Chapter 139: 139
"Are you serious?" Sai's eyes narrowed. "Defeat me in three moves, without your Sharingan? You will not be able to defeat me."
"You will see" Uchiha Izumi responded, her voice a low, confident hum. "With your current abilities, you are on par with a special jonin."
"And if you know that," Sai pressed, "what makes you so arrogant?"
"Haha, it's not arrogance," Izumi scoffed. "It's a simple statement of fact. Because in every aspect, I have already reached the level of a Jonin."
As soon as she finished speaking, Izumi vanished. The only sign of her movement was the rush of displaced air that whipped past Sai.
"So fast!"
Before Sai could even react, a sharp, blinding pain erupted from his side. Izumi had reappeared, her fist buried in his ribs.
"How's that? Does it hurt?"
"Damn it!" Sai's face was a mask of shock. He endured the intense pain, pushing off the ground to create some distance, his brush already moving rapidly across his scroll. In an instant, a horde of ink beasts sprang to life, pouncing on Izumi.
"What good can these doodle creatures do?" Izumi shook her head in disappointment. She moved through them with contemptuous ease, and with a series of precise strikes, she reduced the ink beasts to nothing more than splashes on the arena floor.
The faint smile on Sai's face had long since vanished, replaced by a look of sheer disbelief, his breathing coming in ragged gasps. He never expected her taijutsu to be so overwhelmingly powerful. Moreover, he had never seen a style like it before; he was completely unable to predict her movements. His greatest weakness had always been close-quarters combat against skilled taijutsu users. Now, he had truly met his match.
"What… what kind of taijutsu is that?" he gasped.
"It is a style developed by my ancestors," she explained coolly. "The Uchiha Fluid Body Technique."
"No wonder I've never seen it before. But… you still have two moves left. As long as I can hold on, I'll win!" Sai made up his mind. This was no time for pride. He knew he had to focus every last bit of his remaining chakra on defense.
"Super Beast Scroll: Multi-Shield!"
"Hmph. What good are a few more of those paper-thin defenses? I've already grown tired of them. I'll finish this in one move, not two."
Izumi tapped her toes lightly against the ground and disappeared again like a ghost. In the blink of an eye, the layers of ink shields before Sai shattered one after another. The next moment, Izumi's fist slammed directly into Sai's chest.
BOOM!
Sai's body, unable to withstand the immense force, was sent flying backward, slamming into the arena wall with enough power to shatter a large section of it. A spray of blood erupted from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground. Gekko Hayate rushed forward to check his condition. Sai was unconscious, the bones in his chest shattered. He was in no condition to continue fighting.
"Winner: Uchiha Izumi."
The entire arena was dead silent. Once again, an Uchiha had conquered the field with terrifying, overwhelming strength.
Rock Lee's eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and excitement. In his mind, besides his teacher, Might Guy, he had never considered anyone his superior in taijutsu. But after witnessing Izumi's performance, an immense pressure settled on his shoulders.
"Guy-sensei," he asked, his voice full of a new urgency, "with only taijutsu, could I defeat her?"
Might Guy paused, his expression serious. "If Izumi does not use her Sharingan… it would be a close match."
"Really? Then I understand." Rock Lee nodded, a new fire in his eyes. There was always someone stronger. It seemed he would have to train even harder.
Might Guy's expression remained grim. He didn't want to discourage his prized student, but he couldn't lie. He knew in his heart that even with his weights removed, Lee's speed was only comparable to Izumi's. If she were to add the incredible insight of the Sharingan to her flawless taijutsu, Rock Lee would have no chance of victory at all.
"Then… let us move on to the next match."
"Uzumaki Naruto versus Kiba Inuzuka."