The Strongest Artist in Naruto

Unbeknownst to him, Deidara had been lounging in Amegakure for six months.

During this time, the scale of the Shinobi World War had grown exponentially. After Konoha's initial failed raid on Sunagakure, Rasa seemed emboldened, leading his forces in a counterattack against the Leaf. Unfortunately for him, it ended in disaster.

It became clear that outside the natural advantage of the Wind Country, even a weakened Konoha was not a foe Sunagakure could challenge lightly. Jiraiya himself took to the battlefield, swiftly defeating Rasa, while the rest of the Suna forces were routed by Konoha's shinobi.

After this exchange of blows, the two sides found themselves locked in a prolonged stalemate in the Land of Rivers, waging a grinding war of attrition.

Three months later, Kumogakure, ever the aggressive faction, launched an unprovoked assault. Under the Fourth Raikage Ay's command, they struck at Konoha. This time, the damage was far more severe.

Not even Jiraiya could do better than a stalemate against the Raikage, and with so many of Konoha's forces tied up in the Land of Rivers, the village itself was left dangerously vulnerable. In the end, it was Might Guy who arrived just in time. After opening the Sixth Gate and trading a few fierce blows with Ay, the Raikage decided it wasn't worth risking further losses and withdrew his forces.

And so, Konoha found itself waging war on two fronts, struggling more than ever.

Deidara, meanwhile, hadn't spent this time idly. Between refining his clay art and unlocking new skills, he'd made significant progress. Thanks to the "shock value" he harvested during his encounters with Tsunade and Iwagakure, he'd leveled up twice. Combined with an extra skill point he'd saved, he had three to spend.

With them, he unlocked the following:

Explosives Mastery: C3: Enhanced Type - Number 18.

Morphology Mastery: Animal Form Activation and Human Form Activation.

Unlocking Animal Form Activation required the sacrifice of three powerful summon creatures, which Deidara obtained from Nagato's Animal Path. As for Human Form Activation, it was even simpler.

"Am I not Sasori-senpai's comrade?" he remarked cheekily while borrowing one of Sasori's techniques.

Now, his system looked like this:

[Ultimate Artist System]

Host: Deidara

Shock Value: 9,000/21,000

Skill Points: 0

Unlocked Skills:

Explosives Mastery: Level 2, C2: Enhanced Dragon, Extreme Heat, Extended Detonation Range, Timed Bombs, C3: Enhanced Type - Number 18.

Morphology Mastery: Morphology Optimization, Insect Morph Mastery, Insect Morph Activation, Humanoid Morph Mastery, Animal Morph Mastery, Animal Form Activation and Human Form Activation.

Materials Science: Improved Clay, Anti-Lightning Clay, Advanced Clay.

Ninjutsu Mastery: Chakra Reinforcement, Ninjutsu Enhancement, Genjutsu Resistance Level 1, Clayification.

The downside? At Level 20, defeating elite jonin-level opponents no longer yielded shock value. Only near-Kage-level foes or stronger would suffice now.

While Deidara pondered his next moves, a long leg suddenly entered his vision, sending the clay figurine he'd been crafting flying.

"Seriously, Deidara, all you ever do is play with your clay!"

Kurotsuchi stood before him, hands on her hips, her face full of irritation.

"Do you even know what time it is? We're supposed to be heading out for the meeting!"

Over the past six months, both Deidara and Kurotsuchi had shot up in height, thanks to their growth spurts. Naturally, their legs had grown longer too.

Deidara, who had been in this world for a year and a half now, was 14. Kurotsuchi, two years younger, was 12. Naruto and Sasuke, in turn, were just 11.

As for the meeting? It was the Akatsuki's first-ever annual gathering. Deidara had proposed the idea during the festive season, and everyone had surprisingly agreed.

Since it wasn't a mission, Deidara opted for casual clothes instead of the iconic black cloak with red clouds. Leisurely, he walked through the bustling streets of Amegakure with Kurotsuchi at his side.

The streets were alive with laughter and chatter. Amegakure, protected by its powerful leaders, was thriving in a way unmatched by any other village.

Clinging to Deidara's left arm, Kurotsuchi paid little attention to the shops and vendors they passed. Despite her age, she carried herself with a maturity beyond her years—or so she believed.

"Deidara, I'm at the age where I need to pick a squad and a mentor. How about becoming my sensei?" Kurotsuchi asked, smiling sweetly.

Deidara rolled his eyes. "With your strength, you don't need a mentor. Besides, all I know is clay art. You'd be doomed under my guidance."

"Then how about letting me team up with Suigetsu and Karin?" she countered.

"You three don't need a sensei," Deidara replied flatly.

Kurotsuchi pouted. "Forget it. I don't want to team up with that loudmouth blue-haired idiot. And Karin? Ugh, I can't stand her."

"Why don't you like Suigetsu?" Deidara asked curiously.

"No reason!" Kurotsuchi huffed.

"Wait, isn't that him over there?" Deidara spotted Suigetsu at a nearby flower shop, carrying a large bouquet of brightly colored flowers.

"Suigetsu, what are you doing buying flowers?" Deidara called out, walking over.

Grinning, Suigetsu replied, "I'm going to confess to Haku tonight!"

Deidara let out a low whistle. "Oh, right! I forgot about that. So, how's it been going with Haku?"

"Terrible," Suigetsu admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Zabuza keeps getting in the way. I can barely get a word in edgewise."

"But tonight's the perfect chance! I'll confess in front of everyone. Let's see Zabuza try to stop me then!"

"Good luck!" Deidara said, patting Suigetsu on the shoulder.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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