Chapter 105: Flowering Sakura

After three weeks on the water, less than two hundred kilometers away from the Land of Snow’s largest port city, an enormous iceberg roughly the size of a small island appeared in the ship’s path. While icebergs of that size weren’t uncommon around the perpetually frozen region, their locations were continually updated as the Land of Snow had one of the most thriving shipping industries in the world. Thus, it was rare for even a medium-sized iceberg to appear in the path of a shipping lane, much less one that had managed to ‘avoid’ Wu’s reconnaissance the previous night.

While Director Makino seemed excited by the prospect of filming on the iceberg, Wu balanced atop the ship’s main mast with narrowed eyes and a slight smile on his face. The iceberg they were looking at had been more than sixty kilometers away when his clones scouted it the previous night. It was also being moved by a current that took it to the southeast, so the only way it could have changed course to intercept the ship’s route was if someone had moved it.

Plucking a few strands of hair from his head, Wu had at least one clone protecting each person on the ship before leaping down from his perch, landing next to Sakura, Kaia, and Fu. Yukie was also present, but she was staring off into space as a team of cosmetologists worked to fix her hair and apply makeup.

Keeping his voice low and calm, Wu surprised the trio by revealing, “There are at least three Jonin-level Chakra Signatures on that iceberg. However, their Chakra feels somewhat distorted, almost artificial. It’s impossible to ascertain whether they’re authentic Jonin or if they’re using something to bolster their reserves.”

As Wu had already apprised them of the circumstances surrounding Yukie or, more accurately, Princess Koyuki, Sakura’s expression became serious as she asked, “Are they Doto’s men?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Wu replied, “I would be surprised if they weren’t. More importantly, this is an opportunity for the three of you to accumulate some actual combat experience. That goes doubly for you, Sakura. You’ve trained hard this past year. Show me how much you’ve grown.”

Punching her right fist into the palm of her left hand, Sakura did her best to appear confident as she answered, “Leave it to me. I’m not sure I have what it takes to take on a Jonin, but I won’t give up.”

Nodding his head, Wu ruffled the pinkette’s hair as he said, “That’s what I expected to hear from the future and first female Hokage. Give them hell, Sakura…”

Blushing slightly, Sakura was about to say something when Kaia abruptly raised her hand and shouted, “Pat me next~!” with a toothy smile on her face. Fu was significantly less assertive, but Wu ended up having to give all three girls headpats as they waited for Yukie to finish with her makeup and Director Makino to give the order to disembark…

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With Wu’s forewarning, Sakura, Fu, and Kaia were unsurprised when a group of three Shinobi wearing similar uniforms and forehead protectors denoting their affiliation to Yukigakure interrupted the filming. Their leader was a man with sharp, pupilless green eyes and pale-purple hair done up in a high ponytail. His allies included a heavily armored man with a bulky frame and dark-purple hair, while their final member was a petite woman with pink hair that stuck out of her helmet like pigtails, bright green eyes, and light armor that included a pair of blade-like wings.

As was often the case with overconfident, villainous type, the purple-haired leader of the group crossed his arms in a relaxed manner as he said, “Well, well, well…if it isn’t Princess Koyuki, returned from the dead. Your uncle will be pleased to hear that you’ve returned.”

Despite the man’s apparent disregard, his and his companions’ bodies were tense as they searched the terrain for any signs of Wu. While they didn’t believe most of the rumors circulating about his power, they knew he wasn’t going to be an easy opponent.

Failing to sense so much as a trace of Wu’s Chakra, the purple-haired man met the gaze of Sakura as he asked, “Where is your Team Leader, Senju Wu? Don’t tell me he ran away…”

Answering in Sakura’s stead, Kaia bared her teeth as she growled, “Wu-ani would never run away!”

Piggybacking off Kaia’s words, Fu raised her fist despite smiling playfully as she exclaimed, “Yeah~! Wu is the strongest, so you better watch your mouths~!”

Furrowing his brows in disgust, the purple-haired Shinobi was about to order his allies to kill the trio of girls when Sakura finally replied, “Wu-kun has entrusted us with the responsibility of handling you three. If you look down on us, you’re going to regret it…”

Punctuating her words, Sakura punched her palm and began popping her knuckles with a severe expression on her face. Her stomach quivered, but the auras given off by the trio weren’t nearly as menacing as the bloodlust of Zabuza and Orochimaru. She was a little concerned about the strange armor they were wearing, but she also believed in the hard work she had put in the past year…

Adopting a very Orochimaru-esque smile, the purple-haired man mused, “How adorable. Three little Genin from the Hidden Leaf believe they can take on three Elites from the Hidden Snow? Even arrogance has its limits, little girl…”

Punctuating his words with a ‘go forth’ gesture, the purple-haired man remained atop the ridge he and his companions had been standing on while the other two charged forward. The stout, heavily-armored man pulled out a device resembling a snowboard, using it to accelerate down the side of the cliff while the pink-haired woman, demonstrating that the device on her back wasn’t a decoration, sprouted bad-like wings as she swooped toward the group.

