Is That Really Deidara?

"Kurotsuchi, are you an idiot?"

"Deidara, delicious!"

"Hmph, you're so silly, Dango have to be eaten one bite at a time."

The hedgehog-haired Rock Ninja heard the sounds behind him and felt a surge of irritation.

But he didn't show any impatience on his face.

This was an order from the Third Tsuchikage, and as the "vice-captain," he was to cooperate fully.

The captain is the blond kid behind him.

After waiting a while, he turned around and walked towards the two children.

"Captain Deidara," he looked at the blond boy, "What are your instructions regarding the next step?"

Deidara looked up at the man in front of him.

The man's name was Kari, and he was the former captain of the Demolition Corps.

Deidara could sense that the other person didn't like him.

It's fair to say that the Demolition Corps didn't really like him.

As a disciple of the Tsuchikage, he didn't really care about his teacher's arrangement, nor did he have any intention of provoking a veteran Jonin from the village.

"No, Captain Hunting, I'm only here to learn from you. Of course, the troops' operations are under your command."

These words made Shou feel much better.

It seems this kid isn't arrogant.

He thought to himself.

Hunting wasn't intolerant of anyone; he was just annoyed by the Tsuchikage's brutal arrangement.

I'm also a ninja from Iwagakure. I'd protect the village's young people even without you telling me. What kind of stunt is this?! Who do you take me for?

"Deidara, you are the Tsuchikage's disciple. Although the Lord Tsuchikage hasn't explicitly stated it, I know his arrangements. Therefore, you are indeed the captain for this mission, and there's no need for you to refuse." Kari smiled slightly. "If you have any questions about Explosion Release, feel free to ask me."

"I understand, Brother Kari. This is my first time leaving the village, please give me some guidance." Deidara nodded, thought for a moment, and asked, "Brother Kari, is it possible that we might come into contact with the allied forces of the Grass Ninja and the Konoha Ninja if we use this route?"

"Perhaps it's possible, but the chances are extremely small," Kari said. "Although the Grass Ninja are despicable, precisely because they are despicable, they won't easily act against us. As long as we don't enter the Land of Grass, they will observe."

"Did they know we would infiltrate from this side?"

"Well, while the Grass Ninja aren't great at fighting, they're exceptional at intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. But they won't be able to see us."

After speaking, Shou looked at the girl to the side.

"Kurotsuchi, what stage has your 'Lava Release' reached?"

"Eh? Hmm..." Kurotsuchi, still reminiscing about the taste of Dango, first sucked on her fingers, then thought for a moment and said, "I can build a bridge."

"Okay, that's good. We'll cross the river. Use your Lava Release if needed."

"Okay!" Kurotsuchi smiled and raised her little hand.

Hunting turned and left.

After he had walked a short distance, Kurotsuchi leaned close to Deidara's ear and whispered, "Deidara, Kari-nii is so fierce."

"Kurotsuchi, even if you speak very softly, Brother Kari can still hear you," Deidara sighed.

He ignored Kurotsuchi, took out his ninja tool bag, and began to inspect it.

"Deidara, are you going to pinch me?"

"Idiot, why are you kneading it now? I'm checking if there's enough clay."

Deidara examined it carefully.

Strictly speaking, he is not actually a user of Explosion Release.

That's a proper Explosion Release, like the one used by Hunti, which can be used without relying on any medium.

Deidara took a different approach. With his natural interest in explosives, he used a special clay from the Demolition Corps to achieve the same effect as the Explosion Release.

Or rather, even stronger.

This is also why he was noticed by Ōnoki and taken as a disciple.

With Ōnoki's insightful perspective, he naturally recognized Deidara's value at a glance.

If used properly, Deidara's version of Explosion Release can be just as effective as Dust Release on the battlefield.

Moreover, the difficulty of passing down his Ninjutsu is far less than that of Dust Release.

After checking, Deidara put the items away again.

"Alright, everyone's rested enough, let's set off," said Shou.

Everyone stood up and continued forward.

Following this route, they will cross the river in the forest and use the forest's cover to sneak into the Land of Fire.

During wartime, infiltrating the enemy's territory was nothing unusual for the five villages.

This kind of tactical infiltration is what ninjas excel at; the only question is whether they can get back after being discovered.

The battles between the Leaf Village Ninja Army and the Mist Ninja Army are typical examples of mutual infiltration, often involving both sides hiding and maneuvering within a range of tens or even hundreds of kilometers.

Since its inception, the Demolition Corps has adhered to only one operational principle.

When impoverished, employ tactical infiltration; when successful, unleash devastating attacks.

Infiltrate the rear, blow things up, then sneak back. If someone chases you, plant a mine and kill them, then continue infiltrating.

Simple and straightforward.

Yet, he also earned a great reputation.

Gradually, the group approached the river and heard the sound of the water flowing violently.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

They rushed out of the woods and found themselves on a precipice, with the river flowing rapidly below, its current swift and turbulent, constantly splashing and shattering against the sharp rocks, sending up large plumes of white foam.

"Kurotsuchi."

Hunting let out a cry.

