Chapter 220: Life and Death for the Art Duo
"Uchiha... Itachi."
The black-haired boy stared at the man before him, suppressing the hatred welling inside him.
Now that he knew the full truth, Sasuke's hatred wasn't directed at anything abstract — it was directed squarely at Itachi's arrogance.
His conviction that he alone could solve everything. His conviction that the rift between the Uchiha and Konoha had grown irreparable — a conviction that had led him to steer everything toward the worst possible outcome.
"Sasuke. You've grown."
Itachi, controlling this body remotely through Chameleon Descent, regarded the boy before him calmly.
"I know the whole truth now."
"Uchiha Itachi. Your crimes are unforgivable."
Steel rang free of its sheath, cold and merciless. Killing intent radiated outward from Sasuke's entire body.
"Is that so..."
Itachi's eyes lowered slightly, a barely perceptible flash of pain crossing his face.
"Self-righteous. Arrogant. Behind that composed exterior, you were always the most conceited, most contemptuous person imaginable."
"That's what truly destroyed the Uchiha, once and for all."
"Brother. This is the last time I'll ever call you that."
Beneath the open sky, sunlight blanketing the empty plain, the boy stood with blade drawn, his gaze flat and cold.
"I will kill you. As an offering to the spirits of every innocent Uchiha who died."
Itachi's expression didn't shift at these words. He raised a hand, forming seals before Sasuke's eyes.
"Fire Release—"
In that instant, Sasuke moved, vanishing like a bolt of lightning!
"Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball surged from Itachi's mouth, hurtling toward Sasuke!
Lightning flashed. A blade of unmatched sharpness — the boy's resolve given form — cut through every chain that had ever bound him, shredding the Uchiha's most cherished Fire Release technique in an instant.
"I'm fine — ran into an Itachi clone. Dealing with it now, meeting up with you shortly."
Sasuke's voice came through the earpiece, and Tobirama felt his mind steady somewhat.
The Uchiha boy hadn't lost himself to blind rage. If anything, he was remarkably composed.
Tobirama found himself genuinely impressed.
Which meant all that remained now was clearing the two enemies before him.
Black cloak, red clouds. A towering frame. A Kirigakure rogue ninja's forehead protector.
Kisame Hoshigaki — and a duplicate of himself, born from the five-seal barrier.
Nothing but two clowns, really.
Tobirama could tell at a glance that the "Kisame" before him was some kind of specialized clone, produced through a particular technique.
A pair of clones, expecting to stop ME?
Naive.
"Playing with Water Release in front of me? How laughable."
Watching the surging waves at Kisame's feet, Tobirama scoffed and formed hand seals at lightning speed!
At the same moment, the barrier-clone made its move.
Flying Thunder God!
Several kunai came hurtling at him, and Tobirama's eyes narrowed.
"Well, well, well. A rare and precious opportunity — facing off against the legendary Second Hokage."
Kisame's face twisted into a terrifying grin as his hands wove seals.
"Water Release — Thousand Feeding Sharks!"
He pressed one palm to the water's surface, and countless miniature sharks erupted from below, racing toward Tobirama!
Mildly interrupted by the barrier-clone, Tobirama tilted his head, caught the kunai whistling past his ear, and flooded it with chakra — instantly replacing the clone's Flying Thunder God marking with a fresh one of his own.
But at that moment, the clone had already closed the distance!
Flying Thunder God Slash!
Facing the clone's sudden, ferocious assault, Tobirama's expression didn't waver. The kunai in his hand churned with water, transforming into a rapidly vibrating water-blade!
A blur of dazzling strikes later, the charging clone had been sliced into scattered pieces.
Meanwhile, countless miniature sharks had already surrounded Tobirama's feet.
He scoffed, leaping clear of the shark assault while forming seals with both hands simultaneously!
"Water Release — Water Weeping!"
An S-rank technique unleashed with a single raised hand!
Tobirama understood clearly: if the enemy was going to such lengths to delay him, that meant their sealing of the Three-Tails wasn't finished yet.
Otherwise, they could have simply fled. No need for all this trouble.
So — end this quickly.
Countless water droplets converged around Tobirama's body, transforming into thousands of impossibly fine senbon needles that rocketed toward Kisame!
One of the sharks leapt to bite at Tobirama — a single senbon skewered it clean through, and it exploded on contact.
Watching this, Kisame's already-small eyes narrowed further.
Those senbon don't just pierce — they spin and accelerate mid-flight, shattering anything in their path?
If it were just one, that'd be manageable...
Kisame looked up and found his entire field of vision filled with blue, water-formed senbon.
Thousands! Tens of thousands!
What looked like a chaotic, saturation-style bombardment was actually precisely coordinated — every single needle maintaining exact spacing from its neighbors, never letting its own rotational force interfere with the others.
Interesting. Worthy of the Second Hokage.
