Chapter 12: Dimensional Chaos
Slowly, the other Sakura advanced towards the injured ninjas. She drew her kunai to finish the job when someone stopped her. Everyone, including Tobi, was surprised to see who it was.
That person had run towards where the other Sakura was and, without hesitation, pulled out a kunai to stop her.
And that person was Menma.
The first to react was Tobi. He thought Menma was going to kill the Konoha's group, so he could steal the other Sakura' spotlight. However, everything lost sense when Menma went to attack his teammate from behind. The pink-haired girl barely had a chance to turn and block the attack of her best friend.
"What's gotten into you, Menma? I know you want to be the star, but you already had enough fun with them. Now it's my turn, so get lost! We'll talk later," the other Sakura responded as she defended herself. Menma, on the other hand, didn't say a word; he just glared at her with anger.
"What are you doing, Menma? Sakura-hime is with us. She won't betray us. We had a brief conversation in the forest shortly after she arrived here. Just like you, she understood our goal after looking at my Sharingan. Let's stop this nonsense and capture Naruto Uzumaki together. NOW!" Tobi shouted, emphasizing his position as the leader at the end.
"Thereeee were cheeerrrrry blossom petals flying arouuunddd when you fouuught heeeeerrrrr?" Menma said, growling like a beast.
Tobi stopped dead on his track and he remembered how the petals were still falling around him when he captured the other Sakura and used Tsukuyomi on her.
Meanwhile, the other Sakura and Menma completely ignored Tobi and focused on their fight. After a few minutes, exchanging a few blows with their kunais, they realized that neither of them could win that way and changed their plans. The first to make a move was Menma. He put some distance between himself and the other Sakura, then he crouched down a bit and said to the other Sakura in a menacing tone, "Sakura-chan... you've never been good at lying."
Sakura and Naruto looked at each other in surprise when they heard Menma's words. For a second, the face of the other Sakura showed astonishment as if she remembered some old conversation between them, before returning to the same neutral and proud expression that she had at the beginning. However, Naruto's instincts told him that something was wrong with the other Sakura. The daughter of the heroes' face was as easy to read as his Sakura's. Worst of all, it indicated that she was in serious trouble.
Menma closed the distance with the other Sakura and launched an attack when their kunais clashed again. Only the sound of metal against metal accompanied the bizarre scene of Menma and the other Sakura fighting each other face to face. That's when Menma spoke to the girl.
"You could have killed them with your strength, however, they're still conscious after those blows. You never attacked any vital organs or broke their bones. Your punches were strong, but you held back to prevent injuring them. The only time you fought seriously was with your counterpart to deceive us. Even you didn't even use your best jutsu there."
"I wasn't going to waste my precious chakra on these pathetic fools, baka! They're not worthy of my best attack, and I think you're blinded by your own inferiority instead. I wanted to play with them, just like you. You heard Madara. He showed me the truth. I'm with Akatsuki," the other Sakura said, pushing Menma away with her own strength. But Menma didn't care and kept talking.
"In our team, you're the genjutsu expert. You're not so foolish or stupid to think that simple genjutsu could beat a Sharingan. But you can overload their vision with the chakra of your petals to confuse them. Remember, you told me that you practiced it with our team and Itachi Uchiha's wife. Don't forget that I know you better than anyone else, princess." Menma paused a second and seeing the stoic reaction of the other Sakura, he continued, "Most likely, you used a shadow clone cover with cherry blossom petals. Then you let Madara catch her while you used the transformation jutsu to hide. After Madara used the genjutsu on the clone, all you had to do was eliminate it to get the information you needed. I was truly surprised by your excellent acting, who knew that you could be a decent actress. But your voice didn't deceive me. Since we were kids, your tone always gives you away when you lie, Sakuuuuraaaa-chaaan," Menma continued, slowly saying her teammate's name with a malevolent tone to affect her.
"Damn... that little princess... I fell for her plan. So, there's a genjutsu capable of deceiving the Sharingan. That's a serious problem," Madara thought.
Slowly, Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai helped the other young ninjas hide inside the training area buildings to recover from the beating that the other Sakura gave them. It was there that they confirmed that Menma was right.
