"So, it's you—Akatsuki," Mei Terumī said, her expression growing tense as she locked eyes with Deidara and Kisame.
"Indeed," Deidara replied, turning to face her. Despite being outnumbered, he showed no hint of fear. His current strength left him confident enough to face any challenge.
Mei glanced at Kisame, who was locked in fierce combat with the Three-Tails, a flicker of urgency flashing in her eyes. "The Three-Tails belongs to Kirigakure. Naturally, it should be returned to our village."
"That won't happen," Deidara countered firmly.
"Although our previous collaboration went smoothly, and I appreciate your help in exposing the truth about the Fourth Mizukage," Mei continued, her tone growing serious, "when it comes to matters involving Tailed Beasts, I cannot back down!"
Her resolute tone prompted the Kirigakure shinobi behind her to take up battle stances, ready for confrontation.
Deidara sighed. "Well, if that's the case, I have no choice but to defeat you."
"You all stand back," Mei instructed her subordinates, her voice calm but commanding. "This battle is between me and Chōjūrō."
"But, Mizukage-sama…!" Ao, who had lost his Byakugan but remained Mei's trusted aide, protested anxiously.
"You all know that battles of this caliber are beyond what ordinary shinobi can handle," Mei explained.
"Intervening will only lead to unnecessary casualties."
So Mei had officially become the Fifth Mizukage—it was no surprise. With her qualifications and strength, she was the obvious choice for the role.
"Chōjūrō, be extremely cautious. Support me from the sidelines and strike only when the opportunity is clear," Mei instructed, giving Chōjūrō one final reminder before she began weaving hand signs. Her red lips parted slightly, and a spray of high-temperature acid shot toward Deidara.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition!"
Deidara smirked. "After several rounds of growth, this technique is nothing more than a minor trick!"
"C2 Special Type: Weaver Spider!"
Four round-bodied Clay Spiders emerged from Deidara's hands, each about the size of an average human. Unlike the mother-type clay creatures capable of producing smaller offspring, these spiders were specialized for web-weaving.
Thanks to advancements in Morphology Optimization, Deidara had developed various functional clay creations, such as the Ant Heavyweights and the Weaver Spiders.
Swish! Swish!
The four spiders rapidly spat out white threads, weaving a thick web in an instant. The web formed a protective shield against Mei's acid attack. As the corrosive liquid hit the web, it sizzled and hissed but failed to penetrate.
"Watch this!"
"Hiramekarei: Release!"
Chōjūrō charged in from the side, wielding Hiramekarei. The sword's chakra condensed into a rounded hammer-like form, which he swung powerfully at Deidara.
Swish!
Two of the Weaver Spiders quickly spun another web. The released Hiramekarei struck the web, its force dissipating as the web stretched into a large bulge. No matter how hard Chōjūrō tried, he couldn't break through.
"Damn it!" Chōjūrō cursed as the web unexpectedly wrapped around him, turning him into a white cocoon. He was completely immobilized.
"Chōjūrō!"
"Lava Release: Lava Dragon Bullet!"
A massive dragon made of high-temperature acid appeared, lunging at Deidara.
Deidara countered by unleashing a giant clay white snake from his hands. The snake exploded upon impact, scattering the acid dragon into droplets. Using the web shield as cover, Deidara retreated slightly. Even the thick web couldn't withstand such a large volume of acid.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Mei advanced while releasing a high-pressure water blade. The blade effortlessly sliced through the web, exposing Deidara behind it.
Unfazed by the physical attack, Deidara used Clayification to avoid damage with ease.
"C2 Enhanced Type: Manda!"
Deidara summoned a giant clay white snake. Thanks to his mastery of Animal Form, the snake's appearance was intricately detailed—aside from the color difference, it was an almost perfect replica of the original.
The clay snake swung its massive tail toward Mei and Chōjūrō, who had just been freed by Mei. Facing the enormous tail, the two dodged swiftly, retreating to avoid direct impact.
But waiting for them were several Clay Rock Worms. These slender worms emerged from underground like writhing tentacles, quickly wrapping around the pair.
"Ha!"
Boom!
An explosion followed, but the two figures turned into puddles of water. They had used Water Clones during the brief moment Deidara's vision was obscured by the snake's tail.
Their true bodies now approached from the lake, taking advantage of the turbulent waves caused by Kisame's ongoing battle with the Three-Tails to conceal their movements.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Mei used an Earth Release technique to temporarily immobilize the clay snake before opening her mouth again.
"Boil Release: Acid Mist Great Breakthrough!"
Although Boil Release was a combination of water and fire chakra, its properties leaned more toward wind. Mei unleashed a swirling mist of acid, which corroded everything in its path—trees and rocks twisted into grotesque shapes.
The Weaver Spiders quickly spun another web to block the acid mist. Chōjūrō coordinated his attack.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
The web was sliced open once more, but Deidara merely smiled faintly. "Your teamwork is impressive."
"Now, behold my art!"
"C2 Special Type: Fire-Breathing Dragon!"
From its size, the Fire-Breathing Dragon was only as tall as a two-story building—not particularly imposing. However, unlike Deidara's other dragon creations, this one had a notably thick throat and belly.
"Fire-Breathing Dragon: Dragon Breath!"
Boom!
A muffled explosion erupted from within the dragon's belly as it began to swell like a balloon on the verge of bursting. Then, its mouth opened wide, its neck extending forward. The explosion's shockwave and high-temperature flames found an outlet, surging out at unimaginable speed.
Whoosh!
Just like the mythical fire-breathing dragons, the dragon's fiery breath engulfed Mei's Acid Mist Great Breakthrough and turned the tide, burning its way toward Mei and Chōjūrō.
"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!"
This was an upgraded version of the Water Formation Wall. Faced with the terrifying dragon breath, Mei dared not underestimate it. Fortunately, they were on the lake, reducing chakra consumption for Water Release techniques.
Hiss!
Steam billowed out, turning the surroundings into a white haze. It was as if they had entered a misty summer morning—or someone had intentionally cast the Hidden Mist Technique.
"Mizukage-sama!" The Kirigakure shinobi watching from the shore shouted in concern.
On the lake, Mei's face was grim. The power of this attack was already approaching S-rank ninjutsu. Deidara had grown far stronger since their last encounter—even without relying on aerial superiority to fight.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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