Realizing he had no hope of victory, Gokuda Taichi dove into the forest below, using the towering trees to conceal himself as he fled at full speed.
"Don't even think about escaping!" Deidara shouted as he pursued from above, riding his Clay Bird. His hands reached into his clay pouch, palms facing down, continuously spitting out small white Clay Grasshoppers. These tiny, insect-like bombs fell onto the tree trunks below, where they expanded to the size of fingertips and began chasing after their target.
In this complex terrain, using small bombs like these proved to be more effective. Their diminutive size made it impossible for Gokuda Taichi to defend against all of them. As long as even one Clay Grasshopper managed to hit him, it might not cause significant damage, but it would slow him down. From there, he would face an endless army of clay creations.
"Damn it! Lightning Release: Lightning Armour!" Gokuda Taichi growled, recognizing Deidara's malicious intent. Faced with the relentless pursuit of the Clay Grasshoppers, he had no choice but to expend a large amount of chakra to use this advanced Lightning Release jutsu, one he wasn't particularly skilled at.
This technique was a lower-tier version of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode that Raikages traditionally trained in. Even as a lower-tier jutsu, it was still classified as A-rank and notoriously difficult to master. For someone like Gokuda Taichi, whose strength barely reached the level of a jōnin, using it was extremely taxing.
"Is it time to end this? Let's try this one!" After just a few minutes of pursuit, Gokuda Taichi was already in a precarious state. He was gasping for breath, running purely on adrenaline.
"C2 Standard Type: Giant Serpent!" Deidara announced, crafting a massive clay serpent over ten meters long. The snake slithered forward with surprising speed, intercepting Gokuda Taichi and coiling around a large tree, pinning him in place and rendering him immobile.
"Behold the wonder of my art! Hah!"
"Gokuda Taichi Shock Value +500."
Strongest Artist System Host: Deidara Shock Value: 350/2000 Skill Points: 1 Unlocked Skills: Explosion Mastery Level 1
"Nice! I leveled up!" Deidara grinned and immediately allocated his Skill Point to unlock the C2 Enhanced Great Dragon. Now he finally had a trump card—this dragon would allow him to battle even kage-level opponents.
"Deidara, you're too slow. Didn't I tell you not to keep me waiting?" Sasori arrived from behind, piloting Hiruko and delivering his usual complaint.
"Brother Sasori, waiting for art is a kind of enjoyment in itself."
"You idiot! That's not art!" Sasori retorted with irritation.
"Alright, since we're done here, let's find a place to rest until the Leader gives us new orders. I want to spend some time studying my new art," Deidara suggested. He understood that relying solely on the system wasn't enough to strengthen himself. He needed to fully utilize his own talents, especially now that he had unlocked the C2 Enhanced Great Dragon. Developing his own unique clay techniques was just as important.
"Fine. I've got two puppets to work on anyway," Sasori agreed, clearly uninterested in these trivial matters. The two of them traveled through the forest and found a nearby town to settle in.
"Ah, this feels great! Brother Sasori, don't you eat anything?" Deidara asked, holding a skewer of dango. The mouth on his face bit into the first piece, the mouth on his right hand took the last piece, and the mouth on his left hand sipped tea. This unique "Triple Speed" way of eating was a skill that only Deidara could pull off.
Sasori: "..."
"You eat by yourself. I'm heading back to my room to work on my puppets." Sasori, having turned himself into a puppet, thought he had long since shed all human emotions and concerns for worldly matters. But today, he realized he was wrong—he couldn't stand the strange looks from the other diners.
"That big brother is amazing!" a chubby child exclaimed with admiration. Eating at triple speed was the ultimate dream for a foodie like him.
"Of course!" Deidara replied, biting into another dango and flashing a friendly smile at the boy.
After finishing his meal, Deidara returned to his room. Feeling bored, he decided to tease Sasori a bit. "Brother Sasori, with your appearance, how do you even sleep at night?"
Sasori, busy assembling puppet parts, paused for two seconds, seemingly suppressing his anger. "This is just my puppet! What do you mean by 'appearance'?!"
"Oh, a puppet, huh?" Deidara feigned surprise. "But this puppet is about the size of a person, and you're inside it. Doesn't that make you curl up like a bug underground?"
"I'll kill you, Deidara!" Sasori's Hiruko puppet extended a long, flat metal tail, its razor-sharp tip gleaming coldly as it lunged at Deidara.
"Hey! Brother Sasori! This is a hotel! If you break the room, we'll have to pay for it!" Deidara shouted, dodging the attack.
"Brother Sasori! Are you serious? I'm sorry, okay? Truce!"
As the two of them playfully bickered in the hotel room, a sudden surge of oppressive chakra filled the air. Moments later, a middle-aged man dressed as a ninja was sent flying into their room, followed by a dark red tail that smashed the entire building to pieces.
"What's going on? This chakra is insane!" Deidara exclaimed, caught off guard.
"It's a Tailed Beast. Judging by the location, it's probably the Seven-Tails from Takigakure," Sasori said calmly. He was no stranger to such violent and malevolent chakra. During his time in Sunagakure, he had witnessed the rampages of the One-Tail Shukaku. Given that they were in the Land of Waterfalls, it was easy for him to deduce that the rampaging beast was the Seven-Tails.
"Oh? Things are getting interesting. On the bright side, at least we don't have to pay for the hotel anymore," Deidara joked with a grin.
"Shall we check it out, Brother Sasori? The Seven-Tails could be a fantastic subject for art!" Deidara's face lit up with excitement. Perhaps it was the influence of the original Deidara's passion for art, but even as a transmigrator, he couldn't help but feel his blood boil at moments like this.
"Boring," Sasori dismissed the idea. Akatsuki was still in its covert phase, and Nagato hadn't yet issued orders to capture the Tailed Beasts. Sasori had no interest in meddling.
"Brother Sasori, don't tell me you're afraid you can't take down the Seven-Tails?" Deidara teased.
Every ninja had their strengths and weaknesses depending on their training and abilities. Take Kakashi, for example. With his Lightning Cutter, thousands of copied jutsu from his Sharingan, and exceptional combat intelligence, he could hold his own against almost any humanoid opponent, earning him the nickname "Kakashi 50/50." However, if you put him up against a Tailed Beast, even if the beast just stood there, he wouldn't be able to break through its defense.
Sasori was no exception. His puppets, mechanisms, and poisons were highly effective against human enemies, but against a Tailed Beast? Not so much. The only exception might be his Third Kazekage puppet, which could potentially fight using Magnet Release. Still, it would be a case of using his weaknesses to attack the beast's strengths. No wonder in the original story, it was Deidara who fought Gaara. Under those circumstances, Sasori might not have been able to handle it.
Conversely, someone like Deidara was particularly well-suited for fighting Tailed Beasts.