A new arrival and it's about Itachi God. So, do give it a go.
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***
Swish, swish!
Black shurikens spun rapidly, turning into afterimages, darting toward Deidara, who was forming hand seals.
Itachi had launched his attack with calculated precision.
Haitsu couldn't fully dodge it with just flight, carrying both Kurotsuchi and Deidara.
Swoosh!
Shurikens transformed from crows shot toward Deidara like streaks of black light.
His pupils constricted, and he withdrew his hand from forming seals, leaning back to avoid the blow.
Haitsu and Kurotsuchi also dodged the swarm of shurikens.
Even after dodging most attacks, the shurikens circled back, attacking again.
These shurikens, conjured from Itachi's crows, could be manipulated at will.
In mid-air, Haitsu, the strongest of the group, couldn't counterattack while carrying both.
Kurotsuchi and Deidara's movements were blocked by the crows.
To prevent Deidara's explosive clay from detonating, Itachi avoided using crow-mediated genjutsu.
Atop the hill, Shikaku, Izumi, and the others saw the bewildered Kurotsuchi and her companions in the sky.
They looked in surprise at Itachi, forming seals and controlling the crows.
"Amazing!"
Shikaku exclaimed in admiration.
While using summoned creatures for ninjutsu was common, disorienting three formidable Iwagakure ninja was rare.
Only a handful of Konoha ninja could achieve such a feat.
"This won't work!"
Kurotsuchi said, her face grim.
Under the relentless barrage of crow-shaped shurikens, they were increasingly vulnerable.
If they remained in this inescapable situation, they would be exhausted.
"Damn it!"
Deidara gritted his teeth, his face filled with anger.
He dodged and glared at Itachi with a sullen expression.
"We'll have to land first!" Haitsu said, his eyes narrowing.
His planned battle strategy had been thwarted.
Itachi's technique had put him in a passive position.
With those words, he quickly descended.
"Follow the previous battle plan!"
Shikaku said, observing Haitsu's movements in mid-air.
"Yes!" Izumi nodded.
Aoki Yui lifted Kuroishi Lei and rushed away.
Kuroishi Lei wasn't much taller than Aoki Yui, and with her ninja strength, lifting him was effortless.
Itachi, controlling his crows, focused on blocking Deidara and Kurotsuchi, leaving Haitsu room to fall.
His escape route was still firmly blocked.
Haitsu glared at Itachi, who ignored him.
Based on Itachi's experience, Haitsu's strength wasn't top-tier.
Swish!
Shikaku, Itachi, and Izumi exchanged glances before rushing toward Haitsu and the others.
"Scatter!"
Haitsu shouted, releasing his hands as they neared the ground.
Shikaku and the others moved toward their pre-planned opponents.
Itachi formed seals with one hand, and the crows harassing Haitsu and Kurotsuchi swarmed Deidara.
Deidara's explosive clay was the greatest threat in this battle.
Haitsu released Kurotsuchi and began forming hand seals.
As he was about to land, a dense swarm of shadows surged around him.
Elsewhere, Itachi and Izumi approached Deidara and Kurotsuchi, respectively.
Chi!
Izumi's Sharingan flashed blood-red, her face tense.
Swish!
She stomped her right foot, launching herself like an arrow.
Though an Uchiha, Izumi's foremost skill was taijutsu, not shurikenjutsu or Fire Release.
Izumi darted before Kurotsuchi, gripping a kunai, and struck downward.
Though young, Kurotsuchi was seasoned in battle.
Seeing Izumi's attack, she drew her own kunai and met it.
Clang!
The kunai collided, sparks erupting, their fierce gazes meeting.
Izumi's single-tomoe Sharingan couldn't yet cast illusions by eye contact alone.
Black crows harassed Deidara, irritating him to the point of fury.
Itachi approached, forming a hand seal with one hand.
Ah, ah!
The black shurikens transformed back into crows, then crystallized into Itachi's clone before Deidara.
The crow clone, clutching a kunai, attacked Deidara's hand holding the explosive.
While Deidara's main skill was explosive clay, as Ćnoki's disciple and Kurotsuchi's senior, he wasn't defenseless.
Itachi's crow clone couldn't easily defeat him.
Deidara swerved, dodging the attack.
Just as he dodged, Itachi's true form appeared from the other side.
Itachi formed hand seals, completing the technique.
The blond boy before him tried to retaliate, but his blue eyes dulled, and he froze.
After controlling Deidara with genjutsu, Itachi's clone transformed into a crow.
It snatched the explosive from Deidara's hand and soared into the sky, flying away.
"Stop!"
Itachi called toward the four fighting: Shikaku, Haitsu, Kurotsuchi, and Izumi.
Haitsu and Kurotsuchi turned, seeing Deidara standing like a statue beside Itachi.
"Genjutsu!?" they exclaimed, their expressions changing.
Trapped in genjutsu, Deidara's life depended on Itachi's will.
Though reluctant, Haitsu and Kurotsuchi knew they had failed.
This assassination mission for the Land of Stone's representative wasn't critical.
But Deidara was Ćnoki's prized disciple.
Shikaku and Izumi's offensive slowed.
Their goal was to hold Haitsu and Kurotsuchi back.
The battle ceased.
Itachi, not intending to harm Deidara, walked toward Izumi.
