"This clay is very stable, even extremely tough. The thin, cicada-wing-like clay can hold up the body of this clay-made bee."
Deidara proudly looked at the little bee and kept excitedly explaining the characteristics of this clay to Genya, as if showing off his artwork:
"And there's one thing I'm most proud of!"
"Oh? This clay has more features?" Genya looked at the proud Deidara with curiosity in his eyes.
Deidara seemed more excited than usual. The thing he was most satisfied with must be very special.
"Because this clay is so stable, it's highly resistant to lightning. Even normal lightning chakra can't stop its explosion!"
After saying that, Deidara's eyes became serious. He lifted his head high, ready for Genya's praise!
Such a perfect piece of art—Genya should be amazed!
"Oh, that's a pretty good clay trait!" But unexpectedly, Genya only said it casually.
Huh?
That comment instantly made Deidara's excitement fade. His face fell as he looked at Genya and asked, "That's it? This clay can still explode even when disturbed by lightning chakra. Now I don't have to worry about lightning ninjas anymore!"
Deidara continued, desperate for Genya's praise, putting his all into his expression.
"Let me see the true power of your explosion!" Genya said.
Although he said this confidently, deep down Genya was a bit surprised.
To be unafraid of lightning like that...
If Deidara unleashed his ultimate move again, it could almost completely disintegrate all living things.
Even with lightning chakra to block it, that person would still be done for!
But Genya didn't praise him outright. He didn't want Deidara to get arrogant.
Deidara could become even stronger. If they ever faced invaders from beyond the sky in the future, he wasn't strong enough yet.
He had to become stronger.
"Explosion... power? Then I'll show you!" Deidara's eyelids drooped as he raised his palm. The little clay bee flew swiftly toward the forest ahead.
It flew much faster than usual!
In the blink of an eye, it had flown hundreds of meters and hovered mid-air.
"Boom~~"
With a soft shout from Deidara, the little bee suddenly exploded!
BOOM~~
A fierce roar echoed as the explosion spread.
A mushroom cloud rose up.
The ground within five meters of the bee was leveled and scorched black.
Genya's eyes held a trace of seriousness. The power was indeed impressive — it was on the level of an A-rank ninjutsu, almost comparable to a strike from an average Jonin.
But this was caused by just one little bee. If a swarm of these tiny bees spread out—
His tone grew serious.
"How's that? Surprised, huh?"
Deidara said proudly as he saw Genya admiring the scene.
"My power has increased at least seven times… no, nine times more than usual."
Deidara bragged loudly beside him.
The experimental staff from the Jashin Cult who came with Genya swallowed nervously when they saw this. This power was terrifying.
If they hadn't seen with their own eyes that the explosion came from a single little bee, they would have thought dozens of explosive tags went off all at once.
Even the shock in the eyes of the Red-Clad Leader and Hidan couldn't be hidden.
"Is this guy also from Atsukara? Seems really strong."
The Red-Clad cultists smiled bitterly.
It seemed their Jashin Cult's destruction was well deserved.
If this guy joined the forces to wipe out the Jashin Cult, not a single one of these experimenters would survive.
"How's that?"
Deidara praised himself again.
"How much of this explosive clay can you make at once?"
Genya looked at Deidara and asked the question he had avoided all along.
As expected—
The moment those words came out, the once proud Deidara immediately wilted!
This?
He had avoided answering because with his current ability, making this new kind of clay was extremely difficult—almost impossible.
He could only produce less than one kilogram of this new clay in a day.
Right now, he could only make about a hundred of those special bees with the clay he had.
"When you can use this explosive clay without limits, your strength will advance even further!" Genya said to Deidara as a reminder.
He stepped toward the laboratory. Jugo and Kimimaro should be inside as well.
It had been a few days since he last saw them. He wondered how they were doing.
"Hey, hey." Deidara saw Genya leave and quickly hurried after him.
Asahi blinked her eyes. Right now, Genya seemed more cheerful than when he wore his mask. His presence even felt different, making her feel a little uneasy.
"That's just how Genya's personality is. Don't mind it," Shisui said as he walked over, looking at Genya walking ahead. Then he slowly explained, "When he wears the mask, he is the leader of the Atsukara. But when he takes it off, he is the new favorite of the Uchiha clan — the clan heir. Above him stands his father, the Uchiha clan head."
Perhaps these two different mindsets caused the change in Genya's attitude.
After explaining to Asahi, he began to oversee the cult members moving toward the basement. He and Asahi followed behind.
The underground laboratory.
This naturally formed cave seemed larger than before, now divided into two distinct areas.
One area was Deidara's domain. The subordinates Genya had assigned to him were researching new types of clay.
The ground in his experiment area was full of pits and uneven spots.
The other area was a stone-walled room built inside the lab, with a glass window beside it.
Inside, the room was brightly lit. Someone appeared to be conducting research there.
Genya walked toward that room.
Through the glass, Genya saw a room full of familiar faces—Toshi, Hikari, Kimimaro, Jūgo, and even Hayashi were there.
"You can only control the cursed seal on your arm under the effect of Samehada, and only open it slowly following my guidance!" Toshi's aged voice echoed patiently.
As he spoke, his eyes never left the cursed seal spreading across Jūgo's arm.
The others were watching closely too, all fixated on the changes in the cursed seal, as if trying to understand it completely.
"Amazing, truly amazing," Toshi muttered softly, fascinated by the cursed seal.
After observing for a long time, Toshi turned his gaze to Kimimaro.
"Kimimaro, show me the shape of your cursed seal again. Go slowly—I need to record it carefully!"
While speaking, Toshi placed his palm on Kimimaro's body. Chakra spread within Kimimaro as Toshi carefully tracked every tiny change in the cursed seal and inside his body.
Only by doing this could he understand the unique nature of the cursed seal.
Genya kept watching from outside.
Even when Deidara, Shisui, and Asahi arrived later, no one inside noticed, and they quietly watched Toshi's research in silence.
****
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