Chapter 665: The First
Chapter 665: The First
On a Sunday morning, at seven o'clock, Deidara's biological clock naturally woke him up.
Deidara quickly changed his clothes and prepared to freshen up.
"Roar!" The Flame Dragon, disturbed by Deidara's noise, let out an annoyed cry.
Why can't you be more considerate in the morning?
"All you do is sleep, no wonder you can't win over Menas' affections," Deidara complained.
The Flame Dragon's drowsiness instantly vanished, and it glared at Deidara with murderous intent. If they were outside, it would have already unleashed a fiery blast.
"Roar!"
The Flame Dragon's eyes flashed with murderous intent, staring at Deidara with malice.
"Do you want to train with me?" Deidara rubbed his fists together with ill intentions.
The Flame Dragon couldn't help but recall the incident a few days ago.
Deidara had suddenly asked to train with it, only to give it a brutal beating.
That wicked Uchiha brat had become so much stronger, and it couldn't defeat him now.
"Roar," the Flame Dragon snorted coldly and continued to sleep.
It would secretly strive to become stronger than Deidara and then help him "train."
After a brief moment of anger towards his dragon, Deidara was in a good mood, humming a nameless tune as he entered the bathroom to freshen up.
"Your breakfast is ready on the table," Grandma said, hearing Deidara's movements in the bathroom.
"I know, Grandma," Deidara replied.
After freshening up, Deidara sat at the dining table and ate his breakfast.
The breakfast consisted of grilled salmon, egg rolls, and a bowl of steaming miso soup.
Since Deidara's biological clock was now very accurate, Grandma had gotten used to preparing his breakfast at this time.
As for Grandma herself, she had gotten up at six o'clock, so she had eaten earlier.
"Goodbye, Grandma, I'm going to train now," Deidara waved goodbye to Grandma and then met up with Zhi Shui. They headed towards the Southern Forest with excitement.
For him, today was no ordinary day.
He was likely to achieve a breakthrough and become the strongest disciple in the past six months.
The morning forest was enveloped in a thin layer of mist, and sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting a dappled light on the moist soil and lush ferns.
Whether it was because of his good mood or the beautiful morning scenery, Deidara took out his camera and snapped a photo.
"Zhi Shui, do you think I can win today?" Deidara asked, putting away his camera.
"Analyzing from various abilities, your chances of winning are higher," Zhi Shui replied after some thought.
In terms of raw power, Deidara was undoubtedly stronger than Kakashi.
However, whether he could win or not was hard to say, as actual combat also depended on one's performance and combat experience.
"Hehe, that's true, but we can't underestimate Kakashi," Deidara smiled and then spoke seriously.
This battle was of utmost importance to him, so he would never underestimate his opponent.
Along the way, the two met Kakashi and several other disciples and headed to the training grounds.
"Get ready, and we'll begin," Yu Sheng Mu Yue called out to Kakashi and Deidara.
Both nodded, checking their equipment and warming up.
Even when they faced each other in combat stances, neither spoke a word.
Might Guy had dominated the ranking battles for too long, and both Kakashi and Deidara were eager to claim the top spot this time.
"Begin the battle!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Deidara swiftly performed hand seals, converting his gathered chakra into fire chakra and releasing it in one breath.
A large, four-meter-tall fireball composed of intense orange flames rapidly formed.
The Great Fireball was a perfect opening move, consuming little chakra but packing a powerful punch.
Even now, with many powerful fire techniques at his disposal, Deidara still favored the Great Fireball.
"Earth Release: Mud Wall!"
Kakashi, expressionless, swiftly performed hand seals, and with a rumbling sound, a thick wall with a dog-head statue swiftly rose.
Boom!! The massive fireball collided with the wall, causing a violent explosion, scattering mud and flames.
As the dust settled, a slightly damaged earthen wall came into Deidara's view.
Deidara wasn't surprised by this.
Kakashi's Earth Release was not weak, and a single Great Fireball couldn't destroy his Mud Wall.
"Are you going to use the same tactics as before?" Deidara gathered his chakra and activated his Sharingan, carefully observing his surroundings.
He had fought Kakashi numerous times, and many of his losses were not due to a significant gap in strength but rather Kakashi's Shadow Clone tactics.
Deidara had to admit that in the past, he was no match for Kakashi in terms of tactics.
But the current Deidara was no longer the same as before; he was now the determined Deidara with the Fire Lord's ambition.
