The female ninja flicked her long tongue and tossed Naruto aside with ease. Now that Sasuke was ready to fight, she didn't want to waste time on anyone else.
"Naruto!" Sakura cried out. Seeing him thrown hard toward the ground, she sprinted to catch him, glaring at Sasuke before rushing forward. She reached Naruto just in time, slowing his fall with her arms, though the impact nearly broke them. She managed to save Naruto's life, but the pain left her shaken.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was locked in a mental struggle. His brother's taunting words echoed in his head: "Keep running, keep hiding, desperate to survive." His vision filled with images of his older brother, each one more haunting than the last.
"No! It's not supposed to be this way!" Sasuke shouted, raising his eyes to the sky, a raw, wounded look on his face.
"Run and survive… only to become strong enough to face me." The memory of his brother's cold voice filled Sasuke with a mix of fury and despair.
"No! Uchiha Sasuke is no coward!" he yelled, his Sharingan blazing as he fixed his gaze on the female ninja with a new determination.
"As expected from the Uchiha bloodline," the female ninja murmured, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. She leaned forward, arms spread and legs bent, preparing to strike like a predator.
"Come, let's see what strength you've been hiding," she taunted, "or maybe I'll be the one to drag it out of you."
Sasuke's face was set in grim resolve. He grabbed a kunai from his pouch, biting down on it as he prepared to charge.
His mind raced: I was born to defeat my brother, to prove myself. But how can I protect anyone if I'm still this weak? How could I ever hope to surpass him?
His eyes shifted briefly to Naruto and Sakura, his thoughts racing. He took a deep breath, focused his energy, and sprinted toward the female ninja with a burst of speed.
"Is he really attacking her head-on?" Lee thought in surprise, watching from his hiding place. He knew how powerful the female ninja was—stronger than any elite he'd seen—and yet, Sasuke was charging her with no hesitation. Even though the fight seemed hopeless, Sasuke's fierce determination impressed him deeply.
As Sasuke closed in, he leapt into the air and flung several kunai at her from different angles.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
The kunai came at the female ninja from three directions, aimed at her upper, middle, and lower body. But she dodged effortlessly, shifting her stance in tiny, precise movements. Sasuke's attacks passed harmlessly by, as she hadn't moved an inch from where she stood.
The difference in skill was clear, but Sasuke didn't let it shake him. With a fierce yell, he closed the distance and swung his fist at her.
"Heh, is this all you've got?" she scoffed, casually blocking his strike. "You're too weak. Trying to fight me is like trying to scratch a boulder."
She lashed out with a punch, hitting Sasuke's fist with overwhelming force. The shock made his arm burn with pain, but he bit down and continued.
"This monster is just toying with him, pushing him to his limit to see what he'll do," Lee thought, frowning.
The female ninja suddenly shifted from defense to offense, moving with an unnatural speed that left afterimages in her wake. She was everywhere at once, her strikes coming from all directions. But Sasuke's Sharingan allowed him to track her movements. He dodged and parried, his eyes following her even as her speed continued to increase.
I see her! I can keep up! Sasuke thought, feeling a surge of confidence.
"Sharingan… impressive," she said with a dark smile. "But let's see how you handle this." And with that, her speed doubled.
Lee's eyes widened as he watched her. "She just got faster! How strong is she?"
Sasuke could barely keep up as she moved in a blur around him, creating a cloud of dust with her speed. He strained to follow her with his Sharingan, his attention focused entirely on predicting her next move.
There! he thought, as he sensed her position. He leapt sideways just as her foot slammed into the ground where he'd been standing, cracking the earth and sending dust flying.
"Fire Style! Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke seized the moment, forming hand signs and unleashing a half-meter-wide fireball directly at her position.
The fireball blazed toward her, scorching the air. But the female ninja leapt into the air, dodging it with ease, and landed with a mocking smile.
"Is that all, little Uchiha?" she sneered, clearly unimpressed. But Sasuke wasn't done.
He dashed forward, attacking with a flurry of punches and kicks. His movements were fierce, his strikes precise. But each time, she dodged or blocked with a flick of her wrist, hardly putting in any effort.
"You're out of your depth, Sasuke," she taunted. "Is this all the Uchiha blood has to offer?"
But Sasuke's resolve didn't waver. He pushed on, his face set in fierce determination, ignoring the pain in his arm and the weariness seeping into his body. He was determined to prove that he was no coward.
Each strike carried his anger, his frustration, and his pride. He poured everything into the fight, hoping that somewhere, somehow, he'd break through her defenses. The female ninja's mocking smile never faltered, but her eyes sparkled with something close to admiration.
"Good, Sasuke. Show me more of what you're capable of," she murmured, almost to herself.
Then, with a sudden shift, she disappeared once again, reappearing behind Sasuke in an instant. He whirled around just in time to block her next strike, his Sharingan barely keeping up.
But Sasuke's strength was nearly spent. His breaths came in gasps, his muscles trembling with exhaustion. Yet he held his ground, his eyes never leaving his opponent.
Lee watched from his hiding spot, heart pounding as Sasuke refused to give in. He knew this was a losing fight, but he couldn't help but feel a strange admiration for Sasuke's will to keep fighting, no matter how impossible the odds.
The female ninja, still toying with him, prepared to deliver the final blow.
If she kills him now… Lee's fists clenched as he wrestled with his own fear, his instincts screaming for him to intervene.
Sasuke, panting heavily, looked up at the female ninja with unwavering determination. "I won't run. Not from you. Not from anyone!" he declared, his voice defiant.
The female ninja's smile widened. "Very well, Sasuke. Show me what else you've got."