"That Kabuto guy actually Edo'd that clay-art blockhead!" Tenten grumbled.
"He's definitely a troublesome one!"
Guy stole a glance upward amid the fight, then made a decision. "Yo–shi! Tenten, he's in the air—maybe only you can deal with him. You've killed him once before, too. I'm assigning him to you again!"
"Eh? Guy-sensei, that guy is super annoying!"
Tenten clearly didn't want to go, but thinking about how all the flyers were tied up—and that maybe only she could handle him—she couldn't just let that guy keep dropping bombs everywhere.
Her husband had said it: Konoha had lots of their family's businesses.
She'd tried to persuade her dad to sell; he wouldn't. Tried to get him to move to the Fire Capital; still wouldn't. It had stressed her husband out.
If Deidara kept bombing and one of their shops got hit, that'd be a huge loss. So that bastard had to be stopped!
"Fine! I'll handle him! You guys take care of things here!"
As she spoke, Tenten pulled out a scroll and Kuchiyose (Summoning)-ed a huge mass of iron sand. Then she popped open the Magnet Release external heart mounted on her right arm and, wielding Jiton (Magnet Release) chakra, lifted herself on the iron sand and shot into the sky.
Lee couldn't help sighing, "Tenten just keeps getting stronger—she's even mastered Magnet Release now!"
Guy beamed with pride. "She's my student! Your teammate! Our pride!"
Uh… Tenten getting stronger doesn't really have much to do with us, though…
Neji cut in quickly, "Don't get distracted. We need to finish this enemy fast! Everyone else won't have it easy; we must go help right away!"
Lee and Guy sobered at once.
Knowing the Gakidō (Preta Path) would absorb chakra, close combat wasn't ideal. The two of them stomped the ground hard and launched in to attack from below.
Meanwhile, Tenten was already riding the iron sand up. In both hands she wielded Kiba (Twin Swords of the Thunder God); the moment she neared the clay birds, streaks of lightning crashed down, instantly frying the flock and sending them tumbling out of control.
By the time Deidara reacted, only the bird under his feet remained.
But he didn't care about that—he was furious. "It's you—the exploding tag heretic 'artist' brat!"
Tenten looked smug. "Heretic? My exploding tags beat you; that makes my way the righteous way. You're the loser—you're the heretic. And quit playing with that crappy clay; babies play with that. The neighbor's little brat quit at one year old!"
"You! You! Fine! I'll show you my ultimate art again!"
Deidara immediately formed a clay dragon, sending the giant beast charging at Tenten. But Tenten loosed a flash of lightning and turned every explosive into a dud.
Clay bombs are countered by Lightning nature. How many times does she have to say it before you get it?
Even Kabuto couldn't watch anymore. "Deidara, are you even trying?"
Deidara got angrier. "You doubt my art too? Then get off! I won't let anyone who doubts my art ride my clay bird!"
…This guy forgot he's an Edo Tensei puppet who can be controlled?
But Kabuto didn't argue, nor did he seize control. He actually decided to head down—because he knew Natsuki's girlfriend was trouble, and if he could dodge, he should dodge fast.
Looking closely—wasn't that iron sand clearly being controlled with Magnet Release?!
Since when could she use Magnet Release too?!
As expected, anyone tied to Natsuki was a pain to deal with!
"Kabuto, hold it! If I kill you first, that solves the other Edo bodies, right? Then—die!"
Tenten ramped up her Magnet Release output. The iron sand compressed into a storm of giant spikes that hammered down like rain, instantly engulfing Deidara and Kabuto.
Deidara was an Edo body—damage didn't matter.
Kabuto immediately entered Ryūchi-dō Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode of the Dragon Cave); serpent-like scales warded off the iron-sand barrage. He was feeling smug when a bolt of lightning speared him, leaving him charred outside and tender inside—"crispy-juicy" and howling.
Good thing Sage Mode is tough—he barely held onto his life, then scrambled to hide after hitting the ground.
"This guy's a mantis or what? Still not dead!"
Tenten was dissatisfied. Seeing the shredded Deidara still not "dead," she understood Edo Tensei was a pain—and unfortunately, she wasn't exactly a sealing expert.
"Pointless to keep trading blows with this guy. Better finish this fast and help the others. So—no need to hide it anymore. Time to reveal my trump card and show this guy what the power of the Sage of Six Paths looks like!"
A chill.
A deathly stillness.
Tenten's eyes gleamed; even her smile turned terrifying, making Deidara extremely uneasy.
She drew out a scroll and Kuchiyose (Summoning)-ed three sacred tools. A red gourd went on her back, a white rope coiled around her left hand, and a fan-like sword into her right—imposing and divine.
"What's with that trick now? Whatever it is, it's nothing compared to my explosive art!"
Deidara felt invincible.
He was Edo Tensei—why fear exploding tag "heretic art"? Even a hundred million tags were no threat. So he didn't care about whatever Tenten was doing.
Tenten chuckled. "You'll regret it very soon."
She brushed her left hand over the iron sand, planting a Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) formula, then hurled the iron sand toward Deidara. Deidara didn't even dodge—getting hit meant nothing, right?
The very next instant, Tenten warped beside him via Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God). The rope in her hand—Kōkinjō (Golden Canopy Rope)—snapped out, brushing Deidara's body.
Just as Deidara opened his mouth to speak, he felt something spill out—formless and weightless, visible yet intangible. At that precise moment, Tenten's Shichiseiken (Seven Star Sword) slashed down, severing that "something," and the red gourd—Benihisago (Crimson Gourd)—sucked it right in.
"What was that?" Deidara grew uneasy.
Tenten had already flickered back via Hiraishin. She reversed the blade to hide the character etched on it—"Art." It was a cursed kotodama: the moment Deidara uttered the keyword, he'd be swallowed by the Crimson Gourd.
Tenten baited him with words at once. "By the way, what was that crap you call clay 'explosion' again?"
Deidara exploded with fury. "Don't you dare! My clay explosions are the ultimate art! I—…hng? Something's—"
Before he could finish, the force of the Benihisago (Crimson Gourd) yanked him in and sealed him completely.
This time, nobody's Edo Tensei-ing that guy again!
"Heh heh—done!"
Tenten, the big red gourd on her back, Kōkinjō (Golden Canopy Rope) in one hand and Shichiseiken (Seven Star Sword) in the other, looked every inch a descended goddess. "Looks like I'm a perfect counter to Edo Tensei bodies. In that case, time to go help the others!"
She darted away, thrilled.
The group of Edo bodies surrounding the jinchūriki suddenly shivered out of nowhere—as if something terrifying had just set its sights on them…
(End of Chapter)
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