"Those blows were strong, but we don't have any serious injuries. She must be a medical kunoichi to know where and how to attack to don't kill us. So, she pretended to be allied with Akatsuki to gain their trust. But it's ridiculous that you can detect that she is lying just because of her voice," Shikamaru said, surprised by the other Sakura's strategy.
"I think he's telling the truth," Ino replied to Shikamaru, leaving the others confused.
"How can you say that, Ino?" Kiba asked.
"They know each other as well as Naruto knows Sakura, heck even more so if they were childhood friends as they mentioned. By spending so much time together, you can pick up on those little details of the people around you."
Ino's words weren't far from reality. Naruto himself suspected something strange when he heard the voice of the other Sakura, and the genjutsu she used on him could have been a message. The blond couldn't dwell on it too much because Sakura's hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.
"Naruto, we can't just stand here doing nothing. Menma is attacking my counterpart. I don't trust her, and she might even try to deceive us again. But if Menma fights seriously against her, she might really be an ally."
"Yeah, we need to help her, dattebayo," Naruto said, feeling Sakura's grip on him holding him down.
"We're not in the best condition, and they're completely unscathed. Plus, we need a plan if Sasuke and Madara act. I also don't know what my counterpart is capable of if she fights seriously, and we could complicate the situation," Sakura said, beginning to tend to her wounds.
"What's happened, Sakura-chan? Or should I call you Sakura-hime? I like it; it's the perfect way to address the village's spoiled princess. You're a nuisance to everyone around you, so you can drop that villain attitude," Menma said, sending shurikens toward the other Sakura.
"It's the darkness that speaks. You know me; we promised to always be there to help each other," the other Sakura replied, dodging the shurikens that kept coming.
"Really, Sakura-hime? Or is it a lie you tell yourself to deal with others from your position of prestige?"
"Sakura-hime? You'd never call me that. What happened to the boy I grew up with?" the other Sakura said, only to see Menma quickly approaching. "He's not your opponent, princess," Menma said with a dark Rasengan in his right hand, ready to strike her.
The other Sakura quickly grabbed Menma's wrist with the Rasengan and pulled him down to crash against the ground. A curtain of dust rose on the field as a result of the explosion of Menma's jutsu. That was the opportunity the other Sakura needed to get away and pull out several senbon needles from her medical pouch. Those senbon needles had some paralyzing agent on the tip of them.
"If you're going to act like a complete idiot, you shouldn't underestimate me. I've seen that technique too many times. You should know that I know how to counter it," the daughter of the Fourth Hokage said, throwing the needles.
Menma was still in the midst of the dust and reacted in time to use a wind barrier to stop the needles. He stood up and said to the other Sakura, "You'll never beat me. I'm the best ninja."
However, a new storm of cherry blossom petals began to cover the battlefield again, and the other Sakura disappeared.
"Do you really think you can defeat me with ninjutsu? Remember that I helped you perfect this technique. You'll never surprise me, Sakura."
Then the pink-haired girl appeared behind Menma to attack him, but he calmly blocked it. "You haven't learned, princess. Stay still so I can kill you along with the others," he said, preparing a Rasenringu in his hand, which he didn't hesitate to send at the other Sakura.
"You're right. You're better than me at ninjutsu. But when it comes to genjutsu," the other Sakura said before being hit by the technique.
"You're still a rookie."
Menma's Rasenringu passed through the other Sakura as if she were a ghost, and all the cherry blossom petals disappeared due to the explosion of the attack.
Menma had to protect himself from the shockwave with his arm, so he didn't see how the other Sakura appeared in front of him, ready to attack him with her fists. Menma could only adjust his arms to block the blow from the pink-haired girl, which was aimed directly at his face.
It was there that Menma realized that something was wrong. The punch was too weak. That's when everyone noticed that Menma had fallen into a trap to make him expose the rest of his body. The other Sakura smiled and turned her body to connect a direct kick to Menma's chin, just as she did with Sakura.
"And Menma-kun... don't forget that when it comes to taijutsu... I'm still better than you! Who helped you with the Namikaze Barrage after perfecting my Spring Barrage?" the other Sakura said.
The other Sakura created two clones to help her jump. Once in the air, the daughter of the heroes reminded Menma of her true strength as she finished him off. Menma was falling when Sakura's clones were waiting for him to bury Menma in the ground with a double punch.
