The Kirigakure ANBU leader gestured to his subordinates. Sakura Haruno then saw them suddenly sheathe their ninja swords, form a circular formation around her, and then begin forming hand seals.
Seeing their actions, Sakura knew that if she let them unleash their ninjutsu, it wouldn't be as easy to break free as it was just now.
Picking a direction, Sakura activated her long-unused Lightning Release Chakra Mode, instantly boosting her speed to the maximum. Carrying the Executioner's Blade, she slashed towards one of the Kirigakure ANBU.
Because Sakura's Lightning Release Chakra Mode was just a crude application of lightning power to her body and hadn't been deeply developed, using it too much would cause damage to her body.
Master Tsunade had developed the chakra activation of bodily functions quite well, so Sakura didn't see the need to expend a lot of energy developing a technique with roughly the same effect.
However, Lightning Release Chakra Mode was slightly more effective than chakra activation. Without a large chakra reserve as backup, Lightning Release Chakra Mode was more practical.
The Executioner's Blade swung down towards the Kirigakure ANBU, but the ANBU seemed not to see it, continuing to form hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
A curtain of water blocked the ANBU. Sakura instantly felt as if she had struck a ball of cotton. Looking back, she saw it was the lead Kirigakure ANBU.
In that fleeting moment, the ANBU surrounding her simultaneously stopped their hand seals.
"Water Release: Surging Water!"
A large amount of water spewed from the ANBU's mouths. In the blink of an eye, the nearby area was filled with water, forming a lake-like terrain.
Sakura had thought she would have to endure it head-on, but unexpectedly, when the flood arrived, the imagined impact force was very small, almost negligible. She could stabilize herself just by using chakra to adhere her feet to the ground.
No, something's wrong. Sakura frowned, knowing things wouldn't be that simple.
Forming hand seals, she summoned a Storm Release Clone. Taking advantage of the visual obstruction caused by the flood, she controlled the Storm Release Clone to dive underground.
And sure enough, just as Sakura had separated the Storm Release Clone and was about to make a move, the surrounding water seemed to come alive.
It rapidly enveloped her, forming a huge sphere. Sakura took a deep breath and was directly engulfed. The ground her feet were adhering to was also enveloped within the water sphere.
Sakura flailed her limbs, trying to swim out of the water sphere, but the water felt like a swamp; she couldn't swim at all.
Damn it, this water is full of chakra. Sakura looked at the lead Kirigakure ANBU outside the water sphere now, her heart sinking.
"Aaaah, you're not allowed to bully my little sister!" At this moment, Terumi Mei, seeing Sakura trapped in the water sphere, her eyes turned red.
With an unknown burst of strength, in the blink of an eye, she escaped from the two ANBU who were ganging up on her and rushed towards the large water sphere.
But how could Terumi Mei, who had forgotten how to fight, be a match for these battle-hardened ANBU?
Seeing Mei completely defenseless, the two ANBU directly used Water-Flowing Whips to bind her. Mei, seeing Sakura trapped before her eyes, was already in a panic and was instantly tied up securely.
The lead Kirigakure ANBU glanced at Terumi Mei and said, "Are you betraying the village?"
"What village? I don't know what you're talking about! Let her go!" Terumi Mei shouted at him.
The lead ANBU was silent for a moment, then said, "Your actions will disappoint Elder Genshi."
"To hell with Elder Genshi! You bunch of bad guys have been chasing us for a week! What exactly do you want?!" Terumi Mei didn't seem very good at cursing; her words sounded more like a little girl throwing a tantrum.
The lead ANBU fell silent again, then ignored Terumi Mei and looked at Sakura. "You absolutely cannot escape this Water Prison Technique. Before you die, I have a few questions I want to ask. If you cooperate, I'll give you a quick death. The process of drowning is not pleasant."
Sakura looked at the ANBU controlling the water sphere around her and the lead ANBU in silence. Although the situation was critical, it wasn't hopeless.
Actually, I still lack combat experience. Come to think of it, this is the first time I've been besieged by so many Jonin. If it were one-on-one, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state. Not only is each of them a Jonin, but they also coordinate well. This is a bit difficult to handle.
This was different from the time with Hanzo. Firstly, Hanzo was severely injured. Secondly, he was alone. And his major killing move, poison, she could withstand with Creation Rebirth. If this group of people were to face Hanzo at that time, they would be more than enough.
