Return of the Uchiha Prodigy

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"Boom!"

The ground trembled as a large rock crashed into the valley, scattering dust and debris into the air.

Kurotsuchi and Deidara surged forward, their movements calculated yet aggressive. Kurotsuchi's hands blurred into a series of seals as she shouted, "Earth Style: Rising Spikes!"

The ground beneath her palms erupted violently, jagged stone spikes shooting upward in an expanding wave, aiming to impale Itachi and his team.

But Itachi's calm voice cut through the chaos. "Lightning Style."

His fingers flicked through seals with a precision born of years of training, and his hand slammed against the ground just as Kurotsuchi completed her jutsu. A surge of dark lightning crackled and raced along the earth, colliding with the advancing spikes.

"Chhiii!"

The stone thorns shattered into fragments, crumbling beneath the relentless assault of electricity.

"Thunder counters Earth," Itachi noted to himself, his expression unreadable. He rarely used Lightning Release techniques—his chakra didn't naturally align with it—but his understanding of elemental weaknesses was flawless. Against Kurotsuchi, whose Earth Style was formidable but unrefined due to her youth, even a basic Lightning jutsu sufficed.

Above them, shadows loomed as massive rocks were hurled down from higher ground.

"Nara clan's Shadow Possession… impressive as ever," Huitu murmured, observing as Shikaku's shadow tendrils snaked upward with startling speed. The shadows coiled around the falling boulders and redirected their trajectory, sending them tumbling harmlessly into the valley below.

At Itachi's side, Izumi completed her own sequence of seals, her hands moving with a fiery determination. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

A jet of searing flames roared forward, carving a bright, destructive path through the air. The fire scorched the ground, consuming the shattered stone spikes, and raced toward Kurotsuchi and Deidara.

"Move!" Kurotsuchi barked, retreating with a swift leap. Deidara grinned, his blond hair catching the light as he stepped back.

"Art is an explosion," he whispered, raising his hand.

But before his fingers could complete the familiar detonation gesture, Itachi's Sharingan snapped to life, the three tomoe spinning ominously. His gaze locked onto a point near Deidara.

"There," Itachi muttered. His calm demeanor belied the intensity of his focus.

Shikaku, watching from the side, frowned as he surveyed the battlefield. His sharp mind quickly pieced together the unfolding events. "Aoki, sense the area! There may be hidden reinforcements!"

Deidara's smirk widened, his fingers twitching as chakra pulsed toward the clay in his hand. "Let's see if you can keep up, Uchiha."

The battlefield grew still for a moment, the air heavy with tension, as Itachi prepared his next move.

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Itachi's hand dipped into his ninja pouch, retrieving a handful of kunai, each adorned with an explosive tag. With precise movements, he hurled them forward, the weapons slicing through the air in a perfect arc.

As the kunai reached their targets, Itachi's fingers subtly moved in a release seal. "Detonate."

"Boom!"

The fiery explosion lit up the narrow mountain pass. The kunai had landed directly on a cluster of small, white spiders—each crafted from Deidara's explosive clay. The detonations triggered a chain reaction, consuming the tiny spiders in a brilliant burst of flame and shockwaves.

The force of the explosion rippled outward but stopped short of reaching Itachi and his team.

From his perch above, Deidara's eyes widened in disbelief. "Tch!" His expression twisted with frustration as he glared at the destruction.

"Damn it!" he snarled, his hands clenching into fists. "You dare destroy my art before it can shine?"

His gaze snapped to Itachi, whose crimson Sharingan gleamed with calm precision. Beside him, Izumi stood ready, her Sharingan mirroring his.

"Sharingan..." Deidara's tone was venomous, the realization dawning on him.

From beside him, Kurotsuchi gasped. "They're Uchiha!"

Deidara's rage overshadowed her words. His mind raced, his creative fervor clashing with his mounting anger. "They're just eyes. I'll show them the power of true art!"

On the ground, Itachi remained unshaken, observing Deidara with a serene focus. The distance between them was too great for him to utilize genjutsu effectively, but he didn't need to.

Kurotsuchi, more level-headed, called out sharply, "Deidara, don't look into their eyes!"

The warning was timely, a lesson drilled into her by her grandfather, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. The Uchiha clan's Sharingan was legendary, and facing them required avoiding eye contact at all costs.

Deidara scoffed, annoyed by the interruption. He didn't need instructions—his art would speak for itself.

But Kurotsuchi's expression darkened as she observed Itachi's precision. "He spotted the spiders before there sensor did..."

She glanced at Aoki Yu, whose brow furrowed as she expanded hee sensory range. Despite hee efforts, Itachi had already anticipated and neutralized the threat.

"How does he think so fast...?" Kurotsuchi muttered under her breath, unease settling in.

Deidara, however, wasn't one to back down. His lips curled into a defiant smirk. "It's not over yet."

Itachi's calm voice cut through the tension. "It's useless. My eyes see through all your methods."

Deidara froze for a moment, his smirk faltering as anger flared in his chest.

As if to punctuate his point, Itachi retrieved another kunai, its explosive tag fluttering slightly in the mountain breeze. With a flick of his wrist, the kunai sailed through the air.

"Behind us!" Aoki Yu's voice rang out, her chakra-sensing ability finally picking up a faint disturbance.

The kunai struck its mark before anyone could react.

Another detonation followed—this time a smaller clay insect that had crept into position behind them. Its size and chakra signature were nearly imperceptible, but Itachi's sharp eyes had detected it.

The explosion echoed, once again neutralizing Deidara's carefully laid trap.

Deidara's face twisted with fury. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, his eyes blazing with frustration. His earlier bravado was replaced by seething anger as he glared down at Itachi's unflinching expression.

"You... you think you can mock my art like this?" Deidara growled, his voice trembling with rage. "I'll make you pay, Uchiha!"

Itachi met his gaze with the same calm detachment, his Sharingan spinning slowly. "You're reckless," he said quietly, his tone like ice. "And predictable."

The battlefield fell silent for a moment, the tension thick enough to cut with a kunai. Both sides prepared for the next move, the clash of genius and raw emotion only just beginning.

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