Deidara loved art—there was no doubt about that.
But saying Deidara wasn't the brightest… was also the truth.
When he unleashed his ultimate art of self-destruction, he completely forgot that Shinju possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique, which allowed him to teleport instantly to any location.
And there was another problem.
Although he told Sasori and Tobi to escape before his self-destruction, he overlooked the sheer power of his own explosion.
That blast incinerated everything within a ten-kilometer radius around him—trees reduced to charcoal or even ash…
Yet just ten seconds before the explosion, he had only just told his two companions to run.
Tell me, other than Flying Thunder God, what jutsu in the entire shinobi world could teleport ten kilometers away in just a few seconds…
...
At that moment, in the forest now scorched into barren wasteland, a strange space-time vortex appeared.
From the vortex, Tobi and Sasori were hurled out!
"Deidara's final explosion… what a terrifying thing!!"
Sasori looked out at the endless desolation, sighing heavily.
Although Deidara had always quarreled with him endlessly over the subject of art…
In a way, the two of them were kindred spirits.
Sasori couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion at Deidara's death.
"It's all thanks to you, Tobi. Without your space-time ninjutsu, the two of us would've been corpses in that blast."
Sasori turned to the masked Tobi beside him, speaking seriously.
Tobi scratched his head bashfully.
"Don't say that, Sasori-senpai. I'm sure even without me, you would've been fine. ૧(●´৺`●)૭"
"By the way, that red-haired kid… do you think he died in Deidara-senpai's art?"
Sasori shook his head.
"Who can say for sure? But I feel like that kid… won't die so easily."
"I feel the same."
Tobi's tone dropped, becoming uncharacteristically serious.
...
Meanwhile, in Amegakure.
This village was strange. From the moment Jiraiya had stepped inside, the rain had never once stopped…
At this moment, Jiraiya was inside a kabuki house, holding a beautiful blonde woman in his arms, his cheeks flushed red with drink.
"Tsunade, your waves, your surging tides—they're not much worse than the real Tsunade's. ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
Jiraiya chuckled contentedly after a sip of sake.
"You flatter me, honored guest."
The woman called Tsunade laughed with practiced allure.
As if in passing, Jiraiya asked, "By the way, I've been in Amegakure for a while now… why does it keep raining here?"
It wasn't a secret in the village. Tsunade casually explained, "This rain is created by Pain-sama's chakra. It allows him to monitor everything happening in Amegakure."
Jiraiya muttered quietly, "So that's it… from the moment I entered this village, every move I made was known to Pain…"
He stood, walking toward the entrance of the kabuki house.
Looking up at the gray sky and endless rain, he sighed.
"Ribbit—"
Suddenly, a frog leapt from the corner of the wall.
Jiraiya casually scooped it up, pulling a slip of paper from its mouth.
Avoiding prying eyes inside the kabuki house, he ducked into the shadows and unfolded the message.
[Pain, wielder of the Rinnegan]
Reading the contents, Jiraiya felt thunderstruck, frozen in place!
Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
The letter was from Konoha. There was no way this intel was false.
But if it was true, it was even more shocking!!
Years ago, he had encountered three children—two boys and a girl.
Among them was a red-haired child who always kept his eyes hidden. That boy possessed the Rinnegan!
At the time, young Jiraiya believed that child to be the prophesied savior foretold by the Great Toad Sage.
So, he took the three children as his disciples, training them with care until they could survive on their own, and only then did he leave.
Sadly, years later, he heard news that they had all died!
It was said the Rinnegan had once belonged to the Sage of Six Paths, known as the Eyes of the Sage.
Such eyes should be impossibly rare!
Which meant… the leader of Akatsuki, the so-called god of Amegakure—Pain—
Could very well be that disciple of his. The red-haired boy who once possessed the Rinnegan—Nagato!
"Real or fake… it's impossible to judge."
"Some things, I'll have to see with my own eyes."
Muttering to himself, Jiraiya burned the letter and stepped out into the rain.
The Great Toad Sage had once said that, as the master of the savior, his actions would shape the fate of the shinobi world.
Jiraiya thought to himself—
Now… might just be the time for him to make that choice.
Was his disciple the savior of the world… or the one who would destroy it?
...
Elsewhere.
Inside Orochimaru's base.
Kabuto was reporting everything he had witnessed during the capture of the Three-Tails.
After hearing him out, Orochimaru pressed a hand to his face, speechless.
"That woman was such a fool. To think she tried to go head-to-head with that child… what a waste of another reincarnated vessel."
Just then, an intelligence officer pushed open the door with fresh news: Guren and Yūkimaru were dead, the Three-Tails had been sealed by Shinju, and Deidara had self-destructed while fighting Shinju.
"Self-destruct, huh? No wonder I felt a faint tremor in the base just now. (||๐_๐)" Kabuto mused.
"If Deidara blew himself up against Shinju… then is there any word of Shinju now? (´°Δ°`)" Orochimaru asked, a hint of worry in his voice.
"None so far."
The officer gave a straightforward reply.
"Fine. You may go."
Orochimaru frowned, waving him away.
"Orochimaru-sama, I really don't think you need to worry about Shinju's safety. His strength has been proven beyond doubt across the shinobi world." Kabuto said.
Orochimaru nodded.
Though in his heart he believed Shinju wouldn't die, he knew well the destructive power of Deidara, that maniac of explosions…
If anything were to happen to Shinju, Orochimaru would truly grieve…
"Enough of that. What matters now is my body." Orochimaru continued.
"With Guren dead, the only vessel left for me to transfer into is Sasuke."
"Kabuto, prepare the reincarnation ritual."
"I had originally planned to wait until he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan before seizing his body… but unfortunately, I can't wait any longer… (´- へ -,)" Orochimaru said regretfully.
"Understood. I'll get ready at once." Kabuto bowed and left.
Afterward, Orochimaru lay back on his bed, his gaze complicated as he stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, in Sasuke's room.
He was ready to put his long-prepared plan into motion.
Facing the door, his eyes gleamed blood-red with the Sharingan. Lightning crackled in his palm, and at his waist was the Kusanagi sword gifted by Orochimaru himself…
Everything was set.
Sasuke's eyes darkened as he muttered under his breath:
"You'll never manipulate me again, Orochimaru."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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