Feeling the powerful aura rising from Ōnoki, everyone present felt a slight shock in their hearts.
This was the power of Iwagakure's Third Tsuchikage! Worthy of being a village's Kage—this aura was truly exhilarating.
"Worthy of a Kage, this aura is truly exciting! If I kill you and offer you to Lord Jashin, he'll surely be pleased!"
Hidan drew his Triple-Bladed Scythe from his back and shouted excitedly!
If Ōnoki hadn't been flying in mid-air, Hidan would have already rushed forward.
"Shut up! This is someone who has lived since that era. No amount of caution is too much when facing him."
"Moreover, the Third Tsuchikage possesses the Kekkei Tōta that surpasses even Kekkei Genkai!"
Kakuzu's eyes were locked on Ōnoki, his voice unusually cold.
Sasori beside them didn't speak. Though he stood quietly in place, he gave off a feeling that he could launch an attack at any moment.
In an instant, the atmosphere rapidly tensed.
White Zetsu standing beside Deidara smiled faintly:
"So, Deidara, what do you plan to do?"
Deidara completely ignored White Zetsu and raised his hand with a light wave.
Kakuzu and Sasori's expressions changed, and they quickly jumped backward.
The moment the two left their original positions, three explosions simultaneously rang out where they had just stood.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hidan, who reacted a beat slower, was caught off guard and couldn't help but let out a scream.
"Bastard! Deidara, what the hell are you doing!!"
Hidan endured the severe pain from his body, gritted his teeth, and roared at Deidara.
If not for his immortal body, that explosion just now would have killed an ordinary ninja.
Kakuzu and Sasori also fixed their gazes on Deidara. Though they didn't speak, their eyes showed dissatisfaction.
"Hmph, this matter doesn't require your interference. Just watch from the sidelines."
Deidara snorted and spoke arrogantly.
"I'll sacrifice you to Lord Jashin!"
Hidan shouted again, raising his Triple-Bladed Scythe and charging toward Deidara.
Before Hidan could run a few steps, the ground in front of him suddenly cracked open.
A centipede made entirely of explosive clay rushed from underground, coiling around Hidan's entire body.
Hidan's body stiffened, and he quickly stopped.
"If you make any move, this centipede will explode immediately."
Deidara glanced at Hidan and spoke calmly.
Bastard!!!
Hidan showed an enraged expression and cursed at Deidara. Though he wouldn't die, he would still feel pain.
The clay centipede coiled around him could easily blast his body into several pieces.
Deidara paid no attention to Hidan's curses. He glanced at Kakuzu and Sasori before turning his gaze back to Ōnoki in mid-air.
"Infighting? How amusing."
Ōnoki crossed his arms and watched the scene coldly.
"Hah!"
Deidara formed a hand seal with one hand and shouted.
The massive amount of explosive clay surrounding Ōnoki began moving, rapidly charging toward him.
Dust Release—Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!
Ōnoki pressed his palms together, quickly forming a transparent conical barrier between them.
In the next instant.
The conical barrier rapidly expanded, sweeping across all the surrounding clay bombs.
Any clay bomb touched by the Atomic Dismantling Jutsu disappeared without even exploding.
Seeing this, Deidara's eyelids twitched slightly.
Though expected, seeing Ōnoki so easily eliminate the massive amount of clay bombs he created still surprised Deidara.
A violent gust of wind suddenly came from behind Ōnoki.
The C2 Dragon moved at this moment, its massive wings flapping powerfully toward Ōnoki's position.
A wind storm like a Wind Style ninjutsu instantly formed. Ōnoki, in mid-air, couldn't maintain stable flight under this gale.
He plummeted directly toward the ground!
Earth Style—Added-Weight Rock Technique!
During his descent, Ōnoki rapidly formed hand seals, applying the technique to himself.
Under this jutsu's effect, Ōnoki's body weight rapidly increased, forcefully stabilizing his body.
At this point, Ōnoki was less than five meters from the ground.
Whoosh!!
The C2 Dragon in the sky spread its wings and dove downward, its massive shadow instantly enveloping Ōnoki.
Meanwhile, the ground beneath Ōnoki also began to crack.
Countless clay centipedes, clay spiders, clay twin snakes, and clay grasshoppers surged from underground, swarming toward Ōnoki like a tidal wave.
Even the centipede that had been coiled around Hidan released him and rushed forward.
In this instant, from sky to ground, Ōnoki had nowhere to hide.
"Old man! Use your Atomic Dismantling Jutsu again! Other than that jutsu, you have no other technique that can withstand such a wide-range explosive attack."
Deidara looked at Ōnoki and laughed, madness in his eyes.
Rather than let you die at Uchiha Madara's hands!
Better to die at the hands of your former disciple! Teacher Ōnoki!!
"Is this bastard crazy? He plans to blow up the entire forest!!"
Kakuzu's expression changed drastically, and he and Sasori rapidly retreated outward.
At this moment, even Hidan, who feared no death, shuddered and frantically ran toward the perimeter.
The scene before them was enough to prove that Deidara, this madman, had been preparing to deal with Ōnoki for who knows how long.
Cold sweat appeared on Ōnoki's forehead—his former disciple had truly given him quite a surprise!
Earth Style—Rock Clone!
Six clones made of rock simultaneously appeared, each standing in a different position. They all formed hand seals and shouted:
"Dust Release—Particle Style: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!!!"
Though powerful, Dust Release had one notable limitation—it could only attack in one direction at a time.
Facing such a wide-range clay bomb attack, Ōnoki naturally had to use clones to cover blind spots. Moreover, due to the enormous range...
Ōnoki could only use the Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, which had greater range than the Atomic Dismantling Jutsu.
A massive white light instantly illuminated the sky above the entire forest, like a small sun appearing before everyone's eyes.
Kakuzu, Sasori, Hidan, and the others simultaneously closed their eyes to shield themselves from the intense light.
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day along with bonus releases and early access to new novels. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone.
Right now, my financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
Adventurer — $3 per month
10 chapters in advance of other platforms for all of my works (+8 chapters per week for each fiction)
Warrior — $7 per month
15 chapters in advance ahead of other platforms (+8 chapters per week for each fiction)
Immortal — $10 per month (Highlighted Tier)
20 chapters in advance for all of my works (32 chapters per month for each fic, and I work on 8 fics simultaneously—you can do the math on how much you are getting to read)
Access to character images
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee (Apple/Patreon policy). Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late (2 to 3 months), which makes it much harder for me to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help me continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]