The Courage Blessing had already elevated Deidara's strength by an impressive 50%. Such a monumental boost was previously beyond his wildest imagination.
But to think this was just a 'small surprise', and there was a bigger one on the way? It was simply absurd for him.
Deidara couldn't be more thankful for his decision to follow Naruto early on.
Just the Courage Blessing alone had opened up new horizons for Deidara's explosive art, and now, the thought of an even grander surprise left him breathless with anticipation.
"Naruto-kun, please, show me the big surprise already!"
Deidara couldn't contain his excitement any longer.
"Calm yourself a bit. Don't get too worked up."
Naruto replied, smiling. Initially, he had intended this surprise to be minor. But considering Deidara and Sasori's particular fighting styles, he realized its true potential and upgraded it to a big surprise.
"Naruto-kun, we're ready."
Deidara took a deep breath, then he and Sasori spoke in unison.
"Alright then, here it comes!"
Naruto raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers pressed against his forehead.
Seeing this, Itachi's expression changed, "This is bad!"
Kisame was puzzled and asked: "What's wrong? Isn't it just Weapon—wait, what the…?!"
Halfway through his sentence, Kisame froze, utterly dumbfounded.
That's right, the surprise Naruto prepared was none other than the Weapon Blessing that Kisame was familiar with.
For Kisame, who was already familiar with this ability, it seemed commonplace at first.
But as he thought about it, he realized the critical point… both Deidara and Sasori relied heavily on their weapons for combat, given their frailer physical builds.
The Weapon Blessing, which enhanced the effectiveness of tools, was practically tailor-made for them.
"Oh, crap!"
…
Deidara was the first to notice the transformation in his explosive clay. The once-white clay turned a shimmering gold, and the energy contained within was so overwhelming that it startled him into tossing it away reflexively.
Boom!
The explosion that followed was devastating. It created a massive crater in the ground, scattering dust and debris everywhere. The blast rivaled the power of his usual C2, but shockingly, this was just a C1 clay spider, which is his weakest clay bomb.
The implications were staggering.
If there was one drawback, it was that the newfound power made the explosive clay unstable. The sudden detonation, without even his usual 'Katsu!' command, was a testament to its unpredictability.
His current stock of explosives was rendered useless, as he'd have to craft entirely new ones tailored to the clay's altered properties.
While this slightly reduced his ammo reserves, the overwhelming power boost far outweighed the inconvenience.
Before, Deidara had been convinced that he could never rival the awe-inspiring explosion Naruto had unleashed during their first encounter.
But now, with the combined Courage Blessing and Weapon Blessing, he felt the gap shrinking.
These two surprises had elevated his combat potential by over 200%, an upgrade far beyond a mere qualitative leap.
It was like taking off using a rocket!
In stark contrast to Deidara's chaotic adjustments, Sasori's experience was smooth and seamless.
Hiruko, sprawled on the ground, now glowed with a radiant golden hue.
For Sasori, the Courage Blessing offered only marginal benefits. However, the Weapon Blessing more than compensated for this, providing enhancements that surpassed even Deidara's gains.
After all, apart from his heart, Sasori's entire body was a weapon.
"F*ck… shit…"
Even Sasori, known for his composure, couldn't help but blurt out in shock. His reaction was pure, uncontainable joy.
Even though he had anticipated such results, when Naruto saw their astonishment, he felt genuinely happy for them.
On the other hand, Kisame and Itachi's expressions were not so good.
Just an hour ago, Kisame looked down on Deidara and Sasori, thinking that the two were trash and that there was no need for Naruto to subdue them.
But now, he realized how gravely mistaken he had been. These so-called 'weapon users' had experienced an unprecedented surge in strength thanks to the Weapon Blessing. Calling them 'weapon masters' at this point wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"What now?"
Kisame turned and asked Itachi.
Itachi gave him a sidelong glance, "You're panicking now? Weren't you brimming with confidence earlier?"
"I didn't account for this."
Kisame muttered, his tone tinged with regret.
Itachi sighed and began formulating a plan, "Here's what we'll do. When the match starts, you focus on keeping Sasori occupied. I'll handle Deidara first, then come back to help you. Or vice versa, depending on the situation."
This was the best strategy he could come up with on short notice.
As duos, both pairs would undoubtedly rely on teamwork. With Sasori as a defensive frontliner and Deidara providing long-range offense, breaking their synergy would be extremely challenging.
Kisame, with his durability and melee prowess, would have to distract Sasori while Itachi sought an opening to neutralize Deidara.
Itachi also knew that, no matter how much the Weapon Blessing amplified their physical capabilities, it wouldn't boost their mental defenses. His Sharingan's Genjutsu could still create an unexpected advantage.
"The match begins!"
Naruto's sudden announcement cut off Kisame and Itachi's discussion, leaving them no time to finalize their strategy.
In the interest of fairness, Naruto hadn't told anyone about giving the blessings beforehand. This blindsided Kisame and Itachi, but it also meant Deidara and Sasori were still adjusting to their newfound enhancements, creating a level playing field through shared unpredictability.
From Naruto's perspective, this added uncertainty only made the game more entertaining to watch.
…
Boom!
The instant Naruto's voice rang out, Deidara formed hand a seal, and a massive golden dragon, which is glowing with the brilliance of the Weapon Blessing, materialized from thin air. It was the C2 Dragon, crafted from explosive clay.
The dragon was an enormous flying construct capable of launching smaller clay bombs. Its speed and destructive potential were astounding, but most importantly, it could fly.
Without sparing a thought for Sasori, Deidara immediately mounted the dragon and soared into the sky.
From the start, Deidara's ultimate target was Itachi. Having experienced Itachi's abilities firsthand, he understood the threat of the Sharingan.
By taking to the air and attacking from a distance, Deidara ensured his safety and maximized his offensive capabilities.
"Amaterasu!"
How could Itachi let Deidara succeed?
Itachi immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, and as the pattern in his pupils spun, a jet-black flame appeared on the golden flying dragon.
'He missed?'
Naruto, observing from above, frowned, 'Given Itachi's level of precision, missing such a large target seemed unlikely.'
His confusion was short-lived as he quickly grasped the situation.
'Although Deidara had crafted the dragon anew, the internal structure was hastily assembled and unstable. Once ignited by Amaterasu, the immense explosive energy within began to destabilize rapidly.'
Sure enough, the dragon's golden glow turned an intense, blinding white… a clear sign that it was about to explode.
If it really exploded, the resulting blast would rival a C3, more than enough to obliterate Deidara. But if Deidara abandoned the dragon, he would fall into Itachi's trap, becoming an easy target for the Sharingan.
Naruto had framed this as a friendly match, and Itachi knew outright killing Deidara with Amaterasu wasn't the smartest move. All in all, this is the real reason why Itachi deliberately missed his attack… to force Deidara into a corner.
With his life hung by a thread, Deidara had no time to craft a bird or crane for escape. He could only accelerate to flee farther away, so that the dragon could move as far away from Itachi as possible.
But would he be avoid the impact by then?
From Naruto's perspective, the massive dragon containing an immense amount of explosive clay, augmented to a C3-level blast by the blessings, possessed destructive power no less than the fully powered C3 he had used in the original work to attempt to level Sunagakure.