"Hey! Seriously? How long has it even been? Why am I getting brought back by Edo Tensei again?" Senju Hashirama complained.
Beside him, Senju Tobirama looked even more irritated. Being repeatedly controlled by his own forbidden jutsu was beyond frustrating for him.
"Honored former Hokage, the situation is dire. We had no choice but to call upon your assistance once again," Jiraiya said apologetically.
"And what is it this time?" Tobirama asked sternly, his expression making it clear—if the reason wasn't convincing enough, he wouldn't hesitate to teach someone a lesson.
"It's like this…" Jiraiya quickly summarized the situation regarding the Ancient Gods.
Neither he nor Deidara was yet aware that Kabuto had begun a large-scale Edo Tensei operation, but to prevent their predecessors from falling under enemy control, Deidara had immediately instructed Orochimaru to summon the previous Hokage through Edo Tensei on their side first.
"Why do I feel like we've become highly sought-after chess pieces, constantly being fought over?" Hashirama quipped again.
"What do you all think?" He turned to the other three Hokage.
Minato Namikaze scratched his head sheepishly. "It does feel that way, but it's all for the sake of peace in the shinobi world."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, esteemed Hokage, to lend your strength once again. Please provide support on the battlefields of Uzushio and the Land of Hot Water so we can bring those fights to a swift conclusion," Jiraiya requested.
As for why Jiraiya and Deidara weren't personally joining the battles? They had a more critical task—keeping an eye on Orochimaru.
The key to this war's outcome lay in whether Deidara could ascend to the Six Paths level. If he succeeded, their side would gain a god-tier combatant, tipping the scales overwhelmingly in their favor against Moryo's faction.
Conversely, if he failed and remained below the Six Paths level, no matter how many small victories they achieved on the various battlefields, it would ultimately be meaningless.
And the key to reaching the Six Paths level lay in the development of the Perfect Clay, something only Orochimaru could refine at the fastest pace.
But Orochimaru was… well, Orochimaru. No matter who dealt with him, they always found him difficult to fully grasp.
Even after working together so many times, Deidara still couldn't bring himself to completely trust him. If Orochimaru suddenly switched sides or deliberately delayed the research on Perfect Clay, they'd be doomed.
So, Deidara and Jiraiya had no choice but to personally monitor him to ensure the clay was developed as quickly as possible.
Orochimaru, naturally, was not pleased about this. But even after reincarnating into the body of the Eight-Headed Serpent, he still wasn't a match for the combined might of Deidara and Jiraiya. Furthermore, Deidara had confiscated the pair of Mangekyō Sharingan that originally belonged to Uzumaki Yusuke.
Left with no other choice, Orochimaru begrudgingly agreed to cooperate.
"Deidara, hand over the clay," Orochimaru said, extending his hand, clearly annoyed.
Deidara quickly accessed the system.
[Strongest Artist System]
Host: Deidara
Shock Value: 2000/30000
Skill Points: 2
Unlocked Skills:
Explosive Arts: Explosion Mastery Lv.3, C2: Enhanced Dragon, Extreme Heat, Extended Detonation Range, Timed Bombs, C3: Enhanced Type - Number 18, C4 Enhanced Sun, C4 Enhanced Deathwing, Special C4 Garuda
Morphology: Morphology Optimization, Insect Morph Mastery, Insect Morph Activation, Humanoid Morph Mastery, Animal Morph Mastery, Animal Form Activation and Human Form Activation
Materials Science: Improved Clay, Anti-Lightning Clay, Advanced Clay, Durable Clay
Ninjutsu: Chakra Enhancement, Jutsu Enhancement, Genjutsu Resistance Level 2, Clayification
Unknowingly, Deidara had reached Level 30. He had just enough skill points to unlock both Perfect Clay and Modernized Weaponry.
After handing over a sample of the Perfect Clay to Orochimaru, Deidara turned his attention to studying the Modernized Weaponry skill.
His previous creations—Shura Path and jet fighters—already leaned towards technological advancements. So what exactly would the system's "Modernized Weaponry" entail?
The result was… unexpected.
Deidara chewed out a clay tank. It looked imposing and intimidating—aside from being completely white, it was almost indistinguishable from a real one.
In fact, it was just like the real thing. Not only could Deidara control it, but even others could operate it using its various buttons and levers.
"Deidara, this thing is pretty useful!" Jiraiya exclaimed, sitting inside the tank and testing out the controls.
"Of course!" Deidara grinned. Without further explanation, he took out a large chunk of clay and chewed it. After a while, he spat out a miniature model of an industrial factory.
Deidara carefully examined it, ensuring there were no flaws, then created a clay clone.
"I'll send this to the battlefield and let everyone witness my new art!"
With that, he chewed out another one, handing it to another clay clone and sending it to a different battlefield.
...
Uzushio Battlefield
Led by Tsunade, Kakashi, and Guy, the shinobi forces had been battling the Shinigami's undead army for several days.
"Kazuma! Stop being so stubborn!" Sarutobi Asuma shouted, cigarette in his mouth, gripping his twin trench knives. After days of fighting, he looked visibly worn out.
His plea was directed at a scarred, white-haired man—Kazuma, his former comrade-in-arms from the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Their ideological clash had long ago turned them into enemies.
Defeated in the past, Kazuma had spent years seeking revenge. No one knew where he had obtained a degraded version of Edo Tensei, but it had earned him the Shinigami's favor, making him the commander of this undead army.
"Asuma, you're as naive as ever."
"The Land of Fire—no, the entire shinobi world—can only have one ruler!" Kazuma declared maniacally.
"Looks like we have no choice but to keep fighting," Kakashi sighed.
Though the undead army wasn't exceptionally powerful on an individual level, their numbers were overwhelming, and they retained their skills and abilities from life.
Even with a dedicated sealing team working tirelessly, sealing scrolls had been replenished multiple times, yet it still felt like trying to fill a bottomless pit.
"Speaking of which, how does Tengakure Village have so many blank sealing scrolls stocked up?" Tsunade wondered, staring at the mountain of unused scrolls.
After repeatedly restocking, Tengakure Village had simply shipped over an absurdly massive supply in one go, leaving everyone stunned.
Even Kazuma was taken aback, inwardly wondering if his forces might actually be sealed away completely at this rate.
"Apparently, it's stockpiled from an old organization—someone got a little too enthusiastic with hoarding," Kakashi explained.
"Still, this is an insane amount. If converted into money, it'd be worth at least several hundred million!" Tsunade remarked enviously.
That much money would be enough for her to go on a legendary gambling spree!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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