Deidara created a clay bird, mounted it, and flew into the sky. Then he pulled out all the clay stored in his ninja tool pouch and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it vigorously.
While airborne, Deidara spat a massive amount of chakra-infused clay toward the ground, forming an enormous puppet identical to himself.
The clay Deidara merely stepped lightly on the ground, yet the earth could not withstand the pressure and began to crack apart.
The clay Deidara began walking toward the group of Konoha ninja.
Having already witnessed the terrifying destructive power of Deidara's explosions, the Konoha ninja were utterly horrified. Such a gigantic clay puppet—how terrifying would the explosion be?
Yosuke immediately expanded his Blood Domain, protecting Karin, Itachi, and the members of his clan within it.
The Konoha ninja retreated in panic.
Deidara, completely exhilarated, laughed wildly in the sky.
"Did you really think you could escape the hands of this ultimate art? How naïve!"
Deidara formed hand seals. The smile on his face vanished, replaced by a dark expression.
"Tch! Still not complete? Whatever. Even this level of power is enough to destroy everything."
"Hah!"
"Feel fear! Marvel at me! Taste despair! Cry and beg for salvation! Art… is an explosion!"
The clay Deidara's body began to crack like shattered glass, countless beams of light shooting out in all directions.
As the clay Deidara completely disintegrated, a massive pillar of light erupted straight into the sky, rapidly expanding outward. Everything in its path was annihilated—nothing left behind, not even grass.
Facing this world-destroying scene, the Konoha ninja forgot to flee, standing frozen in despair as they awaited death.
When the explosion finally subsided, the land was left riddled with devastation. Deidara was immensely satisfied, his villainous laughter echoing endlessly.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
From the sky, Deidara noticed that aside from the area protected by Yosuke's Blood Domain, there was another region that had not been affected by the explosion.
"Phew… good thing I used the Toad Mouth Bind in time."
Jiraiya wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
At the very instant the clay Deidara detonated, Jiraiya had activated the Toad Mouth Bind Technique, summoning the stomach of the Giant Toad of Mount Myōboku to shelter the Konoha ninja inside.
Looking at the battered, scorched stomach walls, Jiraiya muttered guiltily,
"I'd better avoid that giant toad next time I go back to Mount Myōboku…"
Yosuke dispelled the Blood Domain. The Uchiha clan members were completely stunned by the surrounding devastation, and even Itachi couldn't help but frown.
Yosuke sighed softly. This time, he had miscalculated again.
He had already witnessed Deidara's new jutsu before. Though incomplete, its explosion had been powerful enough to blow off the peak of a mountain. This time, however, the explosion was several times stronger than before.
Looking up at Deidara in the sky, Yosuke said with emotion,
"The ninjutsu of this world really keeps shattering my understanding again and again. Is this what true genius looks like?"
Yosuke called out,
"Deidara, we're leaving."
"Enough. Don't worry about them anymore. You're out of clay, and our mission was never to wipe them all out."
Deidara reluctantly descended to Yosuke's side, muttering unwillingly,
"If my art had been completed, none of them would have survived."
Yosuke turned to Itachi and the Uchiha clan and said,
"Let's go."
Yosuke's group left the Land of Fire. The Konoha ninja, still shaken by the explosion, lacked the courage to pursue them.
This battle dealt a devastating blow to Konoha's strength.
After Yosuke's group departed, foreign ninja who had already infiltrated the Land of Fire witnessed the massive casualties among Konoha's forces and immediately reported everything to their respective village leaders.
Upon learning of Konoha's condition, the other ninja villages began to stir.
The Cloud Village, long eager to expand its influence, mobilized its ninja forces and advanced toward the Land of Fire.
Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage of the Stone Village, upon hearing that an Explosion Release technique had been used in the attack on Konoha, immediately deduced that it was his former disciple, Deidara. His ambitions were stirred as well. Using the excuse of searching for the missing Stone Village ninja Deidara, he assembled troops and moved to the Land of Fire's border.
The Sand Village, which had long watched Konoha with hostility, acted even faster. Upon receiving the news, they immediately gathered their forces and advanced toward Konoha.
As for the smaller villages, they too were eager to act, all hoping to tear off a piece of meat from Konoha, this enormous prize.
The crisis of the Fourth Great Ninja War appeared to be on the verge of eruption.
Inside the Hokage Tower.
Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned Danzō harshly.
"Danzō! Why did things end up like this?!"
Hiruzen had never imagined that even after making every possible preparation, the situation would still deteriorate to this extent.
Danzō remained calm and unruffled as he replied,
"I told you long ago that the Uchiha problem needed to be resolved sooner. You were the one who kept delaying. If you had listened to me earlier, things would never have reached this point."
"Then how do you explain Uchiha Shisui?" Hiruzen demanded.
"And what about his Sharingan? What about the Sharingan taken from the dead Uchiha? Danzō, don't think I'm completely ignorant of the things you've done in the shadows!"
Danzō closed his eyes.
"Uchiha Shisui committed suicide."
Hiruzen's voice rose.
"And his eyes?"
Danzō opened his eyes and snorted coldly.
"What do you want? To hold me accountable, Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen shouted angrily,
"Shimura Danzō! Remember this—I am the Hokage of Konoha!"
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane stepped in to mediate.
"Hiruzen! Now is not the time to pursue responsibility. We must unite and face the threats posed by the three great villages!"
Suppressing the fury in his heart, Hiruzen asked,
"What about Kirigakure? Have they agreed to form an alliance with us?"
Koharu shook her head.
"The Mist Village refused. They cited the need to recuperate and rebuild."
Hiruzen slammed his fist on the desk.
"Are they really willing to ignite the Fourth Great Ninja War and shatter the hard-earned peace? How long has it even been since the Third Great Ninja War? Have they forgotten the pain of war already?!"
Homura's expression was grave.
"With the Uchiha clan annihilated and Konoha suffering massive ninja casualties, our strength has been severely weakened. Aside from the three great villages, the smaller villages are like wolves who've caught the scent of blood—they all want to rip a piece off Konoha."
As Hokage, Hiruzen issued his command:
"From this moment on, Konoha enters full wartime readiness. Continue seeking alliances with other villages—and locate Tsunade immediately and summon her back."
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