Highlights
- Sai possesses an incredibly unique jutsu called Ink Technique, which allows him to turn his drawings into living creatures, making him a highly versatile ninja.
- Sai’s discipline, determination, and loyalty set him apart from others, as he was trained to be a Root agent and remained loyal to Konoha after breaking free from Danzo’s control.
- Sai’s exceptional combat abilities and high mission success rate make him one of the most underrated ninjas in Konoha, despite his contributions to Team 7 and the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Befitting its title as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha has produced countless exceptional ninjas. From the God of Ninja, Hashirama Senju, to the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. From the legendary ninja, Jiraiya, to the hero of Konoha, Naruto. It seems that Konoha can’t stop churning out one extraordinary ninja after the other.
Speaking of which, Naruto is not the only young ninja from Konoha who’s made his name known throughout the world. Sasuke, Shikamaru, Hinata, and many of their peers have enjoyed their fair share of the spotlight. However, there is one particular ninja who has been flying under the radar ever since he was introduced as a temporary member of Team 7. He is fairly unrecognized, even though he has always been a highly remarkable ninja. His name is Sai, and here’s why he’s the most underrated ninja in Konoha.
Sai Stands Out as an Incredibly Versatile Ninja
The first measure of performance for a ninja is their combat ability. After all, the worth of a ninja is often proved on a mission or a battlefield. And since ninjas are usually the main military force for a village like Konoha, the combat ability of the ninjas is often tantamount to the village’s survival. The more missions they can take and the more effective they are on a battlefield, the higher their worth as ninjas. In this regard, Sai passed with a flying color.
Sai possesses an incredibly unique jutsu called the Ink Technique. This jutsu allows him to imbue his chakra into custom-made ink and turn whatever he draws into a living creature. From small birds to giant muscular demons from hell, he can turn his creation into reality for a brief moment. Needless to say, Sai can freely control the ink creatures that he created.
Thanks to this unique jutsu, Sai can take on any role the mission requires. He can transport people and do some aerial recon missions with his giant ink bird. He can safely deliver crucial intel to his allies by turning the mission report that he writes with his ink into a small, unnoticeable animal like a bird or snake. He can also deliver heavy damage by creating large ink creatures, like the aforementioned muscular demons or even a massive dragon.
As if that’s not versatile enough, he can also incorporate a sealing jutsu into his ink technique. As a result, he can create an ink animal, usually a tiger, that can swiftly and ferociously move around the battlefield and seal an opponent upon contact. This is precisely what he did to seal one of the seven swordsmen of the mist during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Sai’s Remarkable Discipline, Determination, and Loyalty Set Him Apart From Others
The next important measure of a ninja’s performance is their discipline, determination, and loyalty. After all, a strong ninja with no discipline will only ruin a mission. A skilled ninja without determination will quickly give up on a mission. And a powerful ninja without loyalty will only turn into either a criminal or a traitor. That’s why these three qualities are crucial for a ninja.
Sai was raised from childhood to be a Root agent under the merciless watch of Danzo. Along with combat training, Danzo also trained him, along with hundreds of orphans, to be an extremely disciplined and efficient spy who was determined to do anything for the sake of the mission. Danzo also instilled a deep sense of fear and loyalty to Sai and the other kids, so that no matter what happened, they would never betray him and would always be loyal to him.
It’s clear that Sai has every ingredient needed to be a great ninja. Sure, the fact that he was loyal to Danzo, instead of Konoha as a whole, was problematic. Thankfully, throughout his time with Naruto and the rest of the village, Sai learned the true nature of Danzo and managed to break free of his bind. Since then, Sai has become somebody who puts his faith in his friends and is loyal to Konoha.
All of This Culminated in a High Mission Success Rate
Sai’s incredibly versatile combat ability and exemplary attitude inevitably lead to the third and arguably the most important part of being a ninja, which is achieving a high mission success rate. Sai was one of the best spies that the Root had ever produced. Because no matter what kind of mission was thrown at him, he would do anything to complete the objectives in a timely manner. As a matter of fact, this was precisely the reason why he was tasked to be the temporary member of Kakashi’s Team 7.
Sai joined Team 7 in the second part of the series. His first mission with Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato was to investigate Orochimaru’s movements and locate Sasuke. At the same time, Sai also received a mission from Danzo to secretly contact Orochimaru on his behalf. The second objective for Team 7 was to capture Sasuke, while the one from Danzo was to kill Sasuke. Sai managed to complete the first objective for both missions, but failed both of the second objectives, mainly because Sasuke proved to be stronger than expected.
After that initial success, Sai underwent all kinds of missions from Konoha. As part of Team 7, he helped Shikamaru and his team defeat Kakuzu of the Akatsuki and also helped track down Uchiha Itachi’s whereabouts. He was also tasked with a recon and investigative mission with Anko and Yamato, and they managed to find Kabuto Yakushi’s secret hideout. During the 4th Great Ninja War, Sai was an instrumental part of the Advance Recon unit and managed to seal several Reincarnated Ninjas.
As you can see, not only is Sai a versatile ninja who can thrive in any kind of mission, but he also has the right attitude to back it up. But most importantly, he has a pretty high mission success rate. Despite all that, his name is rarely mentioned in the conversation of the great ninja from Konoha. That’s why it’s not an exaggeration to say that Sai is one of the most underrated ninjas in Konoha.
Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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