Naruto: Menma Exiting Infinite Tsukuyomi

Chapter 198: The Moment to Compete in Art

The massive shockwave from the explosion, like a torrent from a burst dam, fiercely vented outwards in all directions. The lush green ground was rapidly swallowed up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In almost every instant, every breath, large swathes of forest completely disappeared, turning into a desolate ruin crisscrossed with gullies.

The smoke and dust from the explosion, as if blotting out the sky, enveloped the giant clay bird above.

Whoosh!!

The giant white bird drilled out from the smoke and dust, revealing the two figures on its back.

A youth of about ten years old maintained a one-handed seal gesture, his left eye covered by his drooping deep-golden hair. His hair hung naturally behind him, the short braid at the end flying gently.

Beside him was the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi, wearing purple clothes and a breastplate, his hair tied into a small bundle like a ponytail, and sporting a large beard.

Both of them looked somewhat wretched at the moment.

"Cough cough!"

Rōshi, covered in dust, coughed violently, complaining listlessly: "You brat, is this the new ninjutsu you developed?"

Deidara looked at the explosion below, smiling with satisfaction: "Uncle Beardy, how was it? Weren't you shocked by my art?"

"Giving people nicknames without permission... you impolite brat!"

Rōshi, with black lines on his head, said speechlessly: "The explosion's power was so great, why couldn't you fly a bit higher?"

Deidara scratched the back of his head sheepishly: "Uh, maybe I was too excited just now and didn't pay attention to the amount of chakra I injected?"

This was the C3 - Number 18 he had just recently researched. By mixing a higher concentration of Explosion Release chakra into the doll-shaped explosive clay, its explosive scale could destroy a village.

Among his current ninjutsu, it could be considered one of the strongest.

The expression on Rōshi's face froze. He immediately turned his head, looking at Deidara in disbelief: "You detonated it without even being sure of the explosion's power?"

Deidara laughed, unconcerned: "Aren't we fine?"

Rōshi stared blankly at Deidara, for a moment not knowing what to say.

This brat's ability to cause trouble was completely proportional to his talent.

The thought of that old stubborn fool Ōnoki cleaning up this brat's messes every day... he actually felt some sympathy for that old stubborn fool he disagreed with.

Deidara stared at the center of the explosion where the smoke had not yet dissipated, his tone puzzled: "Is it over? Hmm."

Rōshi also looked towards the center of the explosion upon hearing this.

This time, they had followed behind the mining team to sneak out of the village.

They originally wanted to take this opportunity to run away, but didn't expect to see the mining team being attacked.

Rōshi only had a problem with Ōnoki, but he still had feelings for Iwagakure.

Since they were from the same village, with the thought of helping if he could, he had just let Deidara make a probing attack.

He also wanted to know if the opponent had died under this attack from Deidara.

"Huh, something's coming out?"

He saw the smoke and sparks in the sky gradually dissipate.

Amidst the dust and smoke, a massive, indistinct figure gently fanned its palm.

Whoosh!!

A great wind also rose with it, scattering the clinging dust and sparks, revealing its complete form.

It was a green, half-bodied giant clad in armor and radiating a green light.

Although the layered armor on the giant was already somewhat damaged, Shisui, standing within it, was still completely unharmed, not even showing a weak, panting posture.

Just then, the sound of tearing air was heard.

Shisui abruptly raised his head, his expression grave as he looked above. His Mangekyō Sharingan flickered with an ominous, scarlet light.

It was a white, soft, vaguely human-shaped clay object, falling towards him at a rapid speed.

Splurt!

Shisui swung the spiral-shaped knight's sword in his hand, directly slicing the clay doll clones in half.

But the clay dolls, already cut in half, once again spat out more white clay, their bodies writhing and transforming into double the number of clay clones, rushing towards Shisui from all four sides.

Shisui was first stunned upon seeing this, then a troubled look appeared on his face.

"...An explosion ninjutsu that nullifies physical attacks and splits through them?"

Is it the Kekkei Genkai - Explosion Release, or some other secret technique?

It looked like a composite ninjutsu combining Explosion Release with some kind of secret technique.

The several white clay dolls began to expand as they approached Shisui, and an extremely unstable chakra fluctuation emanated from them.

"Art is an explosion! KATSU!!"

Following a low shout from the sky, the half-bodied giant took the full brunt of all the clay dolls' explosive attacks.

But when the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, he saw that the giant's armor surface was only slightly shattered.

"Amazing! To think you easily blocked my attack."

Deidara stood on the giant bird, laughing wantonly and wildly: "Haha, this must be a test of my art! Hmm."

