After the departure of the now-corrupted Kakashi and Kisame, Deidara and Sasori continued their journey. As compensation for handing over Kakashi, they were tasked with heading to the northeastern frontline of the Land of Fire to counter the assault from the Land of Lightning.
Previously, the Raikage and Killer Bee had attempted to steal the Rinnegan but did not personally appear on the battlefield. This allowed the Hidden Leaf Village to manage the situation. However, now that they had joined the fray directly, the Hidden Leaf was unable to muster enough high-level combat power. Reports indicated that the village had suffered significant losses in just a few days.
The two hurried along their path without unnecessary delays. After all, with the Hidden Cloud Village allied with Obito, they had become enemies of the Akatsuki. For now, the Hidden Leaf Village still counted as an ally and could be useful.
"By the way, don't you think Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan looked familiar?" Deidara asked casually.
"Oh? Indeed," Sasori responded, pausing briefly in thought.
"His eye technique seems very similar to that of the mysterious man claiming to be Madara Uchiha."
"Moreover, Kakashi's Mangekyō is in his left eye, while the mysterious man's is in his right eye. There appears to be some sort of connection between them," Deidara speculated, transmitting this conversation to all Akatsuki members via Nagato's synchronization ability.
It resembled a group chat.
"Obito?! Impossible! Obito is dead!" Kakashi exclaimed in shock. Although his emotions were still reeling from the betrayal he had experienced, this revelation was too explosive to ignore.
"Looks like my new teammate knows something," Kisame's voice chimed in.
"My Sharingan came from my former teammate, Obito Uchiha. However, he died during the battle at Kannabi Bridge. That's a confirmed fact. With injuries like that, there's no way he could have survived," Kakashi stated with certainty.
"That's indeed what happened," Itachi added. The incident had caused quite a stir within the Uchiha clan at the time—after all, how could their clan's prized bloodline limit be so easily handed over to an outsider?
Eventually, the situation was smoothed over, thanks to Minato Namikaze's ascension as the Fourth Hokage and his close relationship with Fugaku Uchiha.
"Did you confirm his death at the time? Or find his body afterward?" Deidara asked.
"This..." Kakashi hesitated. He couldn't answer these questions definitively. Given the severity of Obito's injuries and the pursuing Iwa-nin at the time, survival seemed utterly impossible.
Kakashi recounted the events as he remembered them, and the group collectively showed expressions of understanding.
"That explains it. It's almost certain that the mysterious man is Obito Uchiha. When he removed his mask, the right side of his body clearly showed signs of being patched up by White Zetsu. It seems he was rescued by Zetsu back then," Deidara said, feeling a sense of relief. After so long, he could finally reveal the truth in a reasonable way.
"But that's impossible! Obito..." Kakashi trailed off. He knew Obito's aptitude as a ninja—there was no way he could have reached the level of power described by the others.
"It seems there's a hidden hand behind Obito Uchiha. Whoever saved him must have had a larger scheme in mind," Itachi concluded.
"Exactly. Kakashi, your eye technique seems connected to Obito's intangibility ability. Next time, make sure to give him a proper surprise," Deidara said.
"No!" Kakashi rejected the idea. "I joined the Akatsuki to seek revenge against the Hidden Leaf and Danzo, not for anything else."
"You'll come around eventually. After all, Obito Uchiha now intends to destroy the world. If you don't act, are you just going to sit back and watch him annihilate the ninja world?"
"Ah..." Kakashi sighed deeply.
After finishing their discussion, Deidara and Sasori continued their journey for another day. They were about two hours away from the frontline when something caught their attention.
"Wait, someone's coming," Hiruko suddenly stopped.
"We're still some distance from the frontline, aren't we? Has the battle spread so far already? It must be quite intense," Sasori remarked.
Deidara and Sasori concealed themselves, waiting for the approaching figures to reveal themselves.
"Well, well! Familiar faces!" Deidara stepped out and greeted Anko, who was leading a group of injured Hidden Leaf ninjas in retreat.
"It's you!" Anko exclaimed in surprise. Then, she let out a sigh of relief. Although the man before her was an enemy and had been a thorn in her side in the past, at least he wasn't hostile at the moment. His appearance here felt like salvation.
"Oh? Reinforcements?" came a mocking voice from behind. A muscular man, accompanied by several Hidden Cloud ninjas, emerged in pursuit.
These Hidden Leaf rats thought they could escape death just because two reinforcements had arrived?
The man was a veteran jonin from the Hidden Cloud Village, a formidable fighter.
However, his confidence evaporated the moment he recognized Deidara. "Akatsuki... Akatsuki..."
"It's Akatsuki! Run!"
The Raikage had already distributed detailed information about Akatsuki members to avoid unnecessary losses. He had even issued orders allowing immediate retreat upon encountering Akatsuki members.
"The forest is my domain," Sasori said.
The pursuing Hidden Cloud squad suddenly found themselves ensnared as the trees around them came to life. Branches transformed into deadly ropes, capturing the entire group of Cloud ninjas.
"Wood Release!"
"Wood Release!" Both the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Leaf ninjas exclaimed in shock. The difference was that the Cloud ninjas were quickly eliminated afterward.
"How do you possess Wood Release?" Anko asked sternly.
"That's none of your business," Deidara waved dismissively.
"No! You must explain! Wood Release is the bloodline limit of the Hidden Leaf's First Hokage. How could it appear in the hands of outsiders like you?" Anko's attitude was firm.
"In that case, we'll just have to kill you to keep the secret," Deidara said, feigning a murderous intent.
Anko froze, realizing she had been too impulsive. They were ruthless rogue ninjas, after all. She couldn't afford to let this crucial information die with her.
"I'm sorry! Please don't kill us!" Anko bowed deeply.
"No way! If you go back, you'll report this to the Hidden Leaf, and that'll cause us trouble," Deidara said.
"Please! Spare us! I'll do anything!" Anko knelt on one knee, showing her submissiveness.
Deidara's face twisted into a malicious grin as a clay white snake coiled around Anko's neck, inching closer to her delicate face.
"Spend another night with me, and we'll forget about this."
"But unlike last time, I don't have seventy thousand ryo to pay you this time."
Anko's face turned bright red. Although she didn't look up, she could feel the peculiar gazes of her teammates.
It's not what you think!
(Author's Note: For more novels related to Naruto: The Strongest Artist, visit: AITBOOKS.COM)
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