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Not far away, Ao and a few rebel ninja stood dumbfounded as they stared at the Mist ninja who had been blown to pieces. One of the rebels cautiously spoke to Ao, "Mr. Ao, it seems like this person might be here to help us."
Ao shook his head slightly and replied, "This person isn't one of ours. I've never seen him before. Look at the forehead protector—he's a rogue ninja from the Hidden Rock Village. Why would he come all the way to the Water Country to help us?"
"But..." the rebel tried to say something more, but Ao cut him off with a raised hand. He slowly shook his head again and said, "Let's just observe for now and figure out the situation!"
At this moment, the remaining Mist ninja were in a sorry state. Their bodies were covered in numerous small wounds, as they hadn't been able to completely evade Deidara's explosion due to their proximity.
"Cough, cough... Damn brat!!! I'll kill you!!!" The leader of the Mist ninja coughed violently, glaring at Deidara with a twisted expression. His eyes burned with murderous intent as he looked at the remains of his subordinates scattered across the battlefield.
"It was my art that allowed these barbarians, who know nothing of true beauty, to ascend through destruction. They experienced the essence of art in their final moments. Shouldn't you thank me?" Deidara smirked mockingly, chuckling arrogantly.
The leader of the Mist ninja and his remaining subordinates were so enraged by Deidara's words that their vision momentarily blurred. After blowing their comrades to smithereens, he still had the audacity to claim it was for their own good—it was utterly despicable.
Though perhaps calling Deidara "despicable" wasn't entirely fair. After all, he genuinely believed what he said. Truly, his way of thinking was unlike anyone else's.
The Mist ninja trembled with rage, clearly at their limit. One of them snarled at Deidara, "Die!!!" while simultaneously beginning to form hand seals.
Just then, deep within the shadows of the forest behind Deidara, a crimson eye slowly opened. Three black tomoe swirled around a central dot in the scarlet iris, exuding an eerie and mysterious aura.
"Ahhh!!!" The Mist ninja forming hand seals suddenly froze mid-motion, then let out a blood-curdling scream. His body collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently as he emitted agonizing cries, as though enduring unimaginable pain.
The other Mist ninja paled in shock. "This is genjutsu!!!" shouted their leader. However, at that very moment, the world around him shifted without warning. The familiar surroundings vanished, replaced by a crimson-hued foggy realm. Above them, a massive crimson eye slowly materialized, its three tomoe spinning ominously and radiating a chilling, ominous presence.
"This... This is the Uchiha Sharingan!!!" The leader of the Mist ninja shuddered, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as he gazed fearfully at the colossal eye looming in the sky. At that instant, the crimson mist swirling around them surged forward, transforming into countless blood-red ribbons that tightly bound the leader, rendering him completely immobile.
Back in the real world, the leader stood frozen in place, his eyes vacant and unfocused. The rest of the Mist ninja shared the same fate, all trapped under the effects of the genjutsu.
From a distance, Ao and his group watched in stunned silence. They couldn't believe that these ruthless Mist ninja, who had chased them relentlessly for over a day and night, had been subdued so effortlessly.
"This... This is genjutsu! Terrifying genjutsu!!!" Ao muttered, using his Byakugan to see clearly. A powerful ocular force emanated from the shadows of the forest behind Deidara.
"Hey, Miao!! You're stealing my spotlight again! I was planning to show these guys the pinnacle of my art, yeah!!" Deidara turned toward the dark woods behind him, voicing his complaint loudly.
"There will be plenty of opportunities later—we don't need to rush. You're too impatient, Deidara," came a calm voice from the shadows. Gradually, a striking figure emerged: a handsome youth with unruly black hair cascading down his back. Strands of hair partially obscured his right eye, while his left revealed a pair of crimson Sharingan glowing mysteriously in the dim light—it was Miao.
Miao stepped out of the forest calmly, followed closely by Deidara. Together, they walked toward Ao and the rebel ninja.
"Who are you? Why are you helping us?" Ao asked cautiously, studying Miao and Deidara. When he saw Miao's eyes, a flicker of understanding passed through his gaze. Clearly, he had already guessed that the young man possessed the Sharingan. Having once fought against Uchiha Shisui, Ao understood well the terrifying capabilities of the Sharingan. To cast such a flawless illusion undetected in broad daylight—only the Uchiha clan's Sharingan or perhaps the legendary Kurenai family's kekkei genkai could achieve such feats.
"May I ask who you are…?" Ao hesitated, addressing Miao directly. He didn't understand why they were being saved, but he knew there must be some motive behind it.
"My name is Uchiha Miao, and this is Deidara. We're traveling together through the ninja world," Miao answered coolly, meeting Ao's questioning gaze with a steady one.
"Uchiha!!!" The people behind Ao gasped audibly upon hearing the name. They immediately turned their astonished stares toward Miao, who now stood confidently at the forefront.