428. One-on-One Showdown

"Hand over the scroll, and you'll save yourself some pain."

Ten-year-old Itachi stood on a tree branch, looking down at the burly Sunagakure shinobi with a calm expression.

Being mocked by a kid five or six years younger than him in front of everyone was too much for the Sunagakure shinobi to bear.

"You arrogant brat, who do you think you are?!"

With a burst of chakra from his feet, he instantly appeared in front of Itachi, throwing a heavy punch straight at his face. *Got him!*

The Sunagakure shinobi's eyes gleamed with triumph. *So much for the genius of the Uchiha clan. He's nothing special.*

But the next moment, the strange sensation from his fist made his expression change drastically.

Something was wrong!

When he looked closely, the kid he had punched shattered into pieces, transforming into a flock of crows that scattered in all directions.

Pairs of crimson eyes glowed within the flock, and an unimaginable fear began to grow in the Sunagakure shinobi's heart.

"It's a genjutsu... When did he...?"

Panic filled his face as he couldn't recall when he had fallen under the enemy's illusion.

But it didn't matter anymore.

By the time he regained his senses, Itachi was already behind him.

With a perfectly timed chop to the neck, the older Sunagakure shinobi collapsed to the ground, filled with regret.

Of course, his two teammates also fell shortly after.

Chinō's approach was similar to Itachi's, starting with a genjutsu.

However, instead of knocking them out with a chop, she manipulated their blood, causing a brief lack of oxygen to the brain and rendering them unconscious.

As for Kabuto, his method was even simpler. He used chakra needles to seal their pressure points, immobilizing them.

It was worth noting that this technique was something he had learned from Hyūga Hizashi.

"Are these guys really the overage participants? Why are they so weak?"

Chinō, chewing on a blade of grass, rummaged through their belongings and found a scroll, then mercilessly mocked them.

She had been a bit worried when she heard that Sunagakure had sent a large group of overage participants, but it turned out they were all pushovers.

Kabuto didn't hesitate to add to his junior's mockery:

"Well, they are Sunagakure shinobi after all. It's normal for them to be a bit weak."

Hearing this, Itachi shook his head.

At some point, Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, had become the butt of jokes.

Their reputation in the Land of Fire had almost fallen below that of Amegakure...

As they chatted, Kabuto's expression suddenly turned serious.

"The one we've been waiting for is here."

As soon as he finished speaking, several sharp whistling sounds pierced the air.

The three of them looked up to see five or six white birds diving from the sky.

Just before they hit the ground, they exploded!

"Feel the art of explosion, Konoha scum!"

High above, Deidara watched the flames erupt with a satisfied smile.

*How dare they provoke me, Deidara? They're asking for death.*

"Did I take them out already? No..."

Deidara, standing on his bird, stared at the smoke clearing below.

Amid the dissipating smoke, a crimson fortress emerged.

This was the Blood Fortress created by Chinō using her Blood Dragon Eye, its defensive power comparable to Earth Release.

It had remained intact even under the explosion of Deidara's clay bombs.

"Should I handle this guy?" Kabuto adjusted his glasses, tentatively asking.

After all, Itachi couldn't fly, making it difficult for him to deal with such an enemy.

To his surprise, Itachi shook his head calmly.

"Don't worry, I have a way to bring him down."

Hearing this, Kabuto didn't insist further and instead looked around.

"In that case, Chinō and I will take care of the prying eyes around us."

After dividing their tasks, the blood crystals surrounding them shattered.

In the next moment, the three of them quickly dispersed in different directions.

"Huh? Trying to run away separately?"

Deidara, high above, sneered.

"It's pointless. No matter how much you run, your fate is the same..."

"To die in my art!!"

Deidara declared fiercely, then set his sights on Itachi.

"I'll start with you, since you're the one who offended me."

Every time he remembered what had happened the day before the exam, Deidara felt a surge of anger.

Fortunately, that anger would soon be extinguished with the enemy's death.

With this thought, he urged his giant bird to chase after Itachi at full speed.

"He's chasing me, huh?"

Itachi darted through the trees while keeping an eye on Deidara's movements.

Soon, Deidara spread his arms and scattered a large number of spider-like white objects.

Based on previous experience, these were likely Deidara's signature clay bombs.

Although they contained a relatively small amount of chakra, with his current physical condition, getting hit by one would probably be fatal.

Without hesitation, Itachi activated his three-tomoe Sharingan.

With his enhanced dynamic vision and the refined taijutsu he had trained under Might Guy, he moved like a ghost through the forest.

Explosions erupted behind him, but none managed to hit him.

"What will you do next, Deidara?"

Itachi glanced at the enemy above and murmured to himself.

"Dammit..." As if sensing Itachi's mocking smile, Deidara's face turned red with anger.

After his previous defeat, he had taken extra precautions this time, keeping a high altitude.

While this effectively prevented the enemy from using the Sharingan to close the distance, it also made it harder for him to aim his bombs accurately.

The greater the distance, the higher the delay.

And Itachi had plenty of time to react and dodge.

To teach the Uchiha a lesson, Deidara had no choice but to lower his altitude.

He then molded a more powerful bombing tool in his hands.

"C2 Bomb: Dragon!"

As the mouth on his palm spat out a large amount of clay, a massive white dragon took shape.

Compared to the previous bird, this dragon was larger and faster.

Most importantly, it could continuously launch smaller dragons from its mouth to attack.

"Let's see you run now!"

Deidara grinned confidently.

Under his control, the dragon's tail coiled, and it opened its mouth, spitting out a smaller dragon identical to itself.

The smaller dragon flapped its wings and, at high speed, glided like a missile toward Itachi, unleashing a barrage of explosions!

"Boom!!!"

Terrifying flames engulfed the forest below.

The shockwave from the explosion mercilessly shattered the surrounding trees.