novelraw Page 421
Page 421
A member of the Root organization named Faith.
Like a puppet on a string, it was pulled in front of him to act as a human shield!
"Pfft! Pfft!"
The attack struck Shin's body precisely; it was a surprise attack launched by the puppets "Crow" and "Black Ant" controlled by Kankuro!
The sharp blade that sprang from the crow's arm easily pierced Xin's chest.
However, for the reanimated, such a fatal wound is meaningless, and the cracks in his body are healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Huh, what a small skill."
Scorpion snorted coldly, then moved his fingers again, manipulating Xin's body to exert force, trying to deflect the crow's blade.
However, a figure suddenly appeared from the side like a ghost!
"Cloud Flow - Crescent Moon Slash!"
He seized this fleeting opportunity and brought the swordsmanship passed down in Kumogakure to its fullest potential.
The long sword in his hand transformed into three sharp, crescent-shaped blades of light, precisely severing several key chakra threads connecting Sasori to "Shin"!
"what?!"
Scorpion was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected that this seemingly timid Cloud Village boy would have such precise and decisive swordsmanship!
It was just that momentary delay!
Kankuro, who had been preparing for a long time, suddenly spread his ten fingers wide.
The already prepared, even stronger chakra threads emerged like venomous snakes from their holes.
In an instant, it wrapped around and connected with the chakra lines that Sasori had exposed due to Omoi's slash, which connected his main body with the numerous puppets!
"Gotcha! Get out here!"
Kankuro shouted and unleashed tremendous power in his arms, pulling sharply backward!
"Crack-!"
Scorpion, hidden in the shadows of the ruins, was pulled out of his hiding place by his powerful pull.
He revealed his true form, which still retained the appearance of a young boy!
Sasori steadied himself, a hint of surprise flashing in his puppet eyes as he looked up at Kankuro, who was standing ready for battle.
A hoarse voice rang out: "Kankuro... you've gotten quite a bit stronger in a while. It seems you've really taken the lesson I taught you last time to heart."
Kankuro, manipulating crows and black ants to shield himself, his face devoid of its usual frivolity, replaced by a focused and solemn expression: "This time, unlike last time, I won't be easily defeated by you!"
"I will defeat you fair and square with my puppetry skills!"
Meanwhile, Sasuke's chase with Deidara unfolded in a relatively open rocky valley.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Deidara frantically threw all sorts of clay bombs.
Two-winged birds, spiders, centipedes... all sorts of explosives tried to overwhelm Sasuke and Gamabunta.
However, Sasuke's all-seeing Sharingan made the trajectory of these attacks crystal clear.
Thanks to its excellent mobility, Toad Flame always manages to avoid the core of the explosion with the slightest chance.
Occasionally, it uses its dagger-like tongue to knock down unavoidable clay creations.
What frustrated Deidara even more was that the entire valley had been enveloped by Sasuke's lightning chakra without him even realizing it.
Fine arcs of electricity crackled in the air, making a buzzing sound.
The clay bombs he threw were often struck by tiny bolts of lightning that appeared out of nowhere while they were still in flight.
If it fails prematurely or deviates from its target, its power is greatly reduced.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!"
Deidara watched as his prized art was nipped in the bud time and time again, his teeth grinding so hard they almost shattered.
This guy's strength has increased since our last encounter!
This all-encompassing suppression made him feel incredibly humiliated and resentful!
The flames of revenge consumed his sanity!
He abruptly stopped the bird, stood in the air, and rapidly kneaded the specially made clay with his hands, a crazy and resolute look on his face!
"Uchiha Sasuke!!"
He roared and actually shoved the lump of clay into his mouth, chewing it vigorously!
"I'll show you with my own eyes! The ultimate art I specially prepared for you, surpassing C3! C4 Garuda!!"
As he swallowed and frantically poured in chakra, Deidara's body began to expand and deform rapidly, like an inflating balloon!
The prototype of a colossal clay giant, resembling Deidara, began to emerge.
Its interior contains countless tiny clay spiders that are invisible to the naked eye.
Once it spreads, it will completely pulverize all living things within its range at the cellular level.
