A blinding white light enveloped the forest in an instant, accompanied by a wave of destructive power.
The lush canopy above quickly turned to ash, and the thick trees crumbled, breaking apart as they fell.
Caught in the explosion's range and unable to escape in time, the five members of Team Rockhead immediately changed their expressions.
Without hesitation, they clapped their hands together and shouted:
"Kekkai Jutsu: Gogyō Sōsei!" (Barrier Technique: Five Elements Formation)
The forces of fire, earth, wind, water, and lightning burst forth from the five of them, combining into a solid protective barrier that wrapped around them under the technique's formation.
Just as they completed this, the blinding white light descended upon them.
Boom!
The ground shook, and rocks flew in all directions.
Under the explosion of the bomb powerful enough to destroy a village, the forest below was rapidly vaporized.
The lingering shockwaves peeled away layer after layer of earth.
"What indescribable beauty! I might be boasting, but it's the truth. My art is just too perfect! Hmm!"
Standing on his clay bird, Deidara spread his arms wide, admiring the unparalleled beauty created in that brief moment by the explosion of his C3: No. 18.
A full minute passed before the explosion ceased, leaving only thick smoke spreading out.
Unbothered by the transience of his artwork, Deidara felt an even deeper appreciation for the beauty of that fleeting moment. Satisfied, he looked down at the drastically changed landscape, which had turned into a massive crater.
Because the smoke and dust had not yet cleared, the view inside the crater was still quite blurry.
However...
"Under the power of C3: No. 18, those five guys should be nothing but ashes by now. Hmm."
Confident in his art, Deidara guided his clay bird to descend, intending to personally confirm the outcome of those who couldn't appreciate his art.
The clay bird flapped its wings rapidly as it descended, dispersing the smoke.
Soon, everything below became visible to Deidara.
He let out a surprised sound.
"They're not dead? Hmm?"
Deidara was shocked to see that the five members of Team Rockhead were still alive in the crater.
Though they appeared quite battered, and their breathing was weak, none of them had perished.
"Tch! Wouldn't it have been much more beautiful to die in the explosion of my great artwork? Yet, they stubbornly held on, choosing a much uglier way to die."
Deidara hadn't seen how Team Rockhead survived, but their weakened state and diminished strength were apparent.
In his eyes, they were simply delaying their inevitable deaths.
If that was the case, it would have been better for them to die in the earlier explosion.
At least, they would have become part of his great work of art, wouldn't they?
Unhappy, Deidara reached into his ninja pouch again, ready to finish them off once and for all.
At that moment, the leader of Team Rockhead suddenly raised his head. With hands that had already formed hand seals in secret, he clapped his palms together and shouted:
"Doton: Doryūha!" (Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave)
Instantly, a long staircase of stone, like a river, rose beneath Team Rockhead's feet, swiftly propelling them toward Deidara in the air.
Even at this point, Deidara had no interest in engaging them in close combat. The clay bird flapped its wings again, soaring higher into the sky.
However, the suddenness of the situation caught him off guard.
As Deidara tried to ascend, Team Rockhead, aided by the Earth Flow Wave, had already closed some of the distance between them.
Moreover, Deidara had lowered his altitude earlier.
The range for their secret technique had just been reached!
Having held out for so long, Team Rockhead didn't need any reminders. As in their past hunts of shinobi, both famous and unknown, the five of them clapped their hands together, unleashing the secret technique they had prepared:
"Hiden Jutsu: Bakuretsu Mushi!" (Secret Technique: Bursting Bugs)
Similar to the earlier explosion, a bright light burst out from Team Rockhead, centered around them.
Deidara, unable to evade in time, felt his vision go black for a moment, temporarily blinded.
Luckily, the light passed in an instant.
Deidara blinked his eyes, and everything returned to normal.
"So, what just happened? Hmm?"
Confused, Deidara looked down at Team Rockhead.
Unlike their previous aggressive approach, where they seemed ready to sacrifice all five of them to take him down, they now appeared like completely different people. Without a word, they made a sharp turn and, using all their strength, fled as fast as they could without looking back, abandoning their previous resolve to fight.
What did this mean? They'd fought so fiercely, only to run now? This was too absurd.
And what was that earlier bright light about? He had thought they would unleash some powerful technique, but all it was was a flash of light, and then nothing?
What was this nonsense?
Deidara couldn't understand.
But Team Rockhead knew all too well.
That flash of light had blinded Deidara for just a moment, and in that instant, the secret technique, Bursting Bugs, had planted eggs within his body without him noticing.
As soon as Deidara used chakra, the bugs would absorb it and continue to grow until they exploded.
This blonde brat liked explosions, didn't he? Well, now he would get to personally experience the taste of one.
However, there was one thing to keep in mind: from the time the bugs began absorbing chakra until they exploded, there was a delay. If the host realized something was wrong and stopped using chakra, this process could be prolonged.
Under the earlier explosion of C3: No. 18, though Team Rockhead had been protected by the barrier, they had only barely survived. Their chakra reserves were greatly depleted. Now, after using the Bursting Bugs secret technique, their strength was nearly exhausted. To avoid being dragged down to the underworld along with the enemy, they naturally had to flee first.
Akira glanced back at Deidara, who was still unaware of the situation.
In his eyes, Deidara was already a dead man.
Unless, like last time with the Fourth Raikage, he was extraordinarily lucky and happened to meet Tsunade, the legendary medical ninja.
But Tsunade was now the Hokage and resided in Konoha.
So, the outcome was already decided.
At this moment, watching Team Rockhead desperately flee, Deidara, although puzzled, was not about to show mercy and let them go.
He was about to create a new batch of clay bombs for the upcoming pursuit.
Suddenly, his hands paused as he sensed something off.
"There's... something alive inside me?"
The process of making clay bombs naturally involved infusing them with chakra. As soon as Deidara used his chakra, he felt that something was wrong with his body.
Unlike most who fell victim to the Bursting Bugs technique and continued using chakra without realizing something was amiss, only realizing it at the last moment when it was too late, Deidara's senses were sharp.
The moment he detected something unusual, he immediately stopped what he was doing and frowned as he began investigating.
(End of Chapter)
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