Naruto: Deidara’s Struggle

"A fight?"

Mei Terumī's response caught everyone off guard. Could this seductive woman in front of them actually be a battle maniac?

"I acknowledge Kisame's strength, but I can't trust the rest of you. If you don't demonstrate sufficient power, I won't support your plan. After all, without enough strength as a guarantee, it would just be a futile sacrifice," Mei said, her sharp gaze sweeping over them with a seriousness that left no room for doubt.

Kisame glanced at Deidara, who nodded in agreement.

"No problem. That's Itachi Uchiha over there. I'm sure you've heard of him. Why don't you spar with him?" Deidara said, pointing to Itachi.

Mei gave Itachi a once-over, covering her lips with two fingers in a playful gesture. "Well, he is a pretty boy," she remarked with a teasing tone.

"But I don't want to fight him. I want to fight you," she added, her gaze shifting back to Deidara. "After all, you're the leader here, aren't you?"

Deidara didn't mind the idea of a fight—earning Shock Value was never a bad thing. However, his abilities were far too destructive. If he went all out, it would undoubtedly expose their presence.

"You don't need to worry about that!" Mei said, addressing Deidara's unspoken concern.

"Training Ground No. 9 is my personal training area. Because my jutsu are so destructive, I often leave the place in ruins. The village eventually just allocated it to me for exclusive use."

"If we fight there, no matter how destructive your techniques are, the village won't suspect anything. Plus, I can set up a soundproof barrier to limit the spread of noise."

"But I doubt an ordinary barrier would work," Deidara replied, his tone almost dismissive.

To Mei, his response sounded arrogant. She rolled her eyes at him. "Then just don't use techniques with such overwhelming power, and it won't be a problem."

"That would be like tying my hands in a fight! You're being unreasonable!" Deidara retorted.

"Did your mother ever teach you to reason with a woman?" Mei shot back, rolling her eyes again. Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked out.

"S-Sorry!" stammered Chōjūrō, who was carrying the Hiramekarei on his back, clearly embarrassed by the exchange.

The group followed Mei to Training Ground No. 9, the last training ground in Kirigakure. Its remote location was almost outside the village's boundaries.

As Mei had described, the area was a barren stone wasteland, devoid of vegetation. Dark red volcanic rocks, formed from cooled lava, dotted the ground—a clear testament to Mei's Lava Release.

"Let's begin," Mei said, looking at Deidara.

Around the perimeter, several Kirigakure ninja were setting up a barrier. Outside the barrier, Sasori, Kisame, Itachi, Chōjūrō, and Ao stood as spectators.

"Then let me show you my art! Hmm!" Deidara declared, starting the fight with a swarm of Clay Spiders, his usual method of probing an opponent.

Mei glanced at the mouths on Deidara's palms, her expression immediately turning to one of disgust.

"I thought you were a pretty boy, but it turns out you have... those," she said with a sigh, her face showing a hint of regret.

Wasting no time, Mei quickly formed hand seals. Her luscious lips parted, and she spewed a large amount of red-yellow lava that rained down from above, targeting not only the clay spiders but also Deidara himself.

"Lava Release: Melting Apparition!"

"I don't know what those little bugs of yours are for, but I'm not in the mood to test them out. If you've got real strength, show it now! Otherwise, don't blame me if you accidentally get melted," Mei taunted.

Sizzle!

The clay spiders melted rapidly under the scorching heat of the lava. Deidara leaped out of the attack range, realizing that Mei wasn't holding back. He couldn't afford to be careless against a Kage-level opponent.

"C1 Special Type: Parasitic Bugs!"

Riding a clay bird, Deidara ascended into the sky to ensure his own safety. From above, he unleashed thousands of parasitic clay bugs, aiming to overwhelm Mei from the air.

"It's useless!" Mei's expression remained calm, showing no sign of panic despite the swarm of clay bugs filling the sky.

"I was born with three chakra natures: water, fire, and earth. That's why I possess two Kekkei Genkai. Now, let me show you my other one!"

"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"

High-temperature steam began to spread across the battlefield. Wherever the steam reached, the clay bugs fell to the ground in droves, like mosquitoes sprayed with insecticide.

"Two Kekkei Genkai! Truly impressive!" Sasori remarked from outside the barrier, genuinely surprised. Such a combination was rare even in the entire ninja world.

"Your companion is in trouble," Ao said smugly, clearly enjoying Sasori's reaction. "Those little creations of his are no match for Mei-sama."

"It's not that simple," Sasori countered. "Even with his abilities limited, Deidara's art is still incredibly dangerous. You should be worrying about that woman instead."

Ao dismissed Sasori's words with a look that said, "We'll see."

Inside the barrier, Deidara found himself in a tough spot.

He couldn't use his C2 Dragon, as its massive size would undoubtedly alert the entire village. At the same time, his smaller clay creations couldn't even get close to Mei.

But a little trouble was nothing to Deidara.

"C2 Standard Type: Raiding Pterodactyl!"

"C1 Standard Type: Giant Centipede!"

A swarm of raiding pterodactyls took to the skies, circling high above and waiting for an opportunity to dive down like deadly missiles. Meanwhile, the real threat came from below—a giant clay centipede burrowing underground. Mei might be able to handle attacks from the air and ground, but what about underground?

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" Mei summoned a wall of water to block the diving pterodactyls.

Boom!

The first few pterodactyls exploded, successfully breaking through the water wall. The remaining ones seized the opening, accelerating as they dove toward Mei.

"Mei Terumī Shock Value +1000" "Ao Shock Value +500" "Chōjūrō Shock Value +500"

While these smaller explosions weren't enough to shock the experienced fighters present, the realization that Deidara's massive swarm of clay creations were all explosive was truly terrifying.

No one understood this better than Mei, who was directly facing the attack. If these things got too close, it would be over.

"Lava Release: Melting Apparition!" Mei spat out another wave of lava. Fortunately, Kekkei Genkai techniques were quick to activate. If she had relied on a standard jutsu, it might have been too late.

Boom!

The lava detonated as Deidara preemptively triggered the pterodactyls' explosions. Facing the splattering lava, Mei had no choice but to retreat temporarily.

Crack!

The sound of stone breaking echoed as a massive Clay Centipede burst out from underground. It coiled around Mei and immediately ignited, erupting in a fiery explosion.

"Mei-sama!" Chōjūrō cried out in alarm, his face pale with worry.

Ao frowned. His Byakugan clearly showed that the target wasn't Mei's real body, but he was still concerned about the unfolding battle. He scolded Chōjūrō, "Chōjūrō! Stop panicking! Honestly, young people these days..."

Inside the barrier, Mei emerged unscathed from another direction, her eyes gleaming with newfound interest as she looked at Deidara.

"I'm interested in you, pretty boy!" she declared.

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