Naruto: Deidara’s Struggle

From the high ground, exclamations of surprise echoed continuously. Clearly, the sudden appearance of Magnet Release and its immense power had left everyone in awe.

"What do you think, Sasori-san?" "Doesn't it feel great?" Deidara teased with a grin.

"Shut up!" Sasori snapped back. "But with this, both the Third Kazekage puppet and your abilities are now exposed. I remember you used to guard this secret very closely. Why are you so willing to reveal it now? Feeling soft-hearted, perhaps?"

"Shut your mouth, Deidara!" Sasori's tone was laced with irritation. "Say another word, and I'll kill you!"

Although Deidara wanted to continue teasing, the battlefield was no place for idle banter.

Since Konoha and the Sand Village were so eager to throw themselves to their deaths, it was time to give them a good fight!

"That… that's the Third Kazekage!" exclaimed the Konoha ninja, who had already retreated to the canyon's upper edge upon sensing danger. Meanwhile, Baki stood frozen in place, his face filled with disbelief.

The long-missing Third Kazekage had finally been found, but in such a shocking manner.

"Yes, it's the Third Kazekage!" "Baki, it's been a while," Sasori said as he slowly withdrew the Iron Sand Wall, pushing the massive boulders aside to clear the path.

"Who are you?! Why has the Third Kazekage ended up like this?"

Hiruko, though created by Sasori back when he was still in the Sand Village, had undergone numerous modifications over the years, making it unrecognizable to Baki.

"Hiruko," Sasori hinted.

"Hiruko?" "Hiruko!" "You're Sasori!"

"Was it you who killed the Third Kazekage?!" Baki's pupils contracted in shock, unable to accept this terrifying reality.

"Yes, I killed him," Sasori admitted openly without hesitation.

At that moment, several kunai equipped with explosive tags flew toward them. With a casual flick of Hiruko's tail, Sasori deflected them with ease.

It was clear that the Konoha forces had already begun their attack.

"Sasori-san, you take your time catching up. I'll handle the Konoha forces," Deidara said as he rode his clay bird toward the upper canyon.

Baki, meanwhile, distanced himself from Sasori, clearly preparing for battle.

"So, the incident in the Cloud Village last time—was that your doing as well?" Baki suddenly recalled the diplomatic protest letter sent by the Cloud Village. At the time, he had dismissed it as an overreaction by opportunistic bandits.

Now, it seemed there had been a hidden hand behind it all along.

"Yes. After all, the Eight-Tails is incredibly strong. Without the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release, it wouldn't have been possible to deal with it," Sasori replied nonchalantly, showing no trace of guilt.

"Sasori, today, the Sand Village will eliminate you, you traitor!" Baki roared in fury.

"Compared to you lot, who continue waging pointless wars and even slaughter civilians, I find being a 'traitor' much more liberating," Sasori retorted coldly.

"Prepare yourselves!" "Drilling Air Bullets, fire in unison!" "Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"

Countless compressed air bullets were launched from the Sand Village's high ground, so densely packed that they seemed to fill the entire sky.

"It's useless!" "Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"

Once again, Sasori erected the Iron Sand Wall, the black fortress standing unshaken. No matter how fierce the enemy's attacks were, they were rendered completely ineffective.

"Stop using these mass-scale jutsu!" Baki shouted as he retreated to the high ground, halting the attack.

"The Third Kazekage's Magnet Release is incredibly powerful, and the Iron Sand Wall is known as an absolute defense. It could even withstand the Tailed Beast Ball of Shukaku in the past," Baki explained. "Our attacks are meaningless against it."

"Then what should we do?" asked a senior Sand ninja. The unexpected strength of the enemy—especially the revelation that the Third Kazekage had been turned into a puppet—had pushed many Sand ninja to the brink of collapse.

"Disperse and attack! That's the only way!" Baki commanded. "You, come with me! We'll target Sasori's main body directly. That's the only way to end this once and for all!"

He selected a small team of seasoned Jonin, all veterans with reliable strength. After all, they couldn't afford to underestimate an enemy capable of killing the Third Kazekage.

At the bottom of the canyon, Suigetsu turned to Konan. "Lady Byakko, what should we do?"

"Just protect yourselves," Konan replied coolly. "After all, the three of us can't possibly hold off all the enemies."

It was true. Based on rough estimates, Konoha and the Sand Village had deployed six to seven thousand ninja for this operation, including numerous Jonin and elite Jonin. Even if Nagato himself were here, it would be impossible to stop so many enemies at once.

"Watch out!"

On the Konoha side of the battlefield, Kakashi looked up at Deidara, who was hovering high in the sky. He immediately recognized him as one of the two mysterious figures he had encountered outside the Grass Village.

Now that one of them had been revealed as Sasori of the Red Sand, an S-rank rogue ninja, it was clear that Deidara's strength wouldn't be far behind.

"Captain, what should we do?" "The enemy is flying so high, we can't reach him," a Konoha Jonin asked Kakashi.

"If we can't hit him, then ignore him for now. Our primary objective is to eliminate the rogue ninja from the Mist Village!" declared a Root ninja before leading a group directly toward the bottom of the canyon.

Hmm? Are they planning to just ignore me?

Deidara had no fondness for these cold-hearted ninja. Looking down at the countless enemies below, swarming like ants, he suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

This feeling of using his art without restraint! It was exhilarating!

"C2 Enhanced Great Dragon!"

ROAR!

The dragon's roar echoed, reaching the ears of the Konoha ninja for the first—and for many, the last—time.

"Secret Technique! Dragon's Nest!"

One after another, massive white eggs appeared, hatching into clay dragons that dove toward the enemies below.

"Watch out! Enemy attack!"

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Dozens of Konoha ninja simultaneously cast Earth-Style Wall, creating a wide barrier to block the diving clay dragons.

"Ha!"

"What?! They explode?!"

To the shock of the Konoha forces, the wide earth wall was obliterated in an instant. More clay dragons surged in, taking advantage of the breach.

"Run!"

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

Kakashi reacted quickly, employing a countermeasure. However, he could only save a small number of people. Many others were reduced to ashes in the explosions.

"Don't panic! He's used up all his clay dragons!" someone shouted, trying to rally morale.

But when they looked up, they saw what appeared to be snow falling from the sky—a vast, white flurry.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

Upon closer inspection, the "snowflakes" were actually countless white Clay Spiders.

Faced with such overwhelming numbers, who could muster the will to resist?

"Don't lose hope! Use Fire Release!" Kakashi quickly stepped forward to organize a counterattack. If those spiders fell, it would be over.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!" "Fire Release: Flame Bullet!" "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

One fire jutsu after another was launched, creating a floating sea of flames above the battlefield. Countless clay spiders were incinerated, melting away like real snowflakes.

"We did it!" the Konoha forces cheered in relief.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly, three massive explosions erupted. These were bombs launched by two Dragon Mothers and the C2 dragon itself. Unlike the clay spiders, these explosives couldn't be melted by fire. Instead, they used the flames as cover to land among the enemy, causing devastating casualties.

"What should we do, Captain Kakashi? The enemy is too strong!" Though the losses so far weren't catastrophic, the Konoha forces had lost all morale.

The enemy was untouchable, while they could only endure wave after wave of attacks, never knowing when they might die. This hopeless battle crushed their spirits.

"Follow me!" Kakashi called out, leading the charge toward the canyon's bottom. "The enemy's attacks are indiscriminate. If we mix in with their own allies, they won't be able to use their abilities freely!"

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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