"You think your genjutsu still works on me? I've trained for years just to resist it! Now, everything you do is useless!"
Deidara shouted, glaring straight at the Mangekyō Sharingan spinning in Itachi's eyes.
Shigeo appeared in front of them and spoke calmly. "Itachi is a member of Monin Village. That's enough."
"No! No one can stop my duel with him!" Deidara roared, eyes burning with fury.
Hearing this, Shigeo turned to Itachi. Itachi nodded slightly. "Don't worry. I won't kill him."
With that, Itachi turned, drew his long sword, and charged.
Across from him, Deidara had already begun chewing clay, spitting out a giant clay clone the size of himself—C4 Karura.
The clay clone contained countless microscopic clay spiders—nanoscopic explosives invisible to the naked eye. When detonated, they scattered through the air. Anyone who inhaled them became a walking bomb, their body destroyed from the inside out.
Seeing the clay doll form, Shigeo shook his head slightly. Such a blast would never harm Itachi.
He gestured toward the battling pair below. "I have other matters. Settle this yourselves."
Then, with a flicker of space distortion, he vanished.
Down below, Itachi surged forward with the Totsuka Blade in hand. Deidara's eyes gleamed with excitement. If Itachi cut open the C4 Karura, the nanospiders would fill the air—
That look of anticipation betrayed him. The instant Itachi noticed, he stopped his swing. His eyes shifted again, and black flames erupted across the clay doll.
Amaterasu.
A deafening explosion shook the field. Deidara leapt onto his clay bird and soared upward, keeping distance from the C4 to avoid his own detonation wave.
Below, Itachi shielded his eyes from the flash, then raised his gaze. His hands weaved seals.
"Katon (Fire Style): Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)!"
Deidara laughed madly. "You don't even realize you've already lost! Hah!"
He braced himself for the sight of Itachi's body turning to pulp—but it never came.
Itachi stood untouched. The great fireball roared upward. Deidara frowned and swerved aside. "What? He didn't breathe? The nanospiders didn't enter his body? How could he have known how to counter my C4 Karura?!"
What he didn't realize was that every bit of clay, every explosive spider within the doll, had already been consumed by Amaterasu's black fire. The earlier explosion had burned them all to nothing.
The unquenchable flames of Amaterasu devoured everything they touched.
Once the clay met those flames, all the hidden bombs and nanospiders inside had already gone up in black fire.
There were no nanospiders left in the air at all.
At that moment, a crow appeared silently behind Deidara.
A massive fireball surged toward him. He had stored plenty of clay on his body—normally inert until infused with chakra—but some of it had already been pre-mixed and primed for detonation.
When the fire struck, a spark ignited one piece, and Deidara's own clay exploded violently.
Only then did realization hit him.
So that was Itachi's true move—not a frontal attack, but a setup. The crow carried the flame to his blind spot, exploiting the clay explosives he kept on himself.
Itachi knew him too well. He knew Deidara always carried finished clay bombs on his person—and used that against him.
Usually Deidara chewed and molded clay mid-battle. But against Itachi, fearing any loss in speed, he had prepared explosive clay beforehand—ironically, his own downfall.
The blast threw him across the sky. His body was scorched and bloodied. His clay bird shattered beneath him.
He crashed into the ground, groaning but still defiant. Crawling, he reached for more clay.
If he was going down, he would take Itachi with him.
A flick of the wrist—steel flashed.
An iron chain snapped around his body.
"You're my good friend's comrade," Itachi said. "I won't kill you. Let's go. We're returning to Monin Village."
With a pull of chakra, he dragged the battered Deidara toward the south.
"From today on, I'm leaving Akatsuki for good. I'll live my own life."
Deidara's eyes widened.
He'd heard rumors about Itachi's ties to Shigeo, but seeing that spark of calm conviction when he mentioned Monin Village—it stunned him.
"You're really leaving Akatsuki?" he asked.
"Yes," Itachi said without hesitation. "From now on, Monin Village is my home—and yours too."
Deidara thought of Shigeo and couldn't help but marvel. That man really has a gift… to make even Uchiha Itachi follow him so completely.
"Even if we're comrades one day," Deidara muttered, "I'll still challenge you. I won't accept defeat."
"Fine. Duel me whenever you want," Itachi replied evenly. "But if you ever endanger my village, I won't forgive you."
Deidara shut his mouth. Itachi turned and kept walking.
…
Meanwhile, Shigeo had found Akatsuki's new base. Without a word, he struck.
Nine members were there—two unfamiliar faces among them.
They had clearly anticipated his arrival. Before he could shatter the barrier and enter the cave, the Immortal Duo had already rushed out.
They knew that such a barrier couldn't stop him. And once Shigeo had attacked, waiting passively was suicide.
Hidan charged in with his triple-bladed scythe, laughing maniacally as he swung.
"Shigeo! Finally, it's my turn to fight you! Today, I'll show you exactly how you die!"
Beside him, Kakuzu unleashed Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear), his five elemental masks firing in unison—Fūton (Wind Style), Katon (Fire Style), Suiton (Water Style), Raiton (Lightning Style), and Doton (Earth Style)—each attack interwoven with black tendrils lashing toward Shigeo.
Outside the cavern, Shigeo's eyes glinted coldly. Explosive chakra rippled from his body—Bakuton (Explosion Style) bursting in waves.
The two couldn't even approach him.
His speed and chakra overwhelmed them. Kakuzu's stitched flesh was blasted apart, his techniques torn to shreds.
The Immortal Duo's assault crumbled before him like sand under fire.
(End of Chapter)
[50 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews = 5 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]