A massive clay octopus writhed, blocking Kisame's path with menacing tentacles. Yet, Kisame showed no fear—his speed only increased. With each swing of Samehada, he effortlessly hacked away at the clay tentacles.
"Huh?"
"Is Kisame not worried that Deidara will just detonate the big octopus?" White Zetsu asked in surprise. "With a clay bomb of that size, even Kisame's Water Release wouldn't be enough to block the explosion, right?"
"Idiot."
Black Zetsu's low voice carried an air of disdain. "Explosives are far more destructive underwater. If Deidara detonates that octopus, he wouldn't survive either. That's why Kisame dares to charge forward so recklessly."
"Ah, I see."
White Zetsu nodded in understanding, then turned to another battlefield. "Sasori and Itachi are going all out, too!"
"It looks like Itachi's at a disadvantage," Black Zetsu observed.
"Yeah. If Itachi doesn't use the Mangekyō Sharingan, there's no way he can match Sasori. After all, Sasori is the strongest puppet master in the ninja world."
As White Zetsu and Black Zetsu analyzed the battles, Deidara suddenly made an unexpected move.
Pressing his right index and middle fingers together, he raised them to his chest in a gesture that screamed imminent detonation.
Kisame's pupils shrank.
Deidara wouldn't dare detonate it—would he? Does he have a death wish?
No, something's off. This might not even be his real body. That's the only explanation for such boldness!
If that's the case, I'm in danger!
Kisame immediately stopped tangling with the clay octopus. He summoned a chakra shark to encase himself and swiftly retreated.
Boom!
A muffled explosion echoed, followed by turbulent waves surging through the water. But the blast was far weaker than Kisame had anticipated. He turned back, puzzled, only to find the clay octopus still intact.
Deidara, however, had already reached the edge of Kisame's elliptical water prison. With a splash, he fell out of it. In midair, he tossed out a new clay bird, regaining his mobility. Standing on his creation, Deidara smirked at Kisame within the water prison.
"Kisame, Yagura's all yours."
"Until next time."
"Tch, got played by Deidara, huh?" Kisame muttered in irritation as he pieced it together.
Deidara had bluffed, pretending to trigger the octopus explosion to scare Kisame into retreating. At the same time, he detonated a smaller clay bomb to propel himself out of the water prison.
Panting heavily, his Akatsuki cloak fluttering in the wind, Deidara stood atop his clay bird and flew toward the battlefield between Sasori and Itachi.
Unlike the sparring match between Kisame and Deidara, Sasori and Itachi were fighting with genuine intent to win. For now, Itachi was at a disadvantage, his illusions, effective against most foes, were useless against Sasori.
Deidara hurried to de-escalate the fight. If this continued, Itachi would have to use the Mangekyō Sharingan. Better to save his ocular power—no need for him to risk blindness before he could deal with his foolish little brother.
"Deidara, what happened?" Sasori's puppet Hiruko landed beside Deidara as he spoke.
"Just a minor disagreement," Deidara replied dismissively. He didn't want to elaborate, especially with Zetsu potentially lurking nearby.
"Let's move." Deidara steered his clay bird away, refraining from further conversation with Itachi. Now wasn't the time—someone was always watching in the shadows.
The two of them traveled quickly, soon catching up to the defectors.
"Where are Kisame and Itachi?" Waterman, temporarily leading the defection group, approached to ask.
Although they had gotten a significant head start, the remnants of the earlier battle were visible even from a distance. The scale of destruction—the waves alone—had left them speechless.
"They're covering the rear. Let's keep moving," Deidara replied curtly.
"Are you sure?" Waterman sounded uneasy. Earlier, he had clearly seen a scuffle between Deidara and Kisame. He trusted Kisame more than Deidara or Sasori, but he dared not press further, given Deidara's overwhelming strength.
The journey, which would normally take Deidara and Sasori just over a day, stretched to five days due to the group's slower pace. They finally arrived in the Land of Waves, where Konan and other Akatsuki members had already set up to receive them.
The defection was complete. Relief swept over everyone as the operation concluded successfully.
The impact of this defection would soon ripple across the ninja world. The name Akatsuki was poised to gain widespread notoriety for the first time.
"Konan, where should we settle them?" Deidara asked.
Of the defectors, about one-third opted to leave. The remaining two-thirds chose to stay, unsurprising given their distrust of the outside world and their reliance on Akatsuki for salvation.
"Amegakure," Konan replied concisely.
...
Amegakure.
Hearing those words, Deidara understood. His earlier suggestion had been approved—Nagato was ready to show some level of openness. Exposing their base was no small gesture of trust.
In the original story, Nagato had kept Amegakure's location secret until the very end.
"By the way, what happened to Karin?" Deidara suddenly remembered the girl he had rescued and handed over to Konan.
"She's in Amegakure," Konan answered.
"I've heard that Amegakure's leader is the 'Demi-God' Hanzo. Why are both the leader and you based there?" Sasori asked, puzzled.
At the mention of Hanzo, Konan turned to Sasori, her voice calm as she replied, "Hanzo is dead. Amegakure is ours now."
What?
The revelation shocked Sasori. Hanzo, the instigator of the Second Shinobi World War, had led the weak Amegakure Village against both Konoha and Sunagakure. Though ultimately unsuccessful, his strength was undeniable.
Throughout the war, Hanzo had clashed with numerous Kage-level opponents, single-handedly defending Amegakure from the great ninja villages. The title Demi-God wasn't self-proclaimed—it was earned.
And yet, such a legendary figure had died quietly, leaving no trace.
Then again, with Nagato wielding the mythical Rinnegan, Sasori supposed it wasn't entirely unimaginable. The Rinnegan's abilities were, after all, beyond comprehension.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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