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NBB Chapter 74: Sand, Sparks, and One Very Loud Boom
🕑 Added 2025-06-17 01:16:34 +0000 UTC“Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!”
Sasori had no time to think. The swirling iron sand rapidly rose to form a solid wall, standing in front of him and the Third Kazekage as a shield.
[Boom—!]
A thunderous explosion rocked the entire temple again, sending tremors through the structure as black sand and dust billowed out in every direction.
Sasori quickly leapt back, using the chaos to reposition. But his eyes widened in surprise—he had just noticed something strange.
When his iron sand came into contact with that kid’s violet lightning… it actually began to destabilize?
“Lightning Release shouldn’t cause that… and what’s with this kid’s current state?”
He couldn’t figure it out—but there was no time to ponder it now. As he fell back, he immediately had the Third Kazekage raise its arm.
“Thousand Arms Manipulation!”
In an instant, what looked like thousands of mechanical arms erupted from the Kazekage puppet’s body. Each one hid traps, mechanisms, and poison mist—relentlessly striking out at Gen.
“Magnet Release, huh…”
There was a glimmer in Gen’s eyes. In that brief moment of contact with the magnetic chakra, something had clicked in his mind.
More importantly… didn’t he remember hearing that the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had used Magnet Release to pan for gold in the Land of Wind’s deserts to fund the village?
The circumstances might be different now—but…
Maybe this wasn’t such a far-fetched idea after all.
"Seems like you forgot something.
As the countless arms surged toward him, Kitagawa Gen tilted his head slightly to the side.
In the next instant, he vanished from where he stood—only to reappear at the far end of the temple, right in front of the broken Buddha statue he had struck earlier.
"I already used Flying Thunder God once, remember?"
“Damn it…”
Sasori immediately turned around—only to see Gen, ghostlike and silent, already closing in on him. He quickly tried to raise another iron sand defense.
[Whoosh—]
But just as the iron sand finished forming, the White Fang blade flew in, striking directly in front of him with a sharp clang and bouncing upward.
And at that very moment—Gen appeared.
"Your defenses are solid, I’ll give you that... but I’m not exactly in normal condition either."
If breaking through from the outside was too uncertain, why not force the energy into the defense instead?
“Sage Art: Giant Rasengan!”
A massive Rasengan spun into shape in his hand, and a second later, Gen drove it straight into Sasori’s body—still encased behind his iron sand armor.
[Boom—]
The overwhelming force of the blow caused the iron sand armor to waver, visibly shaking and beginning to unravel. Though it barely held together, the damage was clear: The puppet underneath—Hiruko—had been shattered!
The already fragile temple couldn’t withstand the impact. Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the stone surfaces, and with a deep groan, the entire structure cried out under the strain.
“Crap, the whole place is coming down!”
“Move! Now!”
Jiraiya, Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and Kisame all sensed the collapse. Without hesitation, they flickered away in a blur of motion, retreating from the crumbling temple.
Bathed in the amber light of the setting sun, the ancient structure finally gave out—collapsing completely.
A tremendous tremor shook the ground, followed by a rolling cloud of dust that swept in all directions like a tidal wave.
And within that swirling chaos—
Deidara emerged, completely disheveled… yet visibly ecstatic.
"Yes! Yes! That’s it—that’s it! Instant destruction, total annihilation… this is the kind of art that matches my philosophy perfectly!"
...
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage’s Office.
Ōnoki was staring at the documents in his hand, visibly frustrated.
“That brat Deidara… Why can’t he ever just behave?”
There was nothing wrong with Deidara’s talent or abilities—on that front, he was exceptional. But his personality? A complete headache. Ōnoki had already been forced to send him out of the village to reflect on his behavior, hoping some time away would do him good. Instead, the boy had gone completely wild, like a runaway horse, doing whatever he pleased with no restraint whatsoever.
The documents in his hands detailed the latest round of ridiculous trouble Deidara had stirred up.
“If you like blowing things up that much, why not go help demolish some mining tunnels? At least that way you’d be useful!”
Ōnoki tossed the documents aside in frustration. He couldn’t stand to read another word.
“Tsuchikage-sama…”
Just as his irritation peaked, a deep, honest-sounding voice called out.
A tall, burly man—Akatsuchi—came jogging in, startling Ōnoki enough to jolt him upright.
“What is it? Is Kurotsuchi here? Tell her I’m not in! I’m extremely busy!”
Kurotsuchi was Ōnoki’s granddaughter, and he treasured her dearly.
Unfortunately, she was particularly close to Deidara. The two had grown up together, trained together, and shared a strong bond. So after Ōnoki exiled Deidara from the village, she had been anything but pleased—constantly stopping by to argue about it.
“It’s not Kurotsuchi, Tsuchikage-sama.”
Akatsuchi shook his head earnestly.
“She’s in the middle of training. But this is indeed related to Deidara—it’s a message from the ANBU.”
