The Strongest Artist in Naruto

"Is that all?"

"Watch this!"

"C2 - Gari Form!"

Once Deidara had mastered humanoid forms, creating a perfect clay duplicate was child's play. The thrill of copying someone else's abilities—it was exhilarating.

[Chidō Shock Value +1000]

The two giants clashed fiercely, though the clay Gari Form was clearly overpowered. Yet, the flexibility of the clay form shone through, even after being pummeled into shapelessness, it quickly reformed. For the rocky Gari Form, hitting it felt like punching rubber—it had no effect.

"Alright, you'd better head back to Iwagakure." Deidara waved dismissively.

"Tell that old man, the Third Tsuchikage, to stop bothering me! I've got important things to do!"

A complicated expression crossed Akatsuchi's face. He knew he'd lost—badly. A bomb of that size was impossible to counter if Deidara detonated it.

Well, it's not unusual for a disciple to surpass their mentor, Akatsuchi thought, consoling himself with tropes he'd picked up from movies and novels.

"Yes! This is perfect!" Kurotsuchi clapped her hands gleefully. "Now no one can compete with me for the position of Fourth Tsuchikage!"

"Shut up, Kurotsuchi!"

"At least pretend to be sad!"

"Clay Multi-Snake Jutsu!"

Several long, white clay snakes shot out, wrapping Kurotsuchi tightly like a cocoon. With the serpents looming close to her face, she broke into terrified tears.

"Ahhh! No, stop!"

Deidara nodded in satisfaction. Mounting his clay bird, he chuckled, "Now that's how a good little junior should behave—mourning their senior's departure."

After that brief interruption, Deidara and Sasori continued their journey, quickly traversing various lands. A day later, they arrived at Otogakure.

The village was still under construction, with buildings going up everywhere, though the overall scale was modest. Deidara estimated that there were only about a hundred shinobi, most of them Orochimaru's experimental subjects or strays he'd gathered.

A white-haired boy with two circular marks on his forehead approached them warily, gripping a bone blade in his hand.

"Who are you?"

"This appearance... The long-lost Kaguya clan from Kirigakure, perhaps?" Sasori mused, his interest piqued.

"Orochimaru must have lucked out," he added with a smirk.

Hearing Orochimaru's name, Kimimaro's expression darkened. Removing his shirt, he assumed a battle-ready stance.

"If you don't state your purpose, don't blame me for being rude!"

"Stand back! Let me handle this!" Kimimaro barked. To him, these intruders were Orochimaru-sama's assets—not to be harmed lightly.

"Deidara, leave this one to me," Sasori offered, the tail of his puppet body extending behind him. Clearly, he was intrigued by the abilities of the Kaguya clan.

Deidara shrugged. "Fine by me. These small fry don't even give good EXP. Besides, my clay might accidentally blow him to bits."

"Ten-Finger Bullets!"

Kimimaro fired his finger bones like bullets, but Sasori's tail casually intercepted them. Realizing the opponent wasn't to be trifled with, Kimimaro escalated his attack.

"Dance of the Clematis: Vine!"

Kimimaro pulled out his spine and used it to bind Sasori, forming a sharp bone drill with his right hand. He thrust it toward Sasori's head.

"Too weak," Sasori muttered as flames erupted from his mouth, melting Kimimaro's bones and forcing him to retreat. However, Sasori's relentless assault quickly drove Kimimaro into a corner.

"Is this all you've got?" Sasori remarked, losing interest. For an average shinobi, Kimimaro was a prodigy. But against Akatsuki's monsters, he was underwhelming.

Realizing he was outmatched, Kimimaro decided to unleash his trump card.

"Bracken Dance—"

A pale hand interrupted him, halting the technique.

"Stand down, Kimimaro. I'll handle this."

That familiar voice made Kimimaro's eyes light up. He respectfully stepped back, bowing.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

"Orochimaru, we're here for business," Deidara said, unimpressed.

"What's this about the Hashirama cells? Have you made any progress?"

Orochimaru's snake-like tongue flicked out as his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"A bit."

He led Deidara and Sasori to a chamber with a large tank filled with nutrient fluid. Inside was a person with a tree growing from his back—or rather, a tree with a person attached.

"The invasive nature of Hashirama's cells is unparalleled. Most experimental subjects eventually succumb, transforming entirely into trees." Orochimaru gestured at the tank. "However, I've managed to extract some relatively stable cells. While this subject hasn't fully resisted cellular erosion, they've retained enough autonomy to use basic Wood Release."

Deidara frowned. "The most efficient method would be capturing a White Zetsu for comparison. With a proper reference, your research would skyrocket."

Orochimaru sighed. "If only. White Zetsu is elusive—it's impossible to capture one."

Deidara decided to share his ideas instead.

"Maybe you can counterbalance the cells with something equally powerful. For example, Sharingan. Hashirama's cells represent the pinnacle of Yang Release, while Sharingan embodies Yin Release. Together, they might create a surprising equilibrium."

Orochimaru's eyes sparkled. "Fascinating. Deidara, I didn't expect you to have such insights into science!"

"Of course. I've done my homework to defeat Itachi," Deidara replied nonchalantly.

"Itachi..." Orochimaru's tongue flicked out again as he drooled over the thought of Itachi's body. Alas, he could never have it. No matter—he now had his eyes on Sasuke, Itachi's brother.

"And your other idea?" Orochimaru pressed.

"Since the Senju and Uzumaki clans are related, their cells might be more compatible. Try using Uzumaki lineage to stabilize the erosion."

Nodding, Orochimaru considered this suggestion. The Uzumaki clan was nearly extinct, but locating a few stragglers wouldn't be impossible.

After concluding their discussion, Deidara turned to Orochimaru.

"Now, about the Third Hokage…"

Before he could finish, Orochimaru interrupted.

"I want something in advance for the research."

"What do you want?" Deidara asked.

"I need your help with a plan."

Orochimaru's tone turned serious.

"A plan to destroy Konoha."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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