Perhaps being stimulated by Yi Ji's domineering and thorny words, Deidara immediately stopped laughing:

"It seems that Her Royal Highness the Princess is very confident in defeating me. Hmm."

He admitted that Kazuki was very powerful, and it could even be said that Uchiha Itachi, whom he had always wanted to defeat, might not be a match for her.

But today is different from the past. Compared with the past, his art has grown significantly. Even if he faces Yi Ji, he does not think that he will lose the battle.

Yi Ji ignored the slight sarcasm in Deidara's tone, and just continued to say with a smile in an indifferent tone, as if commenting on a trivial matter:

"So, what's your choice? Do you want to continue working here, or do you want to use your art to make a career?"

Deidara snorted and replied: "Don't use such an obvious way to provoke me. Faced with any challenge, as an artist, I will not retreat at all, and I will definitely stick with you to the end. Hmm."

"That is to say, you agreed, right?"

"Yes, although you are powerful, it does not mean that my art will be inferior to others. However, before that, can you really make the decision?"

Deidara looked at Ichiji with suspicious eyes.

He knew that Ichihime had an extraordinary status in the Kingdom of Demons. Not only was she the princess given by the former shrine maiden of the Kingdom of Demons, but her other identity was also extraordinary.

Her family spans the three fields of military, government and business in the Kingdom of Ghosts, and they all hold high positions in them. They can be described as having a distinguished status.

But no matter what, he is an S-class defected ninja named by Iwagakure himself, and a dangerous fugitive who joined Akatsuki. The conditions offered by Kazuhime can be described as generous, which can really make the senior officials of the Demon Country relent.

?

"Don't worry, at least there is no problem with the military. As for the subsequent impact of recruiting rebel ninjas... Iwagakure's wanted order is not feasible in our country of ghosts."

"Is it already premised on my joining?"

"Of course, I still have this confidence."

Hearing that Yiji was unabashedly confident and arrogant, Deidara felt a strong sense of rebelliousness in his heart.

In any case, this gambling battle is an excellent opportunity that can only be encountered but cannot be sought.

Rather than being bound by boring things like organizations and countries, he wanted to study art by himself without any worries.

And such freedom can only be regained by defeating Yi Ji.

So, he must win.

"In that case, please unlock the restrictions on my chakra. In addition, I need enough clay."

Deidara demanded.

Since it was a gambling fight, he naturally had to fight in full strength.

Whether it's the restoration of chakra or the special clay for making bombs, he must complete it before the gambling battle begins.

Yiji nodded, thinking that Deidara's demands were not too much. Even if the other party didn't say anything, she would let others arrange it.

If Deidara in his prime is not defeated, even if he defeats him, it will be meaningless to Kazuki.

So, Ichiki clapped her hands, and the ninja from the Kingdom of Oni who was standing guard outside the door came in.

"Take him down to rest."

After saying that, Ichiji glanced at Deidara again.

"I will prepare what you want in the evening and deliver it to your room. You have twenty-four hours to prepare, which should be enough for you to recover your chakra and physical strength."

Deidara nodded in agreement and followed the Ninja from the Kingdom of Ghosts down to recharge his batteries.

…

The day passed quickly.

In the Kingdom of Ghosts, at the eastern entrance of a forest in the south, Kazuji leads all the members of the Thorn Team to gather here.

In addition, Deidara, whose complexion and physical strength had returned to peak condition, also came as requested.

All the shackles on his hands and feet were removed, and his clothes were refurbished. In the ninja tool bags on both sides, according to Deidara's requirements, bulging clay was stored so that he could fully display his 'art'.

Deidara stood at the entrance of the forest, looking at this huge forest with lush trees. He looked extremely satisfied with this huge battlefield where a fierce battle was about to take place.

He was originally worried that the battlefield designated by Yiji would not be enough for him to fight to his heart's content, but now it seems that his worries are obviously unnecessary.

"This is where we will fight next. I would like to ask first, are there any extra rules for this competition? Hmm."

Before the battle began, Deidara felt it necessary to ask clearly about the prerequisite rules for this battle.

Yi Ji glanced at him and said: "There are no so-called rules. Both sides can use all means to defeat their opponents. Well... there are rules, and the only rule is that the two of us can't do anything before we decide the winner.

