Shukaku, like a turret, continuously spat out massive wind spheres, but Itachi calmly raised the Yata Mirror. The Drilling Air Bullets struck the mirror, only to vanish instantly as if eggs smashing against a stone.
"Itachi is under a lot of pressure right now!"
"Deidara, aren't you going to act?" Kisame asked. He and Deidara were protected within Susanoo, advancing alongside Itachi.
Glancing at Itachi, whose eyes had started to bleed, Deidara sighed helplessly.
"I'm just a Clay Clone right now. My combat power is limited, so I can only strike when the opportunity arises."
"Then let me take the lead. Besides Water Release, my swordsmanship isn't bad either!" Kisame declared, jumping out of Susanoo with Samehada in hand and rushing toward Rasa.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Barrier!"
Kisame deftly dodged the dense attacks of Gold Dust. "No matter how powerful the technique, if it can't hit its target, it's useless!"
"Then how about this?"
Rasa waved his hands, and the Gold Dust, combined with yellow sand, formed another massive wave, pressing down on Kisame.
"Hah!"
Two sand worms burst out of the ground, blasting another gap in the giant wave of Gold Dust.
"Nice work, Deidara!" Kisame shouted as he charged through the opening, swinging Samehada at Rasa's body.
Slash!
Samehada struck a wall of sand mixed with Gold Dust, blocking Kisame's attack. Rasa took the chance to retreat, ascending into the sky on a wave of Gold Dust.
"Hey, Deidara! This guy has entered your domain now," Kisame grumbled, frustrated that he couldn't reach Rasa in the air.
"Let me handle it," Deidara said, riding his Clay Bird into the sky and extending his right hand.
Clay Serpent Hands!
Boom!
Gold Dust swirled around Rasa, forming a sphere that successfully withstood the explosive attack.
"Rise!"
Rasa raised one hand, summoning massive amounts of yellow sand from the ground that seemed alive, relentlessly pursuing Deidara in the air.
Meanwhile, Deidara, while evading the sand, continued chasing Rasa, the two engaging in a high-speed aerial pursuit.
Seeing that Rasa was temporarily occupied by Deidara, Kisame returned to Itachi's side. "Itachi, the Kazekage is tied up for now. Let's deal with this Tailed Beast first, then the three of us can take down the Kazekage together. Victory is assured."
"Shut up, Kisame!" Itachi snapped.
Kisame: "..."
Nearby, Shukaku began forming a black chakra sphere in its mouth. "Try this, my Tailed Beast Ball!"
"Die!" Shukaku roared as the devastating Tailed Beast Ball, capable of leveling mountains, hurtled toward Susanoo, accompanied by rolling yellow sand. The sheer force was terrifying.
Boom!
The Tailed Beast Ball collided with Susanoo's shield, unleashing a massive shockwave that forced Itachi to stagger back several steps. The residual chakra impact even left visible cracks on Susanoo's exposed armor.
Cough! Cough! Itachi coughed twice, a trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Though Susanoo was powerful, taking a direct hit from a Tailed Beast Ball was strenuous. Moreover, Itachi's illness and the fact that his Mangekyō Sharingan hadn't yet evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō made the situation even more challenging.
If his Sharingan had evolved, only the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball might have posed a threat; the others would be mere eggs.
"Itachi, are you alright?" Kisame asked with concern.
"I'm fine."
"From this distance, I can use that!"
Itachi suddenly widened his right eye, staring intently at Shukaku. Black flames appeared in his line of sight, igniting the sand and burning fiercely.
"Amaterasu?" Shukaku initially panicked but quickly regained its arrogance. "Amaterasu is useless against me now!"
"I'm not in my true form; this is merely a temporary body made of sand."
"Uchiha brat, burn all you want. There's an endless supply of sand here."
Damn it, Itachi! Do you not realize Amaterasu can't kill anyone? Deidara shouted anxiously from the air, "Itachi, use genjutsu!"
"Tch!" Shukaku scoffed, swiping a massive sand claw toward Deidara in the air. "Let me teach this brat who dared to interrupt my fun a lesson!"
Beating up a member of the Uchiha clan felt exhilarating—it was a rare and enjoyable experience!
"Rasa, are you useless? You can't even catch such a brat!"
"Being ridiculed by Shukaku, huh? In that case, I'll get serious," Rasa said.
He stopped flying and faced Deidara directly, raising both hands.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Storm Burial!"
Even more Gold Dust was refined and surged into the sky, forming a massive maw that seemed ready to devour Deidara. The speed was noticeably faster than before.
What the hell did Rasa take earlier? He feels stronger than Shukaku now!
This is absolutely not the strength of the weakest Kazekage in history.
"Hah!"
A muffled explosion echoed, but it only left a small dent in Rasa's Gold Dust. Deidara's regular clay bombs couldn't even penetrate the Gold Dust.
And with his current clone form, he couldn't produce stronger explosives.
At the critical moment, black flames suddenly appeared, burning a small hole in Rasa's Gold Dust. Seizing the opportunity, Deidara escaped, finally breaking free from danger.
Cough! Cough! Itachi coughed again, clutching his right eye and hunching slightly.
Using Amaterasu twice in quick succession had clearly taken a heavy toll.
"Hey, Uchiha brat, are you daring to lose focus while fighting me?" Shukaku taunted.
"Take another Tailed Beast Ball!"
Boom!
The impact of the Tailed Beast Ball forced Itachi back several steps again, but the enemy wouldn't give him any time to recover.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Storm Burial!"
Endless Gold Dust converged, rushing toward Susanoo. Itachi prepared to dodge, but Shukaku used sand to form chains, binding him firmly in place.
"Don't even think about running!"
"Let me join the fun too!"
"Tailed Beast Ball!"
At the last moment, Itachi's left eye opened wide.
"Tsukuyomi!"
Shukaku's eyes transformed into the pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan. The Tailed Beast Ball it had been preparing suddenly veered off course, hurtling toward Rasa in the sky. Forced to defend himself, Rasa had to abandon his incomplete Gold Dust Storm Burial.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wall!"
The Tailed Beast Ball exploded against Rasa's Gold Dust Wall, leaving only a shallow mark. Rasa, hidden behind it, remained completely unharmed.
Rasa stared at his hands, clearly astonished by his newfound strength. His eyes were filled with excitement and joy.
"With this power, I am the strongest Kazekage in history!"
"Even Shukaku's attacks are nothing now. At this moment, I am invincible!"
"Let me show you my true power!"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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