Although Yagura Karatachi had remained inside the Mizukage Building earlier, he likely had a preliminary understanding of the battlefield by now. Yet, as he faced Deidara, his demeanor was unnervingly calm, as if the opponent before him was utterly insignificant.
Deidara, however, didn't waste time. With so many variables in Kirigakure, along with Obito and Black Zetsu lurking in the shadows, it was best to end this battle quickly.
"C2 Special Type: Combat Wasp Swarm!"
A massive swarm of clay wasps shot out from Deidara's hands. Each wasp was about the size of a fist, with stingers capable of piercing like standard weapons. But their true uniqueness lay elsewhere.
Their streamlined bodies and high-frequency vibrating wings set them apart from ordinary wasps.
"Wind Release: Passing Typhoon!"
Yagura began with an A-rank jutsu. Such was the advantage of being a Jinchūriki—utilizing the chakra of a Tailed Beast made his techniques nearly limitless during battle.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind howled, resembling the passage of a typhoon. Trees were uprooted, and even houses were tossed into the air like scraps of paper.
This level of power was far beyond the Wind Release Yagura had used in the original series to disperse the Hidden Mist Technique.
Deidara's Clay Bird struggled to maintain balance amidst the turbulence, thrown into chaos and rendered nearly immobile.
An opportunity!
Yagura's eyes flashed with determination. To him, Deidara was now a sitting duck. He quickly formed hand seals:
"Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough!"
Once again, Yagura demonstrated the overwhelming chakra reserves of a Jinchūriki, unleashing a wide-scale attack aimed at Deidara.
Wait! What?!
Just as Yagura was about to release his Infinite Breakthrough, the clay wasps Deidara had created earlier appeared to have been largely unaffected by the passing typhoon. They had already closed in on Yagura, forcing him to redirect his attack to defend himself.
What's going on? These wasps!
The Infinite Breakthrough, which could topple even large summoned beasts, could only push the wasps back slightly before they surged forward again. Yagura had no choice but to leap back and temporarily retreat.
Oh? That brat Deidara is quite capable!
So this was the new art he had been tinkering with these past few days?
The streamlined bodies and ultra-high-frequency vibrating wings gave the clay wasps significant resistance against wind and rain. In other words, they were highly effective against Wind Release and Water Release, both of which happened to be Yagura's specialties.
As a puppet master, Sasori had a deep understanding of structural design and immediately grasped the ingenuity behind Deidara's clay wasps.
"Water Release: Heavenly Weeping!"
On the battlefield, Yagura—though not as technically proficient as Sasori—quickly realized that wide-range attacks were ineffective. He switched to a piercing attack instead.
Countless water needles shot from his mouth, each one deadlier than the average ninja's senbon. They easily decimated a large portion of the combat wasps.
From a distance, Deidara watched without surprise. Expecting such simple methods to defeat an opponent of Yagura's caliber was wishful thinking—unless he could develop a queen wasp capable of autonomously producing combat wasps.
"C2 Standard Type: Dragon Swarm!"
Deidara refrained from deploying the C2 Enhanced Great Dragon right away. That level of clay creation could only be summoned once per battle under his current capacity, and it had to be reserved for Yagura's Tailed Beast Transformation. If he wasted it now, he would be in serious trouble later.
"Useless. These dragon swarms are even less troublesome than those wasps," Yagura remarked coldly.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Yagura spat out a high-pressure water jet, which arced through the air and sliced through a large portion of the dragon swarm in an instant.
"I'm well aware of that issue," Deidara replied with a smirk. "That's why I've prepared a little surprise for you."
From the severed dragon bodies fell countless miniature clay parasites. The dragon swarm had merely been a decoy; the real attack lay within.
So many! Yagura's eyes widened in shock.
"Wind Release: Infinite—"
"Ha!"
Deidara wasn't about to give Yagura the chance to unleash another Wind Release. These parasites lacked resistance to strong winds and would be blown away if given the chance.
He detonated them prematurely. Though the distance reduced the blast's effectiveness, the explosion's shockwave was enough to temporarily obscure Yagura's vision.
"Watch out, Mizukage-sama!" a blood mist ninja shouted from below.
"C1 Special Type: Clay Serpent Hands!"
A massive clay serpent extended from the sky, coiling around Yagura and binding him tightly before exploding once again.
Boom!
The result, however, was predictable. Yagura emerged completely unscathed. The defensive power of the Tailed Beast Cloak was no joke, which was why he hadn't even bothered using substitution or clone techniques. Attacks of this level were simply ineffective against him.
With a mocking smile, Yagura looked at Deidara. This kid clearly didn't understand the true power of a Tailed Beast.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Five massive water dragons roared toward Deidara in the sky. Calmly, Deidara detonated a clay bomb in front of him, using the explosion's force to propel himself backward on his clay bird, creating distance from the attack.
"Yagura Karatachi! You've let your guard down!"
"With this, I've dealt with your first form!"
"Art is an explosion! Ha!"
Unbeknownst to Yagura, the Spider Queen from earlier had crept behind him. With a thunderous roar, it exploded into a dazzling display of fireworks, leaving a massive crater in its wake.
"Yagura Karatachi Shock Value +2000."
This wasn't the first time tonight that Yagura had contributed to Deidara's Shock Value, but it was the first time the amount was this substantial.
Roar!
As the smoke cleared, a massive turtle-like beast crouched in the crater, letting out a deafening roar at Deidara in the sky.
Yagura had skipped the partial transformation phase entirely, entering the full Tailed Beast Transformation, a state only achievable by perfect Jinchūriki.
But this suited Deidara just fine. The longer the battle dragged on, the worse it would be for him. After all, he couldn't outlast a Jinchūriki in a war of attrition.
Hovering in the sky, Deidara's expression was one of excitement as he began chewing clay rapidly.
"Yagura Karatachi, let me show you my masterpiece!"
"C2 Enhanced Great Dragon!"
Roar!
With a thunderous cry, a colossal dragon appeared in the sky, its size rivaling that of the Three-Tails. Though its design wasn't the most intimidating, the fact that it was a creature capable of exploding at any moment made its presence just as oppressive as that of a Tailed Beast.
"Yagura Karatachi Shock Value +2000." "Three-Tails Shock Value +2000." "Mei Terumī Shock Value +2000." "Itachi Uchiha Shock Value +2000." "Kisame Hoshigaki Shock Value +2000."
A cascade of Shock Value notifications appeared, like a torrent of coins pouring down. Deidara couldn't help but feel ecstatic. After this battle, he was bound to level up several times!
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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