Theoretically Earth Release can be used to build bridges, but there is a problem: the bridge built in this way is a product of shape change and must be constantly maintained with Chakra. As soon as the Chakra is interrupted, it will lose stability and will be unable to bear force.

However, the solidified soil created by Kurotsuchi's Lava Release is extremely sturdy and can support a ninja's passage for a short period of time.

"Okay!" Kurotsuchi replied cheerfully.

She ran ahead, her cheeks puffed out, and then sprayed out clumps of lime, connecting the two sides. Another Rock Ninja used Water Release to pour it on, and the lime gradually solidified between the cliffs, forming a simple bridge.

"Let's go!" Kari waved his hand.

Everyone crossed the bridge as quickly as possible.

Then they rushed into the woods.

About a kilometer away from them, Uchiha Shingen, along with the two newcomers from the Hyuga Clan and Inuzuka Clan, stopped.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Is it really Deidara?

The titles for the ranks from Chunin to Special Jōnin vary depending on the speaker.

The official narrative, represented by the five major film studios, describes them as the elite of our army.

However, in private discussions among a group of people who write "Jonin" but read "battlefield veterans," they are referred to as "qualified cannon fodder" and "useful cannon fodder."

The two Special Jōnin that Uchiha Shingen brought with him were both known as geniuses in their respective clans.

Take the Inuzuka Clan as an example. The Inuzuka Clan may not seem to be doing very well in Leaf Village, but their clan is by no means weak and has always been in the middle of the eight great ninja clans.

However, in the great battle between the two villages, the two geniuses were actually just high-ranking cannon fodder.

This is also the true nature of the "geniuses" in the Ninja World.

"Team leader?"

As Uchiha Shingen suddenly stopped, the two geniuses looked up in confusion.

"Yayoi, how far can your Byakugan see now?"

"At full speed, it would probably be close to half a kilometer."

"Then let's see, in that direction." Uchiha Shingen pointed to the right.

Hyuga Clan cute Hinata girl obediently performed the three-part Hand Seals, muscle bursts, and wide-eyed stare.

"Captain, we didn't see anything."

"Captain, there's a smell in the air," the Inuzuka Clan boy said, sniffing the air.

The wind direction at that moment was favorable to him, a ninja with an olfactory sense of perception.

"Yayoi, you've lost to Keita this time." Uchiha Shingen smiled.

The Hyuga Clan girl didn't dare to refute Uchiha Shingen, but she blinked and looked at Inuzuka Keita.

Oh wow, here it comes: the Hyuga Clan's signature look—"expressing dissatisfaction with gossip and nagging from relatives directly yet elegantly when meeting them at the end of the year."

However, Inuzuka Keita, nicknamed "Two Dogs," is a bit of a pervert. Hyuga Yayoi looked at him like that, he blushed with embarrassment.

God knows what he's thinking.

However, the two do have a very good relationship; they seem to be childhood sweethearts.

"Alright, stop playing around, enemies are coming." Uchiha Shingen sensed the streams of Chakra and had already figured out the number and quality of the enemies.

The opposing team has Jonin, and they can be considered "elite".

But that's all. Even with two burdens, an enemy of this caliber isn't enough to make him leave with them first.

Having clashed with veteran Kage -Kage Level like Orochimaru and Kakuzu, Uchiha Shingen now has a more accurate understanding of his own strengths and weaknesses.

After attending the Black Zetsu training course, I further improved my self-assessment ability and had a clear understanding of what I could do in this situation.

"Stand right next to me and don't move," he said.

Judging the distance, he formed a hand seal and blew a breath towards the forest in front of him.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

In an instant, a strong wind arose, which, driven by Uchiha Shingen Chakra, evolved into a storm.

The big trees were uprooted, and the grass and soil were blown into the sky. The wind surged and rose, ravaging everything in front of the three of them.

Hyuga Yayoi and Inuzuka Keita opened their mouths, staring blankly at the scene.

Although their families told them before the battle that the youngest Kage Level expert in the village would guide them, the two didn't actually have a deep understanding of that level.

In the Ninjutsu systems of the Hyuga Clan and Inuzuka Clan, there are never any turret-type powerhouses.

This type of ability is currently only found among the Uchiha Clan and Sarutobi Clan in Leaf Village.

When Uchiha Shingen stopped attacking, the forest in front of him had been cleared into a flat area, stretching far into the distance as if it had no end.

Uchiha Shingen couldn't help but hope that the other party would leave.

His mission was simply to prevent small teams of Rock Ninja from infiltrating.

Upon releasing my senses again, the Chakra on the other side did not disappear; its quantity remained unchanged.

They are elite troops.

He wasn't bragging, but the power of his Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Ninjutsu wouldn't be any less than Orochimaru's, and the fact that the opponent was able to maintain their numbers without suffering any casualties must mean they were Iwagakure's Demolition Corps.

Within the Rock Ninja army's order of battle, only this unit possessed the tactical proficiency to achieve this.

Sure enough, a figure soon appeared at the end of the flat ground.

It's Rock Ninja.

With his Sharingan, he used its perception to clearly see the other person's face from afar.

As expected, it was the Demolition Corps, and the one leading them was Demolition Corps captain, Kari.

Leaf Village has information about him.