But I — Kisame Hoshigaki — trained in Kirigakure!
"Water Release—"
Kisame began forming seals — but noticed a single dark glint hidden among the countless senbon!
This is—
Not good!
A Flying Thunder God kunai!
Kisame's heart sank slightly.
Worthy of the Second Hokage — the man who led Konoha to victory in the Great War — to have spare capacity to slip a Flying Thunder God technique into such a precise, saturating attack!
Just as he moved to act, a figure had already materialized directly in front of him.
Flying Thunder God Slash!
Meeting Tobirama's eyes — flat, indifferent, looking at him like he was already dead — Kisame's mouth twitched.
"You—"
He never finished the word. Just that single syllable — "you" — and his head was already spinning through the air.
The massive, headless body collapsed into the water, staining it crimson with blood.
"Well. That was fast..."
The severed head, spinning skyward, managed that final quip before splashing into the water below.
"Hmph. Noisy."
Tobirama scoffed and paid no further attention to Kisame's clone-body, now shifting back to reveal a different appearance entirely. His gaze fixed instead on the massive boulder blocking the path ahead.
He pulled an explosive tag from his pouch, stuck it to a kunai, and hurled it at the boulder.
A thunderous blast tore the rock apart. Tobirama's figure flashed forward through the opening.
"Well, well — you're already inside? That was fast, Kisame."
In this desolate, empty darkness, an immense statue stood erect, a figure perched atop each of its ten extended fingers.
"Can't be helped. Chameleon Descent only grants thirty percent of my actual strength."
"Managing to slow the Second Hokage down even slightly is already impressive enough."
The voices exchanged words in the shadows. The moment Tobirama entered, every Akatsuki member turned to look at the uninvited guest.
Tobirama ignored them entirely, his eyes fixed on the giant statue's nine closed eyes and the Three-Tails' body — now nearly drained of its essence.
As the statue continued absorbing the Three-Tails' chakra, one of its nine eyes finally opened.
"I see. Your goal is to capture all nine Tailed Beasts."
Tobirama had deduced the Akatsuki's purpose in mere moments.
His words drew silence from every member present.
"Worthy of the Second Hokage, I suppose?"
Pain considered for a moment, then spoke.
"Correct. Capture all nine Tailed Beasts. Feed them into the Gedo Statue. Create an ultimate weapon powerful enough to bring the shinobi world to heel — so terrifying that no nation will dare start a war again."
"When that day comes, peace will finally arrive."
"This is the Akatsuki's purpose."
Pain revealed the organization's true goal without a shred of concern.
"Second Hokage — if you truly value peace, set aside your prejudices and join us."
"With this, suffering will cease. No one will ever start a war carelessly again."
At this moment, Pain was attempting to recruit Tobirama into the Akatsuki.
"And when you die?"
"What happens to this 'ultimate weapon' after you're gone?"
"There'll be an endless stream of ambitious men eyeing that weapon."
Tobirama sneered.
"Gods do not die."
Pain replied calmly.
Tobirama studied the man's rippled violet eyes — luminous even as a mere projection.
Is this the Rinnegan?
"Don't die?"
Tobirama pressed his palms together.
He'd lost all interest in debating this self-important man.
What good was the Rinnegan, in the end?
Where was the legendary Sage of Six Paths now, a thousand years later?
"From your current state, I doubt you can actually fight right now."
Tobirama sneered at the assembled group, chakra already surging within him, poised to strike.
"You are making an enemy of a god."
Pain's expression remained perfectly calm, watching Tobirama prepare.
"Self-important. Arrogant. Calling yourself a god, with ambitions higher than heaven itself — and now, facing me, what can you actually DO?"
"Shouldn't a god be omnipotent?"
"Come. Face me."
Tobirama mocked Pain, his technique already complete.
"Water Release — Water Shockwave!"
An endless torrent surged from Tobirama's body, a tsunami crashing toward the Gedo Statue as it continued absorbing the Three-Tails' chakra!
"Hey, Kisame — his Water Release looks way scarier than yours."
Hidan teased the silent Kisame off to the side.
"Shut your mouth. I'll rip that broken jaw of yours off one of these days."
Mocked on the exact technique he prided himself on, the already short-tempered Kisame grew genuinely irritated.
Even if what Hidan said happened to be true.
Pain glanced at the Three-Tails, now drained down to roughly the size of a basketball.
Chakra absorption was nearly complete. Whatever remained didn't matter.
For the Gedo Statue's purposes, the Three-Tails' power had already been sufficiently extracted.
"Heh. You'll regret this, Tobirama Senju."
Pain's projection vanished, and with it, every other Akatsuki member present.
Only the massive Gedo Statue, Deidara, Sasori, and the basketball-sized remnant of the Three-Tails remained.
At that moment, the Water Shockwave flooded the entire chamber!
