"Damn it… when did so many Kaguya Clan ninja appear in the Hidden Mist Village?!"
Deidara felt as though he were dreaming.
But thinking about it carefully, it wasn't that strange.
He had been away from the shinobi world for many years and had never bothered to keep up with the internal changes of the Five Great Villages. Naturally, he wouldn't know how many Kekkei Genkai clans were secretly active within Kirigakure.
In truth, it wasn't just Deidara.
Aside from Konoha, most villages had only a vague understanding of Kirigakure's true combat power.
After all, compared to the overwhelming size of a ninja village, the existence of several bloodline clans wasn't particularly eye-catching.
And the Kaguya Clan had always belonged to the Hidden Mist.
What was so strange about that?
"Exploding clay… Is this Explosion Release?"
"Hmph! No matter what it is, its power is terrifying."
"Warn everyone—once hit, no one except our clan members will survive!"
"Then we'll handle him ourselves."
As they spoke, several Kaguya Clan ninja stepped forward.
Their wounds visibly regenerated—bones retracting, flesh knitting itself together as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this, Deidara's expression darkened.
His explosions couldn't kill them.
And they could regenerate almost instantly.
What kind of joke was this?
Damn it… Obito set me up!
Deidara clenched his teeth in fury.
That bastard dared trick a senior like him.
Once he escaped the Hidden Mist, he would make sure Obito paid the price.
Land of Water — Elsewhere
Far away, Shigure suddenly turned his head, his gaze locking onto the direction of Kirigakure.
With such a massive disturbance, how could it escape the notice of his Cloud Eyes and the thirty-six cloud pigeons he had stationed within the village?
Through the Cloud Eyes, Shigure clearly saw the situation unfolding.
"Deidara…"
"Did he choose this moment to attack because I'm not there?"
If Deidara had appeared, then his target could only be the Jinchūriki.
Is it Han?
But if the Akatsuki had truly infiltrated the Hidden Mist, then they might have discovered other Jinchūriki as well.
Shigure frowned.
Should he return?
If he went back now, dealing with the Hidden Mist's affairs would delay him. By then, Sasuke's battle would likely be over.
Once Itachi died, obtaining Shisui's other eye would become far more troublesome.
Let's see if the village can handle the Akatsuki without me.
Shigure had poured immense effort into cultivating Kirigakure's strength.
If they couldn't even deal with Deidara alone, then all that effort would have been meaningless.
Closing his eyes, Shigure continued observing through the Eye of Cloud, silently watching.
Hidden Mist Village
Deidara was being pressed hard by the advancing Kaguya Clan, all wielding the fearsome Shikotsumyaku.
His expression grew increasingly grim.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
"They just won't die from explosions!"
More and more bone-wielding figures closed in.
In the blink of an eye, over twenty Kaguya Clan ninja had arrived.
And they weren't alone.
"We'll cooperate. Capture him alive!"
Another group of ninja entered the battlefield, each bearing the same clan emblem—an insignia resembling crystalline ice.
The Yuki Clan.
"Ice Release!"
In an instant, frost spread across the ground.
The surrounding area froze solid.
Even Deidara's clay constructs were encased in ice—completely immobilized.
Unable to detonate.
What?! Ice Release can counter my explosions?!
Before he could fully process it—
A sharp killing intent surged from behind.
Slash!
Pain exploded through his arm as blood sprayed into the air.
Deidara spun around instantly.
A figure slowly emerged from the mist.
"Tch… I knew the Kozuki Clan would be here."
"These rats always hide in the shadows, only striking when someone's distracted."
Due to the nature of their bloodline, the Kaguya Clan despised such tactics.
The Kozuki ninja returned the glare coldly.
"You bone-brained savages only know how to charge straight ahead."
"How we fight is none of your business."
The battlefield fell into a tense stalemate.
Kirigakure's true combat power—
At last, it was being revealed.
"All units, the enemy is still here!"
A Yuki Clan shinobi stepped forward, clearly intending to take charge of the situation.
Because of their close ties to Shigure, even the hot-blooded Kaguya Clan refrained from speaking out of turn.
At this moment, Deidara was thoroughly shaken.
They were invisible earlier… hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Some kind of concealment ninjutsu? There are shinobi with abilities like this too?
Just what kind of monster has the Hidden Mist Village become?
Before he could think any further, a dense mist suddenly surged toward him.
A powerful sense of danger exploded in his mind.
His skin began to corrode at a terrifying speed.
This is—!
Deidara leapt back instinctively.
Landing, he glanced at the back of his hand—more than half of it had already been eaten away.
"Damn it!"
He raised his head.
The Yumujō Clan shinobi had arrived.
"Lord Mizukage may be absent," one of them said coldly,
"but you chose to invade Kirigakure under these circumstances. Did you really think no one could stop you?"
More and more shinobi converged on the battlefield.
Then, a familiar figure stepped forward.
Mei Terumī.
"Kid, I remember you," Mei said calmly.
"You're from the Akatsuki, aren't you?"
"A missing-nin from Iwagakure."
Her presence stunned Deidara completely.
The Hidden Mist had only recently ended its closed-off era—
so how did it have this many powerful shinobi?
Obito had told him to create chaos.
But this wasn't chaos.
This was walking straight into a death trap.
From afar, Shigure watched through his Cloud Eyes and nodded in quiet satisfaction.
Even without him returning, Deidara clearly wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble.
Kirigakure was no longer the village it once had been.
Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, a building ahead exploded as flames roared skyward.
A figure leapt down from the rooftop.
Itachi Uchiha.
Moments later, Sasuke followed.
Their battle has reached its final stage, Shigure thought.
At that moment, Itachi's gaze flicked toward Shigure.
Shigure stood nearby, calm and unmoving, with no intention of intervening.
Itachi turned to Sasuke.
"Did you bring help?"
Sasuke replied without hesitation,
"Shigure won't interfere. This is my fight with you."
Seeing the absolute trust in Sasuke's eyes, Itachi smiled faintly.
They were the same age—once classmates, once comrades in the same ninja squad.
For Sasuke to allow Shigure to stand witness meant that, deep down, he truly acknowledged him.
Good, Itachi thought.
At least he has someone he can call a friend.
His eyes softened for a fleeting moment.
Then—
They sharpened.
"Amaterasu."
Black flames erupted instantly.
Sasuke failed to evade in time and was engulfed.
This was different from the original course of events.
Sasuke couldn't block the flames.
If this continued, he would be reduced to ashes within seconds.
Shigure let out a quiet sigh.
In an instant—
Sasuke vanished.
And reappeared directly in front of Shigure.
Shigure raised his hand.
"Gluttony," he said calmly.
"Devour the black flames."
[Gluttony: Activated]
The black fire twisted violently—
And was swallowed whole.
(End of Chapter)
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