Whoosh!
A figure with white hair leaped out from behind the mud wall, throwing a large number of shuriken at Deidara and rushing towards him.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
Deidara focused his Flame Breath into the Flame Breath Chakra Mode, enhancing his fire jutsu abilities, and then transformed the large amount of chakra he had gathered into fire-attribute chakra, which he expelled.
Whoosh!
Large swaths of high-temperature flames turned the area around Deidara into a sea of fire, burning the nearby trees to ashes and scorching the ground black.
At this moment, another Kakashi emerged from the ground near the running Kakashi.
Deidara's expression showed that he had expected this; there must be a shadow clone or the original body underground.
When an enemy disappears in front of you and then reappears, you must be extra cautious. This was a lesson Deidara had learned from fighting Kakashi.
Deidara continued to expel a large amount of flames and then began to control them, dividing the flames into three parts and sending them towards the two Kakashis from the front, left, and right.
The shuriken Kakashi had fired were also deflected by Deidara's controlled flames.
"Yang Seal Release!"
Kakashi drew out the Yama Yo from his back, focused his Lightning Breath into the Lightning Breath Chakra Mode, and then released the Yang Seal.
The lightning mark on Kakashi's forehead glowed brightly, and a large amount of chakra surged out of the seal, pushing the enhancement of the Lightning Breath to the extreme.
Sizzle!
The powerful lightning-attribute chakra caused arcs of electricity to flicker on Kakashi's body.
"Flash!"
Kakashi gripped the Yama Yo tightly, and the chakra erupted, turning him into a bolt of lightning that slashed through the flames and charged forward.
The shadow clone, lacking the strength of the original body, eventually dissipated under the onslaught of the flames from three directions.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Technique!"
Deidara, taking advantage of his momentum, continued to gather chakra and spewed out a large number of fireballs at Kakashi.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
Kakashi, not to be outdone, expelled sharp lightning spears, which not only exploded the incoming fireballs but also had enough force to continue towards Deidara.
When fighting Deidara, Kakashi did not plan to use the extremely exhausting No Thought Blade, as Deidara's Ethereal Divine Light would easily allow him to strike only air with his blade.
Whoosh!
Deidara's chakra erupted, and he suddenly darted to the side, dodging the attack and closing the distance with Kakashi.
In theory, he should have kept his distance from Kakashi, a burst-type ninja, but times had changed.
His Trifoliate Sharingan could see through Kakashi's movements, and his Ethereal Divine Light allowed him to perfectly dodge Kakashi's powerful slashes.
So why not engage Kakashi in close combat and show off some flashy moves?
"Fire Style: Flame Punch!"
Deidara gathered a large amount of fire-attribute chakra in his fist and charged towards Kakashi.
Under the enhancement of the Flame Breath Chakra Mode and with the amplification of a large amount of chakra, Deidara's fist alone created a gust of wind as he punched.
When the flames ignited on his fist, the air around him, distorted by the high temperature, further emphasized the power of this punch.
"Flash: Lightning Speed!"
Kakashi tightly gripped the Yama Yo, took a sprinting stance with his left foot forward and right foot back, and then activated a large amount of lightning-attribute chakra to enhance his body.
Whoosh!
A thunderous roar, like a bolt of lightning, sounded as Kakashi charged forward.
His figure was like a golden lightning bolt, leaving a dazzling trail through the forest.
"So fast!" Daichi widened his eyes, trying to capture Kakashi's body, but he found it impossible.
Kakashi was incredibly fast! Daichi could only see a golden afterimage flickering in the air.
However, in Deidara's Trifoliate Sharingan, Kakashi's movements were still traceable.
Deidara maintained his punching motion without using a teleportation jutsu, seemingly intent on a head-on collision with Kakashi.
Whoosh!
When he was a little closer to Deidara, Kakashi's speed suddenly increased to another level.
Before Deidara's fist could land on Kakashi's body, the blade shimmering with electric arcs sliced through the air and struck Deidara's body.
The blade seemed to have struck a phantom, encountering no resistance as it pierced through Deidara's body and continued to slash towards the side.
Boom!
Deidara's fire punch landed on Kakashi's body, which was covered in the Armored Color.
Sizzle!
A powerful lightning bolt suddenly erupted from Kakashi's body, spreading out in all directions, but it still passed through Deidara's body as if he were a phantom.
