Naruto secretly activated the Rapid Healing as a precaution. If Deidara sustained serious injuries from the explosion and was rendered unable to fight, Naruto would intervene immediately to heal him, Naruto would provide treatment as soon as possible.
Now, Naruto couldn't help but admire Deidara's unique potential. Though physically unimpressive, Deidara's research and mastery of explosive clay allowed him to fully capitalize on the Weapon Blessing.
Naruto knew that with more time and experience, his talents could develop into an indispensable asset.
Naruto wasn't about to let such a valuable ally perish, especially in what was meant to be a friendly sparring match.
Whoosh!
As the golden dragon began to destabilize, Deidara decisively leapt off it.
What Naruto didn't expect was that Deidara swiftly molded a small C1.
"Katsu!"
Detonating the C1, Deidara used the resulting explosive force to propel himself further away.
He repeated this process multiple times, using small explosions to accelerate his retreat.
Boom!
Finally, the golden dragon exploded at this moment.
A cataclysmic shockwave tore through the battlefield, expanding like a storm and obliterating everything in its path.
As Naruto had expected, the golden dragon's explosion rivaled a C3, producing a massive, golden mushroom cloud that consumed a five-kilometer radius.
"Nice one!"
Naruto couldn't help but cheer.
Of course, he wasn't cheering for the explosion power of the golden dragon, but for Deidara's reaction.
By using successive small explosions for propulsion, Deidara managed to distance himself from the blast zone. Despite sustaining minor injuries from the shockwave, he gained enough space to recover and regroup.
Summoning a clay bird mid-air, Deidara made his final escape from the blast radius just in time.
Though he was slightly injured, Deidara preserved his life and fighting capability… a remarkable display of adaptability and survival instincts.
However, Deidara wasn't the only one affected by the explosion.
The moment he saw the golden dragon was about to explode, Naruto immediately released the Kyubi's Chakra to protect his body. Itachi also activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and used Susanoo to wrap himself and Kisame.
As for Sasori, he did not move at all and relied on the golden Hiruko's super high defense to tank the explosion.
Despite the close call, Deidara wasn't upset. Instead, he let out a raspy, triumphant laugh.
The explosion had served its purpose, creating a significant distance between him and his opponents.
While the five-kilometer gap might seem like a disadvantage, Deidara had yet to unleash his ultimate move.
He knew that smaller explosions wouldn't penetrate Susanoo. Thus, he abandoned those tactics and began preparing something far more devastating.
"Sasori-danna, hold them off!"
Deidara's seemingly cryptic remark became clear moments later. With a quick series of hand seals, he shouted, "Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage!"
At the next moment, his figure disappeared into the sand, completely concealing himself from view.
He understood that as long as he remained in Itachi's line of sight, whether in the air or on the ground, he would be vulnerable to the Sharingan.
By burrowing underground, he effectively neutralized Itachi's ability to target him.
Through his Observation Haki, Naruto pinpointed Deidara's location and detected the rapidly intensifying energy signature radiating from him.
"This brat's going for C3?"
With such energy fluctuations, Naruto could think of no other possibility.
After all, the only one stronger is C0, but C0 is the ultimate self-explosion.
'But then again, after being amplified by Weapon Blessing, the power of C3 may be comparable to that of C0.'
From the earlier battle, Naruto noticed that the golden explosive clay wasn't easy to control. He now realized that Deidara's cryptic parting words, 'Hold them off', were actually a plea for Sasori to stall Kisame and Itachi, buying him time to create C3.
While Naruto deduced this through battle analysis, Sasori, as Deidara's longtime partner, understood Deidara's intentions with just a simple phrase.
So, instead of retreating, Sasori advanced aggressively.
Bang!
Behind Hiruko, a humanoid puppet appeared.
Though Hiruko was well-balanced in offense and defense, its speed was inadequate against Kisame and Itachi. Sasori used Hiruko mainly as a shield.
The humanoid puppet that appeared was Scorpion's true trump card, Sandaime Kazekage puppet!
Over a decade ago, Sandaime Kazekage had mysteriously vanished from Sunagakure without a trace. In reality, he was assassinated by Sasori and turned into a human puppet imbued with a Chakra core, becoming Sasori's most powerful creation.
