Buzz!
The entire forest was filled with the sound of insects' wings beating. Black and white swarms clashed in a brutal microscopic war.
Tiny white and black dots continuously fell from the air, quickly forming a thin layer on the ground.
"Don't you feel sorry for your bugs?"
"My bugs are endless," Aburame Chihisa replied. Even though each Destruction Bug could defeat dozens of clay insects, it was meaningless in the face of overwhelming numbers. Beads of sweat formed on Chihisa's forehead—he hadn't anticipated the sheer strength of his opponent. Was this the power of a Kage-level ninja? Deidara hadn't even used his most devastating explosive techniques and was still toying with him.
But don't underestimate the Aburame clan!
The distress signal had already been sent. Reinforcements should be arriving soon.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless kunai shot out from the shadows, targeting the Destruction Bug Hive on the ground. Each kunai had an explosive tag attached to its end. While the Aburame clan specialized in insect-based combat, they were still proficient in basic ninja techniques.
"Tch! Trying to compete with me in art?"
"At this level, you're tarnishing the very concept of art."
Since the enemy had already resorted to such underhanded tactics, Deidara saw no need to hold back. Besides, this level of opponent wasn't even worth his interest.
"C2 Special Type: Combat Wasp Swarm!"
A dense swarm of wasps poured out from Deidara's hands, attacking the Aburame reinforcements. At the same time, the clay insects in the sky went berserk, detonating one after another. In just a few moments, they had completely wiped out Chihisa's Destruction Bugs.
"Try my Poison Gas Bugs!"
Another Aburame ninja released a swarm of dark green insects, which sprayed clouds of green toxic gas from their abdomens.
"It's useless. I can easily disperse your poison gas with the shockwaves from my explosions!"
After a series of blasts, both the poison gas and the Poison Gas Bugs vanished without a trace.
"Then try my Explosive Bugs!"
Red insects, each the size of a thumb and covered in magma-like cracks, flew toward Deidara.
"Using such crude explosive techniques in front of me? Now you've really made me angry."
Deidara clapped his hands on the ground, summoning countless Clay Centipedes that burrowed into the earth. A relentless series of explosions erupted, effortlessly defeating the Aburame clan's ninjas.
"Please, stop!"
Aburame Shimi stood up, his usual stoic face now tinged with bitterness. "We'll give you the Aburame clan's insect-controlling secret techniques. It's what you want, isn't it?"
Deidara accepted the scroll and glanced at it. After confirming through his system that the acquisition was successful, he nodded. "I won't take this for free. I'll repay you someday."
Shimi shook his head. "Please don't joke, sir. You're an enemy of Konoha. There's no way we'll have any further dealings with you."
Deidara chuckled but said nothing. I may be Konoha's enemy now, but you won't necessarily remain loyal to Konoha forever.
These ninja clans were all targets for Deidara to poach. However, this would require Danzo to sow enough chaos and resentment within Konoha to loosen their allegiance.
"This woman is yours to deal with."
With that, Deidara left gracefully. In truth, there wasn't much for him to do in this Konoha Collapse Plan, which left him feeling rather idle.
He pondered for a moment. The only thing in Konoha that truly piqued his interest was the Scroll of Seals. Techniques like the Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags would be perfect for Konan. It would save her from her current inefficient use of explosive tags, which wasted so much of Kakuzu's hard-earned money.
There were also other legendary techniques like the Flying Thunder God Technique and Edo Tensei.
As Deidara wandered through Konoha, he unexpectedly encountered someone near the hospital.
"Yakushi Kabuto? If I remember correctly, you're one of Orochimaru's subordinates, right?"
Deidara didn't mention Memory-Concealing Manipulating Sand. If the technique was still sealed, bringing it up would only make Kabuto suspicious. Besides, he didn't know if Orochimaru had undone the seal.
"Yes, Lord Seiryu," Kabuto replied with his signature smile, pushing up his glasses with his index finger.
"So, Orochimaru even told you our codenames? He must value you quite a bit."
"Not really. I'm just doing my duty as his subordinate," Kabuto replied humbly.
Kabuto was a complex individual—so complex that even he didn't fully understand himself. This made him difficult for others to comprehend, including Deidara, who had the advantage of knowing the original story.
"By the way, do you know where Konoha keeps its Scroll of Seals?"
Deidara was skeptical about such an important artifact being stored in the Hokage's office. While the office was well-guarded, it didn't seem secure enough for something so crucial.
"Are you looking for the Scroll of Seals, Lord Seiryu?"
"That's going to be a bit tricky," Kabuto said, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes.
He explained, "The Scroll of Seals, along with other classified research and intelligence, is stored in a highly secretive location."
"It's protected by multiple barrier squads, layered with numerous seals, and guarded by both ANBU and Root members."
"Infiltrating it would be extremely difficult."
"That heavily guarded?" Deidara was surprised.
"Of course. The contents of the scroll are as valuable as a village's Kage. In times like these, the security around it wouldn't decrease—it would only increase."
Deidara nodded in understanding. That made sense. Techniques like Edo Tensei and the Flying Thunder God Technique could elevate anyone to Kage-level strength. Add to that the research on Hashirama's cells and the Sharingan—such knowledge was invaluable.
Unless Konoha was on the brink of destruction, the security around such a place would never be lax.
"If you're interested in the techniques on the Scroll of Seals, you could just ask Lord Orochimaru directly," Kabuto suggested helpfully.
"Lord Orochimaru once had access to the complete Scroll of Seals during his time in Konoha."
Deidara froze. Right—he could just ask Orochimaru!
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Deidara shot Kabuto an annoyed look.
Kabuto quickly apologized, "My apologies, Lord Seiryu. It was careless of me. Please forgive me."
Seeing a future big shot like Kabuto being so deferential, Deidara couldn't help but feel a little smug.
"So, what mission are you on right now?" he asked curiously.
"It's nothing confidential. Lord Orochimaru tasked me with stealing the medical records from Konoha Hospital. They're crucial for his research."
"Orochimaru's interested in something as mundane as medical records?"
"Data is never too abundant," Kabuto replied with a faint smile.
Tsk tsk! Orochimaru really is a scientist at heart. While ordinary people fought over treasures and Kekkei Genkai, and even Deidara sought out secret techniques, Orochimaru recognized the value of raw data.
"In that case, I'll join you," Deidara said, stroking his chin. "I've got nothing better to do right now."
"Having your assistance would be most welcome," Kabuto replied.
The two headed toward Konoha Hospital, unaware that a spiral-shaped White Zetsu had appeared nearby.
"Ugh, why did they send me to handle such a troublesome task? I still need to figure out if I can poop while upside down!"
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