Catching the pink-haired woman by surprise, Fu sprouted her own set of insect-like wings, tackling the Kunoichi and propelling her into the side of the cliff while Kaia charged toward the man on the snowboard. He tried to ensnare her with some kind of thread-like material fired from the center of his metallic arm, but she dropped to all fours, sliding underneath it before leaping and spinning toward the man with teeth and claws bared.

Trusting that Fu and Kaia could take care of themselves, Sakura turned to the wide-eyed Koyuki, shouting, “Get back to the ship…!” before squatting down and performing a series of hand signs. Then, just as Koyuki got out of range, she kicked off the ground with enough force to crack the ice and create a large explosion as she leaped the nearly 300m distance between her and the purple-haired man in an instant.

Not expecting a girl that barely resembled a teenager to launch herself at him like a rocket, the purple-haired Jonin was genuinely caught off guard. If not for the spherical barrier that manifested around him, he would have taken the massive fireball exhaled from Sakura’s lips head-on.

Exhibiting another weakness of villains, the purple-haired man jumped away from Sakura’s flames as he shouted, “That won’t work on me, little girl! This Chakra Armor I’m wearing doesn’t just amplify my Chakra and make my Jutsu more powerful; it blocks the Ninjutsu and Genjutsu of my opponents! Now, allow me to show you what a real Ninjutsu looks like…!”

After completing a series of hand signs, the ice and snow around the purple-haired man gathered to form a giant serpent that barreled toward Sakura at extreme speeds. He expected the latter to try and dodge it, but the reality was far more surprising as Sakura abruptly reared back her fist, shouting, “Shannaro…!” before punching the massive serpent in the face.

Expecting his attack to reward Sakura’s foolishness by enveloping and crushing her body, the purple-haired man was left slack-jawed when the head of his serpent exploded, followed by the pink-haired girl charging at him with a fierce look on her face.

Recovering from his stupor, the purple-haired man charged forward with a murderous glint in his eyes. He had no intention of eating one of Sakura’s punches directly, but he was confident in his speed and Taijutsu skills. In the past, he had even sent the ‘legendary’ Hatake Kakashi running, so he wasn’t going to turn his back and flee from a little girl.

Just as the distance between them was about to close into melee range, Sakura caught the purple-haired man by surprise as she slammed her fist into the air in front of her. The moment she did so, the purple-haired man found himself propelled backward as a heavy, invisible force impacted his Chakra barrier with enough force to create a large crack in the protective layer of his armor’s power core.

Though he ultimately emerged unscathed from the invisible attack, the purple-haired man stared at Sakura in disbelief as he asked, “Just who the hell are you…?”

As she couldn’t launch her more powerful attacks in quick succession, Sakura took a moment to recuperate as she replied, “Haruno Sakura of the Hidden Leave Village. Disciple of Senju Tsunade and the woman who will become the future Hokage…!”

Instead of scoffing or calling Sakura an idiot, the purple-haired man gave an affirming nod, smiling as he said, “You’ve certainly got the talent, kid. If your presence here didn’t jeopardize everything we’ve built these past ten years, I might have withdrawn after that punch. Unfortunately, I’ve grown rather attached to my current lifestyle…”

Adopting a serious expression and a ready stance, the purple-haired man revealed, “My name is Roga Nadare, Chief Jonin of Yukigakure, the Village Hidden in the Snow! Come, Haruno Sakura! Show me what you can do…!”

Punctuating his words, Nadare strung together a series of hand signs that caused a drill-like horn to breach the ground at Sakura’s feet, followed by a massive whale bursting from the ice below. Its size nearly dwarfed the mountainous peak of the iceberg, and because of her initial attempts to evade it, Sakura found herself staring up at the colossal creature as it fell toward her.

Though her eyes briefly widened, a look of resolution adorned Sakura’s face as she launched herself toward the belly of the massive whale. She had witnessed the scene of Wu standing his ground when Shukaku tried to swipe him, so she knew that size wasn’t the deciding factor in a fight. She might be crushed if she allowed the whale to land on her, but if she punched through it…

Believing in her training more than anything else, Sakura brought her hands together in a manner reminiscent of Hashirma as she condensed the Chakra around her body and shaped it into a visible, rapidly spinning drill. She had never attempted anything like it, but controlling and shaping her Chakra were two of the things she was most confident in…

As the body of the massive whale was primarily comprised of compacted snow, Sakura drilled through its body like a bullet. She had used up a lot of Chakra in the maneuver, but instead of letting it dissipate the moment she broke through the colossal whale, she drew it around her hands and forearms like crystallized gauntlets, similar to the way Hinata shaped lions around her fists but considerably more durable.

Borrowing yet another technique from Hinata, Sakura flipped upside down and kicked against the air with enough force to produce a series of sonic booms as she launched herself toward the slack-jawed Nadare. The latter dodged backward and utilized a Jutsu that generated an avalanche in the form of a wolf pack, but Sakura tore through them with a perceptible veil of Chakra shrouding her body, shouting, “Shannaro…!” before shattering the barrier surrounding Nadare’s body and sinking her fist ‘deep’ into the stunned Jonin’s abdomen…

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(A/N: Shannarooooooooooooooooo-!)