Back in Amegakure, Deidara finally opened the system after a long while.
[Strongest Artist System]
Host: Deidara
Shock Value: 24,000/26,000
Skill Points: 1
Unlocked Skills: Explosion Mastery Lv.3, C2: Enhanced Dragon, Extreme Heat, Extended Detonation Range, Timed Bombs, C3: Enhanced Type - Number 18
Morphology: Morphology Optimization, Insect Morph Mastery, Insect Morph Activation, Humanoid Morph Mastery, Animal Morph Mastery, Animal Form Activation and Human Form Activation.
Materials Science: Improved Clay, Anti-Lightning Clay, Advanced Clay, Durable Clay.
Ninjutsu: Chakra Enhancement, Jutsu Enhancement, Genjutsu Resistance Level 2, Clayification
Just from looking at the system panel, it was clear he had grown significantly stronger.
First of all, the Durable Clay had already been researched by Orochimaru. Honestly, that guy was incredible. Despite juggling multiple research projects and even squeezing in a "Destroy Konoha" plan, he still managed to complete it.
However, researching the Ultimate Perfect Clay was going to be much trickier—it required not only advanced research but also the sacrifice of a White Zetsu.
And White Zetsu wasn't exactly easy to capture.
Next, he had acquired another pair of Sharingan from Orochimaru and upgraded his Genjutsu Resistance to Level 2. In reality, Deidara hadn't encountered many genjutsu users lately, but considering it was always a weak point, and with extra skill points to spare, he figured—why not?
But Genjutsu Resistance Lv.3 required the sacrifice of a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, which was an absolute nightmare to obtain.
Then there was Morphology. Deidara had no doubts about his bond with Sasori—naturally, he had obtained a Puppet Humanization Guide directly from him, unlocking Morphology Lv.2.
The next skill point in Morphology was particularly intriguing—Modernized Weaponry.
Heh, maybe after unlocking it, he could create clay fighter jets or clay tanks?
Of course, the most crucial aspect was still Explosives. Deidara had already unlocked Explosion Mastery Lv.3, but the next skill—C4: Enhanced Model Sun—had incredibly strict unlocking conditions. It required Jet-Black Arrow and Durable Clay.
The Durable Clay was already unlocked, so that wasn't an issue.
But what the hell was Jet-Black Arrow?
Deidara was stumped for a while before finally recalling—it was the combination of Naruto's Rasen Shuriken and Sasuke's Amaterasu: Kagutsuchi.
Naruto and Sasuke were still so young. How long would it take for them to develop that technique?
After some frustrating contemplation over a meal, Deidara suddenly had an epiphany. Since he already knew how it worked, why should he wait for Naruto and Sasuke?
Why not just train it himself?
After all, it was just Rasen Shuriken + Amaterasu. And Itachi had plenty of Amaterasu.
With that thought, Deidara nonchalantly grabbed Kurotsuchi's arm.
Kurotsuchi stomped her foot in anger.
"Deidara! If you leave again, don't bother coming back!"
"Ahem! Ahem! I'll just send a clay clone instead."
At a local tavern, he found Kisame and Itachi, leisurely sipping sake.
"Itachi, looks like your health has really improved, huh? You even have time to hang around places like this." Deidara pushed aside the curtain and greeted them casually.
"Yo! Deidara!" Kisame grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. Sometimes, Deidara couldn't help but wonder:
"Kisame, with teeth like that, don't you spill everything when you eat or drink?"
Kisame smirked. "And when you turn into clay, do you… uh… go soft when you're with that little girlfriend of yours?"
"Hahaha! Kisame, you sure know how to joke."
"Hahaha! Deidara, so do you."
Deidara plopped down beside Kisame, grabbing a cup. As he aged, he found himself enjoying alcohol more and more, especially low-proof sake like this.
After a few drinks, Kisame finally asked, "So, what's up?"
"I ran into a bit of a problem in my artistic research and need Itachi's help," Deidara replied.
"What do you need?" Itachi, ever the quiet one, finally spoke. Deidara had no idea how this guy spent his free time.
Did he just sit around with that brooding expression all day? That wasn't cool—it was early-onset dementia.
"I need to borrow your Amaterasu," Deidara stated.
"No problem." Itachi nodded. Ever since he had transplanted perfect Hashirama cells, he felt amazing. No more back pain, no more fatigue—he could sprint up seven flights of stairs without breaking a sweat. Borrowing Amaterasu? Hell, he could cook with it every night if he wanted.
Though, there was one small issue—at night, he always had this eerie feeling, as if a man was lying in his arms...
"But that's only part of what I need," Deidara continued. "I also need a Wind Release technique."
"Itachi, do you have Wind Release?" he asked expectantly.
If Itachi had Wind Release, learning Rasen Shuriken would be a piece of cake for someone of his talent.
Unfortunately, Itachi shook his head. "I only have innate Fire Release. I haven't trained a second or third chakra nature."
Most ninjas were born with only one chakra nature. Those with two from birth typically had Kekkei Genkai, like Kurotsuchi's Lava Release.
There were also rare prodigies born with three chakra natures, like Mei Terumī, who possessed two Kekkei Genkai.
But that wasn't the focus here.
The point was—most ninjas, upon reaching Jonin level, trained a second or even third chakra nature. This allowed them to strengthen their jutsu and adapt to more combat situations.
For example, Fire Release users often learned Wind Release to create powerful fire-wind combos, making their attacks devastating. It also helped counter Water Release users.
However, elite ninjas had their own specialties, making additional chakra natures unnecessary. Itachi, for example, relied on genjutsu and the Mangekyō Sharingan to dominate his fights.
Deidara turned to Kisame.
"Kisame, what about you?"
"Sorry, can't help you there. I only use Water Release. After that, I focused entirely on kenjutsu and taijutsu." Kisame shrugged.
Deidara frowned. Finding a Wind Release user wasn't hard in Amegakure, but training someone capable of mastering Rasen Shuriken was another story.
Among Akatsuki's core members, there were only two possible candidates:
Nagato and Kakuzu.
So… who should he ask?
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (241 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)