Space to Breathe - [ Sakura Haruno ]

CHAPTER 32

Seconds felt like hours as Sakura fell forwards towards Ohnoki. The Tsuchikage suppressed a surprised look as he watched her jump at him, twin blades in hand.

As she moved, her chakra sparked to life, surging forth into her blades.

The first grew longer, the extra length made of pressurised water sharpened to the extreme.

The second visibly changed colour slightly, a darked metallic tone, and became noticeably heavier as she enhanced that arm's muscles with her chakra.

Then she landed, the seconds having elapsed, and stabbed down with the weighted blade.

To her surprise, the blade made contact, the sensation of steel slicing into skin and flesh made her face erupt into a grin, a crazy, maniacal grin that would put Hidan to shame.

She knew she was going to die, but to take a shinobi of the Tsuchikage's caliber down with her would make it worth the shot. She would be good enough, worthy of being a Jonin.

So she held the blade that lodged itself inside the Tsuchikage's shoulder tight and focused. She pushed regular chakra through and made the blade sticky, attaching itself to the man's body and making it impossible to dislodge whilst she held tight.

Ohnoki scowled in pain then and began hand seals, but Sakura wasn't about to let him. Swinging upwards and slashing out with her water blades the man barely bent to dodge backwards.

Sakura realised then that close combat was the Tsuchikage's weakness. Maybe in his younger years he was better, but now he was just a stubborn old man capable of throwing jutsu that could dismantle your entire body.

But he couldn't use that jutsu at such short range in fear of damaging himself.

So Sakura pushed her small, miniscule advantage and pushed her feet off the man's stomach, forcing herself into he air just above him as she flashed through hand seals.

A moment later, a dragon of water burst from her palms as it crashed downwards, Ohnoki dodged sideways, but Sakura wasn't done.

Another set of seals saw the dragon burst into a thousand shuriken chapter blades, surging in Ohnoki's new direction.

Sakura had fallen below Ohnoki by now, but she wasn't giving up. The shuriken soared right past the Tsuchikage but another set of seals saw them converge.

Another dragon, but this time coming for her. As it reached her she carefully grabbed on, chakra coating her limbs.

Sakura thanked the heavens for her chakra control in that moment. If she were anyone else she knew hanging off a flying water Ninjutsu would have been impossible.

Ohnoki scowled down at her then. The water dragon wouldn't last long, and she could only do it once or twice more, but now she had a way of staying level with him for a moment.

So, she had the dragon surge towards the man again, who was preparing another Dust Release attack.

She pounced. The man's attack disrupted by the dragon as she gripped her earth sword, still stuck within the man.

"Like a feral animal," Ohnoki insulted her as he brought his hands together in a set of seals.

Then a mass of earth climbed from his jaw, a floating earth golem.

She knew then that without her technique, the one she had made little progress on, this battle would be one she could not survive let alone win. Her advantage at close range had been nullified.

So without a second thought she did the only thing she could.

Jumping off of her own earth blade, dislodging it and keeping it attached to her foot with chakra, she kicked into the golem's chest.