Whoosh!
Minato Namikaze appeared directly in front of Deidara's true body. "With Sage Mode and Kurama's chakra, I can easily distinguish between your real body and your clones."
"Sage Art: Grand Net!"
Faced with the crisscrossing wind blades of this net-like attack, Deidara was startled. He had made a mistake—he had forgotten this crucial detail.
In the original story, Naruto could use the Nine-Tails' chakra to detect even White Zetsu.
"Take this!" Deidara leapt backward using a Clay Bird as a foothold, simultaneously releasing and detonating a barrage of clay creatures. The resulting explosions created shockwaves to counter Minato's Wind Release.
"Sage Art: Wind Cutter Technique!" Minato followed up with another Wind Release, redirecting the remnants of the Grand Net toward Deidara.
Deidara felt a headache coming on. Minato Namikaze was far stronger than he had anticipated—overwhelmingly so. If he had known this earlier, he would have brought backup for this mission.
Especially since Minato was in his reincarnated state and had the Nine-Tails' chakra at his disposal.
In the original story, Minato's brilliance was overshadowed simply because he appeared too late, facing opponents at the Six Paths level.
No choice. I'll have to make a sacrifice. Countering Sage-enhanced Wind Release isn't something ordinary clay art can achieve, and extraordinary clay isn't something I can create in a short time.
The Grand Net, even after a brief disruption, continued its relentless pursuit of Deidara's true body.
Deidara's left hand turned into white clay. He stretched out his right hand, tore off the clay arm, and hurled it forward.
Though it was just an arm, it was still part of my ultimate art.
"Art is an explosion! Take this!"
Boom!
[Minato Namikaze Shock Value +2000]
[Orochimaru Shock Value +1500]
[Kakuzu...]
Minato's Wind Release was completely neutralized. A vast section of the surrounding terrain was reduced to ash.
However, being so close to the explosion's epicenter wasn't easy for Deidara either. Although he quickly chewed out a clay protective shield and used Clayification to minimize the damage, he still sustained significant injuries.
Deidara crashed heavily to the ground. His body, scorched and battered, struggled to rise. Using his remaining right hand, he grabbed some clay and began chewing it to regenerate his left arm and replace his damaged tissues.
"Hey! Deidara, are you done for too?" Hidan's disembodied head shouted from the sidelines.
Despite the intense series of battles, only a short amount of time had passed. The chunks of earth Minato had blown into the air earlier still hadn't landed.
"Shut up, Hidan!" Deidara finally understood Kakuzu's frustration.
"Minato Namikaze, since I can't match your agility, I'll crush you with overwhelming force," Deidara declared as he spat out a massive clay slug.
"That's Lady Tsunade's summoning beast," Minato said in surprise.
"Of course not. This is a clay slug I created to mimic Tsunade's Katsuyu. It has the same abilities to split and merge, making it perfect for countering your Wind Release," Deidara explained.
C2 Enhanced Type: Katsuyu!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Minato began sprinting toward Deidara, but the clay slug immediately blocked his path.
"Sage Art: Rasengan!" A Rasengan of unprecedented power formed in Minato's hand, smashing into the slug's body.
Deidara had no intention of detonating the slug at this moment. Minato could simply escape using the Flying Thunder God Technique, rendering the explosion ineffective.
Splat!
The massive clay slug split into countless smaller slugs. This division significantly reduced the damage caused by Minato's Sage-enhanced Rasengan, which only managed to destroy a small portion of the smaller slugs.
The swarm of miniature slugs surged toward Minato, who used a Body Flicker Technique to leap away.
"Sage Art: Continuous Vacuum Waves!" This time, Minato tried using horizontal air blades to cut through the swarm. But the miniature slugs divided further into even smaller slugs, rendering the Vacuum Waves ineffective.
Minato sensed trouble. Watching Deidara's left hand regenerate and noticing that he seemed to be chewing new clay creatures, Minato realized he needed to increase his firepower.
"Kurama, I'll need to borrow more chakra from you," Minato said. It wasn't that he was running out of chakra—his reincarnated state provided him with unlimited reserves. However, the technique he was about to use required the additional power of Nine-Tails Mode.
Kurama twisted its head, adopting an expression of reluctant agreement.
"Hmph! The man who once sealed me away is now begging me for help. This feels pretty good," Kurama muttered smugly.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
More than ten shadow clones appeared, charging toward Deidara. Some used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport, surrounding Deidara from all directions.
For a moment, Deidara was besieged on all sides.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The scattered clay clones from earlier regrouped, successfully destroying several of Minato's shadow clones.
At the same time, eight "Weaver Spiders" emerged from Deidara's mouth. They spun webs at incredible speed, forming a protective cocoon. This web-based defense, made of flexible spider silk, was particularly effective against Wind Release.
Even Minato's Sage-enhanced Rasengan struggled to break through. It wasn't until Minato infused the Rasengan with Kurama's chakra, dramatically increasing its power, that he managed to destroy the cocoon and the Weaver Spiders.
"Hmm?" Minato noticed a hole in the ground. Deidara's true body had already used a Rock Worm to burrow underground.
"There you are!" Minato's enhanced sensory abilities quickly pinpointed Deidara's location. He unleashed a Sage-enhanced Tailed Beast Rasengan, slamming it into the ground.
The attack pulverized everything within a radius of dozens of meters, creating a deep crater. All the clay Rock Worms in the area were obliterated.
However, the thick layer of earth provided Deidara with enough time to react. He had already burrowed deeper or moved out of the attack's range.
"I can't hit him like this!" Minato exclaimed in frustration.
Even when Deidara took to the skies earlier, Minato hadn't found it this troublesome. But now, with Deidara hiding underground, it exceeded Minato's capabilities.
"Minato Namikaze, are you still not going to unleash the Nine-Tails?"
"If this continues, you stand no chance of winning," a clay clone of Deidara taunted from above.
Inside Minato's body, Kurama perked up upon hearing Deidara's words, only to feign indifference a moment later.
"Kurama, it seems I'll have to trouble you again today," Minato said.
Kurama remained in its lounging position, its eyes twitching slightly as it forced itself not to reveal its excitement.
"Are you asking for my help again?" it asked coldly.
"Yes," Minato replied, fully aware of Kurama's temperament and choosing to humor it.
"Hmph! Fine, I'll help you one more time," Kurama said with mock reluctance. ~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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