Naruto: From Novice to Grave

Chapter 323 - Great Battle Nine: It's Time to Perform True Art

Scorpion died, and Chiyo died too.

Since Sasori assassinated the Third Kazekage and defected from Sunagakure, the grandfather and grandson have not seen each other for twenty years.

When they met again, they both understood the pain in each other's hearts.

Chiyo could have dodged Sasori's attack, but she didn't. As her beloved grandson charged at her with a knife in hand, she recalled the scene from many years ago when that lovely child ran and jumped into her arms.

At that time, Scorpion's parents stood on either side of her, smiling radiantly, their happiness evident.

Chiyo then took out her father's and mother's puppets, allowing the family to briefly relive their happy times from years past.

At that moment, Scorpion seemed to have imagined the same scene.

Everything in this world, family and friendship, is too fragile and fleeting. He longs for eternity because he is afraid of losing it again.

After transforming himself into an eternal being, he discovered that he had truly lost everything, wandering the ninja world like a lost soul.

Some things can only be felt by living, breathing human beings. He actually envied Deidara for being able to get excited and cry after each explosion art piece, moving himself to tears like a madman.

This was a feeling he could never experience again, and it was also the reason why he could tolerate Deidara's antics time and time again.

So he made the same choice as his grandmother.

Eternity has been achieved, so it's nothing special. Perhaps it's time to go to another world and embrace the family love I've always longed for.

The long knife piercing their hearts is a one-way ticket to the Pure Land and reunion with their families.

Scorpion, puppets resembling his parents, his grandmother, the four of them kneeling in a circle on the ground—the last traces of their existence left in the world.

The scene is both heartwarming and cruel.

This is a microcosm of the tragic wars that have plagued the ninja world for a thousand years.

Naruto, Sakura, and Gaara watched all of this quietly.

They had the ability to stop it, but they didn't.

This was Chiyo's last wish.

The forbidden technique of "Self-Resurrection" to revive the dead comes at the cost of the caster's life. When Chiyo revived Gaara, she was already dead.

Higashino sensed her regret and used a sealing technique to postpone her death, giving her a chance to see her beloved grandson.

She didn't have long to live anyway, and Chiyo was very content to see her beloved grandson in her final moments.

On the other side, Deidara, who was hovering above the battlefield, revealed a somewhat perverse smile when he saw that only Sasuke had caught up.

He's petty; if he's ever wronged by someone, he'll definitely get his revenge.

The blond-haired guy knew that Sasuke, a master of lightning release, was the nemesis of explosive clay, but he was never afraid. He would just silently study ways to deal with it.

What he didn't know was that the difference in strength between himself and Sasuke was not simply a matter of chakra attribute advantage.

Sasuke has too many things that can restrain him.

Could Deidara defeat Sasuke?

You know you can't beat them, you don't have the ability.

In a parallel world, he was eventually forced to self-destruct and transform into Patrick Star to prove his art, but he couldn't even defeat Sasuke with his three-tomoe Sharingan, let alone Sasuke with his Mangekyou Sharingan in this world who had the Mangekyou Sharingan enhanced by his normal Sage Mode.

Sasuke's armored Susanoo has an astonishing flight speed, far surpassing Deidara's [Exploding Clay - Giant Bird].

As her opponent drew ever closer, Dila formed hand seals and controlled the giant bird to lay eggs in a frenzy.

After the bird egg appears in the outside world, it turns into a four-winged bird that flies at high speed when it faces the wind.

Nearly a hundred four-winged birds attacked the target like a swarm of bees.

Upon seeing this familiar move, Sasuke didn't hesitate and unleashed Lightning Release: Senbon, turning the four-winged bird into a pile of rubble.

However, unlike before, before being hit, the four-winged birds slid out a clay ball from their rear ends, and their bodies stood in front of the ball to act as a shield.

These four-winged birds were merely a barrier to block the Lightning Release: Senbon; the explosive bombs inside their bellies were the true attack source. This was Deidara's solution to deal with Lightning Release.

Especially when the other party is flying at high speed.

A spherical detonator does not need to fly; it just needs to explode before it is destroyed.

Sasuke, without paying attention, rushed straight into the cluster of detonating bombs.

Deidara grinned excitedly: "Art is an explosion, drink!"

"Boom boom boom~"

A series of explosions occurred in the air, and flames filled the sky.