The Gedo Statue dissolved into a puff of white smoke, vanishing as the wave crashed through.
Deidara and Sasori bolted for the opening behind Tobirama!
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Guy — having already dispatched his own clone first — arrived at the scene and immediately delivered a devastating kick straight at Sasori!
"NANI?!"
"You AGAIN?!"
Sasori's expression shifted at the sight of that familiar green bowl-cut.
Caught completely off guard, he was launched backward, straight into the churning water.
"Sasori-danna!"
Deidara's face went pale at the sight of Sasori falling into the water. He tried to turn back and help — but a figure had already blocked his path!
Tobirama!
"Did I say you could leave?"
The instant the words left his mouth, blinding gold lightning shot from Tobirama's hand, forming into the shape of a blade, and cleaved toward Deidara!
This was one of Tobirama's original creations — the Thunder God Sword. Before this mission had even begun, Sakura had dug it out of Konoha's storage vaults and handed it to Tobirama personally.
"NANI?!"
"Lightning Release?!"
Deidara's face went pale at the sight.
His clay explosions were an Earth Release kekkei genkai.
And Lightning Release countered him completely!
Before he could escape, the Thunder God Sword struck down the hastily-formed clay birds he'd conjured, one after another, and then swept toward him!
Blood sprayed across the sky. A severed arm splashed into the water!
Deidara's arm had been sliced clean off at the shoulder by Tobirama's Thunder God Sword!
"DAMN IT!"
Gritting through the searing pain of his severed limb, Deidara stood on the churning water, expression grim as he faced the two men before him.
At that moment, Sasori clawed his way out of the water, equally grave.
"Sasori-danna, you okay?"
Even one-armed, Deidara's first concern was for his partner.
"Compared to me, YOU'RE the one in trouble."
Sasori's body was, itself, a puppet — reinforced significantly after being shattered by a certain pink-haired girl's punch three years ago. Guy's sudden strike had done his puppet frame no real harm.
Deidara, missing an arm, was another matter entirely. His combat effectiveness had just taken a massive hit.
"Deidara, listen to me. I'll buy you time."
"Get out of here first."
Sasori was already pulling out the scroll containing his sealed puppet.
The puppet fashioned from the Fourth Raikage's body materialized before everyone.
"Sasori-danna!"
Deidara looked displeased.
At that moment, everyone's expression shifted, all eyes snapping toward the rock ceiling overhead.
A series of violent explosions tore through the stone above, sending countless fragments crashing down. All four of them scrambled to dodge the falling debris!
As the dust settled, sunlight streamed through the shattered ceiling into the cavern, illuminating a winged, coolly composed woman hovering high above.
The Akatsuki's White Tiger — Konan!
"This is—"
Sasori's expression tightened at the sight.
Had she abandoned her own opponent to come reinforce them?
"Go. I'll hold them off."
Konan's cool voice carried from above, her expression composed as she regarded Tobirama and Guy.
She was merely a Chameleon Descent projection. Dying here meant nothing.
But even as a projection, if she could hold the air advantage, she could still tie up two opponents.
"Paper Transformation Technique?"
Tobirama's vast experience let him identify the jutsu instantly.
"Even with paper transformation, you dare make bold claims in front of ME?"
"Hold ME off?"
"Where did you find that kind of nerve?"
Tobirama scoffed, forming seals rapidly.
"Water Release — Water Severing Wave!"
A high-velocity torrent surged from his mouth, forming a high-pressure water blade that shot straight toward Konan overhead!
Konan darted evasively, dodging the relentlessly pursuing water blade.
At the same time, dozens of paper sheets fluttered from her wings, transforming into paper butterflies that swarmed toward Tobirama!
But within moments, every butterfly was sliced apart by the water blade and fell into the water below.
She can't hold them off.
Sasori's chest tightened. He shoved Deidara aside without warning.
"Idiot, GO!"
"I'll show you what eternal art really means!"
At that moment, the water surface trembled, and an enormous creature burst forth from below, jaws gaping wide!
A snake!
A massive serpent!
Orochimaru!
Dodging the high-pressure water blade, Konan felt a flicker of relief.
He finally arrived!
"WHAT—!"
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Guy's expression shifted. He surged forward, delivering a devastating, weight-behind-it kick straight at the giant snake!
But the snake simply swallowed Sasori — puppet and all — whole, then dissolved into a puff of white smoke and vanished.
Had Sasori not shoved Deidara aside a moment earlier, that single bite could have swallowed both of them together and carried them both to safety.
But now...
Deidara watched Guy standing there and felt an excited grin spread across his face.
"HAHA! Now I can show the world my most PERFECT art!"
He reached into the pouch at his back with his one remaining hand, pulled out an enormous wad of white clay, and swallowed it whole.
Tobirama finished his high-pressure water blade technique, spat to the side, and frowned.
