Chōji, standing on the stage, slowly swallowed his saliva and watched the two people below the stage, exchanging blows and neither yielding an inch.
"Shikamaru, who do you think will win this match?"
Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets, his tone calm and relaxed, but his eyes were fixed intently on the match below.
"Who knows? Based on past results, Ino should win without a problem, but Sakura is no longer the crybaby she used to be. This outcome is hard to predict! Especially if Sakura can use that move she used against Zaku in the Forest of Death, Ino will be in trouble!"
"Isn't that Sakura's jutsu? Why can't she use it?"
"From my observation, that move is still just a half - finished product. It was only because of the urgent situation at that time that Sakura burst out with strength beyond her usual level!"
"So, Ino still has a glimmer of hope? After all, her Heart - Transfer Jutsu is definitely not easy to deal with!"
"Not necessarily. Both Ino's jutsu and Sakura's move require concentration. During this time, they need their companions to cover for them, but now it's a one - on - one duel. Both Sakura's half - finished product and Ino's jutsu are not suitable for this situation!"
Chōji saw Sakura leap high into the air and punch downwards. Ino anticipated the attack and immediately dodged.
Sakura's fist hit the ground, and the flying gravel scratched Ino's cheek.
"Tsk!"
"WOW. Sakura's tongue - clicking sound is so powerful!"
"Yeah! Apparently, that strike wasn't as powerful as she imagined!"
Chōji looked at the hole in the ground, his eyes twitching. The power didn't reach the level Sakura had expected? That was terrifying!
................
"What's wrong, Sakura? Didn't you eat? You're so weak you can't even squash a bug!"
(▼へ▼メ)
"Ino, I should be the one saying sorry. I'm really sorry that the flying fragments just now scratched your cheek. You care so much about your face, so you must be really heartbroken, right?"
"Well, I'm really sorry, but I'm not like you. I practice cultivation hard every day and don't have time to take care of my appearance. Unlike you, you're always hanging out with handsome guys. You must be really happy!"
"What do you mean by that? I'm in Team 7. I don't just focus on my appearance every day. You have no clue how much time and effort I've devoted to my cultivation every day. I'm not like you, just sitting around in the group, doing nothing but dressing up and being vain!"
"Ha~ I'm really going to get angry if you say that!"
"Isn't it true? The shampoo you use on your hair is the latest model. Is that okay? You spend so much time on your looks and neglect your cultivation!"
"I'm so... so angry! I'm not the kind of person who only wants to spend time on dressing up!"
Ino grabbed her long, silky hair, took out the Kunai in her hand, and cut it off neatly at the elastic band.
"Ino!"
With her eyes wide open, Sakura thought that as good friends, they often bantered like this. There was no need for her to cut off her own hair just because of a few words.
"Sakura, let me tell you, I'm not the kind of woman who only knows how to dress up every day! You're so envious of these beautiful hairs, right? Here you go!"
Ino, as if venting her anger, flung handfuls of her hair towards Sakura. The golden long hair gently fluttered down to the ground.
"In... Ino, that's not what I meant!"
"It doesn't matter. Even if I lose such beautiful hair, my beauty won't be the least bit flawed. I'll still outshine you by far!"
(▼ヘ▼#)
"Oh~ Since you said so, then I won't be polite!"
Enraged by Ino's words, Sakura lunged forward. But her feet seemed to be tightly wrapped by something and she couldn't move a single step.
"Humph! You fell into my trap, Sakura!"
She looked down and saw that the Chakra Threads wrapped around her feet stretched out from beneath Ino's scattered hair. She hadn't noticed them at all.
"Ino, you deliberately let me rile you up just to set this trap."
"Stupid, it's too late for you to realize it now!"
Ino joined her hands to form a Hand Seal and pointed at Sakura, who was bound and couldn't move.
"Heart - Transfer Jutsu"
Under everyone's gazes, Ino's body gradually went limp. Sakura stood there silently, saying nothing.
"Sakura, Sakura, what's wrong with you? Ino is too exhausted to stand. Hurry up and attack her. Then you can win!"
Naruto stood on the stage and shouted words of support.
"Stupid, shut up! Sakura has fallen for Ino's jutsu."
"What!"
"The secret jutsu of the Ino clan. Their spirits can enter the body of the target and do whatever they want."
Sasuke covered his ears, tortured by Naruto's shouting, and didn't want to listen to him anymore.
"How is that possible? If so, can she enter any body she wants?"
"Well, that's the principle. But in fact, the target's spirit may not be weaker than the caster's. So the caster may suffer a backlash. Moreover, if the target dies before she can leave the body, she'll die with them too!"
Naruto nervously watched Sakura below the stage. He saw her slowly raise her hand.
"Referee, I forf..."
"Sakura, what are you doing? You train until the late hours every day and cultivate the hardest. What's all this for? Is it just to lose to Ino here and slink away like a stray dog?"
Naruto's words seemed to touch on something that Sakura cared about the most. She didn't want to lose! Especially not to Ino!
She wanted to catch up, to be like Naruto and Sasuke. She didn't want to just watch their backs.
Naruto's words attracted Itachi's sharp gaze.
"Those on the stage, just watch the game and don't speak casually!"
"Yes!"
Itachi was different today. Usually, he was very gentle, but today he was fierce - tempered.
"Sakura, I'll ask you one more time. What did you just say? Are you going to give up?"
"
"I... ah..."
In Sakura's mind, her second personality materialized and firmly grasped Ino, who had invaded her mind, in her hand.
Ino's body was being crushed by a huge, powerful energy. Unable to endure it any longer, she left Sakura's body.
"Ah, Sakura, who the hell are you? How could you break through my secret jutsu!"
Gasping for breath, Sakura looked at Ino, who was completely exhausted. She knew that the move just now must have dealt great damage to Ino, but it was also extremely painful for her to forcefully break free from the mental restraint. However, this was the most crucial moment to decide the winner!
She looked at Ino, her eyes filled with unprecedented confidence.
"Ino, I'm the one who'll win this match!"
...............
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