One had to admit, for someone like Tsunade, who relied on her monstrous strength to dominate the battlefield, the current situation was like encountering her ultimate nemesis.
How do you fight against countless insects?
The best solution would be to summon Katsuyu, but her hemophobia made it impossible for her to use the Summoning Jutsu.
"Tsunade-sama, be careful!" Shizune, still held hostage, shouted in concern.
"Damn it! You brat, don't underestimate me!" Tsunade growled in frustration. She glared at Deidara in the distance. At this point, the only way to win was to charge straight at him and take him out directly.
"Take this punch!" Tsunade charged forward at lightning speed, aiming a powerful punch at Deidara.
However, what awaited her was layer upon layer of spider webs. Her fist, which was usually unstoppable, was entangled by the sticky webs, as if she had punched an extremely elastic rubber surface. Although she eventually managed to break through, the force and speed of her punch were significantly diminished.
As expected, the Insect Form Activation skill was incredibly useful!
Deidara silently praised himself. After unlocking this skill with Skill Points, his clay insects now behaved like real insects, each with unique abilities. The web-weaving spiders before him were the perfect example.
"Tsunade, your body is already covered in spiders," Deidara taunted.
"Argh!"
Boom!
Tsunade burst through the explosion, emerging unscathed except for a bit of dust on her body.
"Your insects are indeed troublesome, but their explosions are far too weak."
"I have a jutsu called Creation Rebirth. Any damage your insects cause to me can be healed in the blink of an eye."
Deidara smirked faintly. "Seeing your monstrous strength has given me a new artistic inspiration."
He reached into his clay pouches with both hands, biting off chunks of clay and chewing them briefly before pressing them onto the ground.
"C1 Standard Type: Ants!"
A swarm of finger-sized clay ants emerged, marching toward Tsunade in an orderly formation like a well-trained army.
"Ants are the strongmen of the insect world. They can lift objects 400 times their own weight, and their strength only grows when they work together."
"Let's see how they match up against your strength."
Boom!
Tsunade slammed her fist into the ground, crushing a large group of ants instantly. She scoffed, "Ants may be strong, but your ants are far too small. Even if they can exert 400 times their strength, they're still nothing."
As Tsunade closed the distance, Deidara retreated once more. Countless Clay Spiders surrounded her, shooting webs from their abdomens to slow her down.
"I hate these things!" Tsunade grumbled, tearing the webs off her body with an annoyed expression.
But her efforts were futile. As soon as she removed one web, more spiders would attach new ones, threatening to encase her in a cocoon.
Slash!
Using her Chakra Scalpel, Tsunade sliced through the webbing from within, breaking free. She stomped the ground, crushing nearby clay spiders while creating a dust cloud to obscure her movements temporarily.
From a distance, Deidara continued chewing clay. His earlier attempt with the ants had been a first try, so it was somewhat clumsy.
Now, he could create something larger.
From his hands, several larger clay ants dropped to the ground. With a puff of smoke, they activated, transforming into ants the size of an average human. Unlike ordinary ants, these stood on four legs, with their two front legs shaped like fists, giving them an intimidating appearance.
"Go, my new creations!"
"C2 Special Type: Ant Boxers!"
Six Ant Boxers approached Tsunade, raising their fists as if eager for a fight.
"Tsunade, what do you think of these ants?" Deidara called out smugly.
"Now they're the same size as you, yet they can still exert 400 times their strength."
"Hmph! Watch me crush them!"
Tsunade threw a punch, and one of the Ant Boxers responded with its own punch. When their fists collided, the Ant Boxer was utterly defeated, sent flying into a tree with half its body shattered.
Seeing this, Deidara couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. This old hag's monstrous strength was truly terrifying.
If he got hit, even with Clayification, it wouldn't end well.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tsunade's punches landed one after another. Her overwhelming power exceeded Deidara's expectations. The Ant Boxers, which he had high hopes for, were no match for her and were quickly destroyed.
But instead of feeling discouraged, Deidara's expression grew more excited.
To him, Tsunade was like a testing ground for his art. If human-sized ants weren't enough, then he'd make them even bigger!
After chewing for a long time, Deidara finally finished. A massive clay ant emerged, and with a puff of chakra, it activated, growing to the size of a small truck.
Its four legs were thick and sturdy, and its two front legs, shaped like fists, were muscular and imposing.
"C2 Enhanced Type: Ant Strongman!"
Despite its size being limited to that of a light truck—any larger and it wouldn't retain the structure of an ant—this creation was not designed for explosive damage. Its inclusion in the Enhanced Type category, alongside his dragons and serpents, showed how highly Deidara regarded it.
Imagine a truck-sized ant capable of exerting 400 times its strength. How terrifying would its destructive power be?
"Come on, Tsunade, let's see who really has the strongest strength in the ninja world," Deidara said from a high vantage point, watching the scene below with the air of a master overseeing a gladiatorial match.
Tsunade was infuriated by his condescending gaze, but for Shizune's sake, she had no choice but to engage in this battle of beauty versus beast.
"Fine! Let me show you, brat!"
"Take this punch!"
Tsunade threw a punch, her strike accompanied by a terrifying sonic boom, clearly using her full strength.
The Ant Strongman responded with its own punch. One was a massive, muscular fist; the other, a delicate woman's hand. When they collided, the impact was evenly matched.
The resulting shockwave scattered in all directions, causing Shizune's long hair to whip wildly in the wind.
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune cried out worriedly, but the gale was so strong that she couldn't even open her eyes, let alone focus on the battle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tsunade and the Ant Strongman exchanged a series of ferocious punches. The scene looked like it had leapt out of a martial arts world rather than the ninja world, with each blow landing with raw, visceral impact.
The ground beneath them was utterly destroyed by the force of their strikes, and the continuous sonic booms were as deafening as thunder.
"Tsunade, it seems you're not as strong as I thought. You're barely holding your own against a mere art piece I casually created," Deidara taunted, trying to provoke her. He wanted to see if she was holding back.
"Hah!"
Tsunade exhaled deeply, her lips parting slightly.
This was the first time she had encountered an opponent capable of trading blows with her head-on. Being able to fight so freely and intensely, she almost didn't want it to end.
But saving Shizune was her priority.
"Alright, brat, let me show you my true power!"
"My Yin Seal not only allows for rapid healing but also grants me access to a vast amount of chakra to further enhance my strength."
"This secret is known to very few, because I've rarely encountered enemies that required me to use it."
"Today, I'll let you witness it!"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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