Naruto: Deidara’s Struggle

"Do you really think I'll let you succeed?"

High in the sky, Deidara had already noticed the objective of the Konoha ninja below.

This was the perfect opportunity to test out his newly unlocked Animal Form Mastery.

"C2 Standard Type: Myriad Snake Net Formation!"

Finally, Deidara could replicate the true Myriad Snake Net Formation. With both hands pointed downward, the mouths in his palms opened wide. In just a few seconds, thousands upon thousands of white clay snakes poured out, forming an enormous net that blocked the Konoha ninja's path.

"Orochimaru!"

That was the first thought in everyone's mind. Orochimaru's association with snakes was so deeply ingrained that they instinctively linked this technique to him.

"It's not Orochimaru! It's just an enemy imitating his jutsu!" Kakashi shouted. Compared to this unknown enemy, Orochimaru held even greater psychological sway over the Konoha ninja.

"Use Earth Flow Divide!"

Following Kakashi's lead, chakra was channeled into the ground. The earth before them began to rise and split apart like a cake being sliced, dividing into two sections. Naturally, the clay snakes atop the ground were thrown aside due to the terrain's sudden shift.

"Move quickly!" Kakashi urged, taking a small elite team to cover the rear while holding off the relentless wave of clay creatures.

Within the canyon, the Konoha ninja, having crossed the divided ground, didn't find their path as smooth as they had hoped. Instead, they encountered a new and formidable enemy.

A woman who could seamlessly switch between paper and human form hovered in the air, bombarding them with an unending stream of explosive tags.

"Damn it! Does that woman have an infinite supply of explosive tags?!" one Konoha ninja shouted in frustration.

Konan's direct combat abilities weren't particularly strong, but her seemingly endless resources overwhelmed the hundreds of Konoha ninja, preventing them from getting anywhere close to her.

"Hurry up and get inside!" "Those explosive snakes are about to crawl over here!" someone shouted anxiously from the rear.

"We're trying to move forward!" "But that woman's explosive tags seem endless! We can't get near her!" the Konoha ninja at the front yelled in despair.

Wasn't ninja warfare supposed to be about competing in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu? When did it become all about explosions?

"Let me handle this!"

A blonde woman with a high ponytail stepped forward. She was a member of the Yamanaka Clan, known for their limited direct combat abilities but exceptional utility in certain situations.

"Mind Body Switch Technique!"

As her body went limp and collapsed to the ground, the barrage of explosive tags from Konan abruptly stopped.

"Use Fire Release on me!" Konan's voice suddenly rang out, her tone abnormal and clearly under the influence of the technique.

The Konoha ninja didn't hesitate. They immediately began forming hand seals.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Not a chance!"

"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"

A man in blue clothing—Water Man—arrived just in time. With a single Water Release jutsu, he extinguished the flames mid-air.

At this moment, several members of the Hōzuki Clan and Mist Village ninja rushed over, forming a protective barrier around Konan.

"What happened to Lady Byakko?" one of them asked.

"She's under the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique. It won't last long; she'll break free soon," Water Man explained, his experience evident.

"Keep attacking! Use Fire Release!"

"It's useless! Water Release naturally counters Fire Release. Even though you outnumber us, our Water Release is enough to neutralize your Fire Release!"

As the Mist ninja began forming hand seals, a thin shadow suddenly slithered across the ground, linking their shadows together in an instant.

"What's going on?! I can't move!" one Mist ninja shouted in panic, just as he was about to complete his hand seals.

"Success! Shadow Imitation Technique!" A Nara Clan ninja hidden in the shadows smirked.

"On the battlefield, you must never let your guard down!"

"Your life is mine now," came a voice as Shadow Man emerged from the Nara ninja's shadow, kunai in hand, aiming for his neck.

"Shikano! Watch out!"

A massive fist, as large as a normal human, came crashing down, forcing Shadow Man to abandon his assassination attempt and retreat back into the shadows.

On the other side, the Shadow Bind Technique was released, allowing the Mist ninja to complete their Water Release jutsu just in time to counter the incoming Fire Release.

Boom!

Countless explosive tags flew through the air once more. Konan had broken free from the Mind Body Switch Technique. Her face was icy cold, clearly humiliated by her earlier lapse. If not for Water Man's timely intervention, she might not have survived.

To make up for her mistake, she began deploying explosive tags at a rate of 1,000 per second.

The battlefield was ablaze with intense combat. Even Deidara and Sasori couldn't help but feel the pressure. After all, they were up against thousands of professional ninja from the shinobi world, including various clans, secret technique users, and many elite Jonin.

Unless one had the strength of the First Hokage or Madara Uchiha, even the strongest ninja couldn't ignore the overwhelming numbers.

"Kakashi-taichō, it seems Lightning Release is very effective against these strange creatures. Once they're hit by Lightning Release, they can't explode," someone reported.

This discovery wasn't surprising. With so many people fighting simultaneously, even random experimentation could yield the right answer.

This was the downside of having so many enemies in close quarters. Otherwise, one grand artistic attack from Deidara would have silenced everything.

Upon hearing the report, Kakashi's mind flashed back to the scene of lightning storms he had observed from afar during his last encounter with these mysterious enemies. At the time, he had seen ninja using large-scale Lightning Release. Now, it made sense—Lightning Release was the weakness of this enigmatic bomber.

"Everyone, use Lightning Release!" Kakashi shouted.

The battlefield lit up with flashes of purple lightning. Deidara's clay creatures were rendered completely inert, turning into harmless duds.

"Barrier team, prepare to set up the Four Violet Flames Formation! Trap the enemy inside the barrier!" "Lightning Release ninja, provide cover!"

Seizing this brief respite, Kakashi quickly devised a strategy. After all, the enemy's ability to fly was their most significant advantage. Without it, a coordinated assault would overwhelm even the strongest adversary.

Hmm?

They've noticed the weakness of my clay?

From high above, Deidara began using Lightning-Resistant Clay. While this clay had resistance to lightning, it was inferior to his Improved Clay in every other aspect. This made it his least favorite choice.

Not to mention, Lightning-Resistant Clay had a slightly sour taste—definitely not appetizing.

What should I chew up next?

Deidara pondered. He couldn't keep relying on old tricks. Innovation was the essence of art! With his newly unlocked Human Form Mastery and Animal Form Mastery, he should have plenty of inspiration!

Ah, that's it!

"C2 Special Type: White Zetsu!"

One by one, humanoid creatures with white bodies and faint purple stripes began falling from the sky. Though gravity caused them to splatter into puddles of goo upon impact, the goo quickly wriggled and reformed into humanoid shapes.

"Black Zetsu Shock Value +2000" "White Zetsu Shock Value +500"

This...

Hidden in the shadows, Zetsu was left speechless as he watched the battlefield.

"Black Zetsu, Deidara's craftsmanship seems better than ours!" White Zetsu said admiringly. "He created so many clones so effortlessly, while we're much slower."

"Should we invite him to be our team's chief sculptor?" "This is incredible! He could create countless companions for me!"

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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