At this time…
In the desert outside Sunagakure, two figures—one tall, one short—were walking slowly toward the Village Hidden in the Sand.
It was Sasori and Deidara of the Akatsuki.
"My latent brain manipulation technique has been lifted," Sasori said suddenly.
"I see. Compared to Orochimaru, we still hold the upper hand," Deidara replied. "Although... it seems like a traitor leaked our intel, un."
"Hmph! Can't be helped. I don't know what will happen after the operation," Sasori said in dissatisfaction. "Is it really okay for you to only bring that bag? Our opponent is the One-Tail's Jinchūriki!"
"My ninjutsu is art! Aside from Lady Konan, no one compares to my aesthetic!" Deidara said excitedly. "Not to mention, I've already brought out all my trump cards, un!"
He then glanced at the sealing scroll in his ninja pouch and showed Sasori a cruel grin.
"That's it!" a Suna Anbu shouted in alarm. "Contact Captain Yūra—members of the Akatsuki have infiltrated!"
"Don't be so tense," Yūra suddenly appeared beside the Anbu, a cold smirk on his face. "It'll all be over soon…"
Moments later, Sasori strolled beneath the towering walls of Sunagakure.
"Good work, Yūra. Looks like you remembered me," Sasori said in a low tone.
"Yes, Lord Sasori! The Anbu in Section 720 have all been cleared for your entrance!" Yūra declared, kneeling on one knee with a crazed glint in his eyes.
Yūra then escorted Deidara and Sasori into Sunagakure.
"It's almost time to start," Deidara said, stretching out his right hand. A mouth appeared in the center of his palm, chewing up a small chunk of clay before spitting it out. It morphed into a bird, which he tossed to the ground.
"Brother Sasori, just sit back and watch my performance, un."
He formed a hand seal. "Kibaku Nendo: Kyodai Tori!" (Explosive Clay: Giant Bird!)
The clay bird expanded rapidly. Deidara leapt onto its back and rose into the sky. "Time to showcase my art!"
Don't keep me waiting too long, Deidara, the puppet body of Sasori, cloaked in Hiruko, glanced coldly at him.
"Hmph!" Deidara sneered and soared high above Sunagakure on the clay bird.
As he flew, his eyes scanned the landscape below.
"Tch, three guards watching the skies?" he muttered, pulling a scroll from his ninja pouch.
With a puff of smoke—three projectiles!
"Yoshi!" Deidara steadied his position atop the bird, raised his clay-crafted arm, and took aim. "Let me show you Lady Konan's style of art, un!"
Excited, Deidara grinned. "Art… is an explosion!"
BOOM! The clay arm fired three blasts. The Sand Shinobi guards had just looked up—only for their heads to be obliterated by the force of the impact!
Deidara swooped down toward the Kazekage Tower and leapt from his bird.
"Woo! Successful infiltration!" he crowed triumphantly.
But the moment he looked up…
Standing on the rooftop of the Kazekage Tower were none other than Kazekage Gaara and several elite jōnin—having a barbecue.
"…I was just passing by. Do you believe me?" Deidara asked awkwardly.
Immediately, he vaulted back onto his clay bird and ascended swiftly.
"Bastard! Get him!"
"Damn it, you're so arrogant!"
"You little shit!"
"Fūton: Kama Itachi no Jutsu!" (Wind Style: Scythe Weasel Technique!)
Ninjutsu from all directions soared toward Deidara.
He frantically maneuvered his bird to dodge. "Bastards! I'll show you the true meaning of art!"
A sandstorm of explosive techniques rained down from the Kazekage Tower.
Deidara plummeted low, weaving between alleyways and narrow streets to avoid being engulfed by Gaara's sand.
The mouths in his hands kept chewing furiously.
"Yosh! Almost ready!" Deidara shot back into the sky.
Gaara leapt after him, his sand gourd releasing a wave that formed a platform, suspending him mid-air.
"It's become complete chaos… that idiot Deidara," Sasori muttered by the wall. "Yūra, you should return. If villagers notice you're gone, it could draw suspicion."
"Yes, Lord Sasori!" Yūra vanished instantly.
"F**k him up, Kazekage-sama!"
"Kill that cocky bastard!"
"You think you can mess with Suna?!"
Below, the shinobi of Sunagakure screamed skyward.
"Shut up, bastards!" Deidara snarled. "It was just a failed infiltration, un! Why are you screaming like I nuked your grandmother!?"
The mob paused—and then erupted into a louder chorus of profanity.
"Goddamn trash! You wanna see real art?!" Deidara pulled out another scroll from his pouch. "Ninjutsu: AK-47, un!"
Gaara furrowed his brow, baffled by the name of the technique.
Deidara unfurled the scroll, summoned a strange metallic weapon, inserted a magazine full of explosive tags into the chamber, and aimed it at Gaara.
Da-da-da-da-da—
A storm of explosive rounds blazed toward the airborne Kazekage.
With a wave of his hand, Gaara raised a massive sand wall, shielding himself.
Bang-bang-bang! The bullets impacted the sand wall in rapid succession. Gaara narrowed his eyes.
"These aren't piercing bullets. They're chakra-imbued ninja tools…"
Just as he prepared a counter, the barrage ceased.
Gaara dispersed the wall of sand—and saw Deidara lifting a massive cylindrical launcher.
"Art is… RPG!"
BOOM! The shell launched directly at Gaara.
Gaara's sand shield rose again, but the RPG detonated violently on contact.
"NANI!?" Gaara exclaimed as the blast flung him backward.
He tumbled through the air, landing with a grunt. A portion of his sand armor was blown off his face.
Enraged, Gaara swept his arm forward—summoning a colossal arm of Shukaku's sand to seize Deidara.
"Tch! Still not down?" Deidara scowled. He swerved his bird, avoiding the strike, and spat out multiple clay birds from his palms.
BOOM! The moment they made contact with Gaara's sand, they exploded.
"Using strange explosives and ninja tools… is this his method of testing my defenses?" Gaara thought, his eyes narrowing.
"Hmph. I've basically figured it out," Deidara muttered. "Kibaku Nendo: Niyoku Tori!" (Explosive Clay: Bi-Winged Birds!)
A series of twin-winged birds flew from his palms, circling Gaara.
"Gotcha!" Deidara formed a hand seal. "Art is an explosion!"
BOOOOM!
Kankurō, who had just arrived on the scene, gasped. "Gaara!!"
A massive cloud of smoke expanded in the sky. But in true shinobi fashion—where smoke equals suspense—a gigantic sphere of sand appeared after the blast cleared. Floating beside it was Gaara's Third Eye.
"Hmph. To shield against that… he is a Jinchūriki. Young, but worthy of the Kazekage title," Deidara acknowledged with a scowl.
Suddenly, his vision dimmed.
"Nani?!"
Deidara spun around—only to see an enormous sand-formed Shukaku arm wrapping around him from behind.
"Suna no Kyūshō!" (Sand Coffin!)
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