409 Ch409. A prelude to end

The catfight between Karin and Temari lasted for ten whole minutes when Temari suddenly kicked Karin off of her, sending her flying back straight towards her 'discarded' sword.

When Karin noticed that, she didn't hesitate and retrieved her sword mid-flight before she dug her heels into the ground, sliding on it into a halt. She quickly regained her balance and sprang back towards Temari who was still unarmed because her war fan was laying on the ground a few tens of feet away.

'Chance!' Karin inwardly thought with glee, preparing to slash at the Sand bitch with her sword.

Temari's eyes widened when she realized what was happening. But she was not one of the best Suna had to offer for nothing. As Karin's blade neared her, Temari crouched down onto the ground, her palms slamming into the black surface. With this one motion, she created a small opening in the black glass-like material, and instantly sand flowed through this opening, creating a wall in front of her.

Karin scowled at such annoyance and just continued with her slash. As if a bit of sand could stop her! She pumped chakra into her blade before discharging it with a swing, sending a razor-sharp arc of chakra through the air.

The air trembled from the force passing through it and the sand wall was barely an obstacle as Karin's sword cut through it in a similar manner a knife cuts through half-melted butter.

But it fulfilled its purpose. Even if it slowed Karin down just for a split of a second, it was enough for Temari to escape. Especially since the sand wall obscured Karin's sight.

Noticing her target was not split in half, Karin frowned. She expected this kind of result but it still slightly disappointed her. She didn't need to look for Temari. Karin may not be able to sense her but she knew exactly where her opponent was. There was really only one direction in which Temari could have fled.

Karin looked at the ground and smirked.

'All according to the plan!' She inwardly exclaimed in elation before raising her right foot and starting to fill it with chakra.

The spectators suddenly felt a tremor as Karin slammed her foot onto the ground, causing spiderweb cracks to splinter the black obsidian-like surface of the arena all over the crater. The force of her stomp was aimed mostly downward, traveling through the ground with the intention to squash everything... and everyone... hiding in there.

Karin might not have been Tsunade's apprentice but after years of interacting with the Senju Princess, the Uzumaki heiress learned a few things on her own. Even if Tsunade never really tried to teach the girl, Karin's chakra sensing was a tremendous advantage that could be utilized not unlike the Uchiha clan's Sharingan.

Naturally, Karin asked for Tsuande's permission first as she didn't want to be flattened into a pancake in case Tsunade took offense to her technique being copied...

Unfortunately for Temari, Tsunade indeed gave Karin this permission, and as such, when Temari emerged from underground, she sported many new bruises and lacerations from the pressure exerted onto her body when she was hiding underground.

She was honestly still in quite good shape, considering the force of Karin's stomp would have squashed an ordinary chunin into a paste.

Temari didn't mind her injuries even though she felt annoyed that Karin got her good. What irked her far more was the fact her sand clones were destroyed and with them, her ambush plan had to be scrapped.

Clicking her tongue, Temari outstretched her hand in the direction of her war fan... and it quickly flew into it, as if she just used telekinesis.

It certainly impressed the audience and got many surprised exclamations but it was far from the truth. In fact, this was all possible only thanks to Karin.

Karin's stomp might have destroyed Temari's sand clones but it also created cracks in the black obsidian-like material covering the arena. Surprisingly enough, this material was quite hard to break and the only source of sand Temari had at hand was underneath it. Even for the almost useless sand wall, she actually had to make an opening in the black material.

This was a massive problem for her and that was the reason why she even went underground in the first place.

After these cracks were made though... It was exceedingly easy to get some of her sand through them and make it 'grab' her fan and 'throw' it towards her.

"What's with that stupid face." Temari mirthfully chuckled while she subtly prepared to both attack and defend with her fan at a moment's notice. "You didn't really think some half-assed imitation could finish me off, did you?"

Karin, who was sourly looking at Temari, scoffed. "I hoped you would have enough human decency to drop dead from it but I see you are too dumb to die."

"Uu~, you flatter me. But... I wonder. Are you so flat because of your big brain?" Temari grinned when Karin growled at her.

"For someone who just had a date with a meat-grinder you are quite chipper." Karin retorted. "Are you sure you don't want to surrender? You still didn't manage to deliver any worthy hit on me and yet, you look like a cheap prostitute from a war-torn country who just received a beating of her lifetime."

To be honest, Karin had a point. Temari was extremely disheveled, her messy hair free from their bindings and her clothes torn in multiple places while her skin sported various bruises. She was simply a mess.

Temari's amused expression did not cease despite the insult. Instead, she snorted, "Bitch, please. Stop bluffing. We both know it is you who should be nervous. You might have put some scratches on me but it is me who has enough chakra to continue for a whole day while you are running very low right now. It is me who can just relax and wait for you to fall from exhaustion."

Karin did not have a retort to that. Her expression twisted in distaste at the fact Temari was aware of her circumstances. Karin tried her best to act as if nothing was burdening her but Temari noticed that she was pushing herself. That wasn't good.

"I wonder if you are fine, Karin-chan. Don't you wanna take a break? Maybe an afternoon nap would do you some good." Temari mocked in a tone full of laughter. She might have looked bad but she was completely fine in every way that mattered.

Karin rolled her eyes and her sword started glowing with chakra again, "Don't you worry your sand-filled noggin because of me. I will end it with the next attack." She lowered her gravity center and entered another sword stance, preparing for a big move.

Temari's smile fell at that and she also prepared herself.

'Yeah. No matter what, the next attack will end the match.' Both of them coincidentally thought the same thing.

For a moment, the time in the arena as if halted...

Before the moment passed and Karin leaped forward, a massive and oppressive force of chakra emitted from her blade that hungrily rushed at Temari whose war fan was vibrating with the chakra of the magnet release, unleashed in its full potential.

The two weapons clashed and...