"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!" Kisame quickly formed hand signs, summoning a towering column of water to shield himself. He'd already been burned twice today—a third time was not on the agenda.
Deidara, on the other hand, nodded approvingly.
"Not bad," he muttered. The volcanic eruption attack was essentially an upgraded version of a Charizard's Flamethrower. Thanks to thicker body, it could endure far more internal pressure, unleashing explosions far beyond a Charizard's capabilities.
The attack just now, while slightly smaller in scale than a Super Shinra Tensei, packed significantly more destructive power.
"This isn't good! They've gone all-out!"
Suddenly, Konan's icy voice cut through the tension. Deidara glanced upward, his eyes narrowing as he spotted a small black sphere hovering in the sky. The moment it blocked the sun, an ominous hum resonated through the air.
An overwhelming gravitational force surged forth. Even Flesh Mountain, whose massive body had barely budged under the enhanced Banshō Ten'in earlier, was now being slowly drawn into the sky.
"They say the moon was created by the Sage of Six Paths using this technique."
Obito's voice rang out, brimming with confidence. "While I'm far from the Sage's level, sealing the likes of you will suffice."
Everyone was pulled skyward, struggling against the relentless pull. Standing atop a fragment of debris, Itachi remained calm.
"Leader," he called out, his voice steady. "You know this technique. Is there a way to counter it?"
Nagato's expression darkened. Just a short time ago, he'd been using this very technique against others. Now, the tables had turned.
"There are two ways to break this," Nagato explained gravely. "One: directly attack the caster to force them to cancel the technique. Two: destroy the core with a powerful attack. But..." He paused, glancing upward. "Given the enemy's strength, even three Tailed Beasts firing Bijūdama simultaneously might not be enough."
Should he redirect his focus back to Deva Path? Sacrificing himself for Yahiko was one thing, but abandoning his comrades—could he bear such selfishness? If he did, Yahiko would never forgive him, even in the afterlife.
Just as Nagato hesitated, Deidara's chuckle broke the tension.
"Leader, you're underestimating me."
"Explosions are my specialty. Leave this to me. Just focus on protecting yourselves."
Deidara reached into his clay pouch and pulled out a small white figurine. It had a pointed head, a rounded base, wings, and simplistic features—a crude clay doll.
Boom!
The doll expanded to the size of a two-story building, hurtling toward the core of the Chibaku Tensei.
"Wait, isn't that the same thing you used against Yagura and the Three-Tails? Number 18, wasn't it?" Kisame recalled. Deidara had taken down both the Tailed Beast and its Jinchūriki with that attack.
"Not quite. That was the standard version. This one's enhanced—three times as powerful." Deidara raised his right hand, two fingers forming a sign.
"Last time, you said it was ten times a Bijūdama's power. So now it's thirty times?" Kisame shouted, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Itachi, be careful!" Kisame warned as Deidara's enhanced Number 18 closed in on the Chibaku Tensei core.
"Art is an explosion!" Deidara declared, his voice rising with fervor. "Hah!"
Blinding light erupted, radiating unimaginable heat. The world turned white, every fragment of the Chibaku Tensei core instantly vaporized. Temperatures soared past a million degrees, annihilating everything in the vicinity.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!" Kisame summoned three successive walls of water, but they evaporated within seconds. Even Itachi's Susanoo nearly crumbled under the shockwave's relentless assault.
Finally, the deafening roar reached them, rattling their eardrums and leaving their ears bleeding. Disoriented, the group plummeted to the ground. Though battered, they had survived—barely.
"Deidara! You're out of your mind!" Kisame yelled, supporting an injured Itachi. "I thought we were all going to die!"
Deidara scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Didn't expect it to be this powerful." His own hearing was compromised, and he'd need medical attention to recover.
Obito, standing far off, had instinctively retreated into Kamui's dimension. Emerging cautiously, he surveyed the scorched earth. Trees, grass, and everything flammable had been incinerated. The land resembled a hellscape.
"Even that didn't work," Obito muttered, retreating into a swirling vortex. "We'll continue this another day."
On the other side of the battlefield, Gyūki had taken over Bee's body, preparing to fire a Bijūdama. The earlier explosion had been familiar, but there was no time to dwell on it. The enemy was weakening. With Raikage's support, victory was within reach.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The Bijūdama was deflected, and Raikage surged forward in a lightning-quick strike. Nagato grimaced, knowing he wouldn't recover in time to counter. His strength was failing, and cooldowns were lengthening—an unfortunate sign of his waning abilities.
Just as despair loomed, a massive tree erupted from the ground, shielding Deva Path. Raikage recoiled, eyes wide with shock.
"Wood Release!" he exclaimed.
Gyūki echoed the sentiment, even more stunned. "Wood Release?!"
From the ground emerged a figure clad in a black cloak adorned with red clouds. Crawling forward on all fours, a metallic tail swayed behind him.
"Leader, your strength is disappointing," hissed Hiruko, his voice gravelly. "You've been boasting for far too long, and now look at you. Perhaps it's time you stepped down."
From the opposite side, Hidan strode forward, his scythe slung over his shoulder.
"Yeah, maybe I should take over. At least I'd make things more exciting."
Kakuzu followed, his beady green eyes glinting. "No, leave it to me. I'll manage the organization's finances properly while I'm at it."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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