Deidara plunged his hands into the clay pouch at his waist.
The grotesque mouths on his palms began to greedily devour the clay, kneading it with chakra.
Soon, small, twitching clay spiders began to form, scuttling out from his hands.
High above, the clay eagle circling in the sky let out a mechanical screech as it dipped downward, hovering ominously over Tangyin Village.
"Heh… the show's about to begin."
With a flick of his wrists, Deidara scattered the spiders. They rained down like a deadly hailstorm, bouncing off rooftops and quickly crawling into the surrounding buildings.
"Art... is an explosion!"
He clasped his hands together.
Boom!
The detonations were instant and violent. The ground trembled as structures crumbled, one after another, engulfed in smoke and fire.
Screams echoed throughout the village.
"Help! He's back again!"
"Where the hell are our ninja? Kill that lunatic already!"
"If this keeps up, Tangyin will be reduced to ash…"
"Stop! Don't you know? These explosions are part of the so-called Tutu Ninja Exhibition!"
"I don't care what it is. I'm getting out of this village before we all die!"
Amid the chaos, Deidara floated calmly on his clay eagle, watching the destruction below with a pleased smirk.
"Tch… as expected, explosions truly are the highest form of artistic expression."
His left eye, outfitted with a precision scope, zoomed in on the village. He scanned for his real target.
"That daimyo of the Land of Rivers… still hiding?"
The Akatsuki's mission might have been about profit, but for Deidara, this was personal—both a performance and a message.
He sneered.
"A minor village like this can't possibly stop me."
Suddenly, a masked figure beside him spoke.
"Deidara-senpai, are you really going to kill the daimyo? That's kind of a big deal… If the leader finds out…"
"Shut up, Tobi!" Deidara snapped.
"The leader said we're here to make money. Do you get it? Money!"
"But… what does assassinating a daimyo have to do with making money?" Tobi tilted his head, genuinely confused.
Deidara grinned smugly.
"If I kill the daimyo of the Land of Rivers using my art, the other nations will be terrified. Next time I show up, they'll pay not to be destroyed. That's profit—and prestige. It'll cement my status as the greatest artist in the shinobi world."
"Wow, that's brilliant, senpai!" Tobi clapped enthusiastically.
"This guy… is actually kind of clever."
In the luxurious mansion near the village center, the daimyo—Lord Rukawa—trembled as another explosion rocked the building.
"Damn it! That madman's here again!" he shouted.
He turned to his protectors—Sasuke, Kakashi, and Yamato—with desperation in his eyes.
"I'm counting on you Konoha shinobi this time!"
With a clap, two of his guards stepped forward and opened a large wooden chest—overflowing with ryo.
"All of this is yours if you kill that maniac!"
Sasuke's eyelids twitched.
There had to be at least a billion ryo inside.
Kakashi exchanged a glance with him.
"Well… the Land of Rivers is rich."
Abundant in resources, untouched by war, and with booming mining operations—it was a treasure trove. No wonder Deidara had chosen this place.
Meanwhile, atop a tall building nearby:
"Archers, ready!"
"Fire! Bring that thing down!"
Arrow after arrow shot toward the clay eagle, accompanied by the hurling of stones from crude catapults. But it was all futile.
The clay eagle was nimble, weaving through the air with ease. Even the rare hit barely phased it—after all, it wasn't alive.
The sole Jōnin of Tangyin Village clenched his fists in frustration.
"This is hopeless… we have no one who can fly, and barely any who can fight at range. That monster comes and goes as he pleases…"
He looked toward the distance.
"It's up to those Konoha shinobi now… please, stop him before the daimyo is blown to pieces."
In an open clearing just outside the village, Team Kakashi gathered.
"It's definitely Deidara," Sasuke muttered, staring up at the airborne terrorist.
His gaze shifted to the masked figure beside Deidara. His eyes narrowed.
Uchiha Obito…
His heart tensed.
If Obito was involved, this wasn't just a simple bombing.
I can't let him see what I'm fully capable of yet. If he gets suspicious… I'll lose my only chance to kill him and Itachi.
Kakashi turned to him.
"Sasuke. You're up."
Sasuke gave a subtle nod and formed a seal.
Poof!
A powerful gust tore through the clouds as a massive beast appeared above them—Raiko, the lightning eagle.
In the sky, Deidara squinted.
"Wait… those aren't Yuyin nin… Konoha shinobi?"
Tobi waved. "Told you they'd bring backup!"
"Shut up!" Deidara growled. "It's just three of them. Nothing to worry abou—WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
His jaw dropped as a giant blue-green eagle tore through the air like a thunderstorm incarnate.
Its talons glowed with lightning, diving straight for them.
"Run, senpai!"
They barely managed to evade. The clay owl flapped furiously, but just as they thought they were safe—
WHOOOSH!
A whirlwind erupted, slicing through the air with invisible wind blades.
Shunk!
The owl was shredded. Pieces of clay rained down like confetti.
Deidara and Tobi crashed onto a rooftop in a cloud of dust.
"W-We almost died!" Tobi cried out.
From below, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Yamato appeared.
"We finally meet, Akatsuki," Kakashi said calmly.
"Tch… Konoha again. Fine!" Deidara growled, raising his hands.
"Take this!"
Two clay dolls leapt forward, twisting grotesquely as they sprinted toward the trio.
"Careful!" Sasuke warned. "Everything he uses is explosive!"
Kakashi and Yamato instantly scattered.
But then—
Thump… Thump… Thump…
Behind them, tiny shapes began to crawl out from the shadows.
Clay ants. Dozens of them.
They leapt with disturbing agility, surrounding the Konoha trio.
"What the—?! When did he—?!"
"Hahaha! I scattered them when we crashed earlier!" Deidara declared proudly.
Just as the ants closed in—
Crack!Zzzzt!
Sasuke raised a hand. Countless blue-white lightning needles shot outward, pinning the ants in place.
"No explosions?" Tobi blinked.
Deidara's face stiffened.
Sasuke's Sharingan glinted.
"Your cheap tricks don't work on me."
"You…" Deidara trembled with rage.
"Those eyes… just like his!"
He flashed back to his first meeting with Uchiha Itachi—the cold look, the silent dismissal.
That same arrogant gaze!
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Deidara hurled another clay doll—this one already primed to explode.
But—
CRACK-BOOOOM!
A bolt of lightning struck the rooftop. The entire building collapsed under the shockwave.
The clay doll disintegrated mid-air.
Smoke and debris filled the air.
"…That Lightning Style is insane," Kakashi muttered, wide-eyed.
Yamato nodded nervously.
"If that eagle keeps going wild… this village might be reduced to rubble."
"I know," Sasuke replied coolly.
He raised his hand, signaling Raiko to hold back.
The storm above began to settle. But the tension on the battlefield only grew.