With a Kakkō of flames shooting into the sky, Deidara circled once in the air, then flew triumphantly above Pain's Deva Path's head. Sasori of the Red Sands, using his puppets, could tell that Deidara was about to commit suicide.
"The enemy isn't all that great. Leader, how come you're in such a sorry state? Why don't you hand over the Akatsuki leader to me? Only the art of explosion can bring peace to the world!"
If we replace 'peace' with 'nuclear peace,' Deidara's idea is indeed the most correct, but the gap between Deidara's Clay Bomb and 'nuclear peace' is roughly equivalent to the leap from the Stone Age to modern society.
But Pain's Deva Path had no time to pay attention to the two goofballs, and looked at the center of the explosion with a puzzled expression.
"What did you just do, Genjutsu? Impossible, the Rinnegan is immune to all visual Genjutsu. What just happened looked like..."
" Space-Time Ninjutsu."
Sasori of the Red Sands, overlooking the battle from the air, answered Pain's Deva Path's questions.
Chakra Chakra rod was just an inch away from piercing Naoki Senju's heart, but the next second it appeared right in front of him!
This sudden change Pain's Deva Path with no time to react, not to mention that his Chakra was already depleted, leaving him with no strength to even dodge. If Sasori of the Red Sands and Deidara hadn't arrived in time, they could have been collecting the body of their nominal leader.
Of course, after a while, a Pain with a different appearance but also possessing the Rinnegan will take over the position of the previous leader of Akatsuki. However, Yahiko is of extraordinary significance to Nagato and Konan, so Nagato is sincerely grateful to Sasori of the Red Sands is usually quite unreliable.
As a token of gratitude, Sasori of the Red Sands's embezzlement of Akatsuki's funds will not be investigated, but he must make up for all the shortfall!
After losing its finance minister Kakuzu, the Akatsuki became increasingly strapped for cash, with a large sum of money flowing out of its accounts every month. The Akatsuki's hard-earned savings of decades were shrinking dramatically.
There's a traitor within the Akatsuki! Nagato strongly suspects it's Sasori of the Red Sands, who secretly created the puppets.
It's not surprising that the Akatsuki's finances are becoming increasingly strained, nor is it surprising that large sums of money are disappearing every time. After all, 600 million Explosive Tag —that's a massive order that can't be fulfilled all at once; it takes time, doesn't it?
The culprit who embezzled Akatsuki's funds, upon seeing the live broadcast footage from the Rinnegan and that rarely mentioned Ninjutsu, grew increasingly dangerous in her gaze. Of course, she couldn't possibly carry six hundred million Explosive Tag with her—the burden would be too heavy—but she certainly had at least tens of thousands of Explosive Tag...
" Space-Time Ninjutsu... Nagato! That Masked Man who calls himself Madara Uchiha also uses Space-Time Ninjutsu!"
Konan frowned and said, "If her guess is correct, then the entire Akatsuki is not being infiltrated, but being manipulated by the Masked Man, or rather, the Masked Man who is suspected to be Senju Naoki Senju."
Nagato also considered this chilling guess, but he quickly dismissed it.
" Konan, calm down. The age gap between them is too big. Even Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, couldn't possibly maintain such a youthful appearance."
Konan was taken aback. Yes, it had been more than ten years since they first saw the Masked Man. The Masked Man was at least thirty years old. What Ninjutsu could keep someone's appearance at eighteen? At least Tsunade's Yin Seal couldn't do that.
"But... Space-Time Ninjutsu, Nagato, do you have a way to break it?"
Nagato remained silent. If he had a way to break the Space-Time Ninjutsu, he would have captured and interrogated the Masked Man long ago, instead of allowing him to infiltrate the Akatsuki.
" Space-Time Ninjutsu? That sounds amazing. Is there a way to break it?"
Deidara, chewing on white clay, chatted leisurely with Sasori of the Red Sands about gossip.
"No."
Sasori of the Red Sands's answer was still concise and reassuring, but at this moment they all wished that Sasori of the Red Sands's answer could be more detailed.
The distant explosions gradually subsided, Deidara's hard work of twenty minutes came to a complete end, and the Akatsuki's chat activity had to be suspended.
" Wind Release: Wind Killing Formation"
In the swirling sandstorm of the desert, the power of the Wind Release Ninjutsu was further enhanced. Amidst the howling wind and the blinding yellow sand, a blood-red afterimage flashed by.
The next second, Deidara, who was leisurely overlooking the battlefield, was dragged down from the sky by a ferocious figure. Judging from his appearance alone, it was questionable whether he could still be called a 'human'.
"One, two,... seven, eight, can Partial Tailed Beast Transformation already reach Eight-Tails?" Sasori of the Red Sands asked solemnly.
The Akatsuki's research on the Tailed Beast was extremely detailed. They even had involvement in the Eight-Tails' loss of Akatsuki in the Kumogakure. On that occasion, the Akatsuki obtained all of the Kumogakure's research on Perfect Jinchuriki, as well as one of the Eight-Tails ' tails.
Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, an ability exclusive to Jinchūriki, is naturally included in the research data. Chakra can enter this special state by absorbing a large amount of Tailed Beast Jinchūriki, resulting in a significant increase in speed, strength, and Chakra.
Only by becoming Perfect Jinchuriki can one maintain a clear mind during this process.
Naoki Senju has undoubtedly achieved this. Deidara, who was swooped down by the Clay Bird, threw out the Clay Bomb in his hand, preparing for a point-blank head-on explosion, so that the enemy could experience the art of explosion!
But before he could even take the first step, Deidara's left arm was cleanly severed by claws formed from the Tailed Beast Chakra. The cut was so smooth it was unbelievable.
Even the Clay Bomb that were about to detonate were enveloped in the Tailed Beast Chakra, rendering the incredibly powerful Clay Bomb unable to produce a proper explosion, completely lacking the artistry that Deidara sought.
"Ah--"
With one arm severed, Deidara's pain manifested as a scream, causing Pain's Deva Path and Sasori of the Red Sands to frown and remain silent.
No matter how talented Deidara was, he was still a novice ninja who hadn't experienced much real combat. The few battles he had involved were mostly just throwing Clay Bomb in the air. There were very few ninjas with the ability to fly, and not many Ninjutsu that could be used to attack the air. So Deidara was never injured until the end of the battle.
Deidara's only defeat was due to Uchiha Itachi Genjutsu; he wasn't seriously injured and certainly didn't experience the pain of losing an arm.
This lesson from defeat will surely be etched in Deidara's memory!
" Shinra Tensei ( Shinra Tensei )."
The repulsive force expanded from Pain's Deva Path's body, but it was too slow to catch up with the Partial Tailed Beast Transformation of Naoki Senju. Before the repulsive force arrived, Naoki Senju had already dodged it.
However, Pain's Deva Path's goal had already been achieved. Sasori of the Red Sands, controlling the Third Kazekage, saved Deidara, who was bleeding profusely and looked like he was about to die from the pain.