On another battlefield, Rasa was determined to help Obito escape, but Deidara wasn't about to let that happen.
Before Deidara could even react, Rasa had already launched his attack. A massive surge of gold sand rose into the air, forming a colossal hand that loomed over Deidara and Kakashi, threatening to crush them.
It was unclear how much stronger Rasa had become to exude such confidence, but judging from the sheer scale of the attack, his power had indeed increased significantly. The last time he had unleashed an attack of this magnitude, he had relied on the sand from the desert itself.
"Rasa, you do realize gold melts at just over a thousand degrees, right? Dealing with you is way too easy!"
"Last time, I was just a clone, so you never noticed how our abilities counter each other!"
C3 Asura Path quickly reverted to its robotic form. Gripping the exhaust pipes on its back with both hands—and adding its mouth to the mix—it unleashed three streams of searing flames. The intense heat melted the airborne gold sand, causing it to rain down in molten droplets, while some of it evaporated entirely into the air.
After all, gold's boiling point was only a little over two thousand degrees.
"Damn it, no! I need to lower the flame temperature! Too much gold is turning to vapor—I'm losing millions!"
Rasa gritted his teeth as he watched his precious gold sand being incinerated. This wasn't just any sand—it was pure wealth being reduced to nothing before his eyes.
"What are you all standing around for?! Kill him!" Rasa roared at his subordinates, hastily pulling back his remaining gold sand.
"Die!"
A wave of shinobi charged forward without hesitation. Their reckless assault momentarily stunned Deidara.
They were this fearless?
Seeing no reason to waste time molding clay, Deidara simply lobbed a massive bomb into their midst.
"Ha!"
The explosion rang out, engulfing the advancing shinobi in searing flames. It all seemed almost too easy, making Deidara suspicious.
And just as he expected, once the flames dissipated, the figures of the shinobi reappeared—they had come back to life.
"Edo Tensei?"
That was Deidara's first thought, but he immediately dismissed it. Their resurrection didn't resemble Edo Tensei, and as far as he knew, only Orochimaru could perform that jutsu. Kabuto might have learned it by now, but that was uncertain at this point in time.
Besides, if this were Edo Tensei, why revive a bunch of nobodies instead of real powerhouses?
Kakashi, more experienced in such matters, recognized the eerie nature of their revival. Memories long buried resurfaced in his mind.
"Moryo..." he muttered.
This method of resurrection was unmistakably linked to the legendary demon. Given that Konoha had always been responsible for dealing with the Land of Demons, it made sense that Kakashi would know about it.
"Moryo? Kakashi, are you sure?" Deidara's expression turned serious. According to legend, Moryo possessed the power to destroy the world. If that were true, this could become a major problem.
Before Kakashi could respond, their enemy confirmed it themselves. Shimura Seito burst into laughter, his voice brimming with arrogance.
"That's right! This is the power of Moryo!"
"He has bestowed upon us unparalleled strength and the blessing of immortality! No matter how many times you strike us down, we will always return!"
"Is that so?"
C3 Asura Path unleashed another round of artillery, obliterating the shinobi once more. But once again, they stood back up, fully restored.
"According to legend, Moryo's undead army can only be dealt with using sealing techniques. Conventional attacks are useless," Kakashi said grimly.
Deidara nodded but remained skeptical.
Absolute immortality? That concept was laughable. Even planets had lifespans—how could some minor creature claim to be truly immortal? The problem was simply that he didn't have the right tools to deal with it yet.
"Magnet Release: Gold Sand Realm!"
Refusing to back down, Rasa launched another attack. This time, he infused his gold sand with Moryo's power, significantly enhancing its speed and destructive force.
Fwoosh!
Asura Path spewed more flames, but this time, the attack was far less effective. The gold sand formed sharp, jagged pillars that shot through the air in unpredictable patterns, rapidly closing in on Deidara.
"What do you think of Lord Moryo's power?!" Rasa shouted fanatically.
Deidara scoffed. A massive missile fired from behind him, obliterating Rasa's golden construct in an instant.
The battle had taken its toll, and reinforcements were arriving—Flesh Mountain had finally caught up. The Six Paths could only delay things for so long.
"Rasa, retreat!" Obito called out as he made his escape.
This fight wasn't worth it. Even with Rasa and his troops, they were no match for Deidara.
"Damn it!"
"Magnet Release: Gold Sand Burial!"
Summoning all his remaining strength, Rasa unleashed his most powerful attack. A tidal wave of gold sand surged toward Deidara, attempting to encase him completely and crush him under immense pressure.
As for Obito's retreat, Rasa had noticed but didn't care. His mission was to ensure Obito's escape, and with his supposed immortality, he had nothing to fear.
"This attack is actually impressive."
Deidara signaled, and with a powerful boost, Flesh Mountain propelled itself forward, briefly taking flight. Compared to its sheer size, Rasa's gold sand no longer seemed quite so overwhelming.
Forget entombing him—there wasn't even enough sand to coat Flesh Mountain's surface.
"Flesh Mountain! Volcano Eruption!"
[+2000 Shock Value for Rasa]
A torrent of searing flames engulfed the battlefield. Even with Moryo's power shielding the gold sand, it could only withstand the heat for mere seconds before vaporizing.
As for Rasa and his men, they were caught in an endless cycle of death and resurrection, burned alive over and over again.
But Deidara had no time to watch them suffer. He and Kakashi hopped onto a clay bird and took off, pursuing Obito's retreating figure. This ambush was their best chance.
They couldn't let him escape.
Clay Thousand Serpents!
Shinra Tensei!
Obito unleashed a wide-range Shinra Tensei before diving underground.
"C2: Standard Variant—Rock Worms!"
Countless rock worms spilled from Deidara's hands, tunneling underground in pursuit.
"Kakashi, use Kamui to absorb Flesh Mountain's flames. We can't let Obito use Kamui while we're blind."
"Understood." Kakashi turned, activating his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Meanwhile, Deidara controlled his rock worms, searching for any irregularities underground.
There!
Boom!
A series of explosions erupted underground. Deidara was confident that he had struck Obito.
But when he descended to confirm the kill, all he found was a discarded White Zetsu corpse.
At some point, Obito had pulled off a substitution and vanished.
...
Land of Swamps
"Hahahaha!"
Laughter echoed through the shrine, deep and resonant, carrying an eerie power that seemed to penetrate the soul. Fortunately, the surrounding barrier kept the sound from leaking outside—otherwise, any ordinary person who heard it would likely descend into madness.
"You seem quite pleased. Has it been accomplished?" Another voice asked, theatrical and tinged with an unsettling madness.
"Of course! Of course!"
"The threads of fate have been completely severed. The time for our return is finally here!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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