Anya returned to Iwagakure once again. Unlike her bold appearance during the Second War, this time she moved cautiously like a shadow in the dark, following Shou Kari closely without saying much. This even made Shou feel somewhat uneasy—he wasn't used to her being this quiet.
Seeing this, Lie Kai simply smiled: "After fighting on the battlefield for so long, I'm finally home. Now that I'll soon see my son again, I'm just too happy to speak."
Shou nodded understandingly, his eyes showing a hint of envy.
As soon as they entered the village, Tsuchikage Onoki received them immediately.
The Explosion Corps had always been Iwagakure's ace unit, earning many achievements during the Second War. However, its glory had been overshadowed by the terrifying power of two Jinchuriki. Now that both had left the village, the real destructive force of the Explosion Corps was finally coming into light—drawing great attention from Onoki.
"How is the current situation against Konoha?" Onoki asked directly.
"Not good. We're stuck in a stalemate, and in small-scale skirmishes, we lose more often than we win. Almost every one of their squads has a Medical Ninja, and these medics are using poison. It's caused us massive losses," Shou replied with clear pessimism.
"That's right," Onoki sighed. "Konoha truly deserves its title as the strongest ninja village. Its potential for war is enormous, producing geniuses one after another. But precisely because of this, we mustn't lose heart. The Will of Stone possessed by our ninja village will never be inferior to their Will of Fire."
Upon hearing this, Lie Kai asked, "Tsuchikage-sama, wouldn't recalling us now affect the frontline situation?"
Onoki grinned confidently. "Haha, don't worry. Konoha has already been attacked by Sunagakure and even had its defenses breached—that clearly shows how weak they've become. They won't dare to launch an offensive recklessly now. So not only the two of you, but also a number of other ninja will be returning to the village in succession."
Shou said in surprise, "Does this mean Kumogakure has really started moving? Aren't they still at war with Konoha?"
"It hasn't been confirmed yet, but we can prepare in advance," Onoki replied meaningfully with a smile. "If the news proves true, then that will be our opportunity."
After parting ways with the Tsuchikage, the two returned to their homes separately. Just when Lie Kai got back home, he saw the yellow-haired boy playing with a pile of white clay, skillfully shaping it into various clay animals with nimble hands.
"This is Deidara. At present, he's still only about three years old," Anya murmured thoughtfully. But almost instantly, she sensed Lie Kai's spirit fiercely resisting while his chakra surged wildly within him.
With this resistance, the recently learned Toad Flat Shadow Manipulation technique was starting to fail. Anya immediately released the jutsu, her eyes transforming into Sharingan once more as she reasserted control over Lie Kai.
Young Deidara sensed movement behind him, but before he could fully turn around, the Sharingan's Genjutsu struck him instantly, rendering him unconscious.
After stabilizing Lie Kai under her control, Anya continued casting the Spirit Transformation Technique. Her Dark Soul entered Lie Kai's mental realm.
As soon as their spiritual forms faced each other, Lie Kai clearly understood the current situation and pleaded desperately, "I know I won't survive this. Please… don't hurt my child, okay?"
"Alright," Anya agreed. "We have no personal hatred between us; it's merely our villages that stand opposed. My principle is clear—innocents must not be harmed. I won't lay a hand on him."
"Thank you," Lie Kai replied with relief. He understood why the Konoha side had spared him instead of killing him outright, despite the great effort it took to infiltrate Iwagakure. There must have been some vital mission they needed him to complete. Whether or not that mission succeeded, he was certain he wouldn't be allowed to survive having full knowledge of it. He'd already accepted his fate—as long as Deidara could live.
"Now then," Anya continued, "I need your cooperation. Lower your defenses and don't resist me. I'm going to take control of your soul. If you fight back and cause this to fail, I'll have no choice but to take your child hostage and find a way out of Iwagakure."
It wasn't Anya's original plan to use the Spirit Control Technique. Admittedly, with the Sharingan alone, he could've taken over Lie Kai's mind, but that would leave obvious traces. If Lie Kai had to fight anyone, the signs of mind control would be too easy to detect. That was why Anya had gone so far as to make a threat—to ensure complete success.
"Okay," Lie Kai replied calmly. Fully aware of his inability to resist, he accepted his fate.
Anya didn't hesitate. Without hesitation, she acted. She placed her hand directly upon Lie Kai's soul and initiated the Spirit Control Technique.
Although this soul body was only one of Anya's many fragments, the gap in soul power between them was still vast. Combined with Lie Kai's complete lack of resistance, the technique proceeded smoothly. Soon, Anya had fully taken over his spirit. From this moment on, unless Anya chose to release the technique, no one would realize that the real Lie Kai was no longer in control.
Once it was done, Anya's original body immediately departed for the location. If the intelligence was accurate, the final meeting would certainly be at that place. There was no need to waste time—he could arrive early and wait.
Before long, Deidara woke from his sleep. Seeing Lie, he happily picked up a piece of animal-shaped clay from the ground and said, "Look, Father, this is my artwork. What do you think?"
"Too ordinary. Let me show you something fun. Come with me," responded Anya while controlling Lie's soul. At that moment, she felt a strange sense of novelty, as if Deidara really was her own son. Unconsciously, she led Deidara out of the room to an open field. Once there, she molded a piece of clay into the shape of an owl.
The owl flapped its wings once and took off into the sky. As it soared higher and higher, Lie snapped his fingers. Mid-flight, the owl exploded, lighting up the dark night with a brilliant flash.
"Wow, amazing!" The young Deidara gazed with shining eyes filled with yearning. He had already started dreaming of the day he, too, could achieve such a feat.
Anya easily read his thoughts and gently ruffled his hair, saying naturally, "Don't worry, son. You'll be able to do this one day too."
"Okay!" Deidara nodded eagerly. "So this is what explosive art feels like?"
"Art? If you say so, then it is." To Anya, explosions had never been art—they were weapons of destruction. But faced with Deidara's innocent eyes, she couldn't bring herself to argue back.
"Father, I want to see more."
Deidara gazed at the gloomy sky and muttered a simple wish.
Anya tossed back, "What kind of spectacle did you have in mind?"
Spreading his arms wide, Deidara declared with flair, "Something big. The bigger, the better."
"Alright then, let's go big."
Anya happily agreed. From the backpack at her waist, she pulled out an enormous chunk of clay. Placing it into the mouths located on her palms, she formed hand seals and said, "Dragon."
[Explosive Clay] transformed into a massive white flying dragon, soaring high into the air with astonishing speed. Moreover, the dragon spewed countless tiny white decoy rounds from its mouth, surrounding itself completely.
With everything set, Anya raised a hand and let out a fierce cry, "Kiai!"
With a tremendous boom, the sky erupted like fireworks scattering midair. A violent gust of wind burst outward, swirling into a vortex. In that instant, it seemed as though the dragon had bitten open a huge rift in Nocturne's veil, tearing through Nocturne's curtain like darkness.
Deidara stood there completely stunned...
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>