https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-219-Are-You-Faithful-to-the-Boss-/12553561/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-221-Extracting-the-Tailed-Beasts/12553563/
Chapter 220: Taking Over the Akatsuki
Chapter 220: Taking Over the Akatsuki
"Art is an explosion! Haha!"
Boom!
A deafening blast reverberated, leaving yet another crater in the already battered landscape, as if a meteor shower had just descended.
Standing atop his clay bird and admiring his handiwork, Deidara proudly nodded:
"Sasori's puppets create such beautiful explosions. Indeed, the beauty of art lies in the fleeting moment of detonation! Hmm!"
"Deidara!!!'
Amid the smoke and dust, Sasori's furious roar once again echoed.
He looked utterly disheveled at this point. Forget about his advanced puppet, Hiruko; even his main body puppet had been blown to bits, and his heart now rested within an ordinary puppet.
Given his strength, he shouldn't have ended up in such a predicament.
But one wrong step had led to a series of missteps.
Deidara's sudden betrayal and the C4 Karura had caught him off guard, inflicting severe damage before he could even unleash his full power.
Escaping with his life was already a stroke of luck; there was no room for thoughts of counterattacks.
Holding on until now had been the best he could do.
At this moment, Deidara shouted while manipulating his art with his hands: "Sasori! What do you think? Are you interested in defecting and joining me?"
There had never been a day when Sasori had been this angry.
Dodging amidst the chaos, he coldly replied, "Deidara! I underestimated you. To think you would choose to betray our leader. That's one thing, but do you really think you can convince me to defect as well? And you'd use the C4 Karura right from the start?!"
"Relax~~ Sasori, you're just too formidable, so of course, I had to go all out. Besides, look, we're both still fine, right?" Deidara's nonchalant voice rang out from above.
Sasori's eyes narrowed.
The puppet army he had painstakingly built up had been largely destroyed.
He wanted nothing more than to turn Deidara into a human puppet right then and there.
However, the situation on the ground was not in his favor.
Sasori could only forcibly suppress his rage and look around, hoping to find a way to extricate himself first.
But Deidara knew his former partner well.
After another brief exchange, Deidara suddenly lifted the corner of his mouth, forming a hand seal as he said, "Sasori, as fellow artists, I'm giving you another chance. Hmm."
As his words fell, Sasori realized he couldn't move. Looking down, he saw two giant clay centipedes emerging from the ground, quickly wrapping around his body.
Among them, the container holding his heart was stuck right on the centipede's back.
Sasori could only surrender.
He lifted his head to look at Deidara, his voice cold and confused: "Deidara, have you thought about the consequences of betraying our leader?"
Everyone in the Akatsuki knew that Pain possessed the legendary Rinnegan.
There had been challenges to his authority within the organization, but all had failed without exception.
Sasori couldn't fathom why Deidara, who was doing just fine, would choose to betray Pain.
Especially since Pain had Konan, whose intelligence network spanned the entire ninja world.
No matter how hard Deidara tried to run, he would eventually be captured.
And the Akatsuki had only one punishment for traitors: death.
Hearing this, Deidara shrugged nonchalantly, "I'd rather face the consequences of betraying Pain than the consequences of betraying our clan leader."
"Clan leader? What do you mean?"
Sasori was about to press further.
Suddenly, a projection appeared on his "Jade" ring, and it was none other than their leader.
'You're finished.'
Sasori shot Deidara a glance, intending to report the situation to their leader immediately.
But just as he was about to speak, he realized that the projection before him wasn't their leader at all.
The person seemed vaguely familiar.
It was only when Deidara landed and proudly introduced him as his artistic mentor, life guide, clan leader, and the legendary Hagoromo Otsutsuki that Sasori finally recognized him.
And then, his heart skipped a beat as he considered a certain possibility.
While Pain was indeed unmatched...
Scorpion remained silent.
Deidara chimed in, "Scorpion brother, what are you hesitating about? We can continue as the artistic duo. Don't tell me you're truly loyal to Pain. That would be quite a surprise. Hmm!"
Scorpion glanced at Deidara and finally spoke, "If Pain is dead, what about Konan?"
The reason Scorpion joined the Akatsuki in the first place was that Konan had defeated him. He considered her paper escape jutsu to be a wonderful form of art.
Scorpion's sudden inquiry about Konan's situation wasn't due to any deep emotional attachment. He just felt like asking.
Yuyi Xuan Yue didn't hide the truth. "Pain made a deal with me before his death, and the price was Konan's departure. She's no longer a part of the Akatsuki, and I have no interest in knowing where she went."
Scorpion understood.
After a while, he finally nodded, "In that case, I'll join. But I have one condition."
"Speak."
Scorpion looked expressionlessly at Deidara, who was cheerfully edging closer without a hint of self-awareness. He shifted his body to create some distance and then addressed Yuyi Xuan Yue, "For the next team-up, I absolutely refuse to partner with Deidara again!"
Hearing this, Deidara felt like he had been struck by lightning. "Scorpion brother, we're both artists striving for greatness. We're a perfect match and can't be separated! Hmm!"
Scorpion gave a cold laugh, too indifferent to bother responding.
Over the years, his biggest setbacks had come at the hands of his peers.
To go through that again? He was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back from taking the initiative to strike first.
Yuyi Xuan Yue glanced at Scorpion and then at Deidara. To prevent them from secretly fighting and creating an irreconcilable rift, he agreed, "Alright."
Scorpion breathed a sigh of relief.
Deidara, on the other hand, felt a sense of loss.
And so, the artistic duo parted ways.
The Akatsuki had a total of ten members.
With Pain and Itachi Uchiha dead, Orochimaru having defected, Konan gone, and Zetsu still following Obito Uchiha, there were only five members that Yuyi Xuan Yue could recruit.
Now, only one remained.
At the scenic mountain hot spring, which had now turned into a wasteland, Sasuke, who had just defeated Kisame, was dealing with the remnants of Amaterasu's flames to prevent the mountain and its surroundings from burning to ashes.
When he returned after finishing the cleanup, he found Yuyi Xuan Yue's projection standing before Kisame, who was bound and restrained.
Yuyi Xuan Yue turned to glance at Sasuke, nodded, and then continued addressing Kisame, "The Rinnegan, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, they're all with me now. I will be the one to complete the Project Tsuki no Me. So, will you continue to follow the so-called 'Uchiha Madara,' or will you come with me?"
Kisame had chosen to join the Akatsuki because he agreed with 'Uchiha Madara's' ideas and supported the Project Tsuki no Me.
What he hadn't expected was that Yuyi Xuan Yue also knew about these plans and had even taken possession of the related results.
Having witnessed Yuyi Xuan Yue's strength firsthand, Kisame now felt that the chances of success for the Project Tsuki no Me might be significantly higher with Yuyi Xuan Yue at the helm instead of 'Uchiha Madara.'
He was curious to see if the world would turn out as he envisioned it if the project succeeded.
And so.
Kisame looked at Yuyi Xuan Yue and then at Uchiha Sasuke behind him.
He averted his gaze from those Sharingan eyes.
After some hesitation and contemplation, Kisame looked at Yuyi Xuan Yue and slowly nodded.
And thus, the takeover of the Akatsuki was complete.
Yuyi Xuan Yue immediately gave instructions, "Perfect timing, as the Akatsuki has a mission right now."
(End of Chapter)
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