The once brown-robed Sandaime Kazekage puppet now radiated a golden glow under the effects of the Weapon Blessing.
This is the advantage of being a puppet master, as all their puppets are weapons.
Under Sasori's Chakra Threads, the golden Sandaime Kazekage puppet darted toward Susanoo at lightning speed.
Halfway through, puppet drew a massive, radiant blade from its sleeve. The blade shone brilliantly but couldn't mask its sinister purple-black hue, showing it was covered with poison.
Seeing this, Naruto instinctively gasped.
This poisoned blade is no ordinary object. Naruto remembers that in the original work, this blade could easily cut through Hiruko's tail, showing its amazing destructive power.
Now, with the Weapon Blessing, the poisoned blade's strength became even more terrifying.
'Itachi is in trouble now.'
Naruto squinted as he observed from above.
Normally, with the Weapon Blessing, Susanoo should have radiated a golden glow as well. Yet Itachi's Susanoo retained its original crimson hue, showing no visible changes.
However, Naruto wasn't surprised by this.
After all, Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan was already overused and damaged, so the Weapon Blessing likely only restored it to its original state.
'Which is stronger… the enhanced poisoned blade's offense or normal Susanoo's defense?'
Naruto didn't have the answer, and the outcome would depend on the clash itself.
Bang!
Finally, the poisoned blade struck the base of Susanoo.
Crack!
Without any pause, cracks began to appear on the surface of Susanoo.
"F*ck, so fierce?"
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. He didn't expect that the blessed poisonous blade was so strong that it actually broke Susanoo.
'If Sasori gave a few more strikes, the blade would definitely be able to completely shatter Susanoo!'
However, Itachi wasn't one to back down.
Rumble!
The Susanoo surrounding Itachi expanded rapidly, and soon grew to the size of a hill. This was the strongest form of Susanoo Itachi could use now.
The fully-formed Susanoo held the Yata Mirror defensively in its left hand while brandishing the Totsuka Blade in its right, poised to pierce Sasori.
If Sasori were struck by the Totsuka Blade, he'd be sealed within the gourd's Genjutsu World, a domain unique to Itachi.
Naruto clapped in admiration, 'As expected of the Uchiha Clan's unique Sharingan, it truly is overpowered.'
Yet Sasori showed no signs of giving up. Using his Chakra Threads, he controlled Sandaime Kazekage puppet to open its mouth.
"Magnetic Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
Sandaime Kazekage puppet produced two highly magnetic chunks of iron sand with opposite polarities. When these chunks collided, their magnetic force expanded exponentially.
Under the increased repulsion, the iron sand scattered into countless miniature conical projectiles that filled the sky.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The magnetically charged projectiles bombarded the battlefield in a chaotic spread, their irregular trajectories making them nearly impossible to track.
Furthermore, the iron sand also glistened with a sinister black-purple hue, clearly laced with deadly poison. Even a minor scratch could be fatal. The unpredictability of the projectiles ensured that evading a second strike after dodging the first would be nearly impossible.
Now enhanced by the Weapon Blessing, the iron sand shimmered with a golden hue, so its armor-piercing properties were also significantly amplified.
Bang, bang, bang!
With each relentless impact, even the fully-formed Susanoo began to crack in multiple places. The Yata Mirror, capable of blocking singular attacks, couldn't keep up with this barrage.
The multi-directional, continuous assault left Itachi caught off guard.
Seeing the battered Susanoo, Naruto raised an eyebrow, 'I didn't expect the Sandaime Kazekage to be so strong. I wonder how Sasori defeated him. Was he killed by the plot? Emmm... It's very likely.'
Regardless, Naruto wasn't optimistic about Itachi and Kisame's chances in this fight.
After all, the real purpose of deploying Sandaime Kazekage puppet wasn't to defeat Itachi and Kisame, but to stall for time so Deidara could complete his C3.
As the seconds ticked by, even if Susanoo remained intact, delaying further would allow Deidara's explosive clay to finish.
At that point, not even Itachi's most formidable techniques would be enough to counter the enhanced C3.
Time was running out for Itachi. His only chance was to use Susanoo to escape the Iron Sand World Method's enclosure, retreat to a safer distance, and deny Deidara the opportunity to detonate his C3.
However, it is easier said than done. After all, escaping the iron sand's entrapment would be a monumental challenge.