Chapter 40: One Punch Sakura! Never Be Defeated Again!

Kakashi was down.

Naruto sighed, shaking his head. The outcome remained unchanged—he still had to step in.

Zabuza was undeniably strong, but Kakashi had been distracted. If not for that, he wouldn't have lost so miserably.

As for killing Kakashi? Zabuza wouldn't dare.

He was already being hunted by the Hidden Mist Village. If he became Konoha's direct enemy as well… Heh. The name of Konoha's Darkness would echo through the entire ninja world.

Not because it was noble or glorious, but simply because…

Hiruzen! I am the Hokage!

Danzo! You will regret this!

"How… How could this happen?!"

Nijiru stared in disbelief at Kakashi, who was trapped inside the Water Prison Jutsu. Then, his shock turned to despair and rage.

Even Kakashi—wielding the Sharingan—had fallen. What could they possibly do now?

His entire body trembled. He had lost the will to fight, subconsciously waiting for death.

He had forgotten how Sakura had just cut down Zabuza's water clone with a single swing.

Or maybe he remembered but refused to acknowledge it.

"Naruto, should we—huh?"

Sasuke turned, only to freeze in place.

Naruto looked completely unfazed. In fact, he was still casually chatting with Sakura.

And then there was Sakura herself…

Sister, what time do you think it is?! What are you even doing?!

But there she was—doing chest expansion exercises, her face filled with determination.

"Come on, you can do it, Sakura."

"I'll be cheering for you from behind."

Sakura's heart surged with confidence. Naruto-kun is backing me up!

"Okay! I won't let you down, Naruto-kun!"

"I think… I've finally caught up to Naruto-kun~"

Fueled by his encouragement, Sakura felt her blood boiling with excitement.

"I was so weak before!"

"Sasuke, don't interfere. I can finally put all my training to the test without holding back."

Naruto gave a slight nod. In a world where bloodline was king, a civilian-born ninja like Sakura was incredibly strong.

Even without the Byakugou Seal yet, her raw strength was formidable.

What she lacked was the regenerative power and the continuously growing chakra reserves that came with it.

But now, Naruto had given her another way to activate the Byakugou Seal's effects—by using nutrients to stockpile chakra and then releasing it in bursts.

She would seize her own future with her own hands.

"I'm going, Naruto-kun~!"

"Go on. Show Zabuza your true strength."

Sakura smiled sweetly before turning back. She lifted the Kubikiribōchō high, her eyes sharp and unwavering.

"Hmph, just a brat with a bit of muscle."

"Wearing a forehead protector doesn't make you a ninja."

"True shinobi are the ones who have walked the path of life and death, written in the blood-soaked pages of history."

"Hand over the Executioner's Blade!"

Zabuza's water clone sneered.

Little did he know, danger was already looming above him.

"Damn it!!!"

Isn't the Executioner's Blade for slicing?

No. No, no, no. It's for smashing.

As the pink-haired kunoichi lunged forward, lifting the massive blade overhead, Zabuza's water clone rushed in to attack.

"Haha! You don't even know how to wield a sword. Give it back—"

CRACK!

The heavy blade came crashing down.

The impact warped the metal.

The water clone instantly dissolved into a puddle.

???

Everyone except Naruto had question marks floating over their heads.

Their brains short-circuited.

"Finally, I'm unleashed!"

"Smash him to pieces!"

"Damn exhibitionist!"

Sakura wasn't surprised at all. If anything, she felt she hadn't fully adjusted to her new chakra reserves.

Next time, I can do even better—at least match Tenten's precision.

Whoosh—

Her power wasn't the only thing that had improved—her speed had skyrocketed too.

She wasn't using the Body Flicker Jutsu, yet her movements were nearly as fast.

Of course, she still wasn't on par with the Sakura from the Fourth Great Ninja War. That Sakura had trained for two and a half years.

This Sakura wasn't even at two and a half months yet.

Sasuke: "…"

So I'm the weakest one now…

He wasn't the only one stunned.

Sakura had already dashed toward another water clone, closing the distance in a blink.

Another strike.

CRACK!

Zabuza's water clone didn't even have time to react.

All he saw was a pink blur before the Executioner's Blade came crashing down.

His clone shattered instantly.

CRACK! CLANG!

Eyes widened in shock.

The water clone was gone.

And so was the tree behind him.

"Huh?"

"Huh?!!!"

Sakura blinked at the broken Kubikiribōchō in her hands.

She turned to Naruto, guilt flashing across her face.

"What do we do, Naruto-kun…? The legendary Executioner's Blade… It's too fragile! I only hit it twice, and it broke… I'm sorry… I broke your sword."

Zabuza: ???

Naruto chuckled. "It's fine. The Executioner's Blade can regenerate by absorbing blood. Even if only the hilt remains, it can still be restored."

Hearing this, Sakura let out a breath of relief.

"It's my Executioner's Blade! Mine!" Zabuza howled.

The remaining three water clones grew serious.

"This girl's more dangerous than she looks. Attack together!"

"Triangle formation—no matter how strong she is, she doesn't have experience."

"Take her out fast, then deal with the trembling kid over there."

