After another half month, Deidara and his team journeyed southwest from the Land of Waves, passing through the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, skirting the southern coastline of the Land of Fire, and finally entering the Land of Rivers.
Bored during their travels, Deidara opened his system interface. The recent battle at Kirigakure had been an overwhelming success, earning him a four-level boost in one go. It felt like striking it rich overnight, leaving him with five unspent skill points.
[Ultimate Artist System]
Host: Deidara
Shock Value: 6700/14000
Skill Points: 5
Unlocked Skills: Explosion Mastery Level 1, Enhanced C2 Dragon, Improved Clay, Chakra Reinforcement, Anti-Lightning Clay, Ultra-High Heat, Insect Mastery, Ninjutsu Enhancement, Insect Morph Mastery
Initially considering four advanced options that required sacrificial conditions, the extravagant Deidara instead chose a few without such requirements:
Explosives: Extended detonation range. This upgrade allowed him to remotely detonate his clay bombs from dozens of kilometers away.
Morphology: Human and animal morph masteries. With these, Deidara could now craft clay humanoids and animals as easily as his clay insects.
Ninjutsu: Genjutsu Resistance Lv. 1. While it provided some defense against illusions, its effectiveness was only average.
He spent four points, leaving one in reserve—either for Clay Transmutation or Explosion Mastery Lv. 2.
It all hinged on whether Kisame would lend him the Hiramekarei sword. Judging by Kisame's attitude, things hadn't completely fallen apart between them. They'd likely continue their unspoken collaboration.
"Deidara-san!"
"Why do you get to fly up there while I'm stuck walking down here? It's so hot! I feel like I'm going to die of dehydration!"
Beneath Deidara's clay bird, an annoyed kid from the Hozuki Clan—none other than Suigetsu—glared up at him, looking ready to collapse from the heat. Despite his age, Suigetsu's chatterbox tendencies were already in full swing.
"Suigetsu," Deidara turned his head, a curious glint in his eyes.
"Huh?" Suigetsu flinched under Deidara's gaze, his unease evident.
"Turn your hand into water for me."
"Like this?" Suigetsu hesitantly transformed his right hand into transparent liquid.
Deidara swiftly scooped some into a clay cup and offered it to the system as a sacrifice.
"If I take part of your hand like this, will you be permanently maimed if I don't give it back?" Deidara asked.
"AHHHH!" Suigetsu screamed dramatically, flailing his liquid arm. "Give it back! Give it back now! Are you a demon?!"
"Oops, gone!" Deidara shrugged, feigning helplessness. "You'd better turn it back and see if you're missing any fingers."
"How could I be?!" Suigetsu shouted indignantly. "I can just regenerate it from the rest of my body, duh!"
"Then isn't that still technically losing part of yourself?"
"Well, yeah, but I just need to drink water to recover," Suigetsu admitted.
"Guess that means the women in your clan don't have to worry about dieting." A voice floated up from the shadows beneath Suigetsu.
"Hey! Get out of my shadow already!" Suigetsu yelled, pointing at the shadow.
"Let me hitch a ride," Zetsu's Shadow half replied lazily. "Walking is too exhausting, and this heat is unbearable. The sun's glaring down like crazy."
"AHHH!" Suigetsu raged impotently, waving his arms. He wanted to cut Zetsu in half, but attacking a shadow was pointless.
"Silence!"
"Someone's here!"
Suddenly, Hiruko halted, his senses alert. Deidara couldn't help but sweat a little—he lacked any scouting ability. While he could fly and survey from above, hidden enemies or perception barriers rendered such methods ineffective.
Two figures emerged ahead—one wearing a Konoha headband, the other a Sunagakure one.
"Stop right there!"
"Who are you?" Deidara soared forward, scrutinizing the newcomers.
"We've heard about your exploits at Kirigakure. Konoha would like to formally invite you to join our village," said the Konoha ninja, someone unfamiliar to Deidara.
But the Sunagakure ninja was recognizable: Baki, the one who covered half his face with a cloth.
Deidara nearly burst out laughing. Kakashi, Danzo, Baki—those guys have Sharingan or Byakugan. What are you hiding under there, dude? Acne scars?
"Sunagakure also welcomes you," Baki added.
Tch! Their cover had been blown, no doubt thanks to Obito's meddling. Without him, the isolation of Kirigakure and Amegakure meant no one would have learned of the betrayal so soon, let alone intercepted them.
"And if we refuse?" Deidara sneered. He wasn't about to hand over his team after all the trouble he'd gone through defeating Yagura.
"Then we'll take action," the Konoha ninja replied, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
Deidara glanced around. They were in a canyon, and on the cliffs above, Konoha and Sunagakure forces were clearly lying in wait.
"Is that a threat?" Deidara asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"If you see it that way, so be it," the Konoha ninja replied smugly. "But I prefer to call it sincerity."
Deidara chuckled darkly. First time meeting such arrogant ninjas. Usually, they're more cautious.
"You'd better step aside, or you'll regret it later," Deidara warned, a sinister glint in his eye.
"Foolish brat!" the Konoha ninja barked, raising his hand as a signal.
The command came swiftly. On both sides of the canyon, hundreds of shinobi readied their techniques.
"Earth Release! Rock Lodging Destruction!"
The canyon walls began to collapse, boulders crashing down in a massive landslide.
"Magnet Release! Iron Sand Wall!"
To everyone's shock, a black iron sand barrier formed overhead, shielding the group from harm.
"Nani?!"
"Impossible!"
The enemies could only gape in disbelief as their assault failed spectacularly.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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