"Hehe, Deidara... I didn't expect you to show up here as well."
Orochimaru's voice carried a trace of a sinister smile. He had long harbored suspicions about the identity of this black-haired, black-eyed Deidara.
Seeing him now, it was clear that just like himself, Deidara had his own agenda within the Akatsuki.
Dressed in the same red-clouded black cloak as Orochimaru, Deidara lacked the purple nail polish typical of the organization's members. "Senior Orochimaru, for me, this is merely a hired mission."
The core of Dust Release is a Bloodline Selection—a combination of Wind, Fire, and Earth natures. Though not a direct descendant of the Tsuchikage's bloodline, it was evident that this "Azure Dragon" had received the direct inheritance of Onoki from the Hidden Stone Village.
An orphan of the war without a surname, he had been adopted by Onoki at the age of ten and named Deidara.
However, unlike the blonde Deidara of original history, this black-haired version was far more composed and held no interest in the philosophy of "art is an explosion."
As if guided by fate, this Deidara had also defected from the Hidden Stone to become the bearer of the Blue Dragon ring in the Akatsuki.
As the final split-body of Shiraishi's Heavenly Curse OF THE Five Phantoms, the physical vessel he inhabited was much weaker than the other four, lacking any innate talent or powerful bloodline.
Yet, this was precisely why Deidara trained so relentlessly, eventually mastering Dust Release and breaking past the limitations of a single Earth-attribute chakra.
When Shiraishi had last performed the ritual, his intended vessel met with an accident, and the split soul-light found a nameless orphan who had just perished on a battlefield.
It was a twist of fate that brought this Deidara back to life, a result that had initially shocked Shiraishi. Under the influence of the Curse, the boy's silent, hardworking nature allowed him to achieve the impossible.
The Bone Blade of Ghostly Arts
Facing the onslaught of Shirohebi-hime's Inorganic Reincarnation, Deidara's hands blurred through seals. He drew a bizarre, white-boned staff directly from the earth.
Earth Style: Bone-Blade of the Revenant!
The bone sword emerged, accompanied by the eerie wails of a thousand ghosts. Resonating with Orochimaru's Spiritual Domain, the weapon caused Shirohebi-hime's face to pale. "Beyond Dust Release... you also practice the legendary Ghost Arts?"
Ghost Arts are a niche branch of Earth Style, with Mount Myoboku's reincarnation techniques being a prime example. However, this branch focused more on refining corpses and spirits, similar to Sasori's Human Puppets.
Shirohebi-hime could feel the terrifying power of vengeful spirits within the blade—it had been refined using the blood and chakra of countless fallen warriors.
Shiraishi had provided Deidara with Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) cells, which the youth used to forge this specific weapon.
The bone blade possessed a natural advantage against the White Snake Sage. Since Hakuga (the Earth-attribute consciousness) had been consumed, Earth Style had become the Sage's mechanical weakness.
The segments of the bone sword rattled, then snapped straight. Cold killing intent materialized as a physical edge. Crack! Crack! The sounds of shattering air rang out in rapid succession.
The tip of the blade slowed against the Sage's inorganic shields, but the Sage was visibly wary.
She tried to create distance, but Deidara gave her no opening. The bone blade carved through her physical form, and the resulting damage caused her expression to twist in agony.
Massive amounts of vengeful spirit energy poured into Shirohebi-hime, creating chaos in her mental world.
Ordinarily, she wouldn't fear these spirits, but between Orochimaru's domain, her own soul-schism, and the effort required to suppress four other consciousnesses, she was at her breaking point.
Deidara leaped into the air, his bone blade glowing with the destructive light of Dust Release. He launched a finishing beam, obliterating the Sage's protective fluids.
The Inner Circle Discussion
Within the shared mental space of Shiraishi's consciousness, the four split-bodies stood at the cardinal directions: Hagoromo Matou (Cloud), Hozuki Kaigetsu (Mist/5th Mizukage), Uchiha Kaede, and Deidara (Akatsuki).
Uchiha Kaede spoke first: "Orochimaru clearly has his own plans. He intends to use his degraded Reincarnation Technique to swallow the complete Eight-Headed Serpent and seize the entire inheritance of Ryuchi Cave. Bold."
"His chance of success is extremely high," Kaigetsu added, turning to Matou and Deidara. "You two really don't like to talk, do you?"
Matou and Deidara remained silent, watching the others discuss like stoic wooden statues. As time passed, the personalities of the four splits were becoming increasingly distinct.
Deidara finally offered a brief thought: "It is not a good thing for Orochimaru to obtain the full Ryuchi inheritance."
"Deidara, continue the mission," Shiraishi commanded.
Though Shiraishi maintained a decent relationship with Orochimaru, he never truly trusted him. Orochimaru was a mad scientist whose obsessions made him impossible to fully control.
The Final Betrayal
"Old Snake! Are you still going to stay divided at a time like this?"
Facing a terminal situation, Shirohebi-hime turned to the original White Snake Sage. After a moment of calculation, the Old Snake decided to merge back with her. His consciousness flowed into her body, reuniting the fragmented soul into a singular, powerful entity.
A blinding light erupted as the power of Inorganic Reincarnation surged with renewed vigor. Shirohebi-hime began to smile triumphantly, only to realize her body was no longer responding to her will.
"Wait... you aren't the Old Snake... you're Orochimaru!"
Half of Shirohebi-hime's face began to warp and twist, morphing into the pale, elongated features of Orochimaru. The Sannin let out a laugh that was as frigid as it was insane.
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