Chapter 81: This Is the Art I Seek!

Chapter 81: This Is the Art I Seek!

"He's lost it, hasn't he?"

Seeing Sasori suddenly attack, Kisame was clearly confused. However, Uchiha Itachi beside him seemed to be thinking deeply.

"It's no surprise. He must've mistaken that kid for the legendary White Fang of the Leaf… After all—"

—The same short sword, the same white hair, the same Hidden Leaf shinobi.

Most importantly, that blade—the one that had killed his parents.

"He inherited the blade, so he inherited the title too. Makes sense."

Kisame nodded. After all, he himself still claimed the title of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. The kid wasn't being treated unfairly.

Whether fair or not, it didn't matter now—this situation was already a headache.

Sasori had already begun fighting Kitagawa Gen, and both Kakashi and Jiraiya seemed to trust that boy. Their eyes were now locked onto him.

"Kakashi… that guy seems to have some serious beef with your father," Jiraiya muttered under his breath.

"Could he be from the Hidden Sand?"

After all, Sakumo Hatake had rampaged through the Sand during the war, killing so many that he traumatized an entire generation of their shinobi.

"This isn't the time for that kind of talk," Kakashi said calmly, his Sharingan narrowing. He didn't know the details, but he was sure the cause was the sword.

"Uchiha Itachi has the Mangekyō Sharingan. Let me handle him."

"Alright. Then the shark-face is mine," Jiraiya nodded, though he added a reminder:

"Be careful. We're deep in Iwagakure territory. We can't afford to drag this out. Get what intel you can and get out. Got it?"

"Understood."

Kakashi nodded and charged at Uchiha Itachi, a brilliant blue lightning chakra already surging over his kunai.

"Tch… what a hassle."

Itachi winced inwardly. If it hadn't been for the glint of sunlight reflecting off the mark on the kunai just moments ago, he might've been taken out instantly.

But summoning Susanoo so early was hardly ideal. He could already feel the strain—his eyes beginning to ache.

"Our last battle didn't have a proper conclusion," Kakashi said coldly, his kunai flashing silently toward Itachi.

"This time, let's finish it."

"Hey, shark-face! I've got a few questions for you!"

As Kakashi launched his attack, Jiraiya stepped in front of Kisame, who drew his Samehada without hesitation.

"Troublesome… but I've been wanting to test the power of one of the Legendary Sannin!"

The three battles erupted simultaneously, leaving only Deidara standing to the side, looking a little lost.

Wait a minute. Weren't these three here for him? How did he suddenly become the irrelevant one?

"…Well, guess I'll just watch and see how things play out. Hm."

Deidara turned his gaze toward Kitagawa Gen. Even in just a single moment, he felt it—he was certain he wasn't wrong.

This guy… this guy was an artist, just like him!

"Are you sure you've got the right person?" Kitagawa Gen asked, sidestepping Hiruko's tail spike, brow raised in confusion.

"If anything, my teacher, Hatake Kakashi, is Sakumo's son. He's over there, see?"

"You carry his blade, so you've inherited his name," Sasori sneered. Hiruko's mouth suddenly opened wide, firing out a barrage of poisoned senbon.

"Kakashi being here makes it even better. Once I deal with you, I'll turn him into a masterpiece too. You'll both make fine additions to my collection."

"Is that so?"

Gen raised a single hand—Earth Style: Earth Wall!—a slab of stone shot up from the ground, shielding him from the rain of poisoned needles.

The very next instant, a short sword crackling with purple lightning burst through the wall and hurtled toward him!

"You sure talk big."

But not just the blade—Gen's voice was suddenly right in Sasori's ear.

Zzzzz—!

A single slash—and Sasori's body crumbled instantly.

"Yes! That's it! That's the art I'm talking about!"

Deidara was absolutely ecstatic, totally unfazed by the three raging battles that could easily kill him if he got too close.

"Aww, too bad. When did that guy dodge? What a shame!"

Sasori's crumbled body quickly lost color and disintegrated into sand.

A sand clone.

He wasn't foolish enough to face Kitagawa Gen unprepared after learning he could use the Flying Thunder God technique.

Sasori knew full well that Hiruko alone wouldn't be enough. He needed to take this fight seriously.

"You're lucky. Before I turn you into my next work of art, I'll show you one of my favorites."

Another Sasori appeared nearby, a human puppet standing beside him. A scroll marked with the number "3" lay open on the ground.

Black iron sand rapidly covered both Sasori and the puppet of the Third Kazekage. The key to countering the Flying Thunder God was defense—without being easily breached, there was always a chance to win.

"That's… the Third Kazekage?"

Kakashi and Jiraiya both noticed it amid their own battles. Shock crossed their faces.

