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Kagaya stared at the tiny black dot high in the sky, his expression unreadable.
The golden longsword held in his Susano'o's grip was peculiar. Along its blade, at regular intervals, cracks appeared, seemingly splitting the sword apart. Indeed, this golden sword was not a single, continuous piece. It was fractured, yet the fragments hung suspended in a straight line, forming the shape of a blade.
At a glance, the sword looked as if it had been brutally shattered, marred by countless cracks—a weapon that appeared utterly ruined.
Logically, a sword so completely fragmented should not be able to maintain its form; the pieces should fall apart and scatter to the ground. Moreover, the blade was visibly separated, as if composed of small, floating shards suspended in mid-air.
Due to the Susano'o's massive size, this sword was easily visible to all those observing the battle.
Sasori, locked in combat with Zabuza some distance away, occasionally glanced towards Deidara and Kagaya. Seeing the strange sword, he couldn't help but let out a derisive snort.
"Look at that golden warrior-god. I initially thought it was some formidable technique. Who would have imagined he'd pull out such a broken, dilapidated sword? What can he possibly accomplish with a ruined weapon like that?"
Zabuza's strength was ultimately inferior to Sasori's, allowing the puppeteer to observe Kagaya's situation while engaging him.
Sasori refrained from finishing Zabuza quickly for two reasons. First, while Zabuza was weaker, the gap wasn't massive. To kill him, Sasori would need to reveal some of his true capabilities and secrets, which he was reluctant to do here, hence his restrained approach. Second, their primary target was Kagaya; Zabuza was incidental. Sasori saw no point in exerting extra effort. Once Deidara dealt with Kagaya, they could handle Zabuza together.
Sasori held considerable confidence in Deidara. Despite calling him "brat" on the surface, after years of partnership, Sasori knew well the extent of Deidara's power.
High in the sky.
Unlike Sasori's contempt, Deidara was instantly drenched in cold sweat. For some inexplicable reason, he felt nothing at first, but the longer he stared at that ruined sword, an overwhelming sense of crisis surged within him.
Taking several deep breaths, Deidara urged his clay bird to ascend even higher, attempting to reassure himself.
It's fine. At this distance, there's no way he can possibly reach me.
Despite this mental reassurance, the feeling of impending doom did not diminish in the slightest.
On the ground.
Kagaya saw the tiny black dot in the sky grow even smaller. Deidara had increased the distance once more.
But...
'It's useless. You are still within my sight. I can still see you.'
The golden Susano'o raised the ruined sword in its hand.
At this moment, a brilliant golden light seemed to flash within the eyes of the Susano'o.
Kagaya's two Mangekyō abilities were both exceptionally powerful, a result of the bond with Shisui enhancing them through the "system." Similarly, his Susano'o's spiritual weapon had been enhanced by his bond with Itachi.
Kagaya's Mangekyō abilities both seemed vision-related. His right eye's ability required him to see the target to amplify power. His left eye's copying ability required either sight or physical experience.
This Susano'o's spiritual weapon also operated on sight.
Staring fixedly at the tiny speck above, Kagaya endured the pain, released Karin's arm, and stood up.
'I can see you.'
The warrior-god's sword swept through the air!
The surroundings remained eerily calm, as if nothing had happened. All those watching the battle were momentarily stunned. To them, it appeared Kagaya was merely venting frustration, swinging his sword at empty air—an act of helpless rage.
Only one person held a different view: Deidara.
The clay bird beneath him split cleanly in two. His left arm separated from his body, carried away by the wind.
A torrent of blood gushed forth.
The pain hadn't registered yet; his body hadn't processed the sudden, clean slash.
In fact, not just his body—even Deidara's mind struggled to comprehend.
He... he can cut me?!?!
His mind first screamed in disbelief, followed immediately by searing agony and overwhelming terror!
With the clay bird severed, it began to plummet. Deidara, too, fell, his gaze dropping towards the tiny golden speck below.
In that instant, as if in a daze, Deidara seemed to see two colossal Mangekyō Sharingan eyes manifesting behind the golden figure, gazing at him with utter detachment, like the pupils of death itself.
The fear he had felt when subdued by Kagaya's genjutsu surged back with full force.
'This guy! This guy! This GUY!!!'
Deidara's face twisted into a snarl.
'How is this possible?! How?! Why can't I defeat him?! It's impossible! I've prepared for so long, trained for so long to kill him!'
Thinking this, Deidara gathered all his strength and roared down at the golden speck below.
"There is no one in this world who cannot be defeated! I will beat you! I can beat you! Uchiha Kagaya!!!"
As he shouted, Deidara extended his right hand. The mouth on his palm tore open the pouch of clay at his waist.
C3 couldn't defeat him. The clay bird couldn't evade his attacks. If that was the case, then he had no choice but to use that technique!
That move was one Deidara had been developing specifically to kill Kagaya. So far, it was far from perfected. But he couldn't afford to care about that now!
I'll finish you with this!
C4 – Garuda!
Below, Kagaya faintly heard Deidara's enraged roar. He barely made out the words.
He couldn't help but offer a faint, weary smile. The Susano'o raised the ruined sword once more.
Kagaya no longer had the strength to roar. He knew Deidara couldn't hear him, but he still spoke in a weak, barely audible voice.
"It's true there are no invincible people in this world. I am certainly not undefeatable. I'm sure there are those who can defeat me. But unfortunately, Deidara... you are not that person."
The sword swept out!
This slash instantly severed Deidara's remaining right arm, and with it, his final shred of hope.
The special ability of Kagaya's spiritual weapon was its ability to ignore distance! Anything within his line of sight could be struck by this blade!
Furthermore, the sword possessed a wound-suppressing property. Any injury inflicted by it could not heal for as long as the sword remained manifested.
In other words, as long as Kagaya maintained his Susano'o, Deidara's arms could never be restored.
Of course, Kagaya couldn't sustain the Susano'o indefinitely. He would have to release it eventually.
Now, looking at the distant, falling figure of Deidara, Kagaya couldn't help but frown.
Deidara wasn't dead. Kagaya could sense it.
"Hah."
A bitter laugh escaped him. From the first strike, he had aimed to kill Deidara. But his current body was under immense, constant strain. Most critically, his left eye had faded to a pale grey, and the vibrant crimson of his right eye had dulled significantly.
Two strikes, and neither had been aimed accurately enough.
"Once more."
As he spoke, the Susano'o raised the ruined sword again.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!!!"
But after raising it, the Susano'o froze. Inside it, Kagaya began coughing up blood once more.
A great deal of blood splattered into his hand. His previously somewhat flushed face turned deathly pale.
Even the muscular tissue on the left side of the Susano'o's face partially dissolved, revealing the skeletal structure beneath.
Karin hurriedly extended her arm again. Without hesitation, Kagaya bit down.
He could not deactivate his Susano'o! Deidara might be incapacitated, but Sasori was still there! Konan was still there!
Right now, Kagaya was clinging to consciousness solely by the thread of life-force Karin provided.