Recalling the scene just now, the lead ANBU seemed to be forming hand seals with the others, but when she tried to break through, she was blocked by his Water Wall.
This meant that the jutsu he was forming was different from the others; it was specifically to counter her breakthrough. And she hadn't paid close attention to his hand seals being different from the others, so she had been tricked.
Then they created a watery environment to ensure the area was large enough that she couldn't escape. If she wasn't mistaken about this water sphere, it should be an improved version of the Water Prison Technique.
Heh, seven Jonin performing it together. An ordinary ninja caught in this jutsu would indeed be unable to escape, only to be slaughtered. Although Sakura isn't an ordinary ninja, she can't escape at this moment either.
However...
Just as the lead Kirigakure ANBU was about to speak, a blue-white figure suddenly burst out of the ground. Its wide blades on both hands slashed in a cross towards the ninja controlling the water sphere who was furthest from the lead ANBU.
Before any of the ANBU could react, a spurt of blood shot towards the large water sphere, followed by the dull thud of a body hitting the ground.
The figure, its momentum undiminished, rushed towards another ANBU. That ANBU, seeing this, had no choice but to release control of the Water Prison Technique to deal with the unidentified figure.
In an instant, with two fewer people controlling it, the Water Prison Technique began to collapse. Sakura moved her body and found the pressure greatly reduced. So, she raised her fist and, using her monstrous strength, punched forward from within the water prison.
In water, the transmission of shockwaves is far better than in air. The shockwave formed by the massive amount of chakra ejected from Sakura's fist directly blasted a large hole through the huge water sphere from the inside out.
The lead ANBU watched all this happen helplessly, unable to stop it. He had thought the outcome was already decided and had relaxed a bit. He hadn't expected the change to come so suddenly; he hadn't reacted at all.
Not only had she broken free from the water prison, but she had also killed one of his comrades. Damn it, I still underestimated her. The people I brought this time are all core ninjas who have previously captured Tailed Beasts. That jutsu is even capable of trapping a Tailed Beast.
After breaking free, Sakura fumbled a handful of Military Ration Pills from her pouch and, regardless of how many there were, stuffed them directly into her mouth. Instantly, the chakra in her body was greatly replenished.
Sakura quickly formed hand seals and created dozens of shadow clones. Eating such a large amount of Military Ration Pills meant the chakra would be lost quickly; she had to make use of it in time.
Because the water sphere had broken, the two ANBU binding Terumi Mei no longer paid attention to her. Sakura grabbed the Executioner's Blade, swung it horizontally, forcing back the two ANBU, then grabbed Mei's hand and fled directly into the depths of the forest.
Fight my ass! Wait until my Gelel Stone arrives, then I'll come back and deal with you. I'll let you be smug for a while.
Seeing Sakura about to flee, the lead ANBU hurriedly called his subordinates to intercept, but before he could take two steps, he was blocked by a blue-white figure.
"What is this thing? Her clone?" The lead ANBU looked at the blue-white energy body with a cautious expression. This was the thing that had killed one of his members.
The remaining ANBU members were all held back by Sakura's shadow clones. Each ANBU faced at least five shadow clones, and Sakura's shadow clones didn't engage them head-on, merely harassing them continuously with Storm Release lasers.
However, these ANBU were by no means mediocre. Information about her clones being destroyed kept popping up in Sakura's mind.
She turned to look at Terumi Mei and asked, "Can you still perform that Water Release jutsu you used against the bounty hunters?"
"P-probably not," Terumi Mei said, looking as if she had made a mistake.
"Here, eat this," Sakura said, grabbing another handful of Military Ration Pills from her pocket and unceremoniously stuffing them into Mei's mouth.
"Ugh, it tastes so bad!" Terumi Mei's eyes watered from the taste of the Military Ration Pills.
"Stop fussing and eat quickly! After you finish, use that jutsu with all your might. Don't hold anything back!" Sakura snapped.
"Yes!" Terumi Mei, scolded by Sakura, replied obediently and, with a pained expression, swallowed the Military Ration Pills.
Then, while running, Mei began to form hand seals.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
...
Sakura no longer knew what had happened to those ANBU. When she, still running, looked back, she was surprised to find that here, in these deep old mountains and forests, she saw a vast ocean.
And Terumi Mei had already fainted on her back.