Space to Breathe - [ Sakura Haruno ]

CHAPTER 22

“You’re not going to get away, Sasuke!” Sakura called across the trees as they both ran, Sasuke only a few trees away, but nimble enough to avoid the few attacks Sakura had sent his way. Instead, she focused on his back, knowing for a fact her chakra enhanced speed would last longer given her superior control.

“I don’t plan on getting away,” Sasuke scowled back at her, “I’m choosing a suitable place for your end, is all.”

Sakura scoffed, but didn’t respond verbally, instead continuing to follow the boy carefully.

Eventually, they reached a location any Konoha resident would recognise, despite being miles away from the village.

“A suitable place, huh?” Sakura chuckled darkly, watching Sasuke start to charge his way up the statue of Uchiha Madara, “I would be flattered, if you weren’t so arrogant as to think yourself comparable to Uchiha Madara.”

So, Sakura began to mirror his movement, instead running her way up the statue of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

Once they both stood atop the pair of statue’s heads, the watched to the other, not willing to make the first move. At least until Sasuke's hand burst into a ear-splitting cacophony of a thousand birds, lighting strapping it's way around it as he glared forwards.

“You tried the same thing against Nanako,” Sakura almost scoffed, watching the Uchiha pour more of his chakra into the technique than he ever had before. “I won’t be so kind this time.”

Sasuke however didn’t respond, continuing to charge his attack. Sakura almost jumped at him, then, but hesitated. He could easily jab her with speed she couldn’t match, if she got close. So long as she had enough distance, she hoped her ability to react to the Uchiha’s sudden movements would be unhindered by the rudeness he would benefit from.

Eventually, after Sakura had watched the Uchiha for a few moments, the raven-haired boy charged, but rather than running with immense speed as Sakura had witnessed previously he surged power into his legs, leaping the distance in an instant, landing directly in front of Sakura.

His lightning encased hand shot forwards once he was close enough, and Sakura barely had time to scowl before she flipped backwards, her hands springing her just out of the Uchiha’s reach.

The lightning on his hand dissipated, and the pink haired kunoichi charged forwards in response. Before Sasuke knew what was happening, his hands were up, blocking a flurry of punches and kicks from his opponent.

But slowly, the three tomoe of his sharingan swirled and his defence adapted to her movements, watching carefully and predicting where she would attack before she even made the move.

Sakura grit her teeth, tempted to watch the swirling eyes of her opponent, but refused. She’d heard stories from the older shinobi of T&I, about the Genjutsu of the sharingan’s uses in interrogation; she certainly didn’t want to see how useful it was in battle. Instead, she focused her gaze on his centre, avoiding eye contact entirely.

After a few moments more of Taijutsu, Sakura was beginning to struggle. The Uchiha’s movements were far faster than they had been when they were on Team Seven, and his sharingan’s ability to react to her moves before she even made them was making it impossible to land even the fastest of her Taijutsu attacks.

So, as soon as an opening presented itself, she shot backwards, falling gracefully off the head of the First Hokage, flashing through a set of hand seals before Sasuke had the chance to engage her in hand to hand combat again. Sakura knew Taijutsu of her level would not work against his Dojutsu, so she decided a longer ranged alternative style of combat was in order.