Deidara, charging into the Hidden Cloud Village alone? What kind of impossible mission is this?
The members of Akatsuki are all very confident in their abilities.
Each of them could stir up chaos in the ninja world. They possess various secret techniques, and even when facing the Kage from the different Hidden Villages, they remain unafraid, with a chance to turn the tables and defeat them.
However, the Five Great Ninja Villages are different.
They are the powerhouses of the ninja world, and each one has the strength to shake the entire ninja realm.
In the original story, Deidara single-handedly invaded the Hidden Sand Village, defeated Gaara, and took him away.
But that was because Sasori was there!
His subordinate had infiltrated the leadership of the Hidden Sand Village.
With inside help, the chances of success greatly increased.
Moreover, Sasori helped Deidara deal with many of the Sand Village ninjas.
In addition, the Hidden Sand Village's strength was relatively weaker, often considered the weakest among the Five Great Ninja Villages.
But the Hidden Cloud is different.
In the ranking of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Hidden Cloud's strength is second only to the Hidden Leaf.
Of course, after the decline of the Hidden Leaf, the Hidden Cloud wasn't able to become number one either.
The Hidden Fire Village had risen strongly, showing extraordinary power.
Even if the Hidden Cloud surpasses the Hidden Fire in the short term, with the momentum the Hidden Fire Village has now, it would only be a matter of time before they surpass the Hidden Cloud again.
In such circumstances, there's no point in fighting for first place if it isn't truly first, as it would only be shameful.
The Hidden Cloud values its pride and doesn't want to become the laughingstock of the ninja world.
However, from any angle, the Hidden Cloud Village is an undeniable power in the ninja world.
For Deidara to challenge them alone—what is he thinking? Is he drunk?
Does he have a death wish?
"Are we just going to let him die?"
Sasori turned to Kakuzu.
"Isn't he your partner?" Kakuzu replied, "Aren't you going to do something? Or are you just hoping he'll die?"
"What can I do?"
Sasori sneered. "How arrogant must someone be to think they can take on an entire village, a superpower like the Hidden Cloud. Did he get his brain knocked out?"
After speaking, Sasori fell silent for a moment and then disappeared.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Hidan shouted, "That jerk Sasori says Deidara is going to get himself killed, but he's still following after him?"
"Shut up and follow!"
Kakuzu growled.
"Huh?"
Hidan was confused. "We're going to the Hidden Cloud too? Kakuzu, do you know how terrifying that village is? Do you have a death wish?"
"Strong? How strong? Do you think they're stronger than the Hidden Fire Village?"
"Well..."
Hidan was stunned.
What's going on? How did this turn into a comparison with the Hidden Fire Village?
Wherever Uchiha Itsuki is, that place is the most dangerous. Everyone in the ninja world knows this.
That's the reputation Uchiha Itsuki earned for himself.
You're comparing the Hidden Cloud Village?
Even if you combined the other four villages, they might not be able to rival the Hidden Fire.
Why? Because Uchiha Itsuki is simply that powerful.
So powerful that it's suffocating.
Sometimes, an individual's strength can overshadow everything else.
"That's why we're going to the Hidden Cloud!" Kakuzu said coldly. "If we can't break through the Hidden Cloud, how are we going to face Uchiha Itsuki?"
As Hidan watched Kakuzu's back, he muttered, "I'd rather never face that monster. There's only one Uchiha Itsuki in the entire ninja world, and there may never be another. Why would I even think about facing him?"
Uchiha Madara?
Hidan's mind drifted to that name, making his eye twitch.
What's going on? Why are the craziest and strongest people in the ninja world always Uchihas?
And now there are no Senju left!
What Hidan didn't know was that if Uchiha Itsuki hadn't been so unique, he would have had another superior: Uchiha Obito.
Additionally, members of the Otsutsuki clan could be considered the ancestors of the Uchiha.
The three of them didn't linger and quickly made their way toward the Hidden Cloud Village.
When they arrived, they were shocked to see that Deidara had already begun his solo assault on the village.
...
"Listen up! You are surrounded. Drop your weapons, put your hands on your heads, and kneel down. If you don't, don't blame me for blowing your heads off!"
