Sai vs. Suigetsu

The sunlight in the forest was fragmented by the dense canopy, dappling the moss-covered ground. Danzo's bodyguard, Fuu Yamanaka, sensed four people rapidly approaching them. Danzo ordered Sai to stay behind and hold them off, then took Kaze and Torune Aburame and continued towards the Land of Iron.

Karin also sensed the separation of Danzo and the other three and immediately reported it to Sasuke, who was leading the group.

"Who are the ninjas who stayed behind?" Sasuke asked coldly.

"Based on my Chakra senses, it should be Sai, one of the team's bodyguards," Karin replied after sensing again.

"Suigetsu, you're in charge of handling this," Sasuke ordered. "Remember, catch up with us immediately after you're done."

"OK!" Suigetsu replied excitedly.

Sasuke, along with Karin and Jugo, continued their pursuit of Danzo.

Sai, left behind, leaned against a huge cedar tree, the scroll in his hand already unfurled, a signature, cold, fake smile on his face.

"You seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere," Sai said calmly. "Unfortunately, this road is blocked."

Suigetsu, carrying the Kubikiribōchō, grinned, revealing sharp teeth. "Yo, isn't this Danzo's lackey? Make way, make way, I'm in a hurry."

"I have a mission to complete, so I cannot comply." As soon as Sai finished speaking, his right hand swiftly swept across the scroll.

"Super Beast Fake Drawing: Snake!"

Ink gushed from the scroll, instantly coalescing into three enormous black pythons that hissed as they lunged at Suigetsu. Suigetsu neither dodged nor evaded, but instead charged forward. Just as the black pythons were about to bite him, his entire body liquefied, transforming into a pool of transparent water that flowed between the snakes' bodies.

"The Water Transformation Technique?" Sai's eyes flickered slightly, his paintbrush continuing its work. "How about this?"

"Super Beast Fake Drawing: Tiger!"

The black tiger pounced from the side, its sharp claws slapping at the puddle of water. Suigetsu quickly reverted to human form, her Kubikiribōchō blocking the attack. With a clang, the tiger's claws collided with the blade, producing a metallic sound. Suigetsu was knocked back several steps, the mud beneath her feet being plowed into two deep furrows.

"Interesting, the tiger made of ink is surprisingly strong." Suigetsu shook her numb arm, a hint of excitement flashing in her eyes. "However, that's about it."

He suddenly plunged his Kubikiribōchō deep into the ground, his hands rapidly Hand Seals: "Water Release: Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

From a nearby stream, the water converged into a giant water dragon, lunging menacingly at Sai. Sai remained unfazed, his brush swiftly sketching on the scroll.

"Super Beast Fake Drawing - Shield!"

A massive, dark shield appeared out of thin air, blocking the water dragon. The dragon crashed into the shield, exploding into a shower of water. In the instant the water splashed and visibility was obscured, Suigetsu's figure vanished.

"Where?" Sai looked around warily, his paintbrush poised to respond to any sudden attack.

"Here it is~"

The sound came from above. Sai looked up and saw Suigetsu hanging upside down from a tree branch, the Kubikiribōchō already slashing down. Sai hurriedly retreated, but the blade still grazed his left shoulder, drawing a string of blood beads.

"Tsk, you dodged pretty fast." Suigetsu landed, licking the blood off her blade. "But she won't be so lucky next time."

Sai clutched his wound, the fake smile finally disappearing from his face. He realized that this seemingly frivolous guy had far more combat experience than he had imagined. His Water Transformation Technique made him almost immune to physical attacks, and his Water Release Ninjutsu made full use of the environment.

We must change our strategy.

Sai took a deep breath, fully unrolled the scroll and laid it on the ground, holding two paintbrushes in both hands at the same time.

"Super Beast Fake Drawing ·Flocks of birds dancing wildly!"

Dozens of ink birds flew out of the scroll. Unlike the ink beasts that attacked directly, they circled in the air and pecked at Suigetsu from all angles. Suigetsu swung her sword and cut down a few, but more ink birds came one after another. Although their pecking was not fatal, it seriously interfered with Suigetsu's movements.

"Annoying thing!" Suigetsu said impatiently, and used the Water Transformation Technique again, causing the Ink Bird's attack to miss.

But this time, Sai was waiting for the moment he would liquefy.

"Super Beast Fake Drawing - Prison!"

Four ink beasts—a lion, a tiger, a bear, and a leopard—rushed towards the pool of water from four directions simultaneously. They did not attack, but instead transformed into four ink chains the instant they touched the water, firmly locking it in the center. Suigetsu tried to flow out through the gaps in the chains, but found that these ink chains had a sealing effect, restricting his liquefaction ability.

"Got you." Sai said breathlessly, the series of advanced Ninjutsu had consumed a lot of his Chakra.