"The Third Kazekage disappeared before the Third Great Ninja War… His vanishing started the war. Could this guy be the culprit?!"

"He's really from the Sand Village?!"

A Sand shinobi… assassinating his own Kage, then turning him into a puppet? What kind of grudge would drive someone to do that?

How twisted is this organization, to have monsters like this?!

There was no time to dwell on it. Their opponents were formidable, and they trusted Kitagawa Gen—especially Jiraiya.

"With Sage Mode and the Flying Thunder God, even if he can't win, there's no one in the ninja world who could stop him from escaping."

He had absolute faith in Gen's strength. In fact, he believed Gen had the potential to surpass Minato himself.

"The Third Kazekage, huh?"

Gen raised a brow. That defense reminded him of Gaara's.

"So, you're the one behind the Third Great Ninja War?"

"Why don't you take a guess?"

Sasori didn't bother to answer. With his command, the Iron Sand surged forward, condensing into countless thin, black needles—dense enough to suffocate.

In the blink of an eye, a storm of Iron Sand surged toward Gen like a tidal wave.

"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"

Gen didn't move. He made no attempt to dodge. But just before the iron needles reached him—

Poof!

His figure burst into a cloud of smoke.

"A shadow clone?!"

Sasori narrowed his eyes—only for Gen's voice to ring out behind him.

"That's right. I noticed you used a sand clone from the start. I just gave you a chance."

He needed to gather intel—and what better way than letting Jiraiya and the others see the Third Kazekage with their own eyes?

After all, he made for one hell of a display piece.

Although he wasn't sure this would complete the mission, he couldn't afford to pass up any opportunity.

"Well then…"

Kitagawa Gen's lips curled into a faint smile. Just as Sasori abruptly turned, a surge of natural energy burst from Gen's body.

In that instant, a powerful force caused his sleeves to flutter without wind, his short hair swayed gently, red markings bloomed under his eyes, and his pupils turned pure white.

"Pseudo Sage Mode—Activate!"

"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"

Sasori didn't have time to think. The swirling iron sand quickly formed a sturdy wall between him and the Third Kazekage puppet.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion shook the temple again, dust and iron sand scattering wildly.

Sasori seized the chance to retreat—but what startled him was how his iron sand seemed to destabilize when it came into contact with that boy's violet lightning.

"Lightning Release shouldn't cause that… and what is this form he's using?"

Sasori couldn't make sense of it, but now wasn't the time to dwell on the details. As he fell back, he immediately directed the Third Kazekage to raise his hand.

"Ninja Art: Thousand-Armed Attack!"

In a flash, thousands of mechanical arms shot from the Kazekage puppet's body, shrouded in poison mist and hidden traps, rushing at Kitagawa Gen like a wave of death.

"Magnet Release, huh…"

Gen's eyes sparkled. The moment he made contact with the iron sand, it was as if something had clicked in his mind.

And more importantly, he vaguely recalled—wasn't it the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, who used Magnet Release to pan for gold in the Land of Wind to sustain the village?

It might not be exactly the same, but… wasn't it worth exploring?

"You seem to have forgotten something."

Gen tilted his head as the mass of arms hurtled toward him.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished—then reappeared at the far end of the temple, right before the broken Buddha statue from earlier.

"I already used Flying Thunder God once, remember?"

"Damn it…"

Sasori turned swiftly, only to see Gen rushing at him like a ghost. He hastily tried to summon another iron sand defense.

Swish—!

But before the defense could fully form, the White Fang short sword flew at him, ricocheting off the wall above with a sharp clang.

At that exact moment—Gen reappeared!

"Your defense is strong, but I'm not in a normal state either…"

If I can't break through the outer layer, then I'll just inject power directly inside!

"Sage Art: Giant Rasengan!"

A massive Rasengan spun into existence in his palm. In the next moment, he slammed it straight into the iron-sand-protected body of Sasori.

Boom—!

The immense energy shattered the puppet shell beneath the iron sand. Although the sand barrier barely held together, it began to warp from the force.

The core puppet, Hiruko, hidden beneath it, had already been destroyed!

Cracks spread across the already-crumbling temple, and with another thunderous shockwave, the entire structure began to groan.

"Damn! The temple's going to collapse!"

"We need to get out—now!"

Jiraiya, Kakashi, Itachi, and Kisame all realized the danger at once. Without hesitation, they flashed toward the exit.

As the golden rays of sunset spilled across the land, the temple finally gave way and collapsed completely.

A massive tremor shook the earth, and clouds of dust erupted into the sky.

And within the haze—Deidara, battered and covered in dust, looked utterly disheveled. Yet his eyes shone with feverish excitement.

"Yes! Yes! That's it! That instant—BOOM! Now that's art! That's the exact kind of art I believe in!"

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