The Strongest Artist in Naruto

With Gamakichi gone, only the boss of Mount Myoboku's Three Toads remained in the battle.

From Deidara's current vantage point, the moment to detonate the clay Mega Serpent had finally arrived.

"Jiraiya! Are you done yet?!"

"If this keeps up, we're finished!" Gamabunta growled, struggling against the massive serpent coiled around him while keeping an eye on Deidara above.

Seeing Deidara preparing another explosive attack, Gamabunta felt his legs tremble. At this range, an explosion would be the end of him.

Jiraiya also realized the danger. "Bunta, throw me at Deidara, then return to Mount Myoboku!"

"Got it! Hang on tight!"

Gamabunta grabbed Jiraiya, hurling him high into the air with all his strength. As he vanished in a puff of summoning smoke, he muttered, I'm not sticking around to be blown to pieces.

"Art is an explosion! Hah!"

The next moment, a massive shockwave radiated from the clay Mega Serpent at the center of the blast, accompanied by intense heat and light. The force surged outward at alarming speed, almost overtaking Jiraiya mid-air.

But just as the blast was about to consume him, Jiraiya's expression changed sharply. His face was suddenly marked with oil-like streaks, his body adopting subtle amphibian traits.

Sage Mode—activated!

With the transformation complete, Fukasaku and Shima appeared on his shoulders.

Fukasaku immediately twisted around and exhaled a powerful Wind Release toward the oncoming shockwave.

"Sage Art: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

The wind, infused with sage chakra, couldn't completely negate the explosion, but it slowed it enough for Jiraiya to ride the recoil and propel himself higher.

At this moment, Deidara's clay dragons became stepping stones for Jiraiya. Leaping from one to the next, he steadily closed the gap between them. Deidara tried to detonate the dragons beneath him, but with the heightened reflexes of Sage Mode, Jiraiya always managed to leap to safety just in time.

No good! I can't let him get any closer!

Desperate, Deidara detonated all the clay dragons in front of Jiraiya at once. Without a foothold, surely Jiraiya couldn't continue his pursuit.

But to Deidara's shock, Jiraiya didn't stop.

"Earth Release: Earth Falling Dome!"

A massive stone disc materialized beneath Jiraiya, becoming his new platform. Though it began descending immediately, it provided the few precious seconds he needed.

Deidara quickly released a swarm of clay serpents. They slithered onto the stone disc, ready to detonate.

"Not happening!"

"Sage Art: Goemon!"

Jiraiya spewed oil while Shima added Fire Release and Fukasaku unleashed Wind Release, creating a firestorm far more destructive than the Toad Oil Flame Bullet. Enhanced by sage chakra, the attack incinerated the clay serpents, melted the stone disc, and even scorched the head of Deidara's clay dragon.

Forced to abandon his crumbling dragon, Deidara mounted a smaller clay bird, opting to create more distance.

"Too slow!"

Jiraiya appeared suddenly in front of him, his robes in tatters, most of his white hair singed, and his face smudged with soot.

He had charged straight through the flames, enduring the burns. The earlier explosive attack was a ruse to obscure Deidara's vision.

"Fukasaku-sama! Shima-sama! Now's our chance!" Jiraiya shouted.

Close combat with the enemy—it was the perfect opportunity.

The two elder toads immediately puffed out their chests and let out a resonating croak.

"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"

The sound reverberated like the chorus of frogs on a summer night, but its power was far from ordinary. Deidara's vision distorted as the genjutsu took hold.

The Toad Duet.

A genjutsu of sage-level potency, second only to Mangekyo Sharingan techniques. Even someone with the Rinnegan like Nagato would fall prey to it.

Deidara's surroundings shifted. The sky vanished, replaced by an eerie, water-filled cube. He floated inside it, surrounded by four massive toad statues. Each held a sword in one hand, the other hand pointed at him, emanating an oppressive spiritual force that immobilized him completely.

Though submerged, he found he could still breathe and even speak.

Jiraiya approached, flanked by the elder toads.

"It's over. This space is a mental construct—once you're trapped here, there's no escape."

"Now, spill everything about the Akatsuki. Who's your leader? How many core members are there, and what are their abilities?"

"If you're cooperative, I might just spare your life. You'd only need to spend some time in Konoha's prison."

Deidara smirked. "You think you've won?"

"Oh? Still hiding an ace up your sleeve?"

"Of course…"

Before Jiraiya could react, Deidara's image flickered and vanished.

What? Jiraiya froze. Deidara wasn't a jinchūriki, so how had he broken free of the genjutsu?

Back in the real world, Deidara dropped to one knee on his clay bird, coughing up blood.

The answer was simple.

Deidara had implanted tiny clay insects inside his body, feeding them a constant stream of chakra to keep them on the brink of detonation. If he was caught in a genjutsu, the disruption in chakra flow would cause the insects to explode, inflicting self-harm but also destabilizing his chakra network enough to break the illusion.

It was a brutal but effective method, one that even Sage-level genjutsu couldn't counter.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya grimaced. Though he didn't fully understand how Deidara had escaped, he knew the best opportunity had slipped away. His Sage Mode was about to run out, and Deidara's allies were close to breaking through the barrier.

With so many factors against him, continuing the fight was no longer an option.

"This enemy's stronger than I thought. Time to retreat."

"Got it!" Fukasaku replied. "Shima and I will head back first. Be careful, kid!"

"Don't worry about me."

With that, Jiraiya vanished into the forest below. Deidara hurled a massive clay bomb after him, but it failed to connect. Jiraiya was gone.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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