Forged Beyond

A new hideout

I'm gonna try to release as many chapters as I can before the 15th of March because I will be very busy from the 15th of March to the 25th of March Due to my final exams. :(( But I really hope y'all like this chapter! ENJOYY!! <3  And  please just call me Luna cuz Lunar_nin if that makes sense, lol, Yall are too formal T-T  and Tell me you guys want a age reveal anytime soon, since my birthday is also coming :D yay

Sakura clenched her fist, her knuckles glowing with chakra, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

Sasori barely had time to register her movement before she materialized behind him, her presence a force that sent a chill through even his hollow, puppet-like body. He reacted instantly, fingers twitching, sending two of his strongest puppets surging toward her like demons in the dark.

Too slow.

Sakura didn't hesitate.

Her first punch obliterated the puppet to her right, its wooden limbs splintering like fragile twigs. The second, she caught midair, fingers digging into its chest before she ripped it apart with sheer force, sending the shattered remains flying. The impact sent shockwaves through the already crumbling battlefield.

Sasori's eyes narrowed. She was stronger. Stronger than before, fiercer than before—more relentless.

But he wouldn't lose.

Not to her.

His hands moved in a blur, controlling more and more puppets, surrounding her like a swarm of death. From every angle, they lunged. Blades gleamed, poison glistened, chakra strings twisted—

Sakura destroyed them all.

Her fists blurred as she smashed through puppet after puppet, dodging, weaving, shattering their delicate forms like glass. Each step she took closed the distance between her and Sasori. He kept sending more, but they couldn't keep up.

She was too fast.

Too strong.

Sakura gritted her teeth, gathering chakra into her fist—not all of it. No, just enough. Enough to end this. Enough to make sure he knew.

With one final charge, she surged forward, dodging a last, desperate attempt to stop her. Her fist collided with his torso, the sheer impact sending a shockwave through his puppet body. But she didn't stop there—her fingers dug inside, grabbing hold of the delicate mechanisms that kept him moving.

Sasori's eyes widened in rage.

His fingers twitched in a last act of defiance, his poisoned nails stabbing into her skin. A poison she had yet to cure.

Sakura trembled, just for a second. A weakness.

But it was already over.

With one final pull, she ripped out the core mechanisms inside him, the very thing that kept him functioning. Sasori's head lifted, his glare burning into hers—hateful, resentful. He tried to move, tried to speak, but his body was failing.

The last of his chakra was flickering, dimming.

He was dying.

Sakura took a step back, breathing heavily, her own body barely holding on. But she stood tall, looking down at him, her expression unreadable.

And then—

"Tsunade will always be superior."

Sasori's vision faded.

His body collapsed.

And just like that—he was no more.

Sakura barely had time to breathe. The roof above her groaned, its structure failing, fractures crawling across the stone as dust rained down like a suffocating fog. The entire hideout was about to cave in.