The Sakura Legend

Deep within the Forest of Death

Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke had been moving non-stop towards the central tower since entering the forest. By now, all three were somewhat fatigued.

"Let's rest for a bit. If we keep going like this, we won't have any strength left if we encounter enemies," Sakura said, noticing their labored breathing.

Although they needed to reach the tower area quickly, it wouldn't be good to encounter enemies or be intercepted by Orochimaru in their current state.

The trio stopped to rest by a small river, grabbing a bite to eat. There was a nearby river where they could catch some fish. Just as they were eating grilled fish to replenish their energy, it started to drizzle lightly.

At first, Sakura didn't notice anything amiss with the rain falling on them. But as the rain grew heavier, the campfire in front of them, paradoxically, burned even brighter. Sakura suddenly felt an immense sense of danger wash over her, and she instantly formed hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Encampment Wall!"

In the blink of an eye, a massive wall of water rose up, encircling Naruto and Sasuke in a protective sphere. Outside the water barrier, a raging inferno blazed, turning the surrounding area into a sea of fire.

Although Sakura frequently used Earth Style, she had also learned the Water Style ninjutsu from the scroll the Third Hokage had given her, though she rarely had opportunities to use it.

The fire outside the water wall continued to burn, and the temperature inside the barrier rose steadily, turning it into a virtual steamer. All three of their faces were flushed.

"Sakura, where are the enemies? If this keeps up, we'll be cooked alive!" Sasuke exclaimed. He had also reacted instantly upon seeing the strange behavior of the campfire, but Sasuke lacked effective defensive techniques.

"Sakura-chan, what's going on?" Naruto asked, brandishing a kunai and looking around cautiously.

"The enemies are probably waiting outside for us to run out of air," Sakura said, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "We were careless. I didn't expect to encounter such a coordinated ninjutsu combination."

Sakura had initially thought that, with their current strength, only Gaara's team and Neji's team would pose a significant challenge. Based on her memories, those two teams were particularly strong during this part of the Chunin Exams. She hadn't expected a seemingly random team to possess such seamless teamwork. Was it because of me that things changed? If she hadn't known Water Style, they might have been defeated by the very first enemy they encountered.

"Did you notice that rain earlier, Sasuke?" Sakura continued. "That wasn't rain, it was oil. The enemy used a genjutsu to make us think it was rain. Then, all they needed was a small spark to ignite the oil in the air. This forest is the perfect fuel source. Ordinary genin would have already fallen for it."

"Oil? Sakura-chan, how did you figure it out?" Naruto asked, looking at the damp spots on his clothes. It felt like water to him.

"The campfire. If it were water, the campfire wouldn't have grown stronger," Sakura explained. "This genjutsu is incorporated into the oil, similar to the genjutsu in Room 201, but more sophisticated. It not only deceives the eyes but also affects the target's sense of touch. It's a double deception, targeting both the object and the perception."

"Damn it, what do we do now, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

In their current situation, neither Naruto nor Sasuke could be of much help. Sasuke's ninjutsu were all Fire Style, while Naruto only knew Shadow Clone Jutsu and some basic techniques. Dealing with this kind of large-scale ninjutsu was difficult for both of them.

"I can only activate the Strength of a Hundred Seal and use a massive amount of chakra to create water to extinguish the flames," Sakura said resignedly.

The current situation wasn't about the opponent's ninjutsu being overly powerful; it was that they had the advantage of the terrain. Genin didn't have many effective countermeasures against such wide-ranging attacks. This wasn't the first time she'd been at a disadvantage due to the terrain, and Sakura felt a bit frustrated.

"No, Sakura, we can use their plan against them and lure them out," Sasuke interjected. "They're waiting for us to suffocate inside. Sakura, when the fire outside weakens a bit, slowly dispel your ninjutsu. Then, Naruto can use Shadow Clones to make it look like we've fainted. Sakura, you can use Earth Style to hide us underground."

Sakura thought Sasuke's suggestion was a good one, but the water barrier was currently transparent, allowing those outside to see inside. Also, she wasn't sure if they could hold out until the fire burned out.

Sasuke clearly recognized this problem as well, and asked, "Can you make the water barrier opaque?"

"I'll try," Sakura replied, feeling the scorching air inside the water barrier. She forced herself to calm down and then controlled her chakra to rotate it irregularly.

Using chakra to make the water barrier spin irregularly was simple for Sakura. The problem was that, in her haste to protect Sasuke and Naruto, the barrier was quite large. Using her main body's chakra to do this was difficult.

Sigh~~~, Looks like I have to use the Strength of a Hundred Seal after all, or I won't be able to get it to spin." After a moment of thought, Sakura activated the Strength of a Hundred Seal and called out to Naruto, "Naruto, get ready!"

"Okay! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto created three shadow clones and transformed them into the three of them, making them collapse to the ground.

With the Strength of a Hundred Seal activated, Sakura's immense chakra caused the water barrier to spin wildly and irregularly. From the outside, the Water Encampment Wall looked like a small, swirling water tornado, obscuring the view inside. The violent rotation even suppressed the surrounding flames.

On a nearby tree, the three-man team from the Hidden Rain Village watched the rotating water ball and commented, "That's some impressive chakra control, but this is the end of the line for them."

"Yeah, it's just a final, desperate struggle," another Hidden Rain ninja said.

"Although they managed to defend themselves, they still fell into our trap. It's just a different way to die," the final Hidden Rain ninja added.

"Alright, they can't hold on much longer. It's probably just that pink-haired girl left. Let's finish her off," the leader of the Hidden Rain ninja said.

The three Hidden Rain ninja didn't believe they could have survived such an intense fire. Even if they weren't directly burned, the raging flames had been burning for a while. They assumed that inside the water barrier, only the pink-haired girl might still be alive, while the other two genin had likely suffocated from lack of oxygen.

Sure enough, the spinning water barrier didn't last much longer. It suddenly burst outward, extinguishing a significant portion of the surrounding flames. As the water dissipated, Sakura was left kneeling on the ground, panting heavily, while Naruto and Sasuke lay on the ground, their faces flushed red.

"Hehe, let's go finish her off. I wonder which scroll they have," The three Hidden Rain ninja walked out from their hiding place and approached Sakura.

"Kid, hand over the scroll, and we might let you live," the lead ninja said, wearing a breathing mask and looking down at Sakura arrogantly.

"Hah... Hah..." Sakura glared furiously at the three ninjas, but remained silent.