"Hey! Hey!"
"This guy's completely insane," Shadow Man muttered, cold sweat dripping from his forehead as he stared at the massive dragon in the sky. "You and Earth Man should head over to the boss. This battle is beyond what you can handle now."
From beneath the lake, Water Man's voice rose, calm yet commanding.
"Be careful! Everything that guy creates seems to explode," Shadow Man warned as he retreated into the shadows, his voice fading.
"Relax. No matter how powerful the explosion, it's useless against water," Water Man replied confidently.
"True." Shadow Man agreed and disappeared completely into the shadowy depths.
Boom!
A car-sized miniature dragon shot out from the mouth of the Enhanced Great Dragon, diving toward the lake in a kamikaze attack.
BOOM!
The explosion sent water splashing over ten meters into the air. However, as Water Man had claimed earlier, no matter how intense the explosion, it was ineffective against water. Other than causing a brief discomfort for Water Man, who had merged with the water, it didn't cause any real damage.
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
Dozens of water columns rose from the lake, spinning at high speed to form compressed jets of water. Although they appeared unimposing at first glance, their physical attack power was immense. Moreover, being composed of water, they were incredibly agile and could strike from any direction.
"Wow! This level of Water Release… It seems only Kisame in Akatsuki could pull this off. Looks like the Xuanyuan Group has some real talent," White Zetsu remarked, impressed by the spectacle even from a great distance.
"It must be some kind of special constitution or secret technique that allows him to manipulate water. In this regard, even the Hōzuki Clan pales in comparison," Black Zetsu analyzed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The dense barrage of Water Fang Bullets surged toward the massive dragon in the sky. In an instant, Deidara felt as though he were in the midst of a violent storm. The howling wind and pelting water drastically reduced his visibility.
Although the clay dragon was indeed as large as a Tailed Beast, its size didn't translate to durability. Clay, after all, was malleable like modeling clay, making it inherently fragile.
Damn it! If I let Water Man continue attacking, it won't be long before the Enhanced Great Dragon is riddled with holes and unable to fly.
"How's that? As long as there's water, I'm invincible," Water Man's smug voice echoed from below.
"Hmph! Your ability is impressive, but it pales in comparison to my art," Deidara retorted.
"You've drawn so much water to attack me that the lake's water level has dropped several meters. Your defense is getting weaker! Take this—my big bomb!"
Secret Technique: Dragon's Nest!
Deidara formed a hand seal, and one by one, massive white eggs were expelled from the dragon's mouth, falling toward the lake below.
"If I blow up all your water, won't your so-called invincibility be useless?"
"What?!"
The dense water columns above the lake suddenly froze mid-air before collapsing back into the lake. Despite his earlier bravado, Water Man wasn't reckless. He knew that as long as he stayed defensive and utilized his abilities, he would remain undefeated. There was no need to engage in a direct clash.
"Too late! Drink this!"
High in the sky, the white eggs hatched into various forms of dragons. However, instead of soaring upward, they spread their wings and accelerated toward the lake, transforming into a series of explosive bombs. The resulting detonations shook the entire valley, causing the ground to tremble violently.
"This power… It's ridiculous! But my water has returned! I've won!" Water Man shouted triumphantly.
"You know nothing about my art. So what if the water returns? I'll just blow it all away again! I've developed the habit of carrying plenty of backup clay whenever I go out!"
C2 Standard Type: Guardian Great Dragon!
"Art is an explosion! Drink this!"
"No!" Water Man's voice was filled with disbelief as the entire lake was obliterated by the explosion. Well, perhaps "obliterated" wasn't the right word—the explosion's shockwave had scattered the water outward, turning it into a torrential downpour.
As long as the water wasn't gathered in one place, Water Man's abilities were rendered useless.
"Water Man Shock Value +1000" "Bug Man Shock Value +500" "Shadow Man Shock Value +..." "White Zetsu Shock Value +1000" "Black Zetsu Shock Value +1000"
"No wonder Nagato insisted on recruiting Deidara into Akatsuki. His abilities are incredibly effective against Tailed Beasts," White Zetsu marveled.
"He's strong. Should we consider pulling Deidara to our side?" White Zetsu suggested.
"Leave that to Tobi. For now, he's the one in charge publicly. We shouldn't overstep and risk drawing attention," Black Zetsu replied.
As a mastermind orchestrating a triple-layered conspiracy, Black Zetsu understood that to execute his plans flawlessly, he needed to grant those who fancied themselves as the "big boss" enough authority and freedom. Otherwise, if they became suspicious, it could backfire.
After the rain cleared, a rare rainbow appeared in the valley. A while later, Sasori finally arrived, his puppet Hiruko bearing several new scars.
"Deidara, you've gone too far," Sasori scolded.
"Do you realize that your explosion scared the other Xuanyuan Group members so much that they lost the will to fight and fled? I had to spend ages capturing them," Sasori complained.
Deidara shrugged, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "What can I say? My art is just that captivating."
"Did you get any intel?" Deidara asked, getting back to business.
"The Daimyō of the Land of Birds put a bounty of ten million on us because Akatsuki's outpost accidentally interfered with his interests," Sasori explained.
What the hell?!
A mere Akatsuki outpost was worth ten million? That's not even a third of Sarutobi Asuma's bounty! How humiliating!
Deidara relayed the information to Nagato through his ring.
"I understand. I'll have Zetsu deal with the Daimyō of the Land of Birds," Pain's cold voice echoed in Deidara's mind. It was a strange experience, given that the system's notifications also worked the same way.
Speaking of which, I should've leveled up after this fight, right? Deidara quickly opened the system.
Strongest Artist System Host: Deidara Shock Value: 5250/6000 Skill Points: 1 Unlocked Skills: Explosion Mastery Level 1, C2 Enhanced Great Dragon, Improved Clay, Chakra Enhancement, Lightning-Resistant Clay
Another skill point! Deidara hesitated briefly between Morphology Optimization and Pyrotechnics before deciding to stick to his original plan—maximize his explosive power first and deal with the rest later.
Activate: Super High Temperature!
This new skill allowed his clay bombs to generate extreme heat upon detonation, significantly increasing their lethality!