Everyone was amazed by the style and strategy of the other Sakura, especially Sakura herself. Many thought that was the end, except for the daughter of the heroes. She knew that Menma would get up after that blow, knowing his resilience and strong will. However, something didn't make sense.
"That was too easy," the other Sakura said, watching as a furious Menma slowly got up, emanating a strange dark chakra that dissipated her clones.
"I haven't lost yet, Sakura! It's my turn!" Menma shouted, releasing the corrupted chakra of the fox while he prepared a Rasengan.
"Don't think I'll give up either. You will come back home with me, Menma!" The other Sakura prepared to attack with her fist when suddenly another ninja appeared ready to attack her from behind.
"Watch out!"
"Behind you!"
These were the shouts that alerted the other Sakura as Sasuke unsheathed his katana to kill her. The distance between her and the blade was minimal. Likewise, if she dodged the katana, there was a Rasengan waiting for her. Surrounded and hopeless, her body froze.
"It can't end like this... Mom, Dad, forgive me," thought the girl, closing her eyes and accepting her fate, she felt her body falling abruptly to the ground.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Naruto blocking Sasuke's sword with a kunai, and her counterpart embracing her on the ground. Looking for Menma, she realized they had taken down him.
"You always interfere in my affairs, dobe," said Sasuke.
"Says the one who meddles in others' affairs, teme," said Naruto, turning to address both Sakuras.
"I'll take care of Sasuke. Madara did something to Menma, and if we defeat him, he might return to normal like last time. I know you can do it, Sakura-chan."
After a brief smile, Naruto created a large number of clones to distract Sasuke. Both Sakuras nodded at Naruto's message and turned their attention back to Menma.
"You save me?"
"Yes. I had to hit Menma Then I tackled you to the ground to avoid Sasuke's attack in case Naruto didn't arrive in time. Maybe I used too much force strength when I grabbed you," Sakura responded to her counterpart, who still was in her arms.
"Don't worry. This was nothing compared to the beating I gave you when I arrived," said the other Sakura. That comment didn't sit well with Sakura, and her face clearly showed it.
"I'm sorry, there's no need for you to kill me with that stare. I failed; a ninja can't paralyze on the battlefield," said the other Sakura when she saw her counterpart's hand signaling her to stop.
"Enough. Understand this, I don't trust you. I saved you because it seems like you genuinely want to save Menma and help us. But if you betray us, I'll personally make sure to leave you in bed with all your bones broken," Sakura threatened her counterpart, who just nodded.
"Alright, we need to defeat Menma. Last time, he was defeated by a Rasengan and returned to normal shortly after. We need to try something similar. Are you willing to help?"
"Why do you think I came here?" said the other Sakura.
Both dimensional counterparts helped each other to stand, keeping an eye on Menma. They looked to confirm that Madara hadn't moved, and Sasuke was still with Naruto. Then the daughter of the Hokage spoke:
"I'm not sure if there are any differences between us, like with Menma, and I think you said his name is Naruto. My name is Sakura Haruno, a kunoichi from Konoha and the daughter of the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
"Same name. Sakura Haruno. Medical ninja from Konoha."
Kakashi and Yamato were on their feet and ready to return to battle. However, the younger ones were still recovering and confused due to their friends' doubles.
"Now both Sakuras are going to fight against the Naruto with black hair," said Ino to Shikamaru.
"It seems Naruto knows the other Sakura and this guy Menma because he mentioned something about returning him to normal," said Kiba.
"I still don't understand why they hid this from the beginning. Are they clones, puppets, or where did Madara find these two?" asked Kiba.
"It's a very good question and one they'll answer after getting out of here. Be very careful with that other Sakura. We don't know her true intentions."
"If she's a spy, why would Sasuke try to kill her if they're on the same team?" said Sai, helping Ino to stand up.
"It's also strange that they keep calling the other Sakura 'daughter of the Hokage' or 'princess.' Also, how did she get the cloak?" said Shikamaru.
"That's one of the first things I want to know. Our objective will be to neutralize the doubles first. As for Naruto and Sakura, they'll have a lot to explain to Lady Tsunade. As soon as I give you the sign, we'll attack the doubles of Naruto, Sasuke, and Madara," said Kakashi.
"Any ideas on how to defeat him?" said Sakura to her other counterpart, advancing towards Menma, who awaited them with black chakra surrounding him like flames.
