Self-Destruct Clone

After having Iori send out the message, Shamu set off as well, taking Deidara with him while he was secretly preparing clay.

"Hey! Shamu! Give me back my clay! My technique can fly—we can get anywhere quickly, hmm!"

Shamu did not tell Deidara where they were going. If Deidara found out they were going to meet that old man Ōnoki—

Whether he would even have the nerve to go was questionable.

"This, huh?" Shamu pretended to think.

Then he circled behind Deidara. A chill ran through Deidara's heart. Before he could react, pain exploded in the back of his head, and his vision went black as he lost consciousness.

Shamu looked at Deidara collapsed on the ground and nodded in satisfaction.

Rather than constantly trying to outwit Deidara every day, guarding against him secretly gathering clay or secretly wearing down the seal on his Chakra—

It was all a waste of time.

There was still enough time, so there was no need to ride his flying bird.

Shamu hoisted Deidara over his shoulder and headed straight for the border.

After about a day, Shamu was nearly at the place where he had arranged to meet Ōnoki.

However, he was a little early. Shamu decided to do some brainwashing on Deidara.

Shamu casually tossed Deidara onto the ground. Deidara woke up after hitting the dirt, covered from head to toe in dust.

"Ah! Uchiha Shamu! What exactly are you trying to do? Hmm!"

Deidara had woken up once on the road, only to be knocked unconscious by Shamu again.

For an entire day, Deidara had either been unconscious or about to be knocked unconscious.

Now that he had awakened, his head was muddled, and he had no idea what had happened.

The moment he came to his senses, he let out an enraged roar, thoroughly exasperated!

What the hell!? If you won't give me clay, then don't give me clay! What's with knocking me out, hmm?

Shamu stretched his body. Carrying the hundred-odd-pound Deidara all the way had actually been rather heavy.

A smile tugged at Shamu's lips. If he simply handed Deidara over to Ōnoki, his value would not be that great.

But if he could brainwash Deidara and train him into willingly becoming Ōnoki's successor, then it would be a huge favor.

"I told you on the way here. Your method of using explosions to display art is far too limited."

"Hmph, I don't believe you. Explosions are the finest expression of art, hmm!" Deidara refused to accept that.

Shamu took out a storage scroll and tossed Deidara the clay that had been confiscated from him.

"Come on, Deidara. Show me your art."

Deidara caught his clay in stunned confusion.

Seeing Shamu's manner, he could not understand what he meant. "What do you mean? You want to fight me?"

Shamu nodded indifferently and reached out to directly undo the seal on Deidara.

Feeling the abundant Chakra inside him finally begin to flow again—

"You said it, hmm!"

Shamu was now the clan head of the Uchiha Clan. If he could defeat Uchiha Shamu, then more people would surely learn about his art. Hmm!

The hand holding Deidara's clay trembled slightly. He had not been allowed to knead clay for so many days. It had been absolute torture.

Shamu crooked a finger. "Come on. Use that clay and make some art for me to see."

"Let me appreciate your art."

The contempt in Shamu's gaze thoroughly enraged Deidara.

"Hmph! Last time, you only won because you caught me off guard. I won't lose so easily this time!"

Shamu stood still without moving an inch.

"Don't worry. I won't use genjutsu this time."

Deidara snorted coldly, getting his hands warmed up a little before the three mouths began chewing the clay and mixing it in the proper proportions.

They were still some distance from their destination. There were few scouts in this area, making it suitable for a fight.

A lump of clay emerged from the mouths in Deidara's palms. With a rub of his hands, the clay took the shape of a bird.

Deidara tossed it out. Once the bird left his hand, it transformed into a giant bird.

Deidara flipped onto the giant bird's back.

Seeing that Shamu still had not moved, Deidara could not help getting angry. "Shamu, you will pay for underestimating me!"

Shamu yawned. "Hurry up. I've been waiting so long the flowers have withered."

Deidara snorted and continued chewing with the mouths in his hands, spitting out another lump of clay.

Deidara kneaded the clay between both hands, turning all of it into tiny spiders.

The giant clay bird flapped its wings and flew into the sky. Deidara scattered the spiders from above, and countless little spiders rained down.

Deidara formed a hand seal.

"Detonate!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Countless explosions rang out, and smoke and dust filled the area in an instant.

Deidara did not even look at the result. He immediately began making other clay bombs.

What a joke. If the head of the Uchiha Clan could be blown to death that easily, it would be ridiculous.

Deidara kneaded clay in his hands and quickly created a clay clone.

Meanwhile, Deidara's own body merged into the giant clay bird.

As the smoke dispersed, a gleaming golden skeletal frame enveloped Shamu. Shamu looked up and saw that Deidara seemed to be making a second bomb.

Shamu formed hand seals.

Water Style: Water Severing Wave!

Shamu puffed out his cheeks, and a water blade with extraordinary cutting power sliced off the giant bird's wings from below.

The giant bird swayed as it fell from the sky.

Deidara leaped down from midair. He threw out two flying bird bombs and two grasshopper bombs in succession, but Shamu dodged every one of them.

A smile curled at Shamu's lips. "Deidara, I don't approve of this kind of art of yours."

Anger appeared on Deidara's face. "Let me show you my ultimate art, hmm!"

He stamped his foot, and his body began to swell.

"Art is an explosion!!"

"Detonate!"

But the moment Deidara's body began to swell, Shamu had already activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

This was Deidara's Self-Destruct Clone. Others might not know, but Shamu knew it perfectly well.

If he dealt with this Self-Destruct Clone now, he would have no idea where Deidara's real body had gone.

The Mangekyō Sharingan's perception was extremely sharp. Shamu could clearly tell that this Deidara had not performed the movements required for the Earth Dragon Hidden Technique when he was about to self-destruct.

That meant Deidara had switched his original body with the clone much earlier.

Shamu narrowed his eyes slightly, immediately thinking of the giant clay bird he had just shot down.

At that moment, Deidara had already crawled out of the fallen giant clay bird before the explosion.

The first thing he did after crawling out was use the Earth Dragon Hidden Technique to burrow underground.

And he was still continuing to travel beneath the earth.

That was right. He was planning to escape. From the very start, he had not fallen for Shamu's provocation at all. Shamu was, after all, a clan head.

There was no way he could defeat him now.

Taking the chance to flee was the best possible option.

Though he did not know why Shamu had brought him out here, Shamu definitely had no good intentions.

By then, the clone had swelled to its limit and exploded!

Boom!

Enormous flames and shockwaves erupted outward.

They plowed through all the nearby trees and the ground, leaving the area utterly bare from the blast.

The trees farther out were all uprooted and hurled to the ground.

The entire forest shook violently. The commotion could be heard for several kilometers around.