Deidara's arrogant voice echoed through the Hidden Cloud Village.
Sasori remained silent.
Kakuzu's mouth twitched.
Hidan sympathetically looked at Sasori and said, "Man, I feel bad for you. Being partnered with such an idiot, this guy must have something wrong with his brain."
"Humph, don't even start!"
Kakuzu's cold voice interrupted.
"What do you mean by that, Kakuzu? Damn it!" Hidan was so angry he nearly jumped.
"Who's this lunatic?"
The ninjas of the Hidden Cloud were known for their fiery tempers.
If someone dared to provoke them, would they tolerate it?
Definitely not!
A large group of Cloud ninjas charged at Deidara.
Swish!
Deidara immediately had his giant white bird flap its wings and soared into the sky.
From over a hundred meters in the air, Deidara coldly looked down at the Cloud ninjas below and said, "Alright, this was your choice. Don't blame me if you die."
"Screw you!"
The Cloud ninjas, with their short tempers, couldn't stand it and began attacking immediately.
They attached explosive tags to their kunai and shuriken and hurled them into the sky.
Even massive crossbows were loaded with explosive tags.
Boom!
The sky echoed with thunder-like explosions as the attacks filled the air.
With so many Cloud ninjas attacking at once, even one strike per person was enough to fill the entire sky.
But!
While their attacks were numerous, Deidara's speed was even greater.
The enormous white bird showed a speed that contradicted its size.
It weaved through the air, effortlessly dodging all the attacks.
Then.
Some white clay trickled down from the giant bird.
Although the Cloud ninjas noticed it, it was so small—no larger than a fingernail—what harm could it possibly do?
They glanced at it and sent a few ninjas to investigate while the majority continued attacking Deidara.
...
Swish!
A few ninjas tasked with investigating the white clay moved in quickly.
They stared at the clay on the ground, frowning.
"What is this stuff?"
"It has chakra, so it's some kind of chakra-based material, but it's so tiny?"
"What should we do?"
One ninja stepped forward and stomped on the white clay. "Do we really need to clean this up?"
"Don't be careless!"
The lead ninja looked up at Deidara flying above and said, "This guy's goal is probably to distract us."
"What?"
The lead ninja explained, "Before today, have you ever seen a ninja so stupid they would waltz into the Hidden Cloud and challenge us alone?"
"Right!"
"That kind of guy must be crazy."
"Challenging the Hidden Cloud by himself? Even Uchiha Itsuki would have a hard time making it out alive!"
The Cloud ninjas let out a low growl, their spirits rising.
They were proud of their village.
Their village was indeed powerful.
If they hadn't suffered a recent defeat at the hands of the Hidden Leaf, they'd be even more proud.
As a result, they didn't notice the white clay under the ninja's foot slightly wriggling, transforming into a squashed little bug, and then—
Boom!
With a loud explosion.
The ninja, who had stepped on white clay, stared at his shattered leg.
In that moment, he couldn't even scream or cry out in pain.
His expression was blank, staring dumbly at his severed leg, almost looking confused.
"What?"
The other ninjas were shocked and were just about to take action.
One by one, white clay spiders suddenly leaped onto their bodies.
Even the fastest ninja had one stuck to his thigh.
"Boom!"
One explosion after another followed.
When the explosions finally ceased, the group of ninjas had completely vanished.
Only some scattered remains on the ground were proof they had ever existed.
Deidara, flying in the sky, curled his lips into a cold smile.
Good.
He had effortlessly wiped out a squad of Cloud ninjas.
This showed his plan was perfectly normal.
As long as he planned well, with his special abilities, he could definitely take on an entire ninja village by himself!
Next...
"Cloud Village, I'm giving you one last chance. Hand over Killer Bee, or I'll flatten your entire village."
Deidara's expression grew colder.
"What a big mouth!"
"Bastard!"
"Deidara, just a rogue ninja from the Stone Village, dares to be so arrogant in Cloud Village!"
"Kill him!"
The Cloud ninjas were enraged.
If Deidara wasn't flying in the sky right now, they would have torn him to pieces.
"Looks like you're really not getting it, huh?"
Deidara sighed dramatically.
"Then I guess I'll send you all on your way."
