Chapter 622: The Demeanor of the Number One Person in the Ninja World

It seemed his earlier arrogance was just an act, intended to make me lower my guard. A pity, really, that he thought he could finish me off with an unexpected explosion.

But unfortunately for him, he failed.

I'm not that careless.

Trying to ambush me? He's about a hundred years too early for that!

Sasuke gave a slight nod, a flicker of appreciation now visible in his calm gaze. Deidara hadn't just gotten stronger; it seemed his mind had sharpened as well. To think he even knew to use such tactics against him.

Still, it was a shame he underestimated him so greatly.

"I initially thought you'd become even more of an idiot," Sasuke remarked, his words equal parts praise and provocation. "Now, it seems I was wrong. You do have some brains left!"

"Just not very many!"

Sasuke's backhanded compliment didn't sit well, and Deidara's expression soured.

"Hmph!" Deidara scoffed. "Go ahead and act smug for now. You'll soon understand the true power of this master artist!"

A triumphant smirk spread across Deidara's face as he spoke.

"While we've been talking, you've walked right into my trap! Since the sneak attack failed, let me show you the real power of my new strength, yeah!"

The moment his words fell, dozens of white clay snakes erupted from the sand beneath, slithering rapidly towards Sasuke, attempting to bind him.

But it was futile. With a slight twitch of his eyes, arcs of electricity instantly crackled to life around Sasuke's body. The lightning coalesced into countless senbon, piercing straight through the charging snakes and pinning them lifelessly to the ground.

Sasuke looked at Deidara, his expression unperturbed.

"Is this what you call a trap?"

Yet, just as he finished speaking, a roar echoed from behind him. A colossal white clay beast burst from the sand, its massive jaws opening wide, ready to swallow Sasuke whole in one gulp.

But this too had no effect. Sasuke lightly tapped the head of the giant clay creature with his fingertip. Instantly, electric currents surged through its entire body.

Lightning Release countering Exploding Clay – that principle hadn't changed.

A faint smile touched Sasuke's lips. If that was the case, then this would be simple.

As his gaze locked onto Deidara, beads of cold sweat broke out on the blonde shinobi's forehead.

This guy!

He's mastered Lightning Release to such an extent?

Looking at the exploding clay snakes impaled by lightning senbon on the ground, Deidara could only marvel at the terrifying level of control required. To instantaneously shape raw lightning into such precise forms…

This man truly was, as that person had said, a monster among monsters!

At this thought, Deidara's expression became intensely serious, focused. Sweat dripped visibly from his brow; the pressure of facing Sasuke Uchiha was immense.

Meanwhile, Gaara pushed himself up from the ground, his body aching as if it had been violently thrown about. He couldn't believe the sheer power contained within the mere shockwave of the earlier explosion.

Crack! Pop!

Suddenly, Deidara raised his arms. The mouths on the palms of his hands, normally used to chew and mold his exploding clay, had been completely modified into something resembling cannon barrels. They began firing streams of clay projectiles relentlessly.

The moment these clay clumps launched into the air, they morphed instantly – swift birds, speeding wolves, enormous snakes. A diverse menagerie took shape, as if an entire zoo had been conjured in mere seconds.

As they surged towards Sasuke, he moved. With a single burst of acceleration…

Lightning Release: Divine Speed!

In a flash of lightning.

As the electricity flared, a flicker of memory surfaced in Gaara's eyes. He vaguely recalled facing this technique from Sasuke years ago, remembering how utterly helpless he had felt. For a long time afterward, he had been mired in that fear, completely unable to escape the shadow Sasuke cast. It wasn't until Sasuke's speed became renowned, even hailed as the fastest in the ninja world, that Gaara finally found peace with it.

After all, comparing your own weaknesses to someone else's greatest strength was just asking for misery, wasn't it?

Blinding black lightning erupted.

That fleeting dark radiance, seen once before, manifested again. Amidst the scintillating black light, the multitude of exploding clay creatures Deidara had unleashed were instantly frozen by the Lightning Release, completely unable to detonate.

Deidara's eyes darted frantically. His plan had been to overwhelm with sheer numbers. Even if Sasuke neutralized some of the clay, surely some would get through. Even just one explosion out of a hundred could trigger the others, even those suppressed by lightning, causing a chain reaction.

The resulting blast would still be incredibly powerful. That would have given him the leverage he needed to continue the fight against Sasuke.

But now…

He realized something far more terrifying.

Watching Sasuke appear before him like a fleeting shadow, arriving in an instant, Deidara forgot even to breathe. Behind Sasuke, long arcs of black lightning trailed back into the distance, marking his path. Every single one of the densely packed exploding clay figures behind Sasuke was perfectly controlled by his Lightning Release, utterly incapable of detonating.

In one instant!

Sasuke had simultaneously manipulated his lightning, forming potentially thousands of senbon, disabling thousands of exploding clay pieces.

What terrifying precision!

How could one person possess such astounding control? How did he do it? Even with the Sharingan, achieving this level of effect so casually should be impossible!

This guy!

Could he also be using some kind of Scientific Ninja Tool?

At that moment, watching Sasuke approach, Deidara saw him slowly draw the Sword of Kusanagi from the sheath on his back. The grating sound of the blade sliding against the scabbard filled the air. Deidara stared at the faint purple light emanating from the sword's edge.

'What is this power?'

'Such a strange feeling…'

Sasuke gazed intently at Deidara. "You... seem to have acquired some kind of immortal ability. But such abilities usually have flaws, don't they?"

Sasuke smiled faintly. "I wonder where your Core is located?"

Members of the Kara organization, through modifications, could resurrect themselves via their Cores. Each member possessed a unique Core. As long as the Core existed, their bodies could be destroyed countless times without issue. Conversely, if the Core was destroyed, it meant true death.

However, judging by Deidara's earlier actions, his Core likely wasn't on his person. Otherwise, the self-destruction upon death would have destroyed the Core itself.

Therefore!

Deidara's Core was probably nearby, but finding it wouldn't be simple.

So!

Sasuke decided not to bother searching.

"I'll let you go this time," Sasuke declared, his voice level. "But the next time we meet, I won't let you leave alive!"

With that, his hand moved, the blade fell.

Deidara's head was cleanly severed from his body. Simultaneously, lightning coursed through Deidara's form, paralyzing him completely. Even in death, the corpse couldn't self-destruct.

And at that exact moment, somewhere far away, a small entity snapped its eyes open, a glint of fear flashing within them.

'That guy… he even knows about the Cores?!'

'So this is the presence of the strongest shinobi in the world!'

'Uchiha Sasuke… next time… I'll be fully prepared when I come for you…'

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