Leave this forest. Well, if you have any requests, you can make them now."

"I don't have any requirements. This kind of unrestricted battle is in line with my wishes. There is no need to change it."

Deidara shook his head.

"Since you have no objection, just put this thing on."

Yiji reached into her pocket and quickly took out a black ball no bigger than a finger. Judging from the neat and precise lines on it, it was some kind of very precise instrument.

She handed over the black ball, and Deidara took it without knowing why, holding it in his hand and looking at it doubtfully.

"This is……"

Yiji touched the small black instrument in her right ear with her finger, which was exactly the same as the black ball instrument in Deidara's palm.

"This is an earbud-type communicator. It will be automatically attached to the skin and will not fall off during the battle. In a minute, one of my team members will notify both of us at the same time through this communicator that the battle has begun."

"In that case, I'll take the first step. Hmm."

After hearing this, Deidara unceremoniously pulled out a ball of clay from his ninja bag, chewed it in the palm of his hand, then threw it away and spit out the clay in his palm and mouth.

A huge white bird appeared in front of Deidara. Deidara jumped up and jumped firmly onto the back of the white bird.

"I'll be waiting for you in front, Your Highness Princess."

After saying that, Deidara left a confident smile, flapped the wings of the white bird under his feet, and flew out quickly, reaching high in the sky in the blink of an eye, and soon turned into a small black dot in everyone's eyes.

Ichiki watched Deidara fly into the distance, and without saying a word, he materialized part of the chakra in his body, forming six huge blue transparent wings behind his back, and slowly lifted off the ground with the soles of his feet.

When her body was several meters high in the air, Yi Ji turned around and said to the members of the Thorns Team: "I leave the referee's job to you. I'll come as soon as I can."

The understatement made people think that she was just going to stroll on the street and buy a piece of clothing.

Then, Ichiji turned into a black dot in the eyes of everyone in the Thorn Team, and rushed into the sky, chasing Deidara.

After Yiji left, everyone in the group couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

To be honest, even standing next to the captain, with their jounin strength, they still feel a huge pressure.

The chakra that was so abnormal that it showed out naturally seemed to freeze the space near the body, and even breathing began to become unsmooth.

They could only guess one thing, their captain was starting to get stronger again.

As for how much stronger they have become, they don't have a precise idea in their minds.

With their realm, it is impossible to see clearly where the upper limit is.

"How long do you think that explosive escape boy can last in the captain's hands?"

One person said.

He is the Arashi Dun ninja in the team.

In his opinion, the winner of this gambling battle was determined from the beginning, and there was no suspense at all.

"Although the captain is very strong, if it enters the tug-of-war stage, it will take more than three minutes. After all, the opponent is a ninja with the ability to control the air, and ninjutsu also has extremely strong destructive power, which should not be underestimated."

Another person spoke.

"More than three minutes? Are you looking down on him a bit? I think two minutes is about right."

"Two minutes is a bit too long. I think the captain will resolve the battle within one and a half minutes."

The rest of the people also joined the discussion. Although the times given were different, the results were very consistent. There was no doubt that Yiji would win this battle.

From the beginning, this battle was not equal at all in their eyes.

…

"Sharingan... try to avoid being approached by her. If you fall under the illusion, things will be very troublesome."

Deidara stood on the back of the white bird, flying towards the west of the forest while thinking about how to proceed in the next battle.

If your opponent has a Sharingan, you must first avoid close combat to avoid being disturbed by illusions.

Although he had suffered from Itachi in the past and had strengthened his illusion resistance for a period of time, the power of the Sharingan was too abnormal and his illusion resistance might not be 100% effective.

This is a free battle, and there can be no carelessness.

"In addition, I remember that she can also use the technique called Susanoo to remotely launch the summoned flame giant sword as an arrow, and perform ultra-long-range explosions. The power of the explosion is not at all compared to my C3·18

Weak...we must focus on guarding against this move."

The corner of Deidara's eye glanced behind him. Although the battle had not officially begun, Ichiki's figure flying with chakra wings was still clearly visible.

"Did you catch up so quickly?"

A smile appeared on Deidara's lips.
To be continued...