“He’s causing trouble again?!”
Ōnoki felt a sharp vein pulse on his forehead. His fists were already tightening.
“That damn brat… If only he had your temperament!”
Ōnoki had personally trained three disciples: Akatsuchi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi. Kurotsuchi served as a natural mediator—she got along well with both of them. But Akatsuchi and Deidara were polar opposites. One was calm and steady, the other completely erratic. They never truly saw eye to eye.
After all, Akatsuchi had no tolerance for Deidara’s constant explosions, and Deidara, in turn, believed Akatsuchi didn’t appreciate the true beauty of his art.
“Tsuchikage-sama, according to the ANBU’s report…”
To Ōnoki’s surprise, Akatsuchi was unusually serious this time.
“The ANBU operatives who were assigned to monitor Deidara… have all gone dark.”
“All of them?”
Ōnoki immediately sprang to his feet, nearly throwing his back out in the process.
“What’s going on?! Deidara might be reckless, but he’d never go that far. Is someone targeting him?”
“I’m not sure. I came straight here as soon as I received the intel.”
Ōnoki frowned. “What about the other arrangements?”
“I…”
“That’s enough. I get it.”
Seeing Akatsuchi’s hesitant yet earnest expression, Ōnoki couldn’t help but shake his head.
“You’re too cautious. At a time like this, you need to act more decisively. This is the Land of Earth, and we’re talking about Deidara.”
He stood up abruptly and issued his orders with authority.
“Send word immediately. Mobilize everyone in the surrounding area. Have the nearby ANBU move in fast and figure out exactly what’s going on.”
“Yes, sir.”
Akatsuchi scratched his head and nodded. But before he could act, he froze for a second.
Ōnoki had suddenly pushed open the window and stepped up onto the ledge.
“Tsuchikage-sama, you’re going yourself?!”
“What else would I do?”
With a snort, Ōnoki’s body began to rise steadily into the air. Moments later, he flew out the window without another word.
“Tell Kitsuchi to keep things under control here. I want to see who exactly has the guts to lay a hand on my disciple!”
...
Meanwhile, near the border—
“Everyone’s here?”
Pain’s cold voice cut through the air as he looked over the group—Kakuzu, Hidan, and Konan had arrived.
“In that case, we move.”
“…Wait, something’s not right.”
Hidan glanced at the group around him, frowning in confusion. But before he could finish his thought, Kakuzu cut him off harshly.
“Shut it. Can’t you stop running your mouth and just focus on the mission?”
“Tch. Annoying.”
Hidan shot Kakuzu a glare but didn’t bother arguing. There was no point—he couldn’t kill the guy anyway.
Even though he’d rather spend his time offering prayers to Jashin-sama, he had just joined this organization, so he figured he ought to put in some effort.
Pain wasted no time. Once he confirmed that both Hidan and Kakuzu had quieted down, he immediately dashed forward.
Konan followed, lifting into the air on her paper wings. Kakuzu and Hidan exchanged a look before trailing behind.
“Tch. So we’re heading to the Land of Earth, huh? Wonder if there’ll be any good sacrifices around,” Hidan muttered, unable to hold his tongue.
Kakuzu ignored him completely—but inwardly, he was grumbling as well.
'What a pain. I haven’t even replaced the hearts I lost last time, and now this…'
Finding suitable hearts wasn’t easy—especially ones that matched what he needed. He could only hope this wouldn’t spiral into an even bigger mess.
'That damned brat… Always a thorn in my side.'
...
Elsewhere, on the opposite side of the border—
“They’re on the move. Just keep a safe distance.”
Nagato muttered weakly, seated in a sealed carriage, his voice barely above a whisper.
Providing chakra to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path year-round had always been an enormous burden—but even so, Nagato did not regret his decision.
“Nagato, things might get troublesome this time. Stay alert.”
At that moment, Konan’s voice floated in from outside the carriage.
Given how physically weak Nagato’s true body was, he needed constant care. Konan had left a paper clone to travel with the main group, but she remained by his side to protect him personally.
“Especially Jiraiya-sensei... I'm worried—”
“I know. I’ll do everything I can to avoid him.”
Nagato nodded. At this point, direct combat wasn’t ideal—for either himself or the Akatsuki.
“But Jiraiya-sensei is pursuing us quite aggressively. Fortunately, he hasn’t discovered what’s going on in the Land of Rain yet. We’ll need to stay under the radar from now on.”
The sudden reappearance of Jiraiya was proving a real nuisance. And it wasn’t exactly easy to eliminate someone like him.
Nagato was confident in his power. But defeating someone and killing them were two very different things.
Even without considering emotional factors, every skilled shinobi had some unique way to escape death. Just like how he could overpower Orochimaru—but actually killing him? That was far less certain.
The best method was still coordinated assault. Perhaps that was the only reliable way to bring down a powerful ninja.