Rōshi beside him was different from the young and spirited Deidara.

He stared gravely at the half-bodied giant below, feeling as if he had somehow provoked a huge trouble.

Although he disliked Deidara's incomparably noisy explosive art, he still highly recognized the power of Deidara's Explosion Release ninjutsu.

Even he, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, if he didn't use his full Tailed Beast transformation, would find it very difficult to emerge unscathed from the attack of a C3 - Number 18.

However, due to personality reasons, he had not reached a mutual understanding with the Four-Tails, Son Gokū, and naturally couldn't maintain his self-awareness in a full Tailed Beast state.

But just then,

in the corner of Rōshi's vision,

the chest of the green half-bodied giant opened wide. The surrounding air distorted, and chakra glittering with green light rapidly gathered.

Three giant green tomoe formed a complete whole around a blazing white ball of light.

This chakra made the very air vibrate.

The Mangekyō in Shisui's eyes flashed with a blood-like scarlet light as he shot it straight towards Deidara and Rōshi.

Rōshi's heart couldn't help but tremble; he felt a terrifying sense of death.

If he was hit by that thing, he would absolutely be blown to smithereens.

"Deidara!!"

Deidara also sensed that chakra fluctuation, his eyes widening in disbelief, his breathing also becoming more rapid.

His face also showed an unconcealable excitement and thrill.

His eyes even showed a mix of madness and ferocity.

"Art! This must be art!!"

"Uncle Beardy, don't interfere! This is the moment to compete in art! Hmm!!"

Saying this, Deidara took out two small, roly-poly-shaped clay dolls from his robes,

placing one on his left hand and one on his right.

The chakra in his body began to rapidly decrease, his face also showing weakness and paleness.

"Such beauty, such art, such a dazzling scene! How can I choose to retreat?!"

Deidara shouted wantonly and wildly, then threw the two clay dolls in his hands.

Thump~

The two clay dolls swelled to the size of a house and fell abruptly.

At the same time, the three green tomoe in front of the half-bodied giant's chest also flew towards the two, spinning like an arrow released from a bowstring.

"Yasaka Magatama!!"

VROOOM!!!

The three connected tomoe spun faster and faster, until they formed a green halo where they were indistinguishable from each other.

The two giant clay dolls also crashed towards the tomoe like meteorites falling from the sky.

"Let me show you my art! HAAAAH!!"

In a flash, a sound that cracked the heavens and the earth exploded with even greater force than before, high in the sky.

BOOM!!!

Accompanied by a roaring explosion, an endless burst of firelight swallowed heaven and earth, carrying an incomparably thick shockwave storm, assaulting in all directions.

At the core of the explosion, high-temperature airflows frequently erupted and vented. The terrifying energy, like a perpetual motion machine, spread outwards in waves without stopping. The air and light were all twisted into a single mass.

...

In the Land of Rivers, a carriage was traveling on the road.

Just then, the earth suddenly began to tremble violently. The surrounding trees swayed at a visible amplitude.

"Hmm? What happened?"

The old man in the carriage poked his head out, looking at Kakashi with some confusion: "Is it an earthquake?"

Yamato and Kakashi outside the carriage looked towards the direction of the tremor, their hearts also full of doubt and gravity.

The direction of the tremor was the border of the Land of Rivers. The smoke and dust from the explosion could be seen even from a thousand meters away.

After a good while, the sudden, violent tremor gradually subsided.

"...Should be an earthquake."

Yamato hesitated for a moment, then said in a muffled voice: "This kind of commotion... can't be created by a ninja, right?"

But, just as his voice fell,

Swish swish swish!

Three figures wearing strange armor suddenly appeared before the carriage.

"Who are these people?"

Kakashi frowned, then glanced at the old man behind him.

Seeing him only show a worried expression, but not the slightest surprise, a look of understanding flashed in Kakashi's eyes.

So, they are the ones sent to obstruct this mission?

However, these three women wearing strange armor were a bit odd. The chakra fluctuations were emanating from the armor on their bodies.

"Yamato, go check it out."

"Mm." Yamato nodded and unhesitatingly went to meet them.

"Old sir, do you need to explain now?" Kakashi turned his head to look at the old man, saying meaningfully. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee your safety."

"I have no choice."

The old man was silent for a moment, then said with a bitter face: "This secret is like a heavy shackle I bear. I..."

But before he could finish,

"That's right."

Kakashi nodded without hesitation, interrupting directly: "Civilians have civilians' difficulties, ninja have ninjas' dangers. I can understand you."

Hearing these cynical words, the corner of the old man's mouth twitched.

