Time rewinds slightly, back to the moment when Naruto and Nagato were still engaged in battle.
Itachi appeared before Deidara, who was on the verge of self-destruction!
Knowing that it would be difficult to stop Deidara if he insisted on detonating himself, Itachi, who understood Deidara's personality well, decided to provoke him with words:
"Deidara, is hiding sneakily and blowing yourself up what you call art?"
"Huh?" Deidara retorted confidently, "Art is the explosion of a moment! The explosion itself is pure, unrestrained by its medium or external environment! You can't tarnish my art!"
Itachi chuckled softly.
Deidara was irritated: "Why are you laughing!?"
After laughing, Itachi's expression turned serious:
"You call your Explosion Release art, but I say the Uchiha eyes can discern counterfeits!"
Deidara was bewildered: "What did you say!?"
Itachi stared directly at Deidara with his Sharingan:
"Deidara, pardon me for being blunt, but your Explosion Release, your techniques—they're all counterfeits in the eyes of the Sharingan!"
Deidara trembled all over.
Itachi continued calmly:
"Let the facts speak for themselves. You are my defeated opponent, aren't you? Years later, you were also defeated by my younger brother, Sasuke."
"Hahahahahaha!" Deidara burst into hysterical laughter, then snarled, "Fine, Itachi, let's have a duel! The loser will shut up!"
Itachi casually brushed his hair aside—not that he had this habit, but in this situation, he used the seemingly unintentional gesture to provoke Deidara. His earlier chuckle served the same purpose.
Itachi said nonchalantly:
"How do we duel? Both of us have bodies that can't die. If you suddenly decide to blow yourself up, this will never end."
Deidara guaranteed:
"I won't self-destruct! Since both of us have immortal bodies, let's set some rules for the game!"
"Oh?" Itachi seemed intrigued. "Tell me, what rules?"
Deidara formed a gun shape with his fingers and pointed to his temple:
"Just this—if one of us can destroy the other's head, they win!"
Itachi pondered:
"If we're talking about vital points, it's not necessarily just the head. The heart counts too, right?"
Deidara chuckled:
"Heh heh, true, but in ninja combat, even if the heart is destroyed, one might still manage to drag the opponent into mutual destruction before dying. If the head is destroyed, however, death is instantaneous. So, destroying the head means losing!"
Itachi asked:
"And what happens to the loser?"
Deidara declared:
"The loser will bow their head and admit to being the eternal defeated underling! How about that?"
Itachi smiled faintly:
"Deidara, you really are a child."
Deidara snapped:
"Are you agreeing or not!?"
Itachi replied:
"Alright, I agree."
"Heh heh, don't regret it, Itachi! I've long wanted to avenge myself and restore the name of art!"
Boom!
Deidara's clay bird soared into the sky, carrying him high above.
Looking down at Itachi's figure on the ground, Deidara murmured to himself:
"Itachi, back in that duel in the Akatsuki temple years ago, I suffered because I didn't understand your abilities. You can't fly, can you? At this height, your techniques won't reach me, and you're not like your brother who has wings."
"More importantly, you're not skilled in Lightning Release, so you can't turn my bombs into duds, right?"
"Earlier, when I wanted to self-destruct, I had already planted numerous landmines to prevent Naruto from chasing me. In an instant, I could flatten this entire area. From the start, you were destined to lose!"
He raised two fingers in front of his chest.
"Hah!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions of the landmines were continuous!
Yet, the spot where Itachi stood remained untouched!
Deidara was shocked:
"What's going on??"
Itachi explained calmly:
"The landmines you planted cannot escape the sight of my Sharingan. The place where I'm standing is the blank spot where explosions won't occur. Also, triggering the landmines right away was actually a mistake. If you had dropped bombs from above to lure me into moving, then those surrounding landmines might have posed a real threat to me. Unfortunately, you've already used them up. Now I can evade freely."
Deidara protested:
"So what!? Right now, you're just a sitting duck in my eyes!"
Crunch! Crunch!
Deidara reached into his ninja pouch with both hands, injecting chakra into the clay to craft a new masterpiece. Once completed, he admired it:
"C3: Model 18. No matter how you look at it, this is a perfect work of art. I'll use it to bury you, hmm, hmm!"
