After yet another exchange, the second round of battle had come to an end.
Realizing that Deidara's strength was not to be underestimated and that they couldn't take him down in one swift move, Sarutobi Tendo adjusted his tactics once more.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
If the Three Basic Jutsu were essential for genin, then the Five Dragon Bullet Techniques were must-know skills for jonin.
Whether it was the Fire Dragon Bullet, Water Dragon Bullet, Earth Dragon Bullet, or others, they were among the most powerful B-rank jutsu, boasting high destructive power and relatively low chakra consumption—a highly efficient choice.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!" Shimura Seito followed up with a Wind Release technique, slicing through Hiruko's wooden arm shields and clearing the path for Sarutobi Tendo's Fire Dragon Bullet.
"C2: Standard Type—Combat Hatchling Dragon!" "C2: Standard Type—Raiding Pterodactyl!" "C2: Standard Type—Velociraptor!"
Deidara, of course, wasn't idle. A swarm of clay creatures erupted from his hands, instantly covering the entire street.
"Hyuga Kanade's Shock Value +1000." "Sarutobi Tendo's Shock Value +1000." "Shimura Seito's Shock Value..."
"Whoa! This is bad!" A bead of cold sweat dripped down Hyuga Kanade's forehead.
As a taijutsu specialist adept at one-on-one combat, he was completely unsuited to restraining someone like Deidara.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Air Palm!" Kanade resorted to his only long-range attack, striking down one clay creature with each palm.
But it was futile. He seemed surrounded by an ocean of clay creatures, encircled three to four layers deep. If not for his Byakugan, he might have thought he was the only one left on the battlefield.
Deidara wasn't in a hurry to assist Sasori; after all, those two opponents were no match for Sasori. Instead, his focus was on locating the three hidden enemies.
The system's Shock Value notifications proved incredibly useful. With just a glance, he realized there were three individuals hiding in the shadows—a discovery that startled him.
"We may have been exposed," Aburame Shikun remarked.
Though he wore dark sunglasses, they didn't hinder his vision. Members of the Aburame Clan relied on their insects to gather information from the outside world. Over time, their human eyesight became secondary.
When he saw Deidara beginning to create numerous clay centipedes capable of burrowing underground, Shikun knew their position had been compromised. Otherwise, in such a tightly contested battle, Deidara wouldn't have the luxury to focus on such tactics.
"What should we do?" Tsukigetsu Rin, a soft-spoken woman with little decisiveness, asked nervously. Her timid personality was the reason she hadn't pursued her family's swordsmanship, opting to become a medical ninja instead.
"Don't worry," Shikun said confidently, pushing his glasses up with his index finger. "It's time for my insects to act."
Ugh!
Deidara, who was busy chewing clay, suddenly felt a sharp pain inside his body, as if countless insects were gnawing at him.
Wait—insects!
The Shock Value notifications earlier had mentioned someone with the surname Aburame. So, before the ambush, his opponent had already planted parasitic insects on him!
This is bad!
Deidara felt his chakra rapidly draining, and his body gradually becoming paralyzed. It seemed the insects were also laced with poison.
So this was their real plan. The Konoha ninja's aggressive attacks on Sasori had merely been a feint. Their true target was Deidara.
Sarutobi Tendo and Shimura Seito were simply trying to keep Sasori occupied, preventing him from coming to Deidara's aid. After all, puppet masters were known for their expertise in antidotes.
What now?
Deidara's mind raced. He could call for help—he was confident that if Sasori got serious, he could quickly deal with the enemies and remove the insects.
But that would be too humiliating!
Suddenly, Deidara noticed a skill on his Skill Tree. Thanks to the recent battles, he had leveled up and gained a new Skill Point.
"Morphology: Insect Form Mastery."
Learn immediately!
A mysterious sensation washed over him, as if he had gained an innate ability. Deidara now knew how to create extremely small and intricate clay insects.
Chew! Chew!
He quickly produced tiny clay insects, no larger than mosquitoes, and sent them crawling into his own body.
I really am ruthless—even to myself!
"Ha!"
Boom!
Deidara spat out a mouthful of blood, dropping to one knee. His body felt as if it were falling apart, with his internal organs and various parts sustaining varying degrees of damage from the explosions.
The good news was that the blast had scared off the remaining insects inside him. Even those that hadn't died fled his body in a panic.
After all, they were just insects—lacking intelligence and driven purely by instinct. No matter how well they were controlled through secret techniques, unforeseen circumstances would still throw them into disarray.
From a distance, Aburame Shikun's expression grew heavier. Though the Aburame Clan's cloaks hid their faces, Rin, being a woman, keenly sensed the change in his demeanor.
"What's wrong, Shikun?" she asked.
"My pre-placed insects have been removed. There's no point in hiding any longer. We should reveal ourselves," Shikun replied calmly.
The two emerged from their hiding spot and quickly regrouped with Sarutobi Tendo and the others. The battlefield once again entered a temporary stalemate.
After three rounds, the fourth would be the decisive one to determine the victor.
As the team leader, Sarutobi Tendo had to reassess the likelihood of winning this battle.
On the surface, the enemy had one injured fighter, but the puppet master remained calm and composed, clearly holding back much of his strength.
On their side, while no one had been injured, they were heavily drained. Tendo, in particular, had less than 30% of his chakra remaining after repeatedly using ninjutsu.
Although they had five members, Tsukigetsu Rin wasn't a combatant, and Aburame Shikun's revealed presence meant his combat effectiveness wouldn't be high.
The outlook wasn't promising.
Tendo was still deliberating, but Sasori and Deidara weren't about to give him the chance to retreat. After all, they wouldn't let their enemies escape after causing such trouble.
"C2: Special Type—Broodmother Spider!"
A massive clay spider, towering as high as a two-story building, appeared. Unlike Deidara's usual rounded Clay Spiders, this one had an enormous, bloated abdomen.
"Let me show you my new art!" Deidara stood up, seemingly forgetting his injuries, and clasped his hands together with his index fingers crossed.
"Secret Technique: Bug Hive!"
Countless ping-pong ball-sized clay spiders spewed from the Broodmother Spider's abdomen, raining down like a snowstorm.
Deidara had long wanted to develop a ground-combat-oriented mother-type clay creature modeled after the C2 Enhanced Great Dragon. With Insect Form Mastery, he had finally achieved it.
"Sarutobi Tendo's Shock Value +1000." "Shimura Seito's Shock Value..."
"We're... we're doomed!" Tsukigetsu Rin's body trembled uncontrollably. The sheer number of clay creatures was overwhelming—there was no way they could win.