"You and Water Ninja take care of the flier. Fire Ninja and I will handle the puppet master."
"In the meantime, Earth Ninja will move independently and look for an opportunity to assassinate." Bug Ninja swiftly devised a strategy.
"Understood. I'm off," Shadow Ninja replied, vanishing once again into the darkness.
Deidara flew low, his eyes scanning the surroundings cautiously. The memory of nearly being one-shotted by Kakashi still sent shivers down his spine. Ninja battles were not to be taken lightly.
Hmm? Sasori's picking up the pace? Did they notice something?
Deidara accelerated as well, gliding past towering trees to stay hidden. However, as he passed over a small lake, the once-calm water suddenly surged. Several water pillars shot up, resembling tentacles, reaching for his clay bird.
"Quick reflexes, huh? This must be the Water Ninja from the Nokizaru Group."
Deidara vaguely recalled that one of them could transform into water, so it was no surprise their abilities revolved around it. Now it was clear—both Sasori and he had been exposed.
Without hesitation, Deidara tossed a handful of prepared clay spiders. The tiny explosives clung to the freshwater tentacles gripping his clay bird.
"Ha!"
Boom!
The explosion shattered the water tentacles, freeing the clay bird. Deidara quickly ascended, aiming for higher altitude.
"Not so fast!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A deep, resonant voice echoed from the lake's depths. A ferocious pale blue dragon burst from the water, its massive jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth, snapping toward Deidara and his clay bird, as if intent on swallowing them whole.
No time to dodge!
Deidara's pupils contracted as he calculated the dragon's trajectory. He realized his bird wasn't fast enough to evade. Using the bird as a springboard, he leaped upward, landing on the ground near the lake's edge.
But before he could catch his breath, the lake erupted again. Countless massive, translucent blue hands emerged, slamming toward him. Deidara found himself darting about like a frantic fly, narrowly avoiding the relentless barrage.
"This is getting old!" Deidara muttered, irritated by the relentless attacks. But even as he dodged, he was far from idle.
C2 - Combat Hatchlings!
Around Deidara appeared several clay dragons, each roughly human-sized with chubby bodies and small wings that gave them a strangely cute appearance. Acting like a suicide squad, they soared toward the translucent water hands.
"Art is an explosion! Ha!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The successive blasts shattered the watery onslaught, giving Deidara a brief moment to regain control. He prepared to take to the skies again. Once airborne, the battlefield would be in his favor.
"Never let your guard down on the battlefield!"
A voice suddenly whispered near Deidara's ear. A translucent figure materialized beside him, kunai in hand, aiming for his chest.
"Thought so!" Deidara replied calmly. He had anticipated this. The clay centipedes he'd planted earlier had already detected Earth Ninja's presence. The ninja's speed underground had made it hard to pinpoint him, but now that he surfaced, Deidara's opportunity had come.
"Ha!"
"What?"
"Earth Style: Hardening Jutsu!"
Earth Ninja's body turned jet black, gleaming with a metallic sheen. This advanced Earth Style technique granted near immunity to physical attacks—an ability so strong that Kakuzu himself used it to great effect.
"Impressive, but can you handle this?"
Another assassin from the Nokizaru Group emerged—Shadow Ninja—rising from Deidara's own shadow. Armed with a kunai, he aimed directly for Deidara's chest.
"Tch, just a substitution," Shadow Ninja muttered in frustration as his target transformed into soft white clay and crumbled apart.
Deidara's real body emerged from the opposite side, observing the three Nokizaru Group members with a grim expression. Capturing them alive was proving difficult. Restricting himself in battle was hindering his performance.
"Looks like I'll have to get serious."
Deidara rose into the air once more. "Time to show you my true art!"
"Such arrogance," Shadow Ninja sneered. "Maybe Earth Ninja and I are better at assassination than direct combat, but Water Ninja's abilities thrive in this environment. Once submerged, he becomes one with the water, nearly invincible, drawing strength from his surroundings. If the lake is big enough, he can rival the power of the Three-Tails. You understand what that means, don't you?"
Shadow Ninja spoke with utter confidence in his comrade's abilities. To him, defeating Water Ninja in such a setting was a fool's dream.
Deidara chuckled. "Rivaling the Three-Tails, huh? Funny—if I recall correctly, I captured the real Three-Tails. A knockoff like this doesn't scare me."
C2 - Dragon!
Roar!
A deafening roar echoed across the valley. A massive white clay dragon, rivaling a Tailed Beast in size, appeared in the sky, its oppressive presence shaking the hearts of all who saw it. The sheer pressure was enough to sap the will to resist.
[Water Ninja Shock Value +300]
[Shadow Ninja Shock Value +300]
[Earth Ninja Shock Value +…]
[White Zetsu Shock Value +500]
[Black Zetsu Shock Value +500]
"This is Deidara's art? Truly overwhelming. If that thing explodes, it's hard to imagine what would happen," White Zetsu muttered in awe.
"Most likely, the entire valley would be wiped off the map," Black Zetsu commented. Although less impressed, his higher power level meant his shock value was equivalent.
So, big moves really are the way to go! Deidara smirked, watching the numbers climb. Two thousand five hundred points in one move? Not bad at all.
"But why isn't Sasori's shock value showing up?"
"The system doesn't allow duplicate entries. To gain more points from him, you'll need to truly astonish him again," the system explained.
So, no farming shock value from the same person, huh? Makes sense.
Deidara turned his attention back to the battlefield, his massive dragon circling ominously above. "Now, let's see if your imitation Three-Tails can handle my true art."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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