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Chapter 167: Chapter 167

A blinding white light enveloped the forest in an instant, accompanied by a wave of destructive power.

The lush canopy above quickly turned to ash, and the thick trees crumbled, breaking apart as they fell.

Caught in the explosion's range and unable to escape in time, the five members of Team Rockhead immediately changed their expressions.

Without hesitation, they clapped their hands together and shouted:

"Kekkai Jutsu: Gogyō Sōsei!" (Barrier Technique: Five Elements Formation)

The forces of fire, earth, wind, water, and lightning burst forth from the five of them, combining into a solid protective barrier that wrapped around them under the technique's formation.

Just as they completed this, the blinding white light descended upon them.

Boom!

The ground shook, and rocks flew in all directions.

Under the explosion of the bomb powerful enough to destroy a village, the forest below was rapidly vaporized.

The lingering shockwaves peeled away layer after layer of earth.

"What indescribable beauty! I might be boasting, but it's the truth. My art is just too perfect! Hmm!"

Standing on his clay bird, Deidara spread his arms wide, admiring the unparalleled beauty created in that brief moment by the explosion of his C3: No. 18.

A full minute passed before the explosion ceased, leaving only thick smoke spreading out.

Unbothered by the transience of his artwork, Deidara felt an even deeper appreciation for the beauty of that fleeting moment. Satisfied, he looked down at the drastically changed landscape, which had turned into a massive crater.

Because the smoke and dust had not yet cleared, the view inside the crater was still quite blurry.

However...

"Under the power of C3: No. 18, those five guys should be nothing but ashes by now. Hmm."

Confident in his art, Deidara guided his clay bird to descend, intending to personally confirm the outcome of those who couldn't appreciate his art.

The clay bird flapped its wings rapidly as it descended, dispersing the smoke.

Soon, everything below became visible to Deidara.

He let out a surprised sound.

"They're not dead? Hmm?"

Deidara was shocked to see that the five members of Team Rockhead were still alive in the crater.

Though they appeared quite battered, and their breathing was weak, none of them had perished.

"Tch! Wouldn't it have been much more beautiful to die in the explosion of my great artwork? Yet, they stubbornly held on, choosing a much uglier way to die."

Deidara hadn't seen how Team Rockhead survived, but their weakened state and diminished strength were apparent.

In his eyes, they were simply delaying their inevitable deaths.

If that was the case, it would have been better for them to die in the earlier explosion.

At least, they would have become part of his great work of art, wouldn't they?

Unhappy, Deidara reached into his ninja pouch again, ready to finish them off once and for all.

At that moment, the leader of Team Rockhead suddenly raised his head. With hands that had already formed hand seals in secret, he clapped his palms together and shouted:

"Doton: Doryūha!" (Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave)

Instantly, a long staircase of stone, like a river, rose beneath Team Rockhead's feet, swiftly propelling them toward Deidara in the air.

Even at this point, Deidara had no interest in engaging them in close combat. The clay bird flapped its wings again, soaring higher into the sky.

However, the suddenness of the situation caught him off guard.

As Deidara tried to ascend, Team Rockhead, aided by the Earth Flow Wave, had already closed some of the distance between them.

Moreover, Deidara had lowered his altitude earlier.

The range for their secret technique had just been reached!

Having held out for so long, Team Rockhead didn't need any reminders. As in their past hunts of shinobi, both famous and unknown, the five of them clapped their hands together, unleashing the secret technique they had prepared:

"Hiden Jutsu: Bakuretsu Mushi!" (Secret Technique: Bursting Bugs)

Similar to the earlier explosion, a bright light burst out from Team Rockhead, centered around them.

Deidara, unable to evade in time, felt his vision go black for a moment, temporarily blinded.

Luckily, the light passed in an instant.

Deidara blinked his eyes, and everything returned to normal.

"So, what just happened? Hmm?"

Confused, Deidara looked down at Team Rockhead.

Unlike their previous aggressive approach, where they seemed ready to sacrifice all five of them to take him down, they now appeared like completely different people. Without a word, they made a sharp turn and, using all their strength, fled as fast as they could without looking back, abandoning their previous resolve to fight.

