Naruto: Deidara’s Struggle

In the Village Hidden in the Mist, the departure of Deidara and his group left behind a scene of utter devastation.

Standing atop a rooftop, Obito gazed down at the completely ruined western section of the village. Collapsed houses, destroyed streets, and countless corpses painted a gruesome picture of the night's carnage.

"Obito, what now?"

The figure of Zetsu slowly emerged beside Obito.

"So many people escaped this time, and so many died. We now have a massive shortage of raw materials."

"This will likely force us to temporarily halt our manufacturing plans," Black Zetsu remarked.

Obito's gaze was deep as he stared into the distance, his Sharingan reflecting an unreadable emotion.

"This was unexpected. Who could've anticipated that Nagato would suddenly take an interest in the Mist Village?"

"And Deidara... His abilities are simply too well-suited for this type of battle. If it had been Itachi or Sasori instead, they wouldn't have been able to defeat Yagura Karatachi or cause such extensive damage."

"So, what do we do now?" White Zetsu, growing impatient from the lack of a response, pressed Obito once more.

Instead of answering, Obito shifted the topic to another concern.

"If things continue like this, our ability to control Nagato will weaken further. He seems to be gradually slipping out of our grasp."

"That's true," Black Zetsu agreed.

Their original plan for Nagato had been straightforward: secretly collect the Tailed Beasts and, when the time was right, use Black Zetsu to manipulate him into performing the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to resurrect Madara Uchiha. They had no interest in Akatsuki's development or Nagato's vision of peace—they didn't even support it.

To them, Nagato was merely a tool, meant to carry out their plans. Everything else could be resolved through the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

But Nagato was an individual with his own will. How could he possibly follow their every command?

"This is indeed a problem," Black Zetsu said.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked, turning to Obito. Since Obito had already identified the issue, he likely had a solution in mind.

"First!" Obito raised a finger.

"I'm going to widely publicize the danger of Akatsuki in the ninja world, provoking the Five Great Ninja Villages to launch a war against them. This will eliminate the extra forces Nagato is gathering while also allowing us to continue collecting raw materials."

Black Zetsu was taken aback by this bold idea. "If that happens, aren't you afraid Akatsuki won't be able to withstand the combined assault of the Five Great Ninja Villages and will be destroyed prematurely?"

"After all, we still need them to gather the Tailed Beasts."

"They won't be destroyed," Obito shook his head.

"Although it will be a supposed assault by the Five Great Ninja Villages, they'll never truly unite. They'll even guard against each other, possibly stabbing each other in the back. The pressure on Akatsuki won't be as great as it seems."

"Moreover, Akatsuki has so many Kage-level members. Deidara and Kisame, in particular, excel in large-scale battles. They'll be more than capable of holding their own against the disorganized Five Villages."

After a moment of thought, Black Zetsu asked, "And the second?"

"Second!"

"I'll activate the backup plan!"

"Backup plan?!" White Zetsu exclaimed in shock.

"Are you really going that far?" Black Zetsu followed up.

Perhaps realizing he was being overly cautious, Obito softened his tone, presenting his decision in a more palatable way.

"Since the Mist Village plan has failed, we now have an additional two years of time."

"We might as well use this time to prepare. Better safe than sorry."

Black Zetsu nodded in agreement. "That's reasonable."

"After Yagura Karatachi's exposure today, although we temporarily held back that woman, she'll undoubtedly return soon."

"Our control over the Mist Village will soon be lost."

"Can't we just eliminate her directly?" White Zetsu suggested a simple and effective solution.

Black Zetsu refrained from answering, leaving it to Obito to address the matter.

"We can't," Obito replied curtly, unwilling to elaborate further.

Though he often relied on Kamui to dominate in the ninja world, his actual combat strength wasn't particularly high. Against someone as formidable as Mei Terumī, as long as she remained vigilant, he wouldn't stand a chance of defeating her.

Meanwhile, in Mount Myōboku, one of the three great sacred lands, the atmosphere was serene and mystical.

Known as a sacred land, it was a place where systematic training in Senjutsu was passed down. Ironically, despite humans being the dominant species on the planet, none of the inheritors of Senjutsu were human.

Today, Jiraiya, who had been out gathering information, was suddenly summoned by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku. He hurried over without a hint of complaint, knowing full well the importance of the summons.

After all, the Great Toad Sage was a true sage who had lived for over a thousand years. It was said that he had ties to the legendary Sage of Six Paths, making him a figure worthy of utmost respect.

When Jiraiya arrived, he found the Great Toad Sage in his usual spot—perched in a basin of clear water, his entire body orange, adorned with a string of prayer beads, and wearing a scholarly cap. He appeared to be dozing off, as always.

Leading Jiraiya into the hall were the two actual leaders of Mount Myōboku, Fukasaku and Shima, a husband-and-wife duo.

Fukasaku stepped forward respectfully and announced, "Elder, young Jiraiya has arrived."

The Great Toad Sage remained motionless, his eyes closed as he continued to nap in the water basin.

"Elder! Elder!" Fukasaku gently called out.

"Ah!"

"Who's here?" The Great Toad Sage's eyes opened slightly, his voice groggy.

"Young Jiraiya has arrived," Fukasaku replied.

"Ah, young Jiraiya has arrived!"

"I summoned you this time for..." The Great Toad Sage began speaking, only to trail off midway, slipping back into a dazed state.

"Who arrived again?"

"Really, are you senile? It's young Jiraiya!" Shima, who had a fiery temper, found interacting with the seemingly senile Great Toad Sage to be an exasperating ordeal.

"Dear, show some respect to the Elder!" Fukasaku scolded her softly. However, like most husbands in a marriage, his words held no sway over his wife.

"Ah, young Jiraiya has arrived!" The Great Toad Sage repeated his earlier greeting.

Even Jiraiya couldn't help but show a hint of helplessness, though he was long accustomed to the Great Toad Sage's eccentricities.

"Great Toad Sage, why have you summoned me this time?" Jiraiya asked, eager to move on. He didn't want to waste time, especially since his research had only just begun. The thought of the ladies in the hot springs made him impatient.

Fortunately, the Great Toad Sage finally got to the point.

"This time, I've summoned you because there is a new prophecy."

"A new prophecy?" Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

"Yes!"

"A new sun has appeared in the sky. The ninja world will face unprecedented turmoil, and even the destiny of the Child of Prophecy will be affected."

"Young Jiraiya, you must stop this new sun. Otherwise, the ninja world will head toward an unknown..."

Before finishing his sentence, the Great Toad Sage dozed off again. But this time, neither Jiraiya nor the two sages disturbed him. The core message of the prophecy had already been conveyed, and the rest could be inferred.

"Young Jiraiya, do you have any idea about this new prophecy?" Fukasaku asked as they exited the hall.

Jiraiya scratched his head in frustration. Prophecies were always so cryptic. He hadn't even found the Child of Prophecy from the previous vision, and now there was something that could influence the Child's destiny. How could he possibly have any leads?

"I'll do my best to unravel the prophecy!" Jiraiya replied solemnly.

After all, this time, the fate of the entire ninja world was at stake. He couldn't afford to take it lightly.

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

Weekly Stable Updates with 30+ Chapters Always Available. High-Quality and Consistent Translations Are the Channel's Top Priority.

Current Books:

Naruto: Deidara's Struggle

God-Tier Kazekage: Building the Ultimate Hidden Sand Village 

Naruto: The Ōtsutsuki Bloodline Development Manual

One Piece:The True Codex

One Piece: Rising to Fleet Admiral Through a Coup

👉patreon.com/GoldenLong