The clearing dripped with water. A large pool of water covered the ground. Twisting and shifting, a form emerged from the darkness of the pool after several minutes.
"You keep talking as though you're some kind of master." Suigetsu's eyes narrowed. "However, there's no way that's the case if you're still teaching students from an academy. A true master should have passed that limitation."
"So that's where you were hiding, yeah."
Suigetsu's body rose from the water. His sharp teeth shone as he curled back his lips.
"Still, is it okay to take me so lightly, yeah?" Deikōgi questioned, her eyebrow rising as she stepped forward.
The sword of Suigetsu, a long, glimmering sword touched by lightning, lowered.
"I have some experience, and besides, I recognize the nature of the conflict we've entered." Suigetsu smirked. "I came here ready to die."
"But are you ready to kill, yeah?"
"It's not beyond my abilities."
"I see, yeah." Deikōgi reached downward. Her hands seized on the contents of the pouch.
Clay formed between the fingers, kneading into a form as Deikōgi forced the pieces together.
"In that case…"
Suigetsu's eyes narrowed.
"I'll send you to that grave, yeah."
The fingers spread wide.
The clay reformed.
A bird emerged from the cupped hands.
Suigetsu frowned. "…Eh?"
The wings flapped rapidly.
What's this about?
The bird flew forward.
Suigetsu tensed. I could understand if it's another wall like she used in the arena, but that seems like the kind of technique someone would use for scouting.
Seems pretty normal, yeah?
The bird flew forward.
Hardly fitting for someone like me, yeah. Water is a little…
The fingers extended.
A little troublesome, yeah… But then, it can't kill me unless you jump down my throat and get swallowed, yeah. Deikōgi's fingers extended. A smirk crossed her lips. Hard to understand until you get burned how dangerous it is, yeah.
The bird flapped closer.
"Is that some kind of joke?! You can't kill me like that, moron!"
"I said it already, didn't I? I'm a 'pro', yeah." Deikōgi lifted her hand, shifting the position of the target.
Suigetsu's eyes narrowed.
"It's only a clay bird, yeah. I can't see why you're so worried, yeah."
Suigetsu drew the sword.
"Of course, that's still thinking normally, yeah…"
Suigetsu lifted the sword rapidly.
"It's not the same as me, yeah."
The bird spread its wings.
"You're about to learn why we're frightening, yeah."
The fingers clapped together.
Suigetsu's eyes widened.
"Katsu."
An explosion radiated from the center of the bird.
Suigetsu gasped.
The explosion engulfed the arm.
What the hell…?! Suigetsu rapidly transformed back into water.
"You can't run like that, yeah!"
The clay reformed.
Suigetsu's body tensed. Who the hell made that?!
The clay bird flew forward.
"Art can be a lot of things, yeah…"
The clay danced around the body.
Suigetsu tensed.
"But it's mainly my flow and action, yeah."
The fingers pressed together.
"Art should be a bang, yeah. The flow, the emotion, the effects, yeah."
Suigetsu's eyes narrowed.
"KATSU!"
The bird exploded.
Suigetsu lifted his sword.
The explosion radiated outward.
"You can't block it that easy, yeah. This is a fitting death for someone like you, yeah…"
Suigetsu's eyes narrowed.
"Someone who'd follow Orochimaru stupidly, yeah." Deikōgi sighed. "Well, I can't imagine it, yeah… You probably don't even understand art, yeah." Deikōgi's fingers extended.
Clay formed inside the mouths.
As it is, that's something of a bluff, yeah. I have my clay, but I'm running a bit low on it, yeah.
Suigetsu lunged forward.
And it seems he's figured that out too, yeah! Deikōgi gritted her teeth. At any rate, even if he does get water on it…
The sword swung over Deikōgi's head.
Deikōgi ducked backward. Her lips curled upward. It's not going to stop it from exploding, yeah. So far, he's involved a few civilians, yeah…
Suigetsu's body transformed.
Water splashed across the body.
"Oh, no. How terrifying, yeah," Deikōgi remarked flatly.
"That's right! Your chemicals won't explode like this! Now, let's see if you can fight me fairly without that clay."
"When you reformed…"
Suigetsu blinked.
"You left a little clay inside your foot, yeah. Bad luck, yeah."
The fingers pressed together again.
"KATSU!"
The leg exploded.
Suigetsu gasped in pain.
"Well, art being art, I'm inclined to finish you off here, yeah—to say nothing of the matter of those you killed, yeah." Deikōgi coughed loudly. "If we were back home, killing you would be a mercy, yeah… But the Hokage's a kind man, even if his people have been killed, yeah. You can live pretty safely in a prison, yeah."
The sword collapsed to the ground.
Suigetsu grasped the stump of the leg.
The fingers extended.
"This… What the hell is this supposed to be?"
"The work of the Explosion Corps, yeah. Honestly, I'm not especially impressed, yeah. Shouldn't the best be better than that, yeah? You kept talking things about my mastery or whatever, yeah... but I think you've been overstating your case, yeah."
"This—" Suigetsu gasped in pain. His sword clattered to the ground as he lost his grip.
"Usually people shut up when they've lost an appendage or two, yeah. If you don't have any interest in losing your consciousness, you shouldn't speak, yeah…" Deikōgi sighed.
"…Heh." Deikōgi's eyes narrowed. "Collapse, yeah."
Suigetsu wobbled, then collapsed.
"How very boring, yeah." Deikōgi looked up at the statues. Her fingers clapped together. "Still, something like this is sufficient, yeah."
The city trembled.
The rubble lay across the ground of the pillar room.
"It's sufficient for my purposes, yeah—I think a few civilians are still alive, yeah. If that little girl had anything to say about it, they're alive, yeah."
Suigetsu's unconscious body remained motionless.
"Well, let's clean up this mess, yeah…" Sighing, Deikōgi knelt. She began to gather up stones, setting the stones one by one on the wall.