"Watch out for her fists—don't kill her."

Whoosh—

But before they could move, Sakura was already airborne.

"She lost the sword. Her combat ability is lower now. If we coordinate, we—"

That was their thought process.

Reality, however, was much crueler.

Sakura believed in Naruto.

He told her to charge without hesitation.

So when three kunai came flying toward her, she didn't even flinch.

Why dodge?

The nutrients in her body continuously healed her wounds.

She understood now.

Naruto told her not to worry about the kunai because it simply didn't matter.

If she had wasted time dodging, her injuries would have already healed by now anyway.

"You bastard!"

Boom—

With a single punch, the battlefield was engulfed in mist.

Zabuza's three water clones were instantly pierced by the barrage of gravel and wood chips.

As the mist dissipated, Sakura remained in her downward stance, eyes locked onto Zabuza's true form—the one imprisoning Kakashi.

"Damn it, we can't keep this up!" she gritted her teeth.

"If you want to maintain the Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu, you won't be able to perform any other Ninjutsu."

Within the water prison, Kakashi clenched his fists, a mix of frustration and shame welling up inside him.

He was a Jonin—a renowned ninja, the leader of Team 7. And yet, here he was, leaving his students to deal with his mistake.

Unacceptable.

"Even if I haven't fully mastered this power yet... at this range, it should work."

Kakashi shut his eyes, focusing his chakra.

A moment later, his right eye snapped open—

"Kamui!"

Meanwhile, within the Kamui dimension—

"Rin... A world without you is meaningless."

Obito stood in a secluded corner of his personal dimension. This was where he kept Rin—a place where she existed forever, untouched by the cruel reality that had stolen her away.

He gazed upon her form, the words Kakashi had once spoken to her echoing in his mind.

Slowly, he looked up at the vast, desolate space before him. Rows of stone tablets, eerily similar to the ones in the Uchiha clan's shrine, stood in solemn silence. Each marked the tragic end of an Uchiha.

Sadness clawed at his heart. The same memory played over and over in his mind—the moment he arrived too late.

He had always known it was a trap, a cruel game orchestrated by Uchiha Madara.

But why did everything unfold so perfectly, so conveniently?

The night of the Nine-Tails' attack, he had gone against Madara's original plan. Even after seizing control of the beast, he couldn't stop himself from hesitating—from hoping that Minato, his teacher, would recognize him and stop him.

"Rin."

He whispered her name.

Kakashi... you promised me.

His right eye flared to life—the Mangekyō Sharingan spinning ominously.

Drip.

Obito blinked and looked down at his hand.

"Tears?"

He scoffed, shaking his head. "No. I won't shed a single tear for this wretched world."

As the words left his lips—

A violent crash erupted.

The water, once held in place by the Water Prison Jutsu, collapsed, spilling across the ground.

Obito's Sharingan pulsed.

"Kakashi!!!"

"Kakashi?!"

Zabuza's eyes widened as the heavy prison of water vanished in an instant.

Not good.

There was no time to wonder how Kakashi had done it—he needed to create distance. Now.

But it was already too late.

Without a chakra source maintaining it, the Water Prison Jutsu shattered completely. Kakashi stood tall, water dripping from his uniform, silver hair hanging over his forehead protector like wet thorns.

"Zabuza," he exhaled, Sharingan blazing. "This time, I won't hold back."

A sharp whoosh cut through the air—

Zabuza instinctively stepped back.

His heart pounded. That eye... He had heard of it before.

Mangekyō Sharingan.

The legendary dojutsu that only a handful of Uchiha ever awakened.

Uchiha Itachi, the rogue ninja who single-handedly annihilated his entire clan, possessed those very eyes.

And now, Kakashi Hatake had them too?

"Kakashi-sensei! Let me handle this!"

Kakashi paused mid-step as Sakura's voice rang out.

She formed a series of hand seals, determination blazing in her eyes.

"I'll take him down... Naruto-kun's way!"

"Clone Jutsu!"

A buzzing energy filled the air—

Six identical copies of Sakura materialized around her.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "Hmph. Using basic Clone Jutsu? Are you trying to insult me?"

He threw a kunai at one of the clones—

And his confidence wavered when it didn't disappear.

Illusions? No… something was off.

Without hesitation, he formed a single seal. A water clone appeared behind Sakura, fist raised to strike—

Crash!

The blow landed—but instead of hitting flesh, his clone was sent reeling back.

Zabuza's breath hitched. "What...?!"

A warning rang in his mind—

When you encounter Konoha's Yellow Flash, you are permitted to abandon the mission and flee.

When you encounter Konoha's Shisui of the Body Flicker, you are permitted to abandon the mission and flee.

This illusion... It's nothing like the standard Genjutsu.

As Zabuza snapped back to reality, he found his body ensnared by countless vines.

No matter how much strength he used, he couldn't move an inch.

At the same time—

In the illusion, Sakura raised her small, clenched fists.

In reality, Sakura raised her small, clenched fists.

Which was the illusion? Which was reality?

Which was the phantom? Which was the real Sakura?

Zabuza's vision blurred. He couldn't tell anymore. He truly couldn't tell anymore.