"Stop him."
"COPY!"
Guy charged toward Deidara.
"Impossible."
Konan, still airborne, prepared to intervene — but two streaks of lightning were already rocketing toward them from a distance!
Sasuke — having dealt with Itachi's Chameleon Descent clone — and Kakashi, having shaken off his own opponent!
Behind them came a horde of racing figures, all wearing the exact same face...
That Nine-Tails brat.
Konan's expression darkened at the sight.
Damn it...
But right now, the priority was stopping Guy from interrupting Deidara's technique!
Konan swept her wings and dove!
Two disc-shaped blades formed from paper rocketed toward Guy!
"Do you take me for someone you can ignore?"
Tobirama's kunai flashed through the air, shooting straight at Konan!
Flying Thunder God Slash!
Caught off guard, one of her wings was instantly shredded to pieces!
Konan lost her balance and plummeted into the water.
"YEAH!"
"The audience is assembled! Today, watch me show you the art of the instant — I'll wipe out all FIVE of you single-handedly!"
As Deidara finished speaking, he twisted his body, narrowly dodging Guy's incoming kick. His clay explosive was already fully prepared.
"C4 GARUDA!"
A colossal figure, tens of meters tall, formed from Deidara's clay, slammed down onto the ground with tremendous force.
Tobirama's expression turned grave at the sight.
This feeling — I can't be wrong.
"A clay bomb composed of nanoscale particles!"
"No one survives this technique!"
Deidara swung his one remaining arm, his expression a mixture of fanaticism and pride.
"WHAT?!"
Sasuke and Kakashi, having just arrived, stared at the colossal figure in disbelief.
A nanoscale bomb?
You couldn't even survive BREATHING near that thing?
"Wait, what?"
Naruto, arriving with the rest, looked around in confusion.
"Lightning Release. The two of you — take that giant down."
"This is an Explosion Release derived from an Earth Release kekkei genkai. Lightning Release counters it perfectly."
In this critical moment, Tobirama remained perfectly composed, rapidly formulating a counter-strategy.
"Right!"
Kakashi and Sasuke didn't hesitate, wreathing themselves in lightning and charging straight at the giant!
"Lightning Release — Thunder Tiger Annihilation!"
"Lightning Release — Chidori Stream!"
Kakashi and Sasuke unleashed their Lightning Release techniques simultaneously, striking the colossal figure at the same instant!
"You're KIDDING!"
"There's NO WAY I'll let you succeed!"
Deidara moved to detonate C4 Garuda — but—
Nothing happened.
Under Kakashi and Sasuke's combined full-power strike, the giant collapsed instantly, disintegrating into countless clumps of clay.
"Every technique has its weakness."
"Your Explosion Release may be devastating, but its counter is far too obvious."
As far as Tobirama was concerned, Deidara was already spent — a bow drawn past its limit.
"You DAMNED bastard!"
"I will NOT allow you to insult my ART!"
Deidara's fury flared as he watched his proudest creation collapse into nothing.
"Deidara, calm down. I'll buy you time."
"Now GO, already!"
Konan, having climbed out of the water, looked at Deidara with resignation.
She genuinely liked him.
He was the only member of the Akatsuki who could still, in some sense, be called a child.
Not the sharpest, prone to blowing things up for fun — but with a lively, unguarded personality Konan couldn't help finding endearing.
If he actually died here, she'd genuinely mourn him for a while.
"Sister Konan!"
"Go! I'll hold them off!"
Consumed by rage, Deidara had completely forgotten Konan was only a projection.
"IDIOT."
"Get OUT of here."
Konan, exasperated with this hot-headed boy, kicked him to the ground and positioned herself alone before Tobirama's group of five.
"Tch..."
Seeing Konan's resolve, Deidara finally calmed down. He turned and fled without looking back.
"Go after him."
Facing an airborne opponent like Konan, Sasuke, Kakashi, Guy, and Naruto had no good means of engaging her directly.
Deidara could technically fly too — but only by detonating clay birds, and he'd just lost an arm and was countered hard by Lightning Release. Pursuing him was clearly the better use of these four.
"I'll catch up once I've dealt with her."
Before departing on this mission, Tobirama had already placed Flying Thunder God markings on Naruto and the others — meaning he could rejoin them instantly, whenever he chose.
As Naruto and the others moved to pursue Deidara, Konan instinctively tried to stop them — but at that moment, Tobirama materialized directly in her path like a phantom.
"Were you planning to fight? Did you ask this old man's permission first?"
Tobirama regarded Konan with an unrelenting smirk.
This wicked old Senju ghost...
Konan couldn't help but curse internally.
In this moment, she finally understood exactly how much weight the phrase "survived the Warring States era and became Hokage" actually carried.
Whatever came at him, Tobirama always seemed to have an answer already prepared.
☆☆☆
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