Flame!
At this moment, fiery red chakra ignited around Itachi, transforming into the second form of Susano'o!
Deidara froze momentarily:
"That technique? I seem to recall Sasuke using something similar during his battle with Konoha's taijutsu monster. Is this the unique dojutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan? No matter, that thing won't be able to withstand the power of Model 18, which is second only to C4: Garuda and CO: Self-Destruction!"
He raised his hands, preparing to drop C3.
Crunch!
But at that moment, Susano'o's hand condensed a fiery red magatama, which was instantly hurled skyward!
"Yasaka Magatama!"
Crash!!!
The clay bird carrying Deidara was shattered by the magatama.
Deidara was stunned:
"What kind of attack range and accuracy is this!?"
Itachi murmured:
"Yasaka Magatama can be considered a shuriken technique released by Susano'o. Hitting the target is effortless."
"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!!!"
As Deidara fell, he threw C3: Model 18 downward.
Boom!
After forming a seal, Model 18 expanded in size, accelerating its descent!
Itachi remained composed:
"Unlike the landmines, explosions triggered from high altitude won't affect the ground beneath me. The Yata Mirror will suffice for perfect defense!"
Crunch!
Susano'o transformed into its Tengu form, and the fiery red Yata Mirror enveloped Susano'o's front!
Deidara formed a seal with two fingers.
"Hah!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosion's flames engulfed an area of nearly 100 meters!
Deidara landed outside the explosion zone, smugly declaring:
"How about that? Were you blown to pieces?"
As the flames and smoke dissipated, Itachi stood unharmed within Susano'o, the Yata Mirror having blocked everything!
Deidara's face turned pale:
"What's going on? This... this can't be! My C3: Model 18 couldn't destroy that mud-footed shield!?"
"Time to counterattack."
Itachi formed seals with his hands.
"Water Release: Wave-Riding Strike!"
Splash!
Using Water Release, Itachi created a watery terrain ahead and charged forward swiftly, enveloped by Susano'o!
"Not good!!"
Deidara retreated quickly.
Thud! Thud!
Almost simultaneously, shuriken landed where he had just stood!
Deidara reached into his ninja pouch with both hands, crafting bombs while his thoughts raced:
"Shuriken techniques aside, at least with this Edo Tensei body, Itachi's most prized genjutsu is useless against me. And after careful observation, the chakra armor around Itachi is different from Sasuke's—it doesn't cover his feet. As long as I carefully evade his attacks and avoid getting my head struck, then lay down more landmines, I'll have a chance to win!"
"Are you sure genjutsu is useless?"
Suddenly, a haunting voice echoed behind him. Deidara's heart skipped a beat as he turned around in panic.
Itachi stood there, staring straight at him:
"You've already fallen into my Tsukuyomi!"
In desperation, Deidara threw a centipede-shaped bomb forward!
"Hah!!!"
Boom!!!
After the explosion, Itachi's body vanished!
Deidara realized:
"A shadow clone?! It wasn't Tsukuyomi at all! He's deliberately manipulating my thoughts to make me waver!?"
Swish!!
The real Itachi had already closed in, and the Totsuka Blade pierced through Deidara's chest!
Deidara's eyes widened:
"Itachi, you—!"
Itachi replied calmly:
"Even if I destroyed your head, you, in your rage, wouldn't bow down but would choose self-destruction again. So this is the most secure option."
As he spoke, Itachi added meaningfully:
"Well, technically speaking, you haven't lost yet. If we ever work together in the future, you don't need to feel embarrassed."
"Is my art truly... counterfeit?"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Muttering to himself, Deidara's body turned into liquid and flowed into the gourd attached to the Totsuka Blade.
Boom!
Susano'o dissipated, and Itachi turned to look behind him, unsurprised by Naruto's arrival.
Itachi asked calmly:
"Where's Kabuto? Aren't you planning to pursue him?"
Naruto smiled:
"I've already obtained what I wanted. As for Kabuto, it's not wise to push him too far right now."
Itachi seemed thoughtful:
"I see."
Naruto formally invited him:
"Come back to Amegakure with me, Itachi. I'll explain everything to you."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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