Hinata was overjoyed to get the answer she wanted, and her pretty face suddenly showed a joyful smile. Then she felt a slight pain in her ch
Hinata was overjoyed to get the answer she wanted, and her pretty face suddenly showed a joyful smile.
Then she felt a slight pain in her chest and realized that her sister was still in Kirito's hand. Until now, he had not let go, and from time to time, he even clenched his five fingers.
Hinata lowered her head and couldn't even see her own feet. She said timidly, "Um... Brother Kirito, can you let go? Hinata feels really uncomfortable..."
"Ah—sorry, sorry, haha, I couldn't help it. I really couldn't help it."
Kirito laughed awkwardly.
"Really, Brother Kirito, you're always like this," Hinata pouted in dissatisfaction, then covered her mouth and suddenly laughed happily. Only at this moment did she feel reassured—he was still the same person.
The battle between Itachi and Sasuke was imminent. Soon, Itachi would entrust Shisui's right eye to Naruto.
With the deal he had made with Kabuto, Kirito felt that he could reclaim that eye.
This meeting with Hinata was just a small interlude.
Considering the tasks that still lay ahead, Kirito spent some time with Hinata, enjoyed some tofu, and then bid her farewell, heading to the meeting point with Pakura.
"Did you meet Chinatsu?" This was the first thing Kirito asked Pakura upon seeing her.
"Yes." Pakura nodded. Chinatsu's words—"young mother"—were still echoing in her mind.
"What do you think of her?" Kirito asked again with a smile.
"She's a very smart girl," Pakura replied. When she looked at Chinatsu, it was as if the girl had already seen through all her intentions. There seemed to be no secrets between them.
After a brief pause, she added, "She called me young mother."
"That's just like her," Kirito chuckled.
At that moment, the ring on his hand suddenly pulsed—it was time for another Akatsuki meeting.
In the dark cave, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path revealed its head and hands in a prayer-like posture.
Buzz, hum, hum.
One by one, the remaining nine members of Akatsuki appeared on the ten fingers of the Demonic Statue.
"Zetsu, what happened to you?" Pain frowned, seeing Zetsu without his Akatsuki robe. The robe was the symbol of the organization.
"You should ask them," Zetsu said, sweeping his gaze across Kirito, Pakura, Deidara, and Obito before landing on Kirito's projection. "I was almost blown to death by that insane ninjutsu."
"Senior Zetsu, that wasn't my fault! That was a technique used by Senior Kirito! Even Senior Deidara and I were affected. We were riding on a clay bird and still got blown away!" Obito, in his silly "Tobi" persona, scratched his head as if embarrassed, deliberately pointing out that it was Kirito's jutsu.
"Sorry, I didn't know where you two were. I was in the middle of merging chakra of different attributes to create a new kekkei genkai. I lost control of the ratio for a second. To keep Deidara and Afei from being harmed, I had to toss them away."
Kirito smiled faintly. Though he apologized, his tone was entirely unapologetic.
"So that was a kekkei genkai. You really are amazing, Brother Kirito. Not only have you mastered the five nature transformations, now you're creating bloodline limits too. Hmm." Deidara felt a warm sensation in his chest. It seemed Brother Kirito had spared Sasuke just to avoid hurting them.
"It seems Mr. Kirito has developed a powerful new ninjutsu." Kisame picked up the conversation. "So, who was the opponent this time? The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki? Or was it Uchiha Sasuke, who forced you to use a new move?"
"Hey, I know this!" Obito jumped in, still acting like a fool. "It was Uchiha Sasuke!"
Then he muttered to himself, "This was the first time I saw Senior Kirito fight. He's really amazing. He completely overpowered Uchiha Sasuke and his two companions with ease."
He glanced at Itachi and added meaningfully, "In the end, even Sasuke used a Mangekyō ability identical to Itachi's, but it was easily overcome by Senior Kirito."
A subtle expression flickered in Obito's eyes.
Kisame, like Deidara, was one of the few Akatsuki members who cared about their comrades. He seemed to understand Itachi's thoughts and asked on his behalf, "So, is Sasuke dead?"
"No, I just tested his strength a bit. Didn't Itachi say there's still something he needs from that foolish otōto? I let him go," Kirito said, glancing playfully at Itachi. "You should be thanking me. If it weren't for me, your idiotic little brother would've never seen you again."
"And I tested his strength for you. Although he's awakened the Mangekyō, his genjutsu is still weak. All he has is the ability to control the form of Amaterasu."
"With your level, as long as you don't get careless like Sasori did with his grandma, you shouldn't have any problem beating him."
Deidara recalled the moment Sasuke had used Amaterasu. A chill ran through him. He asked, "Brother Kirito, what exactly is that strange black flame? It could even burn other flames. Hmm."
Kirito replied, "Amaterasu. It's a Mangekyō Sharingan technique, just like the Kamui that broke your right arm."
"Wherever the user looks, black flames are released to burn the target. The flames won't disappear until the target is completely incinerated. Once you're hit, unless you remove the affected part, you'll be reduced to ash."
"That's a terrifying eye technique... hmm." Deidara nodded, cold sweat forming at his brow.
Kirito said calmly, "It's scary, but not unbeatable. Aside from its indestructibility, it's not much stronger than regular flames. If you use something to block it ahead of time, you'll be fine."
"Only someone like you can do that, Mr. Kirito. Not everyone has your level of perception." Kisame sighed. He knew he couldn't dodge Amaterasu himself.
"Brother Kisame is right." Deidara swallowed nervously. Kirito's battle with Sasuke had clearly left a deep impression on him.
Kirito said seriously, "In that case, you should train harder—especially you, kid."
"As the youngest in Akatsuki, you have a lot of room to grow. I believe after this battle, you know now where your weakness lies against the second pillar. Once you overcome that, your strength will improve tremendously."
Deidara's greatest weakness was his fear of Lightning Release. Once his clay is hit by it, it turns into a dud.
When it comes to chakra attribute matchups, it's brutal. Whether in canon or this version, it seems Deidara was the only one ever so completely countered.
(End of this chapter)