---
The giant sand arm surged from the desert ground, wrapping around Deidara in a crushing grip.
"It's over," Kankurō declared firmly, eyes locked on the sky above.
"Damn right! As expected of Kazekage-sama!" a nearby Jōnin exclaimed with admiration.
Another Jōnin chimed in, his voice filled with pride, "Yeah! As long as Kazekage-sama is here, this village has nothing to fear!"
BOOM!
A violent explosion burst from within the sand sphere surrounding Deidara.
A massive hole tore through the ball of sand, and Deidara erupted out of the smoke, soaring into the air.
Gaara frowned slightly, then his chakra-infused sand shot out once again, seizing Deidara's ankle mid-air and hurling him back into the sand maraca-like orb.
"C3—Detonating Clay: Owl!" Deidara shouted, hurling a chunk of white clay. It morphed into an owl, which scooped him up and soared skyward.
"How naïve. Did he really think he could escape Gaara's sand?" Kankurō sneered.
Sure enough, Gaara's sand lunged once more, this time grabbing hold of Deidara's arm. The sand began crawling up his body with relentless force.
"Damn it! Detonating Clay: Centipede!" Deidara spat out another sculpture. A long, white clay centipede twisted through the air and wrapped around the sand binding him.
BOOM!
The centipede detonated, breaking apart the sand.
"Hmph," Deidara smirked in triumph—until he realized the sand on his arm hadn't crumbled.
"Nani?!"
His smirk faded as he felt the increasing weight of the chakra-infused sand.
"Shit!"
With gritted teeth, Deidara violently yanked his body and severed his own arm from the sand's grasp.
"I get it now... This isn't just any sand."
Deidara glared toward the floating sphere where Gaara stood, his face calm as always.
"The sand in his gourd... it's different," Deidara muttered to himself. "He pours massive amounts of chakra into it regularly... That's why it forms both his offense and his absolute defense."
"That means... He actually sacrificed his Absolute Defense to attack me. Clever bastard," Deidara hissed, touching his ninja pouch. "Running low on clay, but... heh."
On the ground, Kankurō and Baki monitored the battle closely.
"He even used the sand from his Absolute Defense," Baki noted grimly. "The enemy must be stronger than expected. We should prepare in case Gaara loses control... especially if Shukaku gets loose."
Kankurō narrowed his eyes but then gave a small smile, resolute. "Hmph! No need. Gaara would never hurt anyone in this village again."
Baki blinked in surprise, glancing at Kankurō, then nodded and turned to the nearby Jōnin.
"Emergency orders to all units!"
"Two squads to the reservoir—secure all routes!"
"Block off surrounding streets! There may be more enemies—do not let your guard down!"
"Medical team—activate the barrier! Begin evacuation of civilians immediately!"
"From now on, we protect Gaara with everything we've got... no—protect the Fifth Kazekage!!"
Above, Gaara saw his village mobilizing in unity. Though his face remained stoic, something stirred inside him—his blood boiled with pride.
He said nothing... but the silent fire in his eyes told enough.
Suddenly, Deidara pulled out a pentagon-shaped clay doll from his pouch. Hugging it close, he grinned and tossed it down toward the village.
"I'm getting sick of that blank face of yours!" Deidara shouted. "This here is a clay bomb doll! A fusion of explosive clay and chakra—powerful enough to wipe out the entire Sunagakure!"
Grinning maniacally, he raised his head to meet Gaara's gaze.
"So what's it gonna be, Kazekage-sama? Show me what you'll do next—hahaha!"
On the ground, Baki's eyes widened in horror. "No! Everyone, evacuate!"
"Too late!" Deidara screamed, eyes wild with exhilaration.
"Art is... PATRICK!!"
A blinding light erupted in the sky.
BOOOOOOM—!!
A massive mushroom-shaped explosion consumed the sky. The scorching flash blinded many of the Shinobi below.
Deidara laughed wickedly as he watched the devastation unfold beneath him.
"That silly name came from Lady Konan. She called it 'Patrick' for some reason... I still don't know what 'Patrick Star' is, but it sounds ridiculous."
Smirking, he discreetly threw his last piece of clay, the shape of a small bird, and rode it toward Gaara, who was still hovering—panting—above.
"Nani?!" Gaara's eyes widened as the bird rushed toward his face.
"Detonate!!" Deidara shouted.
BOOM!
The bird exploded at point-blank range.
"Gaara!!"
The Shinobi below screamed in panic as smoke engulfed the Kazekage.
But as the smoke cleared, a familiar shape emerged—the protective sand sphere, intact.
"Yatta! Kazekage-sama's on guard!" the villagers erupted in cheers.
"As expected," Baki muttered with a small smile. "Gaara's Absolute Defense won't fall so easily."
"Heh... Using ordinary sand to guard now?" Deidara chuckled, then suddenly yelled, "Art is EXPLOSION!!"
BOOM!
An explosion went off inside Gaara's sand sphere.
The sand slowly crumbled, falling away.
Gaara's body dropped through the sky—bloodied and limp.
"No!! Kazekage-sama!!"
The villagers below cried out in disbelief.
"Impossible... His Absolute Defense—!" Kankurō's voice trembled.
Deidara dove and caught Gaara mid-air.
"Ahahahaha! It was over the moment you defended against 'Patrick' with ordinary sand. I mixed my mini-bombs into the debris earlier, remember? While you were busy protecting everyone, you let me slip inside. You were doomed the moment you defended with sand tainted by my Piton. Heh... Piton... what a stupid name," he laughed.
Suddenly, Gaara's eyes snapped open.
"Wha—?!" Deidara was startled and released him.
Gaara slowly raised his hand, chakra flickering. Below, the sand beneath the destroyed Patrick bomb began to stir.
He was redirecting it—guiding the massive debris away from the village perimeter.
"Still thinking of the village?" Deidara sneered beside him. "You should've abandoned them. If you weren't so sentimental, you wouldn't be in this state. I heard your past was rough, wasn't it?"
Gaara ignored him, focusing solely on moving the sand, his eyes full of unshakable will.
On the ground, the Shinobi watched the Fifth Kazekage in grief and awe.
Baki stepped forward, shouting, "What are you all doing?! Move—protect the Kazekage!"
"Right!!"
Several Sand-nin loaded their crossbows and fired upward.
"Hmph," Deidara muttered, weaving between the bolts on his clay owl. "Pointless resistance."
As the last of the sand fell safely outside the village border, Gaara finally collapsed in the air.
Deidara grinned maliciously and soared toward his unconscious body.
---
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Leaf Village...
Inside the Hokage's office.
"Has Kakashi's team received their first mission yet?" Shizune asked, scanning a clipboard.
"Of course," Tsunade said, a vein twitching in annoyance. "Sakura has been training hard the past two years, and Naruto... that idiot's been screaming about bringing Sasuke back ever since he returned."
She flipped through a stack of mission forms. "Time to make up for all the missions they skipped."
"Huh? What about this one?" Shizune blinked, reading one aloud. "An escort mission for a high-ranking official from the Land of Wind? That's an A-rank!"
Tsunade smirked, "Perfect. Send it to Kakashi's team."
"But... Naruto's probably going to complain," Shizune muttered. "He'll say he only wants to take cat-chasing missions if they let him look for Sasuke."
"That brat would send two Elite Jōnin and a Chūnin on a damn D-rank mission?!" Tsunade exploded.
With a sigh, she handed over the assignment scroll.
"Escort the envoy from Sunagakure back to the Hidden Leaf. That's their mission."
Shizune blinked again, "Wait... Sand envoy? Could this be—?"
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