"Haha, Kakashi, you really have a devious mind!" Deidara laughed inwardly.
The moment his fist made contact with Kakashi, he immediately activated his Ethereal Divine Light.
Kakashi was well aware of the capabilities of the Divine Might, and he knew that direct attacks were useless against it. With Kakashi in his Lightning Style Chakra Mode, his counterattack was not hard to guess.
Kakashi frowned slightly and sidestepped, retreating.
He had thought that with his Transparent World and Armored Color defense, Deidara would be the one at a disadvantage. However, he had underestimated the speed at which Deidara activated his Phantomization.
"This is not going to be easy," Kakashi thought as he quickly strategized.
The previous Lightning Style technique had played a crucial role.
If the lightning had hit Deidara, his body would have been paralyzed to some extent, affecting his speed and making it easier for Kakashi to find an opening.
Now, with the missed Lightning Style attack, Kakashi's battle plan was disrupted.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique!"
Deidara deactivated his Phantomization, gathered his chakra, and spat out small fireballs at Kakashi.
In his Lightning Style Chakra Mode, Kakashi's movements were too fast, and a large-scale Fire Jutsu might not hit him. It was better to use a Fire Jutsu with a higher attack frequency like the Phoenix Fire Technique.
At least it would make it harder for Kakashi to dodge.
Bang! Kakashi ran while throwing a custom smoke bomb.
Where there's a demand, there's a market. The custom smoke bomb could not be seen through by Dojutsu Bloodline Limits, effectively obstructing vision.
"Here he comes again," Deidara said, his expression turning vigilant as Kakashi disappeared from sight.
Before Deidara could think further, two Kakashis burst out of the smoke together.
"Susanoo!"
To be safe, Deidara immediately released his chakra and summoned a skeletal Susanoo, with only a few ribs and a thick arm.
Deidara spat out Fire Jutsu while controlling the skeletal Susanoo's arm to attack.
Zzzz!
The two Kakashis couldn't hold out for long against Deidara's full power and were quickly dispersed, transforming into lightning that struck Deidara, but most of it was blocked by the ribs of the Susanoo, with only a small strand of lightning hitting Deidara's body.
In the instant when a Lightning Clone was about to disappear and turn into lightning, it threw a kunai at Deidara. Before Deidara could react, the kunai transformed into Kakashi, who swung the Yama Yo, charged with lightning, towards Deidara.
Crack!
The dazzling lightning strike slashed at the Susanoo's ribs, and cracks appeared instantly, shattering them in the blink of an eye.
However, to Kakashi's dismay, his Yama Yo seemed to have struck a phantom, passing right through Deidara's body.
This was his backup plan.
The Lightning Clone was a ninjutsu that Kakashi had not used in his previous battles with Deidara.
Compared to a regular Shadow Clone, the Lightning Clone had a special effect—it turned into lightning upon dispersal, attacking and paralyzing the enemy.
Kakashi intended to paralyze Deidara with the clone and then attack with his main body.
However, he hadn't anticipated Deidara using Susanoo in such a situation, rendering the Lightning Clone less effective than expected.
Bang!
Deidara's heavy fist struck Kakashi again.
Even with the Armored Color defense, Kakashi still retreated several steps.
He had to use most of his chakra for attacks, so his defensive Armored Color was not as strong.
This punch, while not disabling Kakashi, was a decisive blow that sealed his victory.
Kakashi, having consumed a large amount of chakra and injured, could not sustain a prolonged battle with Deidara. As the fight dragged on, Kakashi soon fell to Deidara's punches.
"Deidara wins!" Yu Sheng Mu Yue announced the outcome of the battle.
Deidara struggled to contain his laughter, but he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning upwards.
Despite his inner monologue telling himself, "Maintaining composure after winning looks cooler" and "Excessive joy makes it seem like you've never won before," Deidara couldn't help but display an incredibly joyful smile.
There was no way around it; he had won. He was the top-ranked fighter in the tournament.
And not just that, he had defeated Kakashi, and it was all under Haruno Rin's watchful gaze. How could he not be overjoyed?
So many years had passed since the beginning, from when Zhi Shui dominated, to the period of various strengths, and then to Might Guy's reign. Finally, it was Uchiha Deidara's turn to sit on the throne of the top-ranked fighter.
From this day forward, Yu Sheng Mu Yue's strongest disciple would be Uchiha Deidara!
(End of Chapter)
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