"I can repeat my cherry blossom petal jutsu to confuse him. The problem is that I don't know what that black chakra can do."
"Can your jutsu cover someone else?" said Sakura, to which her double looked at her, puzzled until she understood the idea.
"Stay close to me; we have to act quickly."
The girls nodded and went against Menma. The other Sakura began to use the petal technique, while Sakura focused all the chakra she had left in her legs and hands to increase her speed and strength.
Once the petal storm returned, the girls disappeared from everyone's view. Kakashi hadn't been able to analyze the jutsu with his Sharingan yet, so he lifted the band from his eye to analyze the jutsu of the dimensional traveler.
"A genjutsu that camouflages the user by creating the illusion that they are at various points on the battlefield. The Sharingan doesn't work well because the petals are charged with chakra, creating an additional cover that prevents seeing the chakra of the people clearly. This jutsu was specifically designed to counter the abilities of Konoha's dojutsus. Such an advanced jutsu requires precise chakra control. It can't be that someone so young created it unless she is a genius."
"Now they're fighting as a team despite nearly killing each other a few minutes ago. How cute even you look like twin sisters. Don't worry, I'll make sure to kill you both together!" shouted Menma, releasing a large amount of dark chakra creating a black cyclone to keep the petals as far away from him as possible.
Despite his efforts, the petal technique was still in effect. For that reason, Menma remained still in the eye of the petal storm. Menma had to react as both pinkheads began to attack him with their reinforced blows. It wasn't easy to block them since both girls synchronized their attacks perfectly, not giving Menma a moment to breathe.
It wasn't until Menma understood how the girls had organized themselves that he could anticipate the other Sakura.
"The same trick won't work twice, Sakura-hime," said Menma, targeting the Sakura with the Fourth Hokage's cloak and going against her with a Rasengan. However, the daughter of Forth Hokage had her father's most powerful technique ready to face the Rasengan, while Sakura headed to connect her fist to Menma's blind spot.
"The same trick won't work twice, Sakura-hime," Menma said, locating Sakura with the Fourth Hokage's cloak and going after her with a Rasengan. However, the other Sakura already had the most powerful technique of her father ready to counter the Rasengan, while Sakura was going to hit Menma in his blind spot.
Just before the Rasengan and the mysterious pink sphere that the other Sakura had on her hand collided, a bright flash covered the battlefield. The brief distraction caused them to miss their attacks due to the shine that momentarily blinded them.
When the light disappeared, silence seized the battlefield until the sound of a kunai hitting the ground made them react. Most looked confused at the object that had arrived, but the first to recognize it was Tobi.
Tobi saw that the other Sakura and Menma were lying on the ground amidst a curtain of dust after failing their techniques and didn't distinguish that the weapon had come from their dimension. Moreover, it was easy to recognize; it was Minato Namikaze's Thunder God Kunai.
"If she managed to get through the portal... it means the Yellow Flash of Konoha could arrive soon with reinforcements."
"Sasuke, Menma, that's enough," said Tobi appearing next to Menma, taking him by the cloak and leading him to where Sasuke was. While Tobi's Kamui was activated, Sasuke said to Naruto:
"This isn't over yet, teme."
"I know, dobe."
"I'm sorry to ruin this nice reunion, but all of you will live a few more days. Sakura-hime, we appreciate your temporary collaboration in Akatsuki, sorry that I couldn't give you your own robe. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the hospitality of this dimension," said Tobi as he disappeared with the others.
"No, stop. MENMA!" shouted the other Sakura, getting up desperately to try to reach her friend's hand. However, before she could reach him, the three ninjas disappeared, and the pink-haired girl fell to her knees exhausted.
"No... I failed... I'm useless... I failed to save him again. Forgive me, Minato, Kushina, and Menma," said the other Sakura, crying, while being pitied by Naruto and Sakura.
This chapter took me a lot to time to rewrite, both in the Spanish and English version, so I apologized for the delay as I had some problems with the story to the point that I needed to work on other story to clear my head as I couldn't advance with this chapter. I'm happy with the final result as I wanted to show the skills of Sakura's counterpart against Menma, and the doubts in Konoha about the other Sakura true intentions. The name of the petals jutsu and the pink sphere jutsu will appear soon don't worry. See you soon.