However, just as Deidara's body swelled to its limit, and C4 Garuda was about to take shape and spread—
Sasuke had already raised the Kusanagi sword, which was imbued with high-intensity Chidori chakra, high above his head!
His body was crackling with lightning, which resonated strongly with the thick, oppressive thunderclouds that had gathered in the sky at some unknown time!
"Roar--!!!"
It was as if an invisible, gigantic beast of lightning was roaring in the clouds!
The natural lightning energy between heaven and earth was frantically guided and absorbed by Sasuke's Lightning Release chakra.
It coalesced into a gigantic, ferocious-looking Qilin, entirely composed of blue and white lightning, above the valley!
Its power was so terrifying that even heaven and earth paled in comparison!
"Disappear, Qilin!"
Sasuke's eyes flashed, and he pointed his sword downwards!
"BOOM!!!!!!!!!!"
A bolt of lightning whose thickness and destructive power defy description.
Like a divine spear of judgment descending from the heavens, tearing the sky apart.
With speeds exceeding visual perception, it bombarded the C4 Garuda, a newly formed clay bomb that had not yet had time to spread!
The ultimate light and heat burst forth in an instant!
The destructive energy of the Thunder Kirin was not a simple explosion, but rather closer to "annihilation"!
Deidara's enormous clay body, along with the countless tiny, unactivated clay spiders inside.
Faced with the might of heaven and earth, they couldn't even last a second, and were instantly vaporized!
Not even a speck of dust was left behind!
All that remains is a massive, charred crater, over 100 meters in diameter, with edges that have a glassy sheen.
And in the center of the giant pit, there was Deidara's remains, slowly reshaping his chest and abdomen using the power of the Impure World Reincarnation.
However, Deidara had only recovered half of his chest and hadn't had time to think about what had happened.
A cold, sharp blade pierced through the air, precisely penetrating his chest and pinning him firmly to the scorched earth!
It is Sasuke's Kusanagi sword!
Immediately afterwards, the special steel wire wrapped around the hilt of the sword suddenly tightened, and a pure yet violent white lightning surged along the wire!
“Sizzle, sizzle—!!”
High-voltage lightning instantly flowed throughout Deidara's entire body.
Although it couldn't kill the reanimated user, the intense paralyzing and destructive effects were enough to temporarily deprive him of control over his chakra.
The body becomes rigid, and the regeneration rate slows down significantly.
"Why... why..."
Deidara lay at the bottom of the pit, watching Sasuke approach step by step, his eyes filled with despair and disbelief.
"Why... do you even know about the new move I just came up with... and were able to counter it in advance...?"
He was completely lost.
If Sasuke was able to break his techniques in the past, it could be attributed to his intelligence gathering and the Sharingan's insight.
But this C4 Garuda was something he pondered deeply after his rebirth in the Impure World following his death.
A brand new technique specifically developed to counter Sasuke's Lightning Release and Sharingan!
How could he be instantly killed by the opponent in such a near-counteracting way the moment he appeared?!
This is completely unreasonable!
Sasuke walked to the edge of the pit and looked down at Deidara, who was pinned to the ground and convulsing from the electric shocks.
His gaze was indifferent, as if stating a simple, unambiguous fact:
"Because your art... is too outdated."
"You...you son of a bitch..."
Deidara was so enraged by those words that he almost lost his soul, and even his reanimated body trembled.
Sasuke didn't give him a chance to waste words. With a flick of his wrist, more steel wires shot out like serpents.
Deidara was bound tightly in layers, ensuring that he could neither break free nor self-destruct in the short term.
"Gamabunta, let's go and support Kankuro and the others," Sasuke said in a deep voice as he leaped onto Gamabunta's head.
With a burst of strength from his limbs, Toad Flame leaped into the air once more, heading towards the main position of the surprise attack force.
All that remains is Deidara, bound like a dumpling, still at the bottom of the pit, driven to madness and collapse by the "denial of his art" and the "unexplained defeat," in a fit of impotent rage.
This duel between arch-rivals has come to an end once again, with Sasuke's near-total dominance.