Naruto: Deidara’s Struggle

"So, how is it, you little rogue ninja?!"

"If we were fighting in the village, with your terrifying explosive abilities, I might not have been able to beat you."

"But here, on the ocean, I have every advantage. No one can defeat me!" Yagura Karatachi's voice rang out, carrying both recognition of Deidara's strength and a murderous intent.

Drip.

A black Tailed Beast Ball began to form. This high-density energy sphere, composed purely of chakra, was a weapon of absolute destruction. Just one could obliterate a mountain.

However, Deidara was no stranger to dealing with Tailed Beast Balls. Compared to the Eight-Tails' version, the Three-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball was significantly less powerful.

"Yagura Karatachi, I must admit, you're the strongest opponent I've faced so far."

"But this is where it ends. Consider yourself honored; I'll let you witness my newest masterpiece!"

"This is a super-art that surpasses the power of a Tailed Beast Ball by tenfold! I'll use it to finish you off!"

Two Guardian Great Dragons flew out, intercepting the Three-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball and neutralizing it. Meanwhile, Deidara reached into his clay pouch and pulled out a pre-prepared, semi-finished clay figurine.

The figurine had a bullet-like shape, wide at the base and tapering at the top. Its front featured two round holes resembling eyes and a square opening like a mouth, along with a pair of long wings. It looked like a crudely made clay doll.

But such a perception was merely the misunderstanding of the ignorant.

Though its appearance lacked intricate details, its interior was filled with highly compressed explosive clay. Deidara had spent days chewing and compressing the clay to achieve this level of density.

This was the pinnacle of Deidara's artistic creations to date—a masterpiece that could only be prepared in advance for use on the battlefield.

C3 Standard Type: Number 18!

Whoosh!

Number 18 expanded to the size of a two-story building and was hurled from high altitude by Deidara, its target being Yagura Karatachi below.

Is this it? Judging by its size, its explosive power shouldn't surpass that of the two dragons from earlier. And yet, this brat dares to claim it's ten times stronger than a Tailed Beast Ball?

Yagura looked up at the rapidly descending clay figurine. Though skeptical, his ninja instincts urged him to act cautiously.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

Yagura attempted to replicate his earlier attack, aiming to slice the mysterious clay figurine in half.

"Not so fast!"

Splash!

A massive clay sea serpent surged out of the water, coiling around the Three-Tails' neck and deflecting the trajectory of the Water Severing Wave.

"When did this happen?!"

"Of course, I prepared this before our battle even began. Don't call me underhanded; after all, since you have the advantage of the terrain, it's only fair for me to set a little trap in advance, don't you think?" Deidara replied smugly.

As his words fell, more giant clay sea serpents emerged from beneath the ocean, coiling tightly around the Three-Tails to ensure it couldn't escape the blast radius of Number 18.

"Damn it!"

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"

This jutsu, typically used to trap enemies, could also serve as a defensive measure. Realizing Deidara's seriousness, Yagura's unease intensified. However, with the Three-Tails temporarily immobilized and time running out, this was the best defensive response he could muster.

"It's useless!"

"Art is an explosion! Ha!"

In an instant, a blinding light erupted from Number 18's detonation point, illuminating the entire ocean as if it were daytime. The onlookers seemed to witness the birth of a miniature sun, gradually engulfing the Three-Tails below.

Several seconds passed before the deafening roar of the explosion reached them. The accompanying shockwave rivaled the power of an A-rank Wind Release jutsu, while the scorching steam surpassed the intensity of most Fire Release techniques.

Number 18!

This was truly a disaster-level clay bomb, an explosive so powerful that Deidara classified it as C3-level. If detonated within Kirigakure, it could have leveled the entire village.

After all, this Number 18 was far superior to the one depicted in the original series!

"Sasori of the Red Sand Shock Value +3000." "Itachi Uchiha Shock Value +3000." "Zetsu Shock Value +3000." "Kisame Hoshigaki Shock Value +3000."

A series of Shock Value notifications flooded in, even from Sasori, who had long been desensitized to Deidara's explosive displays. Yet, he still contributed a significant amount of Shock Value this time.

"That brat Deidara!" Sasori muttered, maneuvering Hiruko to evade the tsunami caused by the explosion.

Of course, deep down, he felt a mix of emotions. That brat... it seems he's surpassed me!

Damn it! I need to get stronger too! I'm Sasori of the Red Sand, the strongest puppet master!

"Oh no!"

"Yagura Karatachi has been defeated!" White Zetsu exclaimed, gazing at the ocean. As the waves gradually calmed, the Three-Tails was nowhere to be seen. Yagura, having reverted to his human form, floated silently on the water's surface, clearly unconscious.

"Deidara's art is truly terrifying! With an explosion of this magnitude, even Lord Madara wouldn't be able to ignore it, right?" White Zetsu continued to marvel, almost as if cheering for Deidara.

Black Zetsu sighed but didn't argue. After all, White Zetsu was a carefree creature. As long as they followed orders, that was enough.

"Good thing we had a backup plan. If we hadn't insisted on sending Kisame along for this mission, things could've gone very badly," Black Zetsu said, relieved by his own caution.

"Indeed, indeed!" White Zetsu agreed. "Deidara looks like he's at his limit. There's no way he can defeat Kisame now!"

On the other side, after catching his breath, Deidara slowly descended on a Clay Bird, landing on the ocean's surface. He was about to collect Yagura when a large, bandaged sword suddenly appeared, lifting Yagura onto its blade.

"Kisame, this is my prize. If you want to complete the leader's mission, go capture another Tailed Beast yourself."

Deidara feigned ignorance of Kisame's true intentions. After all, his ability to stay ahead of others relied on his knowledge of the plot and exploiting the information gap. If Obito and Black Zetsu had known from the start that Deidara was fully aware of their plans, they would've eliminated him without hesitation, leaving no room for him to shine.

"Sorry, Deidara, but not this time," Kisame replied, his small eyes fixed on Deidara, his usual smile now carrying a dangerous edge—like a shark about to devour its prey.

"What do you mean? Are you planning to betray the organization?" Deidara demanded.

"Betrayal?" Kisame echoed, as if pondering the word.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I can't let you take Yagura. After all, I was once a ninja of Kirigakure. I can't just stand by and watch my village's Kage get captured in front of me!" Kisame offered as an excuse.

"Hmph!"

"Then there's no choice but to settle this with our fists." Deidara reached into his clay pouch again.

"Are you sure? You just fought a fierce battle and look like you've exhausted yourself," Kisame said with feigned concern.

"Kisame, don't underestimate my art!" Deidara retorted, pretending to be furious. In truth, this fight was mostly for show, but he couldn't avoid it entirely. Otherwise, he might arouse Obito and Black Zetsu's suspicion.

"Of course I wouldn't underestimate you," Kisame said confidently, tossing Yagura's unconscious body aside.

"But remember, the ocean is my domain too!"

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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