Kurotsuchi and Haitsu moved toward Deidara.
Haitsu brushed past Itachi, a surge of murderous intent rising within him.
His body remained motionless.
Itachi tilted his head, glancing at him from the corner of his eye, calm and composed.
Haitsu's heart trembled.
"Why do I feel this?" he thought, horrified.
As an Iwagakure jĆnin, he shouldn't fear a young Uchiha, despite his talent.
Yet Haitsu's shock lingered.
...
Itachi saw the murderous intent in Haitsu's eyes, but he was certain Haitsu wouldn't dare attack.
Even if Haitsu harbored murderous intent, Itachi remained unharmed.
If Haitsu, Kurotsuchi, or Deidara were killed or wounded, Ćnoki would have to bear the consequences.
Konoha's ninja had made sufficient concessions, but they wouldn't remain tolerant forever.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha faced oppression from four nations.
How could Iwagakure alone dare to wage war against Konoha now?
Itachi walked to Izumi and Shikaku, then turned to face the three Iwagakure ninja.
Haitsu placed his palm on Deidara's shoulder, using chakra to disrupt the genjutsu.
Deidara's body trembled, his blue eyes regaining their spirit.
His gaze, blazing with fury, fixed on Itachi.
"You damned wretch!"
Deidara gritted his teeth, reaching for his ninja tool pouch.
Haitsu stopped him, shaking his head.
"Our mission has failed," he said.
Deidara knew, trapped in genjutsu, the situation had been one-sided.
Yet he couldn't accept it.
In his eyes, Itachi hadn't won fairly.
First, Haitsu had pulled him away, and now he'd been restrained from the start in the air.
The mission's failure no longer concerned him.
Despite Deidara's furious gaze, Itachi remained calm.
He had anticipated Deidara's refusal to let it go.
This suited Itachi's plans.
"I want to fight this guy fair and square!" Deidara said, shaking off Haitsu's hand.
Aside from Ćnoki, he cared little for Iwagakure's higher-ups, let alone Haitsu.
"Brother Deidara, you clearly lost," Kurotsuchi said, frowning.
While she didn't want the mission to fail, a loss was a loss, no matter the reasons.
If this mission sparked a dispute or war between Konoha and Iwagakure, Deidara would be dead.
A dead man couldn't start over.
But Deidara, enraged, ignored such thoughts.
His eyes fixed on Itachi.
"Don't you dare fight me again? If I lose, my life is yours!" he declared coldly.
Shikaku and Izumi stared at Deidara's stubbornness, their eyes darkening.
They glanced at Itachi, who remained calm.
Knowing Itachi, they expected him to ignore Deidara.
But Itachi, gazing at Deidara, chuckled softly.
"Alright, I'll fight you again," he said.
"Itachi!?"
Izumi and Shikaku exclaimed in surprise.
"Not bad, you're no coward," Deidara said, his anger subsiding.
"If you lose, I'll spare your life for not killing me earlier," he added.
Itachi nodded and stepped forward.
"Itachi," Izumi said, worried.
She had seen Deidara's explosive clay and feared Itachi getting hurt.
"Don't worry," Itachi said, giving Izumi a reassuring glance.
Haitsu and Kurotsuchi, knowing Deidara's character, saw no point in stopping him.
Shikaku, Izumi, Haitsu, and Kurotsuchi stepped back, giving the two space to fight.
Deidara's eyes met Itachi's, and they moved simultaneously.
Deidara didn't reach for his ninja tool pouch, instead forming hand seals.
Seeing him raise his palms, Itachi began forming seals.
Deidara's seals were fast, but Itachi's were barely visible, like shadows.
In a second, Itachi's seals were complete.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Boom!
Itachi's mouth opened, a fiery flame expanding into a massive fireball roaring toward Deidara.
Deidara didn't expect Itachi's speed.
He'd barely completed his seals when the fireball hurtled toward him.
Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!
The ground beneath Deidara turned to sand, letting him dodge to the side.
The fireball spun past, its heat singeing his sleeves and cheeks, causing sweat to form.
But Deidara didn't care.
He grabbed his ninja tool pouch and tore it free.
A mouth on his right palm appeared, pulling clay from the pouch and chewing it.
Swish!
Deidara sensed danger behind him.
Itachi, holding a kunai, thrust forward with a calm expression.
Deidara had nowhere to hide and dropped to the ground, extending Itachi's attack range.
As Itachi's kunai neared, the mouth on Deidara's hand stopped chewing.
Deidara swung his arm, and fist-sized white birds flew from the mouth, charging at Itachi.
He formed a seal with his left hand.
Crack!
He shouted, and the birds exploded.
Boom!
The close-range explosion engulfed Itachi in flames and caught Deidara.
Deidara tumbled out, his clothes shredded, arms and face charred, injured by his own blast.
He ignored his injuries, eyes fixed on the explosion.
"Konoha man, don't die like this!" he said, tense.
He'd promised not to kill Itachi if he won.
But Itachi's attack was intense, and Deidara couldn't judge his ninjutsu's lethality.
At such close range, a direct hit from explosive clay could kill any ninja.
Then, Itachi's calm voice echoed from behind.
"You lose."
Deidara's eyes trembled.
He turned to see Itachi, unharmed, standing behind him, eyes fixed with a steady gaze.
....
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