Space to Breathe - [ Sakura Haruno ]

CHAPTER 23

Sakura glared as Sasuke pushed her further up the statue, barely able to keep her guard stable and avoiding the swift stabs and slashes from the Uchiha.

Soon, they ended up on the head of Uchiha Madara, and Sakura was struggling to keep up.

A slice to her forearm was the first, a shallow stab to her left thigh and a graze to her cheek followed soon after. Sakura scowled in response to the quick movements of her opponent, pushing chakra to her legs in an attempt to jump backwards.

Watching with wide eyes as the Uchiha burst into a dash towards her, her hand flew together and formed seals, finishing just in time for the Uchiha to engage her again.

“Water Release: Water Palm Blade,” she performed, a blade of water emerging from her free hand as she engaged the Uchiha again. The added element of her style shook the Uchiha briefly, evening the playing field as she managed to block more efficiently, and make attacks of her own.

But, as it had been the entire time, the Uchia took the advantage again, although with more caution to his movements, avoiding the pressurised blade of water.

Sakura swore as he landed another, deeper slash to the left side of her face, just below her eye, and huffed a breath of air in frustration. She didn’t know if her next move would actually work, but she reassured herself with a deep breath, barely avoiding another stab.

Jumping a foot or so back, she gripped her Chokuto hard, swinging it down at the air before her.

“Water Release: Water Forge,” she muttered out, first coating her blade in dense water before it slashed forwards toward the Uchiha in a strong surge forwards into the boy.

The Uchiha grunted out as he dodged to the side, a harsh bruise to his left arm left by what little of the attack hit him.

But Sakura didn’t let the distance between them go to waste, placing her Chokuto away and immediately flashing through a new set of hand seals faster than she ever had before.

A mass of water flew from the waterfall in response as she finished the fourteen or so hand seals she needed to perform her technique. “Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet.”

The mass of water shaped itself into a dragon as it surged forwards and Sasuke’s eyes widened. Sakura was certain she knew which other shinobi he was thinking about.

“Momochi Zabuza used this technique against Kakashi,” she shouted with a smirk, watching the Uchiha flip and dash out of the dragon's way. “Don’t think just because you can use the same lightning jutsu that man can, that I will match the demon’s fate.”

Sasuke scowled as he flipped over the dragon, which had then crashed itself into the head of Hashirama, which Sasuke stood on top of after his consistent backwards dodges. The stone cracked, splitting and falling down the valley and into the lake below with a large splash.

But Sakura’s relentless stream of jutsu was not done, seeing the Uchiha prepare to charge at her again. She slammed her hands together with sweat sliding down her face, her chakra feeling the strain slightly.

“Water Release: Water Buckshot,” she commanded the water around her, rising from the stream in a dozen blade-like projectiles, aiming directly for the Uchiha.

But very few hit, only a couple grazed him and one left a painful slice in his arm.

Sasuke didn’t stop though, beginning to charge forwards towards the pink haired chunin.

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“Kaiten,” Neji huffed again, watching as Lee collapsed to the ground unconscious. Kimimaro had been constantly trying to close the gap, but Neji was relentlessly spinning and releasing his chakra, sweat dripping from him as he did.