What an unsympathetic fellow who doesn't know how to respect the old and love the young.

However, seeing Kakashi's scoundrel-like appearance, the old man could only sigh deeply: "I said before, we once also had a brilliant civilization. All of this was because of a type of ore called the Gelel Stone."

"That is a precious ore from our continent. Only the royal bloodline can activate the device and collect the ore. Others cannot use it..."

Speaking to this point, the old man paused, glancing at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye.

"And?"

Seeing him nod perfunctorily and press for more, the old man had no choice but to point at the three figures entangled with Yamato and continue to add: "The brilliant civilization of our ancestors collapsed, and they split into two factions."

"The powerful royal family, who controlled the military force, crossed the sea two hundred years ago to come here and multiply. They took away the last mined Gelel Stones and the Book of Gelel. And these ambushers..."

"They should be related to those ancient royals who left. If there are no surprises, the Book of Gelel is most likely in their hands."

Kakashi pressed on: "Then which faction are you from?"

"The resources of our ancestral land were scarce, and natural disasters were constant. We are the survivors who migrated to this continent thirty years ago."

Oh, so they were the commoners abandoned by the royal family.

Kakashi for a moment also understood the purpose of Sarutobi Hiruzen's S-rank mission this time.

Besides escorting this old man to the target location, he also needed him to bring back that "Gelel Stone."

Resources are of utmost importance at any time, and wars caused by resources have run through almost the entire history of the ninja world.

If that ore was really as full of energy as the old man said, then it was definitely a priceless treasure.

The rise and fall of the ancient empire were both closely related to this Gelel Stone; it could be used for both construction and destruction.

However, as for only the royal bloodline being able to activate it, Kakashi naturally didn't believe it.

It was nothing more than a reason this old man temporarily made up because he didn't want the resources of his ancestors to be coveted by the great nations.

Kakashi pointed to the three people in armor in the distance: "The armor on their bodies... the energy source they use, is that the Gelel Stone you spoke of?"

The three were now powerless against Yamato's Wood Release ninjutsu, forced into strange animal forms.

The old man hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "It should be."

"Is that so."

A thoughtful look flashed in Kakashi's dead-fish eyes.

Immediately, he came back to his senses, looking towards the four still entangled in front.

"Yamato, finish it quickly."

The old man beside him was stunned upon hearing this.

Then, he saw the Konoha ninja, who had just been struggling to deal with the three, suddenly finish off the three ambushers with a few quick moves.

Finally, he returned to the carriage carrying three women who were just barely breathing.

"You..."

Seeing this, the old man came back to his senses, his old face instantly flushing red with anger.

Only then did he realize he had been tricked by this dead-fish-eyed man and that dead-faced man.

"Sorry, sorry. Maybe Yamato wasn't fully awake just now. He only woke up when I called him."

Kakashi gave a forced laugh, quickly changing the subject: "Let's take you to the mission destination now. We guarantee to get you there safely."

With that, without waiting for the old man's reaction,

Kakashi directly whipped the horse's rump fiercely, rushing at full speed towards the canyon region of the Land of Rivers.

If there were no surprises,

the news of this mission should have already been leaked.

The explosion just now might have been caused by a battle between one faction and another.

But...

"Isn't this commotion a bit too much?"

Feeling the continuous roar and explosive impact coming from the distance, Kakashi, on the carriage, couldn't help but make a pained "tsk tsk" sound.

He originally thought it was a natural disaster, but didn't expect it to be a man-made disaster comparable to a natural one.

Under this world-destroying power, even just watching from afar would make one's body and heart tremble.

Even by ninja standards, this could not be considered a small skirmish.

What he should be thankful for is that a battle of this scale wasn't conducted in a residential area of the Land of Rivers.

Otherwise, it wouldn't just be the land that was destroyed; probably countless innocent people would have been affected, leading to countless innocent deaths in the battle.

Thinking this, Kakashi's heart couldn't help but sink.

"Perhaps, using that forbidden jutsu I just researched... I could barely achieve that level."

It really is best to go around. Don't run into these guys.

About a quarter of an hour later, after traveling about a few kilometers into the Land of Rivers,

the carriage was stopped again.

But this time, it wasn't by living people, but by a mountain of corpses.

Kakashi jumped off the carriage, squatted beside a corpse to examine it, his tone grave: "The body temperature of the corpse has already approached the ambient temperature. Time of death was at least five hours ago."

Yamato, surveying the surroundings, added: "There are traces of ninja tools and ninjutsu residue around. The battlefield should be here."

Still couldn't get around it after all...

(End of Chapter)

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