Meanwhile, a few pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows were watching the battlefield. Seeing this scene...
"Sasori, has Deidara always been like this?"
"...No, I think he's been triggered by something. Today, he's especially... different."
"Triggered by what?"
Hidan let out a sinister chuckle, "Could it be the Eight-Tails? Yeah, that makes sense. He transformed into Uchiha Itsuki and almost got himself killed. Anyone would be a little shaken by that."
"You too?"
"Kakuzu, what's that supposed to mean?"
Hidan snapped in anger.
"Enough!"
Sasori's impatient voice cut in.
Sometimes, he could really appreciate Kakuzu.
Who would have thought, when they were split into pairs, they each got stuck with a madman.
Of course!
Even if they had a choice, they definitely wouldn't have picked each other as partners.
During their short time together, they had come to respect each other's excellence and composure.
However...
They were both decisive individuals, and would never follow the other's lead.
Deidara and Hidan, on the other hand, were much less competent in this regard.
If Sasori and Kakuzu had been paired together, within three days, the two of them would have fought to the death.
They would've done everything in their power to kill the other.
"Still..."
Sasori muttered, "Deidara has surprised me."
"Indeed."
Kakuzu nodded, "Deidara's explosive clay is incredibly effective for siege warfare. No wonder he was the disciple of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. This technique is as potent as Dust Release, capable of disregarding the enemy's numbers."
"That's something we can make good use of."
Sasori murmured, "If used properly, this guy's power could rival a tailed beast."
"But!"
Kakuzu suddenly added, "Even Dust Release was once blocked head-on by Uchiha Itsuki."
This time, Sasori's expression turned strange.
Is this guy a little too obsessed with Uchiha Itsuki?
No matter what they're doing, he always brings it back to that person.
This is not good!
Not good at all.
If he isn't careful, he'll end up dead.
Sasori shot a deep glance at Kakuzu, silently making a decision in his heart.
No way, I have to stay far away from this guy.
It looks like he's starting to dig his own grave.
…
"Bang!"
Accompanied by a heavy sound.
A massive white figure appeared in the sky.
Number 18!
Mixed with his highest-grade chakra, this explosive clay was shaped into a human-like puppet and directly air-dropped. As it descended, the puppet would enlarge, accelerating its fall, and its explosion could easily destroy an entire village.
This was the second-highest level of attack in Deidara's arsenal.
"Go!"
Deidara casually waved his hand.
Number 18 began to plummet rapidly.
"This... this..."
Even the Cloud ninjas were dumbfounded.
It was massive!
Even if it didn't do anything, its size alone was enough to crush a lot of people.
"Be careful! This is Deidara's explosive clay—it has the power to explode!"
Deidara had a bit of a reputation.
After all, he was once chosen as the Third Tsuchikage's successor, only to give up the position and become a rogue ninja.
Such a strange character was rare in the entire ninja world.
And on top of that, Deidara's attacks were strong, and his combat ability had reached the level of an elite jōnin.
So, many people knew about him.
Faced with such a massive piece of explosive clay, the Cloud ninjas were clearly a bit panicked.
They used all kinds of defensive ninjutsu.
One of the ninjas even shouted, "Where are the Lightning Release ninjas? Hurry up and attack! Deidara's technique is Earth-based!"
Indeed, many Lightning Release ninjas arrived.
After all, it was Cloud Village, where the majority of ninjas used Lightning Release.
But sadly...
Against the gigantic Number 18, their attacks were incredibly weak and couldn't stop its descent at all.
"We're done for!"
As the attack descended, many ninjas closed their eyes in despair.
This attack was terrifying.
"Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Suddenly, a loud shout echoed.
Immediately, a black sphere appeared and slammed into Number 18, knocking it away.
"Boom!"
Two massive explosions erupted.
Number 18 and the Tailed Beast Bomb exploded violently just outside the Cloud Village.
Although Number 18's explosion was slightly smaller, it wasn't far off.
This caused another stir among the Cloud ninjas.
Could a ninja's attack really have almost matched a Tailed Beast Bomb?
That was terrifying!
And on top of that...
"Lord Killer Bee?"
Someone cried out in surprise, "Why are you here?"
(End of chapter)