"Deidara, Kisame, do you have any other tricks up your sleeves?" Despite the dire situation, Itachi remained remarkably calm.
Rasa avoided eye contact with Itachi throughout the battle, denying him any opportunity to use Tsukuyomi to end the fight.
"In a place like this, where the opponent can manipulate sand, I really don't have many options left," Kisame grumbled, visibly annoyed.
Sensing Itachi's gaze shift toward him, Deidara offered two options.
"First, we can escape on my Clay Bird. There's a chance we might get away since the enemy's strength is clearly enhanced by some kind of drug—it won't last forever."
"Second, I can show you my ultimate art!"
"Even though I'm just a Clay Clone, as long as I can detonate within a ten-meter radius of Rasa, even his Gold Dust defenses won't save him. He'll either be severely injured or killed outright."
"Let's go with the second option," Itachi replied, panting slightly. His body was under tremendous strain, and his eyesight was deteriorating rapidly.
Kisame, concerned about Itachi's condition, stepped forward decisively. "Then let me start the attack!"
"Even though my Water Release will be absorbed by his sand, it should still force him to use a powerful technique. That'll slow down the speed of his sand manipulation."
"Damn it! This place is so annoying!"
Kisame clapped his hands together, unleashing a massive surge of chakra. A colossal sphere of water erupted from his mouth, instantly forming a giant water ball. Even Shukaku looked like a mere figurine next to it.
"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
A gigantic shark with razor-sharp teeth emerged, baring its ferocious maw as it charged toward Rasa.
"He can still use Water Release at this level?" Rasa exclaimed in shock, though a smirk quickly appeared on his face. "What luck to be able to eliminate an enemy of this caliber!"
"If this were any other location, even with that drug, I wouldn't stand a chance against him."
"Magnet Release: Sandstorm Surge!"
The yellow sand on the ground rose into the air, clinging tightly to the water ball like an eggshell wrapping around egg whites, frantically absorbing the water inside.
At the same time, the Gold Dust surrounding Rasa formed a shield in front of him. The massive shark slammed into the shield, sending waves of water splashing everywhere, but the shield held firm.
C1 Standard Type: Sea Serpents!
A swarm of clay sea serpents appeared, while Deidara, riding a Clay Dolphin, quickly closed in on Rasa.
"Such petty tricks!"
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Rain!"
Countless senbon made of Gold Dust shot out, turning the clay sea serpents into sieves and forcing Deidara to halt his approach.
"Water Release: Thousand Feeding Sharks!"
Kisame summoned thousands of chakra sharks, and while the water ball still existed, he fused with Samehada, transforming into a half-human, half-shark form.
In this state, Kisame's agility and speed in the water increased dramatically, and he inherited Samehada's ability to absorb chakra, making him a truly fearsome opponent.
"I'm going in!" he shouted, darting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Rasa, startled, hurriedly encased himself in a shell of Gold Dust for protection. Kisame's speed in the water now surpassed the speed of Rasa's Gold Dust manipulation, leaving the Kazekage no choice but to rely on this turtle-shell defense.
"Perfect opportunity!"
With Rasa completely focused on his defense, he lost awareness of external developments. Deidara immediately created another Clay Dolphin and attempted to approach again.
"Roar!"
Shukaku, under Itachi's control, let out a deafening roar and began charging a Tailed Beast Ball.
However, hidden behind the Gold Dust shell, a sand-constructed eye swiveled around, observing the situation outside with perfect clarity.
As a Kage-level ninja, Rasa was well aware of the dangers of losing track of his enemies while in a defensive stance. He had secretly prepared this sand eye in advance, and now it was time to strike.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Barrier!"
While Kisame swam around the Gold Dust shell, Rasa seized the moment. Spikes suddenly sprouted from the shell, catching Kisame off guard and piercing his abdomen.
"Ugh!" Kisame coughed up a mouthful of blood and backed away slightly.
Of course, for someone fused with Samehada, such an injury was hardly a concern. This was precisely why Kisame dared to test Rasa's defenses so recklessly.
Still, without fully understanding his opponent's capabilities, Kisame decided to keep his distance for now.
With his immediate threat neutralized, Rasa emerged from the back of the Gold Dust shell, riding on a wave of Gold Dust. By this point, Kisame's water ball had shrunk to a quarter of its original size, and Rasa only needed to retreat a little further to escape its range entirely.
Splash!
At that moment, Shukaku's Tailed Beast Ball tore through the water, heading straight for Rasa. Unfazed, Rasa summoned another Gold Dust wall to block the attack.
"As expected, I'm invincible. Soon, the enemy's Water Release will disappear. In this endless desert, neither Tailed Beasts nor the Sharingan can defeat me."
"Those who call themselves invincible never meet a good end!" Deidara's voice suddenly rang out from beside Rasa.
Rasa chuckled. "I noticed you earlier, but I was preoccupied dealing with your companions' attacks. I let you get this close on purpose."
"Your explosive abilities are impressive, but if I can block a Tailed Beast Ball, do you really think you can threaten me?"
Deidara swallowed the last bit of clay, his body beginning to swell.
"If we ever meet your Edo Tensei form in the future, I'll be sure to ask you again how you felt today."
"This is the second time. You're the second person to witness my ultimate art!"
"Art is... an explosion! Hah!"
An immense burst of light and heat erupted, turning the world blindingly bright. Everyone instinctively shut their eyes, yet the white radiance penetrated even closed eyelids.
The remaining water, along with the surrounding sand and Gold Dust, was instantly vaporized. After a brief moment of extreme heat, a terrifying shockwave spread outward, resembling a Super Almighty Push, devastating everything in its path.
"Rasa Shock Value +4000" "Kisame Hoshigaki Shock Value +5000" "Itachi Uchiha Shock Value +5000" "Obito Shock Value..." "Zetsu Shock Value..."
"Kisame, retreat now!" Itachi, activating Susanoo, grabbed Kisame and fled. The relentless storm of sand buried them underground in an instant.
The shockwave continued, engulfing the distant village, the still-fighting Kazekage Guards, Root operatives, and ANBU, until everything was buried under the desert sands.
"Deidara's abilities are getting more and more exaggerated," Kisame remarked, even he couldn't help but marvel. The destructive power of this explosion had completely surpassed the scale of a Tailed Beast Ball.
The two of them lay buried in the sand, only daring to emerge several minutes later. Though the air was still hot, it was tolerable.
"What about Shukaku? Let's take it back with us," Kisame said. He doubted Rasa could have survived at the explosion's epicenter, and with everything buried under the sand, finding Rasa would be impossible.
Not far away, a sandy yellow tanuki emerged from the sand. Its body had shrunk to the size of a human, and upon closer inspection, it was no longer made of sand but pure chakra.
"Shukaku lost control for too long and broke free from its Jinchūriki's body," Kisame observed.
"But it was severely injured in the explosion. Perfect, we'll take it back as is."
"You could even absorb Shukaku's chakra to heal your wounds."
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
Explore More Amazing Fanfiction on My Patreon!
Unlock 30+ Advance Chapters and Enjoy Exclusive Stories Early!
��patreon.com/GoldenLong