Chapter 47: Explosion vs. Puppet

Being already prepared for the match, he activated the Storage Seal on his wrist, summoning the puppet he had prepared specifically for this fight. But Tekku wasn't the only one who didn't hesitate. Deidara also immediately put his hands in front of him, opening the fight with a strong explosion from relatively close range.

This version of Deidara hadn't stolen the Forbidden Jutsu from Iwa yet and didn't know how to infuse his chakra into things. He didn't have his different clay bombs or the strength of an aerial fight yet, which was incredibly rare in the Shinobi World. The only ones known for fighting in the air were the Tsuchikages and the Land of Sky.

However, that didn't mean Deidara was weak. In fact, he was really strong for his age, an equal opponent for Tekku. Tekku didn't underestimate him from the start and was especially prepared for him. He had created this puppet to fight an explosion release user specifically.

When the blast appeared and created a massive dust cloud, it seemed to disappear as quickly as it had come. As soon as the cloud of dust, impairing the vision of the viewers, disappeared, they could all see what now stood in the area.

It was a bulky puppet made of dark metal, its hand stretched out in front of it with a kind of Fuinjutsu formula on it. Based on the metal, even the viewers could tell it was designed for defense. The puppet was taller and wider than a human.

At the same time, Tekku was nowhere to be found. He seemed to have vanished from the arena instantly.

"There's no point in hiding. I read the report about your abilities. The Hiding like a Mole Jutsu seems to be your favorite. But let's see what happens if you can't hide down there," Deidara said with a grin, having studied his opponent.

Before the puppet could move, Deidara placed his hands on the floor and shouted, "Explosion Release: Seismic Annihilation." A red glow spread all over the center of the arena. Like roots, it spread deeper into the ground before it began to glow white.

Meanwhile, the puppet also reacted by placing its hand on the ground, which started to glow red.

But whatever it was doing seemed too slow. Suddenly, a massive amount of small explosions spread through the ground. If Tekku was hiding down there, he would be severely hurt by that attack. The range of how deep the Hiding like a Mole Technique could go was limited. At some point, the earth would become too hard and dense, requiring massive amounts of chakra to turn the surrounding earth into sand, and at the same time, the user's air supply would also be limited.

Strangely, no explosions were happening in the area around the puppet. It was as if the jutsu had no effect there.

"I see. You've figured out the weakness of the Explosion Release," Deidara muttered as he jumped backward, creating more distance between himself and the puppet while keeping an eye on the ground, especially the area around the puppet, as that had to be where his opponent was hiding.

Seismic Annihilation was a technique he had specifically developed for this fight. Its purpose was not only to attack opponents hiding below ground but also to make it harder for them to move. The explosions happened in a specific pattern that compressed the earth's force, making it harder to turn into sand.

This had a simple purpose: to deplete his opponent's chakra reserves. Deidara had considerable chakra reserves for his age, and Tekku, who was a few years younger, shouldn't be as developed in that area. The boy had to conserve his chakra as his reserves weren't that big. Seismic Annihilation was a direct counter for him.

"Impressive. After only fighting an Explosion Release user once, you already know their weakness. But even if you know Lightning Release, the only way to stop my explosions from my hands is by directly touching me with it. But you're hiding like a coward. Come out and fight like a man, or are you too scared to be hit by my art," Deidara mocked, trying to provoke his opponent out of his hiding place.

He simply wasn't sure where Tekku was hiding. Sensing wasn't his strength, and in order to do it, he had to concentrate, which wasn't easy with a puppet in direct attack range if he wasn't careful.

Well, if Tekku didn't want to come out, then Deidara would have to choose another tactic. "Well then, stay hidden like a coward. I can see what you were planning with that puppet, but can it really endure many of my explosions, even if it's made out of metal? Let's test that."

Rushing towards the puppet while still keeping a bit of distance so it wasn't within direct hitting range, Deidara aimed both palms of his hands at the puppet, which began to glow red. "Explosion Release: Grand Explosion!" he shouted as a highly destructive force burst from his hands, ripping the ground apart.

But something strange happened again, this time clearly visible to all the spectators in the arena. When Deidara aimed his palms at the puppet, the puppet did the same thing, stretching its right palm towards Deidara, revealing more of the Fuinjutsu inscription on its palm.

Anyone knowledgeable in Fuinjutsu would realize that they had never seen such a seal before. Then they would see how complex and deep it was, a true masterpiece of the art. Most likely, it was an original seal developed by Tekku. But they weren't quite sure what it did. Deciphering it from such a distance would take time, and they needed to examine the layered inscriptions to fully understand it.

Fortunately, they didn't have to take such a close look to see what it was doing. In front of the entire arena, they witnessed how the destructive force was absorbed into the palm of the large metallic puppet, completely nullifying the Explosion Release technique before it could harm the puppet directly.

In the Kage Box, the Third Hokage finally realized what that seal reminded him of. It was quite similar to their basic Elemental Sealing Techniques, like the Fire Sealing Method. But this one was far more advanced and complex.

Its purpose was now clear: a seal that could absorb Explosion Release techniques repeatedly. Such a showcase of Fuinjutsu was on a similar level as the Uzumaki Clan, but even they hadn't discovered a seal that could seal or absorb elemental techniques repeatedly. How did such a young boy accomplish that? This was a complex and unheard-of feat.

"He must have sealed some explosive chakra during his fight at the Border Patrol," concluded the Third Hokage, "since it's very hard to create such a seal without a sample." What he didn't know was that Tekku was quite similar to Orochimaru in that regard—a scientific genius. With enough samples, he could research a great deal, including a counter for Explosion Release, which was a fusion of the Earth and Lightning Elements.

Hiruzen hadn't enough time to ponder this further as the fight suddenly continued on as the shock passed.

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