Chapter 77: This Place… Is Heaven!
The explosion naturally came from Deidara's explosive clay.
The chaos in Konoha had already ended and entered the cleanup phase. At a time like this, Deidara was still fighting, not because he had encountered some powerful enemy.
Rather, Deidara's way of "helping" Konoha deal with the invaders was to fly overhead and casually toss explosive clay down at the ground.
This kind of firepower coverage was indeed the most efficient way to clear out fodder enemies and end battles quickly.
The only problem was that Deidara threw them completely at random. He didn't care whether he might injure Konoha ninja who were still fighting, or blow up buildings.
After all, he'd bombed his own Iwagakure before. Why wouldn't he bomb Konoha?
Although Deidara also has blond hair and blue eyes.
Although he has a red-haired best friend from Sunagakure.
Although he considers an Uchiha with Sharingan as a rival.
Although his team includes a lecherous, repressed pervert who can use space-time jutsu…
But Deidara is not the reincarnation of Asura, nor is he a kind-hearted Uzumaki Naruto.
If Konoha villagers dared to morally kidnap him or scold him, Deidara would just turn around and drop something big on them.
So Deidara felt absolutely no psychological pressure.
But just because Deidara felt fine didn't mean everyone else did.
While running around helping out, Kakashi noticed the massive commotion Deidara was causing.
Deidara's efficiency really was far higher than his. The only flaw was the sheer number of friendly-fire incidents.
Deidara flew in the sky, and Kakashi followed below, dealing with any possible accidental damage.
In the process, Kakashi unexpectedly discovered that senbon needles infused with a bit of Lightning Release could actually cause Deidara's explosives to misfire. After that, things became much easier.
Relying on the Sharingan's precise perception, Kakashi continuously flicked out Lightning-infused senbon, neutralizing unnecessary explosive clay.
Naturally, Deidara noticed Kakashi's actions, and recognized him as the famous ninja-world internet celebrity, Hatake Kakashi.
After most of it was dealt with, Deidara jumped down directly, hoping Kakashi would spar with him using Lightning Release.
Mainly because within the Akatsuki, only Kakuzu could spar with him, and Kakuzu was often busy.
For example, several countermeasures Deidara had recently devised against Lightning Release had only been tested once on Kakuzu. The rest were still purely theoretical.
Kakashi didn't refuse.
After all, the other side had come to help. Wanting a small favor afterward was perfectly reasonable.
Besides, Deidara's clay was countered by Lightning Release anyway, so it wasn't too dangerous.
After Kakashi agreed, the two moved to a relatively empty area near some ruins and began sparring.
The explosion just now was from their exchange.
So then, if Lightning Release countered the clay, why did the clay still explode?
Sasori wasn't beside Deidara right now. Feeling bored, he had already left early.
"Hahaha! Hatake Kakashi, take this, my lightning rod! Hmm!"
Deidara laughed loudly as he controlled explosive clay implanted with his Earth Release: Lightning Rod technique, charging it toward Kakashi.
This Lightning Rod technique wasn't the offensive ninjutsu Lightning Release: Lightning Rod used by Fūka, but a unique Earth Release technique Deidara had developed himself.
A high-density chakra lightning rod formed from Earth Release would attract the enemy's Lightning Release chakra attacks, guiding them into the ground to dissipate, thus ensuring the safe detonation of the explosive clay.
The only drawback was that it had to stay close to the ground to be effective, it couldn't be used for aerial attacks like before.
Because the lightning rod had to be connected to the ground.
Kakashi dodged left and right, rapidly weaving through the ruins while thinking of a countermeasure.
With a lightning rod present, unless he used a wide-area sweeping attack to completely destroy the explosive clay inside and out in one go, Lightning Release would always be diverted away.
But a jutsu like that would consume too much chakra.
It would be better to…
Kakashi touched his eye.
"Raikiri!"
As the explosive clay closed in, Kakashi suddenly turned around, severed the lightning rod connecting it to the ground, then quickly threw Lightning Release senbon backward to halt the detonation.
Kakashi panted heavily.
This was only a stopgap measure he could use once.
Cutting the lightning rod sounded great in theory, but if it hadn't been a surprise just now, the opponent could have detonated the bomb directly while he attacked the rod.
What about Fire Release?
Kakashi suddenly thought of it.
Large-scale Lightning Release attacks consumed too much chakra, but Fire Release was different.
Fire Release might not counter the attack directly, nor necessarily burn the explosive clay away, but if it could trigger the explosion early, that still counted as a solution.
Kakashi dodged several more attacks.
At this moment, Deidara and Kakashi stood on opposite sides of a ruined area.
"Looks like the famous Sharingan Kakashi is nothing special after all. Then let's finish it one last time, hmm! Let Konoha witness my splendid art!"
Deidara flung explosive clay into the ruins.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Kakashi rapidly formed hand seals and spat an enormous fireball into the ruins.
"Hm? What's that smell? …Oh no!"
Just as Deidara was about to admire his art with satisfaction, he sniffed the air, and his expression changed drastically.
Back in his childhood in Iwagakure, before he had learned explosive clay, Deidara once took some explosive tags and secretly threw them into a dry latrine while Ōnoki was using the toilet.
That day, the melancholy deepened.
That day, the toilet exploded with methane gas.
That day, Ōnoki was forced to use Dust Release to atomize the mess.
That day, his butt hurt… a lot.
An experienced Deidara instantly realized something was wrong.
This ruin… was Konoha's septic tank.
Run!
Take off!
At the fastest speed of his life, Deidara summoned a clay bird and shot into the sky like a streak of smoke.
"Huh?"
Kakashi was confused.
Why did he just leave?
The next second, Kakashi saw the second most terrifying sight of his life.
If the thing that once chased his backside was like Wood Release: Cutting Technique, then this was Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees!
Boom!
Snowflakes drift, the north wind howls, heaven and earth turn vast and pale~
Your hair like snow beautified our farewell~
Who dared to stir this fecal fragrance~
Kakashi felt as if he were witnessing the most horrifying scene of the Konoha Crush Plan.
In that instant, Kakashi's gaze became incomparably resolute.
"Konoha… will be protected by me!"
His Sharingan spun wildly as the Mangekyō Sharingan emerged.
The future Sixth Hokage displayed his Will of Fire!
Under a full-powered Kamui, the explosion was completely transferred away the moment it began!
This level of transfer was comparable to Minato teleporting a Tailed Beast Bomb back in the day.
The Will of Fire truly lived on~
After executing this move, Kakashi collapsed unconscious from exhaustion.
—
Meanwhile, inside the Kamui dimension.
Fortunately, the masked man had not eaten curry this time.
He was sparring with the ring-faced White Zetsu.
That's right, he was sparring too.
When there was no opportunity to act, he regularly trained himself to keep his combat skills sharp.
"Hmph. Foolish Kakashi."
Sensing the Kamui dimension opening again, the masked man let out a cold laugh.
This time, he was prepared.
He'd already finished his curry outside.
Calmly stepping back a few paces, the masked man prepared to see what "gift" Kakashi had sent him this time.
Eh?
Why is it so bright?
BOOOOOOM!
A methane explosion erupted inside the Kamui dimension.
"AAAAAAAH!"
The masked man let out a shrill scream.
It was even more miserable than his scream when burned by Amaterasu in the original story.
"This place… is heaven~"
The ring-faced White Zetsu, blown away by the blast, crawled back up. Looking at the Kamui dimension filled with filth, he excitedly started swimming butterfly-style through it.
(End of this chapter)