"Lady Tsunade, he's over there," Katsuyu's voice came from behind. Ahead, Deidara's figure slowly reassembled.
I have to admit, this trick of breaking into small bombs is quite handy.
Though he had just been pounded by Tsunade, Deidara's Clayification was slightly different from that of his clay creations.
For clay creatures, their physical resistance was indeed high, but the clay that composed them needed to maintain a specific structure to sustain their form.
However, for Deidara's own Clayification, structure didn't matter. No matter how he was smashed or broken apart, he wouldn't sustain any damage.
"How did he escape just now?" Tsunade asked in confusion.
A small Katsuyu crawled onto her shoulder and whispered into her ear, "His body disintegrated into extremely fine particles, invisible to the human eye."
Katsuyu explained that it had detected this because it possessed Sage Chakra, which allowed it to sense the presence of those tiny bombs with precision.
"Damn it! Doesn't that mean I can't do anything to him?" Tsunade said angrily. She was skilled in brute force and medical ninjutsu, but nothing else.
"No, Lady Tsunade. With the support of Sage Chakra, you can harm him," Katsuyu reassured her.
"Where do you think you're going!" Tsunade shouted. Even as she conversed with Katsuyu, her vigilance remained unshaken. Seeing Deidara trying to increase the distance between them, she naturally wouldn't let him succeed.
The clay Katsuyu began to reassemble, surrounding Tsunade in the center. Tsunade punched forward, creating a massive hole in the front. Taking advantage of the clay Katsuyu's incomplete reformation, she continued her charge.
"This is bad! Lady Tsunade, he's already far enough to trigger an explosion!" Katsuyu warned from her shoulder, observing the enemy's movements clearly from its main body outside.
"Katsuyu, hold him off for now. I'll break through immediately."
"With my Creation Rebirth technique, no matter how severe the injuries, I'll be fine."
"Understood, Lady Tsunade!"
Deidara noticed the giant Katsuyu moving again. This time, instead of spewing a massive stream of acid like before, Katsuyu sprayed the acid as dense and rapid raindrops, targeting Deidara's position directly.
"Acid Rain Barrage!"
"Take this!"
A large portion of the clay Katsuyu was detonated, simultaneously attacking Tsunade and blocking Katsuyu's acid.
After witnessing the terrifying corrosiveness of the acid earlier, Deidara had no intention of taking it head-on. He also abandoned the idea of using the Weaver Spider's web technique, realizing it wouldn't hold up.
"C2 Special Type: Fire-Breathing Dragon!" "C2 Standard Type: Rock Worm!"
Deidara chewed out two different clay creations with each hand while his main body continued to retreat.
Based on his earlier experience, Tsunade would likely charge straight at him again.
"Monster Strength Punch!"
Tsunade's entire body was almost completely burned, making her appearance rather terrifying. If depicted in an image, it would look like a scene straight out of a disaster film.
However, these injuries didn't affect Tsunade's combat capabilities. She smashed her fist into the ground, directing the force precisely toward Deidara. The ground shattered and crumbled as the shockwave spread, crushing a large portion of the clay Rock Worms and even destabilizing the Fire-Breathing Dragon and Deidara himself.
"You brat! Prepare to die!"
"Your attacks are useless against me!"
Seizing the moment when Deidara lost his balance, Tsunade closed the distance further. Though she wasn't known for her speed, as a Taijutsu-focused Kage-level ninja, she wasn't slow either.
As she rapidly approached, Tsunade continued her conversation with Katsuyu.
"Katsuyu, what did you mean earlier?"
A new small Katsuyu crawled onto her shoulder and quickly explained, "Lady Tsunade, the Sage Jutsu of the Shikkotsu Forest is the most harmonious of all."
"Your current physique is strong enough to endure a direct infusion of my Sage Chakra."
"When you need it, just say the word, and I'll transfer my Sage Chakra to you directly."
"Got it!" Tsunade responded.
"Fire-Breathing Dragon! Dragon Breath!"
Blazing flames spewed from the Fire-Breathing Dragon's mouth, surging toward the rapidly approaching Tsunade.
Faced with the scorching flames, even Tsunade dared not take it head-on. Charging through the center of an explosion required enduring high temperatures for only a short time, but being directly hit by the Dragon Breath meant prolonged exposure to intense heat.
Though she believed she could survive it, healing such injuries would consume a large amount of chakra and shorten her lifespan.
"Ha!"
She punched the nearby mountainside, breaking off a large boulder. Using the boulder as a shield, she continued her charge without slowing down.
Seeing Tsunade avoid the Dragon Breath in such a manner, Deidara frowned slightly. With Katsuyu's assistance, he couldn't ascend into the sky.
Without the ability to fly and increase the distance, he couldn't use large-scale explosions. As a result, he had no effective way to deal with Tsunade, especially with her Creation Rebirth active.
Not to mention, she hadn't even activated her Strength of a Hundred Seal yet.
Wait, if I can't go up, then I'll go down. Underground, at least, I won't have to deal with Katsuyu's acid!
Deidara's mind raced, considering various burrowing animals and insects.
Ultimately, he clapped his hands together, sending several slender clay earthworms burrowing into the ground. Burrowing required stealth and surprise, and earthworms were the perfect choice for this task.
"C2 Enhanced Type: Great Dragon!" "C2 Enhanced Type: Manda!"
Two massive clay beasts appeared on the battlefield, though they seemed rather small compared to Katsuyu.
"Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid!" Katsuyu spat acid again, but the clay Katsuyu quickly climbed onto her, gradually enveloping her body.
"This is bad!" Katsuyu's sweet voice carried a hint of panic. She quickly split into countless small Katsuyus, slipping out of the clay Katsuyu's encirclement.
"You're not getting away! Take this!"
Deidara detonated the numerous small clay Katsuyus. Though their combined form was massive, once divided, their explosions were much smaller in scale but far more numerous.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dense sound of explosions echoed like firecrackers. The small Katsuyus were continuously damaged and eventually forced back to the Shikkotsu Forest.
"Katsuyu!" Tsunade punched the Fire-Breathing Dragon away and turned to look behind her.
"Lady Tsunade, don't worry about me. Your priority is to keep closing in on the enemy," the small Katsuyu on her shoulder said.
As for the larger Katsuyu, after regrouping, its size had been reduced by more than half, now comparable to Manda's.
However, even so, there was no need to worry. After all, the summoned portion was only one-tenth of Katsuyu Sage's true body. No matter how severe the damage, it wouldn't significantly affect Katsuyu Sage.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/GoldenLong