with Water Clones, he, Naruto, and Sakura should be able to handle it. Zabuza's real body was occupied with trapping Kakashi and couldn't move. If they could find an opportunity to free Kakashi, they still had a chance.

"Naruto, make one Shadow Clone to protect him. We're going to support Sakura," Sasuke decided after some thought, still not entirely trusting Dazuna.

"Sasuke..." Naruto was overjoyed that Sasuke wasn't insisting on killing Dazuna. He punched his fist into his palm. "Alright! Team Seven, move out!"

Because Zabuza was completely focused on Sakura, he hadn't noticed Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke, mirroring Sakura's attempt to support Kakashi, launched a Great Fireball and took out one of the Water Clones.

"You!" Sakura was slightly surprised to see Sasuke and Naruto beside her.

"Hmph. Sakura-chan, you're not the only one who can have a cool moment," Naruto said, brimming with enthusiasm.

"Now we just need to deal with these Water Clones and find a chance to rescue Kakashi-sensei, right?" Sasuke said.

Sakura ignored Naruto's energetic words. Hearing Sasuke's assessment, she knew he'd thoroughly analyzed the situation.

"Okay, let's do it together. Our objective: rescue Kakashi-sensei," Sakura declared.

"Alright! Team Seven, move out!" Naruto shouted, cheering himself on.