What did this mean? They'd fought so fiercely, only to run now? This was too absurd.

And what was that earlier bright light about? He had thought they would unleash some powerful technique, but all it was was a flash of light, and then nothing?

What was this nonsense?

Deidara couldn't understand.

But Team Rockhead knew all too well.

That flash of light had blinded Deidara for just a moment, and in that instant, the secret technique, Bursting Bugs, had planted eggs within his body without him noticing.

As soon as Deidara used chakra, the bugs would absorb it and continue to grow until they exploded.

This blonde brat liked explosions, didn't he? Well, now he would get to personally experience the taste of one.

However, there was one thing to keep in mind: from the time the bugs began absorbing chakra until they exploded, there was a delay. If the host realized something was wrong and stopped using chakra, this process could be prolonged.

Under the earlier explosion of C3: No. 18, though Team Rockhead had been protected by the barrier, they had only barely survived. Their chakra reserves were greatly depleted. Now, after using the Bursting Bugs secret technique, their strength was nearly exhausted. To avoid being dragged down to the underworld along with the enemy, they naturally had to flee first.

Akira glanced back at Deidara, who was still unaware of the situation.

In his eyes, Deidara was already a dead man.

Unless, like last time with the Fourth Raikage, he was extraordinarily lucky and happened to meet Tsunade, the legendary medical ninja.

But Tsunade was now the Hokage and resided in Konoha.

So, the outcome was already decided.

At this moment, watching Team Rockhead desperately flee, Deidara, although puzzled, was not about to show mercy and let them go.

He was about to create a new batch of clay bombs for the upcoming pursuit.

Suddenly, his hands paused as he sensed something off.

"There's... something alive inside me?"

The process of making clay bombs naturally involved infusing them with chakra. As soon as Deidara used his chakra, he felt that something was wrong with his body.

Unlike most who fell victim to the Bursting Bugs technique and continued using chakra without realizing something was amiss, only realizing it at the last moment when it was too late, Deidara's senses were sharp.

The moment he detected something unusual, he immediately stopped what he was doing and frowned as he began investigating.

(End of Chapter)

====

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Chapter 168: Chapter 168

Deidara immediately stopped using chakra.

But he had overlooked one crucial detail: the Bursting Bugs hadn't just parasitized him—they had also infected the clay bird beneath him.

Although the clay bird was made of clay, it was chakra that allowed it to fly as if it were a living creature.

Each flap of the clay bird's wings signified the circulation of chakra within it.

Therefore, before Deidara himself showed any signs, the abdomen of the clay bird already had a hideous, massive spider mark bulging out.

That was the Bursting Bug inside the clay bird.

Very quickly…

Boom!

The now-mature Bursting Bug exploded within the bird, instantly reducing it to dust.

With nothing beneath him, Deidara began plummeting toward the ground.

From such a height, while he wouldn't be reduced to a bloody pulp, there was no doubt that he would lose at least a few limbs.

Seeing this, Deidara quickly formed another clay bird to carry him back into the sky.

As soon as he did, Deidara could feel the creature inside his own body becoming more active.

He unbuttoned his Akatsuki robe, pulled his shirt aside, and looked down at his chest, where the grotesque outline of the Bursting Bug was already visible, with several spider legs protruding.

"No wonder those guys were so determined to chase me down. They had this kind of secret technique. Although self-destruction would be a fine way to go, I still have many art projects to complete. It's not time for me to sacrifice myself for art just yet! Hmm!"

Deidara glanced in the direction where Team Rockhead had already fled.

This was the second time he had been outwitted by someone, after Uchiha Itachi.

Although he wanted to take out those guys, he thought about it and decided that his life was more important. He withdrew his gaze and allowed the new clay bird to fly far away, hoping to avoid any further trouble.

Meanwhile, sitting on the back of his clay bird, Deidara carefully pondered how to deal with the Bursting Bug inside him.

"Their secret technique is somewhat similar to my C4: Karura."

Thinking back, Deidara was now certain that the bright flash unleashed by Team Rockhead was merely a distraction.

The real threat had been the microscopic Bursting Bug eggs that had entered his body while he was briefly stunned.

