Naruto: Deidara’s Struggle

Kirigakure.

On the surface, the village seemed calm as the night of defection approached, but anyone could feel the suffocating tension in the air—like the calm before a storm. The oppressive atmosphere was enough to make one feel as though they were choking.

By now, the secret plan to defect had become an open secret.

The blood mist faction knew the opposition planned to defect, and the defectors knew the blood mist faction was aware of their plan.

And so, time passed slowly amidst this tense atmosphere until nightfall finally arrived.

"No! Even without the Mizukage's orders, I cannot stand by and watch these traitors leave so brazenly!"

"It's all for the village!"

Gathered together, the high-ranking members of the blood mist faction—excluding Yagura Karatachi and Daihashi Jushu—were discussing how to handle the defection.

At that moment, an impatient member of the faction stood up abruptly, voicing his opinion. Of course, his words sounded righteous on the surface, but everyone knew his true motives.

However, there was no need to delve too deeply into the matter, as everyone's interests aligned when it came to the defection.

Thus, many others quickly echoed his sentiments, passionately declaring that they would act without orders for the sake of the village and the Mizukage. They promised to plead for forgiveness from the Mizukage afterward.

As the group hurriedly left the meeting hall to rally their subordinates, the impatient faction member who had first spoken stood up leisurely, a sinister smile on his face.

"Lady Mei Terumī, how was my performance this time?" he asked respectfully, turning to a "follower" beside him.

With a poof, the follower dispelled the Transformation Technique, revealing herself to be Mei Terumī. She had personally infiltrated the blood mist faction's meeting.

As for the faction member in front of her, he was actually a mole planted by Genshi. Under Mei's instructions, he had incited the others to act independently, using them as tools to eliminate their own.

"Well done," Mei said, offering a brief word of praise, though her expression grew more troubled.

Yagura Karatachi's unusual behavior earlier that day forced her to reconsider the seemingly absurd possibility Deidara had mentioned. Could it really be true that he was under genjutsu control?

If not, why would he still refuse to show himself at such a critical moment?

No, she needed to find Ao and see if there was any chance to use the Byakugan to investigate Yagura's condition tonight.

When Mei returned to her faction's secret base, a female ninja rushed over in a panic, her face filled with fear.

"Lady Mei! Something terrible has happened!"

The ninja's alarmed state gave Mei a sinking feeling.

"What is it? What happened to Ao?" Mei asked urgently.

The female ninja, either out of breath from running or too shocked, struggled to get the words out, prompting Mei to press her further.

"What happened to Ao?"

"Ao was suddenly attacked by a mysterious assailant. Thankfully, Lord Chōjūrō saved him, but…"

"But what?" Mei asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"But Ao was gravely injured—and he's lost his Byakugan!"

"Damn it!"

Mei clenched her teeth, her entire body shaking with rage. It wasn't just the attack on her trusted ally that infuriated her; it was also the audacity of the mysterious assailant to toy with the entire Kirigakure.

How many had died because of this person? How many had been left homeless? The current decline of Kirigakure was entirely his doing.

Although Ao had lost his Byakugan, the fact that the assailant had taken such an action—when Mei already suspected Yagura—only served to confirm Deidara's claim.

Kill that bastard!

That was Mei's sole thought at this moment.

On the western side of Kirigakure, a large number of defectors had already gathered, with more arriving by the minute.

According to the Hōzuki Clan's estimates, the total number of defectors was around 5,000, including over 2,000 active ninja. This was an extraordinary figure. Among the smaller ninja villages, only Takigakure and Amegakure had ever surpassed four-digit active ninja counts at their peak.

For Kirigakure, which had suffered years of blood mist purges, this number represented 30% of its active ninja—a third of the village's forces leaving in one night.

By around 10 p.m., the defectors had assembled and began an orderly retreat under Deidara's coordination.

But uninvited guests were already lying in wait, ready to strike when the defectors were caught in the middle of their escape.

While the concept of "attacking during a crossing" wasn't explicitly mentioned in the world of Naruto, the blood mist faction's leaders, having survived such a harsh environment, were no fools.

If they attacked before the retreat began, they would face fierce resistance from the defectors, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides.

But now, the situation was different. Those at the front had already escaped and wouldn't turn back to help those behind. Those in the middle, desperate to get out, would push forward rather than look back. And those at the rear, feeling isolated and weak, could only struggle to catch up.

What seemed like a massive, cohesive group of defectors would devolve into disarray, becoming easy prey for the blood mist faction.

Their strategy was commendable, but they had clearly forgotten one thing: against overwhelming power, all schemes and tactics are meaningless.

"Hah!"

Countless clay creatures reduced several blood mist faction ninjas to ashes.

Shh!

Hiruko unleashed a barrage of senbon while releasing a cloud of purple poison gas. A single breath was lethal, instantly creating a deadly zone that secured a large section of the escape route.

Meanwhile, Itachi Uchiha's combat style appeared effortless. Often, a mere glance or a single finger movement was enough to ensnare his opponents in genjutsu, leaving them to collapse to the ground without resistance. The eerie efficiency was unsettling.

"What do we do, sir?"

"Those few are incredibly strong!" The blood mist faction ninjas, having suffered significant losses, hesitated to advance and turned to their leader for guidance.

"Hmph!"

"Stop holding back! Send in the elites!" one of the faction's high-ranking members commanded.

Though their strategy had been sound, seeing more and more defectors escape was making them anxious.

After quickly reaching a consensus, squads of elite chūnin were dispatched. On the battlefield, elite chūnin served as the main force, akin to well-trained soldiers in ancient wars, while jōnin acted as captains or commanders.

"Water Release: Water Trumpet!"

Dozens of voices shouted in unison as they unleashed a common C-rank jutsu. Though the technique wasn't particularly powerful, the sheer number of users created a massive wave that surged toward Itachi on the far left, giving the impression of an unstoppable force.

Watching from the sidelines, Deidara couldn't help but feel a bit smug. With Itachi present, the enemy's first target was finally not him.

Perhaps the enemy assumed that, as a genjutsu specialist, Itachi would be less adept at handling large-scale attacks and thus an easier target. A "soft target," so to speak.

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