Suigetsu was forced to revert to human form, his limbs tightly bound by ink chains. "Not bad tactics," he actually laughed, "But..."

His body began to swell, as if water was surging beneath his skin. "You seem to have forgotten that water is all-pervasive."

"Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

A tremendous water pressure erupted from Suigetsu's body, and the ink chain shattered inch by inch under the impact of the violent water flow. Sai was swept away by this sudden water flow and crashed heavily into a tree trunk. He coughed up blood, barely managed to stand up, only to find that the area around him had turned into a shallow beach— Suigetsu had altered the terrain around her.

"Now, this is my domain." Suigetsu stood in the middle of the water, her Kubikiribōchō trailing across the surface, creating a ripple.

Sai gritted his teeth; he knew he had to use that technique. It was a forbidden technique, specially permitted by Danzo, and could only be used in life-or-death situations.

He bit his thumb and smeared the blood on the scroll.

"Super Beast Fake Drawing: Divine Eagle!"

This time, instead of a black beast, appeared a translucent giant eagle radiating golden light. Every feather was lifelike, and its eyes even shone with intelligence. This was a forbidden technique where Sai infused a portion of his soul and Chakra into the painting; its power was immense, but the price was the permanent depletion of his mental strength.

The divine eagle let out a loud cry and flapped its wings towards Suigetsu, its speed so fast that it left afterimages in the air. Suigetsu raised his sword to block, but the divine eagle's sharp claws pierced through the Kubikiribōchō and grabbed at his chest.

"What?!" Suigetsu was shocked and hurriedly Water Transformation Technique, but the Divine Eagle's claws seemed to be able to touch the spirit body, still leaving three deep wounds on his chest.

"This is no ordinary ink painting." Sai's face was pale, but his eyes were firm. "This is a 'true painting' infused with a soul."

Suigetsu looked down at the wound on his chest, the blood staining his clothes. He laughed, a beastly laugh.

"Interesting, very interesting!" A genuine fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. "Now that's more like it!"

He planted the Kubikiribōchō beside him, clasped his hands together, Chakra surged wildly. The surrounding water began to swirl, forming a huge Uzumaki.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bite Explosion!"

Four water dragons rose from the Uzumaki, more solid than before, almost like real dragons. The four water dragons pounced on the divine eagle from four directions, while Suigetsu herself submerged into the water and disappeared.

Sai controlled the Divine Eagle to contend with the four water dragons. Each swing of the Divine Eagle's talons tore apart a water dragon, but the water dragons would quickly reassemble after being broken, seemingly endless. This was a war of attrition Chakra, and Sai was already nearing his limit.

Just then, Suigetsu suddenly leaped out of the water directly below Sai, her Kubikiribōchō aimed straight for Sai's heart. Sai hurriedly retreated, but the blade still pierced his abdomen.

"It's over," Suigetsu said coldly.

Sai looked down at the knife in his abdomen, then suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with relief.

"Yes, it's over," he said softly, as his brush made its final stroke across the scroll.

"Super Beast Fake Drawing - Self-Destruction"

Suddenly abandoning its battle with the water dragon, the Divine Eagle changed direction and charged towards the Suigetsu at a suicidal speed. At the moment of contact, the Divine Eagle and all the Ink Beasts exploded simultaneously, and the huge shockwave leveled all the trees within dozens of meters.

After the smoke cleared, Suigetsu stood there, covered in wounds, her Kubikiribōchō deeply embedded in the ground for support. Sai lay not far away, blood gushing from his abdominal wound, unconscious.

Suigetsu staggered Earth Walk, looking down at her tenacious opponent.

"What a troublesome fellow." He drew his Kubikiribōchō and gave Sai a swift and painless end.

With no time to treat her wounds, Suigetsu quickly bandaged them and chased after Sasuke in the direction he had gone. The forest returned to silence, with only the mess on the ground as proof of the life-or-death battle that had just taken place.

While Sai sacrificed his life to hold off Suigetsu, Danzo, along with his remaining two guards— Fuu Yamanaka and Torune Aburame —rapidly traversed the forest. Their goal was to reach the border of the Land of Iron as quickly as possible, where Danzo had arranged for backup.

"Wind, how much further?" Danzo's voice was not out of breath; the elderly ninja displayed astonishing stamina.

Fuu Yamanaka closed his eyes to sense the situation, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "The pursuers have split into two groups. One group is being held back by Sai, and the other... three people, moving incredibly fast, will catch up to us in five minutes at most. One of them has icy, violent Chakra; it's undoubtedly Sasuke Uchiha."

A fierce glint flashed in Danzo's eyes. Sasuke Uchiha, the orphan who should have become Konoha's sword, had now become a scourge that had to be eliminated. However, this was also an opportunity—if he could kill Sasuke here, he could not only remove a major threat but also demonstrate his strength at the upcoming Five Kage Summit.