In a way, it was similar to how his C4: Karura worked.

When he activated C4, the large human-shaped clay bomb would explode, and although it seemed like the damage was limited, the truth was that it released microscopic clay spiders into the air. These tiny spiders would be inhaled by living creatures, planting countless tiny bombs inside their bodies.

Once detonated, the bombs would destroy the body from the inside out, leaving no chance of survival.

Because of this, Deidara had a lot of experience with the concept of microscopic bombs that could lurk inside the human body and explode.

Now that he reversed his thinking, although there were differences with the chakra-absorbing Bursting Bugs, over time, he began to figure it out.

After a while, Deidara lifted his head, surrounded by nothing but white clouds.

Confident that no one would disturb him, he wasted no time. Grabbing a large handful of clay from his ninja pouch, he opened his mouth wide and swallowed it all.

Gulp~ Gulp~

Deidara's mouth and throat swelled as he quickly formed hand seals. The clay inside his body instantly transformed into microscopic clay spiders, which hopped around rapidly, spreading throughout his body and converging near the Bursting Bug.

By this point, the Bursting Bug had already expanded again due to his recent use of chakra.

Unbothered, Deidara ordered the mass of clay spiders to swarm the Bursting Bug like ants, swiftly merging with it.

If the Bursting Bug was forcibly disturbed, it would immediately explode.

But the clay spiders from C4: Karura were so tiny that the Bursting Bug didn't react at first.

By the time it realized something was wrong and tried to self-destruct, Deidara's body was already filled with clay spiders, which had taken control of it, turning the tables.

It was a game of reflexes.

Fortunately for Deidara, he won this round.

But it wasn't over yet.

Deidara pulled out a kunai and slashed across his chest, blood flowing freely.

Without changing his expression, he reached into his body and extracted the Bursting Bug. Then he packed the wound with some clay to seal it up.

Only then did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

"I almost messed up here. Hmm."

Though he said this, there wasn't a hint of regret on Deidara's face.

If he had to do it again, even knowing he'd run into Team Rockhead, he would still have blown up the Daimyo's mansion.

That was the professional integrity of a true artist.

Deidara examined the grotesque and ugly Bursting Bug in his hand, then casually tossed it aside.

Boom!

With the clay spiders no longer restraining it, the Bursting Bug finally exploded.

"Not bad, it's quite an interesting form of art."

And just like that, Deidara had cracked the secret technique of Team Rockhead, infamous throughout the ninja world.

As the saying goes, every profession has its specialists.

Deidara estimated that by now, Team Rockhead was likely far away, and if he pursued them, he probably wouldn't get any results.

Not wanting to waste more time, he controlled his clay bird, turning it in the direction of his original plan—to meet up with Sasori.

But he hadn't gone far.

Bang!

His clay bird suddenly slammed into something, its head denting inward as it plummeted toward the ground.

Deidara, nearly thrown off, steadied himself just in time, and with some effort, brought the clay bird back into the air.

Only then did he have the chance to inspect the bird's head, which looked as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer.

"What just happened?"

Deidara hadn't noticed what he had hit. His mind was preoccupied with how he was going to explain his lateness to Sasori.

Perplexed, Deidara scanned the sky around him. All he saw were blue skies and white clouds—nothing that could have blocked his way.

He tried sending the clay bird along the same path again.

Bang!

Once more, the clay bird's head caved in.

It felt as if there was an invisible wall blocking his path.

Deidara, experienced as he was, steadied the bird and stopped it in place.

He thought of something and reached out his hand, pressing forward.

Sure enough, an invisible barrier was preventing him from moving forward.

Deidara grinned and immediately recognized it.

"A barrier!"

As soon as he spoke, chakra flowed from his outstretched palm.

In the next instant, the scene before him changed dramatically.

It was as if the veil had been lifted.

A massive, magnificent airborne fortress appeared in front of him.

Deidara's mouth fell open in astonishment as he stared at the sight before him. He muttered to himself:

"If I could set off fireworks here, it would be the greatest masterpiece! Hmm!!!"

(End of Chapter)

====

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For Only $5!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum] 

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