41: Chapter 41 Pirate TrialSakura practically fled back to her room, slid down to the floor with her back against the door, her heart still pounding wildly.
Naruto's words, "Are you expecting something else?" and his ambiguous smile kept echoing in my mind.
"Ahhh!How embarrassing!"
She buried her burning face in her knees, letting out broken sobs.
How could she have come up with such an absurd idea?And he saw right through it!This was even more humiliating than being beaten up.
But deep down, a strange sense of loss gnawed at her like tiny insects, tormenting her.
She shook her head violently, trying to shake off all those messy thoughts.
"Real combat.pirates."
She forced herself to focus on tomorrow's tasks.
A faint sense of fear welled up in my heart again, but this time, it was mixed with an urgent desire to prove myself.
She couldn't let him look down on her!Absolutely not!
The next morning, near a small, easily defensible island surrounded by reefs on the outskirts of the Land of Waves, three fast ships flying the flag of the Apocalypse Merchant Guild quietly arrived.
Sakura, dressed in a tight-fitting combat suit, stood on the deck of one of the ships, her palms sweating profusely.
The salty sea breeze ruffled her short pink hair, but it couldn't dispel the tension in her heart.
Beside her stood the stern-faced Zoka, and five other guild combat members who had undergone preliminary training and possessed sharp eyes.
Zhuoka glanced at Sakura: "Miss Sakura, according to the plan, we will launch a feint attack from the front to draw fire, while you follow on the flank, pay attention to concealment, prioritize treating the wounded, and do not participate in direct combat unless absolutely necessary."
Sakura nodded vigorously, took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and checked the ninja tool pouch and medical kit at her waist to make sure everything was in order.
Meanwhile, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki happened to be nearby and, seeing the Apocalypse Merchant Guild's ship dock, began to observe it with great interest.
"Oh?Is the Apocalypse Merchant Guild going to wipe out the pirates?" Kisame grinned."Let's take a look at their quality.That little girl looks quite delicate."
Itachi's Sharingan slowly rotated, capturing the chakra flow and subtle movements of everyone on the ship.
"The lineup is average, and the tactics are conventional."
His gaze swept past the ship to the small island where pirates were entrenched, as if sensing something.
"Tch, this is so boring." Kisame said, carrying Samehada."Then what are we even watching?"
"Watch the process."
Itachi said calmly, "The key to war often lies in the details.By observing how they treat the wounded and how they treat prisoners, you can analyze the style of this organization."
The battle had already begun while they were talking!
The combat squad led by Zoka was experienced and well-coordinated.Using crossbows and explosive tags to clear a path, they quickly suppressed the pirates' rudimentary defenses on the island.Shouts of battle and explosions instantly shattered the tranquility of the early morning.
Sakura followed closely on the flank, her heart pounding with each explosion.
She saw arrows whistling past, saw people wounded and lying on the ground, their blood staining the rocks red.
"Medical ninja!Over here!" a member of the merchant guild shouted, clutching his arm that had been slashed by a stray arrow.
Sakura jumped in surprise and rushed over.
She tried to ignore the smell of blood in the air, focused her mind, and placed her hands, which glowed with green chakra, on the wounds of the injured person.
Palm Immortal Technique!She was a little clumsy when she used it, but the effect was remarkable.The bleeding stopped quickly and the wound began to heal.
The wounded man gave her a grateful look and then returned to the fight.
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could catch her breath, another cry for help came from somewhere else.
Like a busy butterfly, she flitted along the edge of the battlefield, doing her utmost to treat every wounded soldier.
The initial tension and fear were gradually replaced by a faint sense of accomplishment amidst the busyness.
However, there were also some fierce and brave pirates.
A burly leader with a scar on his face spotted Sakura, who was clearly an easy target, and charged over with a savage grin, brandishing his machete!
"Watch out!" Zoka roared, trying to rush back to help, but he was held back by the other two pirates.
Sakura turned pale with fright as the gleaming machete approached, her mind going completely blank!
He instinctively stepped back, and was about to be struck!
At this critical moment!
A sharp whooshing sound rang out!
Pfft!
The pirate captain's cleaver stopped abruptly just inches from Sakura's forehead.He looked down in disbelief and saw a deep, bone-revealing wound cut into his chest, from which blood gushed forth!He opened his mouth, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Sakura, still shaken, turned around and saw Naruto appear on a rock not far away.
That life-saving vacuum wind blade was launched by him.
"What are you daydreaming about during a fight?" Naruto's voice was cold and stern.
Sakura felt a tremor in her heart, a mixture of fear and grievance.
Was he.was he watching the whole time?
The situation quickly turned one-sided due to Naruto's sudden intervention, and the remaining pirates were soon wiped out.
Naruto jumped off the rocks, walked up to Sakura, and looked at her pale face.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
Sakura bit her lip, ".It's.it's terrifying."
"Remember this feeling."
Naruto looked at her and said, "Fear won't disappear, but you can choose to control it.You didn't do too badly today; at least you didn't run away, and the medical support was timely."
This was hardly a compliment, but it brought tears to Xiaoying's eyes.
She looked up at Naruto, and for the first time did not immediately look away from his gaze.
Naruto said nothing more, turned to Zoka and ordered, "Clean up the battlefield, take back any valuable supplies and prisoners.Dispose of the corpses properly."
"Yes, Chairman!"
In the distance, behind the reefs.
Kisame licked his lips abstractly: "Oh, where was that nine-tailed brat hiding?He struck just in time.That technique is quite interesting."
Itachi commented, "Precise and efficient.It seems that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is not just all show."
"Want to give it a try?" Kisame was eager to try.
"No need," Itachi shook his head."We already have enough information."
This Tianqi Chamber of Commerce is more disciplined than expected, and it's also very protective of its own members.
"Let's go, it's time to go back and report to Payne."
The two figures disappeared silently.
On the returning ship, Sakura sat in a corner, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the battlefield island gradually receding into the distance.
The impact of the small-scale battle and Naruto's crucial intervention made it difficult for her to remain calm.
Naruto walked over and sat down next to her, handing her a water bottle.
"Have some water."
Sakura hesitated for a moment, then took the water bottle and whispered, "Thank you."
Naruto looked at the sea and suddenly asked, "What do you think power is for?"
Sakura paused for a moment, thought for a second, and answered uncertainly, "Protect.the person I want to protect?"
Naruto turned to look at her: "That's right, but first, you need to have enough power to decide who to protect, and.how to protect them."
"The kindness of the weak is worthless."
His words struck Xiaoying's heart like a hammer blow.
At the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, Tsunade looked at the pirate prisoners being carried back, among whom the leader, who had been injured by Naruto's wind blade, was the most seriously wounded.
"That kid doesn't know his own strength."
While complaining, Tsunade channeled chakra into her hands and began to heal.The pirate captain, who had been grimacing in pain, stared wide-eyed at Tsunade's beauty, especially her astonishing medical ninjutsu, and stammered out, "A.a fairy."
Tsunade glared at him: "Behave yourself!Or I'll break your other arm too!" The pirate captain immediately shut up, his eyes filled with even more infatuation.
[Ding!Successfully completed the pirate extermination combat mission, training Sakura Haruno and gaining Villain Value +600!]
[Ding!Guild prestige increased, villain value gained +200!] [Current villain value: 800 points]
Prev Next