But Sasuke remained calm. His left eye's Mangekyou Sharingan spun, and he activated the eye technique [Heavenly Stand], letting the explosion engulf him.

【Heavenly Stand】 is a space-type eye technique that possesses the ability to visualize, fold, and swap spaces. It is a combined and enhanced version of Kamui and Amenotejikara.

However, it can only manipulate the real world for combat and does not have the function of having its own space warehouse like Kamui.

Given Sasuke's proud personality, he would never have developed the same pessimistic and escapist desires as Obito.

Deidara laughed too soon. His excitement had barely surfaced when he saw Sasuke emerge from the explosion unharmed.

His carefully prepared scheme backfired.

The two were very close, so close that Deidara could see the Mangekyou Sharingan pattern in Sasuke's eyes through his semi-transparent Susanoo armor.

"Ximada".

Deidara exclaimed inwardly, for it was common knowledge in the ninja world that when fighting Uchiha clan ninjas who had awakened their Sharingan, one must never look them in the eye.

But by the time he realized it, it was too late.

Sasuke's right Mangekyou Sharingan rotates, activating the eye technique [Hihachi Higanbana].

Deidara saw the giant clay bird beneath his feet suddenly burst into flames from its rear end; the flames were a pale purple, almost white.

You can't feel the temperature or see any traces of burning. The clay giant bird that was burned by the flames is still white, no different from before.

But Deidara sensed a great crisis because he lost control of the clay bird, and the chakra he had poured into it was instantly devoured when it encountered the flames.

If you come into contact with this flame, your fate will be exactly the same as the giant bird's—a very gruesome death.

Seeing the flames rapidly spreading towards his feet, Deidara did not hesitate and jumped off the giant bird, letting himself freefall through the air.

Building flying vehicles would have been easy for him, but he no longer had the chance.

Sasuke appeared behind him and kicked him towards Naruto's location. Then, he followed up with a barrage of punches and kicks, turning him into a pig's head.

Also, slow down his freefall speed, otherwise this guy will be smashed into a pile of minced meat.

As a disciple of the Tsuchikage Onoki, and with Konoha and Iwagakure now allied, it would be best for Onoki to handle Deidara himself.

Sasuke wasn't a fool; he understood the difference clearly. The main point was that he simply wanted to enjoy fighting, not that he was a person who liked killing.

Even Sasuke, who carried the burden of his clan's annihilation in a parallel world, never killed an innocent person before being repeatedly manipulated by his brother and Obito into joining the Four Laughing Warriors.

Deidara covered his head in mid-air to defend himself, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught Sasuke retracting his Sharingan, and felt his pride was greatly hurt.

"You think I'm no threat and don't even need the Sharingan anymore? What an underestimating bastard."

Deidara cursed inwardly, and at the same time, inside the Akatsuki's oversized uniform, he reached his right hand, which was holding a large lump of explosive clay, into his left chest, as if he were protecting his heart with his arm.

"Bang!"

Deidara, slowed down by Sasuke's punches and kicks, landed right next to Sasori.

"Is Brother Scorpion dead? Seriously, he said eternity is art, and it just ended like this! Oh well, considering we've been partners for so long, I'll send you off with an explosion art form you don't like, hmm!"

Looking up at the peaceful scene of the family of four, Deidara sighed inwardly.

For some reason, he felt a little sad. The unfamiliar emotions made him very irritable, and his chest heaved as he lay on the ground.

Kankuro: "You bastard, you're still alive? Die!"

The puppet crow rushed forward, opened its beak and spat out a poisoned blade, attempting to give Deidara a quick death.

Kurotsuchi instantly stepped forward, blocking the puppet: "Deidara is no longer a threat, everyone. Let's hand him over to Iwagakure to deal with. I guarantee he won't cause any more trouble for you."

Temari: "Hmph, on what grounds? This guy killed my brother."

Gaara: "Temari, Kankuro, let's just forget about it. Killing him is pointless. I don't want to add to the hatred."

The two now valued their younger brother's feelings, and upon hearing this, they glared hatefully at the blond-haired boy on the ground before finally deciding to back down.

Heitu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, they are allies now, and as the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage, her influence still holds some value.

But will Deidara thank her?

No, this guy has a twisted and perverse sense of pride, and he can't tolerate the fact that he has to rely on his former comrades to plead for him to survive.

This is worse than killing him. It seems it's time to prove my art.