"Bring it on!" Anko stood tall, her chest puffed out, ready to face death with determination after her teammates had left.
"Are you crazy? What's going on inside that head of yours?" Deidara mocked her with a smirk. "I just want you to lead us to the Hidden Cloud's camp later, that's all."
The sky was gradually darkening, making it the perfect time for a night assault.
"W-What did you just say?" Anko froze, her mind momentarily blank.
"I said, lead us to the Hidden Cloud's camp," Deidara repeated.
"Our mission is to help you defeat the A-B Combo from the Hidden Cloud. A battle of that scale would cause too much collateral damage. You wouldn't want the fight to take place near the Hidden Leaf's camp, would you?" Deidara explained.
Damn it! This brat keeps teasing me over and over again!
Blushing furiously, Anko got up from the ground, realizing she'd been tricked by Deidara once again. Can't he just talk normally? Why does he always have to act like this?
However, Anko hesitated at the idea of directly assaulting the Hidden Cloud's camp.
"Isn't this a bit too reckless?" she asked. After all, the Hidden Cloud had thousands of ninjas stationed there, not to mention the renowned A-B Combo. Charging in head-on seemed far too risky.
"If we fail and die there, wouldn't that be exactly what you want?"
"You probably wish we'd just die, don't you?" Deidara teased with a laugh.
"That's not what I meant—no, wait! I was joking! You're allies of the Hidden Leaf, of course I'm concerned about your safety," Anko quickly shook her head, nearly blurting out her true thoughts.
"Alright, let's go."
"We've wasted enough time already," Sasori said impatiently, his tone growing irritable.
Startled by Sasori's abrupt tone, Anko obediently took the lead.
After another two hours of travel, the trio arrived at the outskirts of the Hidden Cloud camp. There were numerous patrolling ninjas and hidden scouts, but Sasori dealt with them silently and efficiently, leaving no trace behind.
"Anko, this is as far as you go. You can leave now," Deidara said, turning to her.
Anko couldn't have been more relieved. Seeing that Deidara wasn't joking, she quickly made her exit.
Deidara then turned to Sasori. "Big Brother Sasori, hold on. Let me send them a little gift."
To his surprise, Sasori stopped him. "Don't even think about it. The Hidden Cloud has set up a sensory barrier around their camp. The moment you step inside, you'll be detected."
After receiving intelligence on all Akatsuki members from Obito, the Raikage had implemented specific countermeasures. The sensory barrier was designed to guard against individuals like Deidara and Tendo (Pain).
If a giant bomb or techniques like the Super Almighty Push or Planetary Devastation were to descend from the sky, the Hidden Cloud forces would be wiped out instantly.
"Tch!" Deidara clicked his tongue in frustration. Damn Obito, ruining my artistic performance.
Hiruko's tail swayed in the air, reflecting Sasori's impatience. "Let me handle this. How dare the Hidden Cloud challenge the Akatsuki."
"The Hidden Cloud and the Raikage must bear the brunt of my wrath!"
Sasori was still brooding over the imperfection of his last appearance. Now was the perfect opportunity to make up for it.
Hiruko clapped its hands together. "Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
In an instant, countless trees erupted from the ground, spreading toward the Hidden Cloud camp. The barren land was quickly transformed into a lush forest.
However, these trees were no ordinary plants. They resembled malevolent tree demons, their branches transforming into lethal tendrils that wreaked havoc, causing significant casualties among the Hidden Cloud forces.
"Big Brother Sasori, I can't believe you've mastered this technique too," Deidara remarked in amazement. This puppet truly excelled in utilizing Hashirama's cells.
Advent of a World of Flowering Trees was arguably Senju Hashirama's most iconic technique. While it wasn't considered particularly powerful by Hashirama's standards, it was often sufficient to end battles against anyone other than Uchiha Madara.
This had cemented the technique as Hashirama's signature move in the eyes of many.
Noticing Deidara's surprise, Sasori felt a sense of satisfaction. "Deidara, don't act so shocked."
"Focus. The enemy is coming."
Roar!
A deafening roar echoed through the battlefield as the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, appeared. Killer Bee had fully transformed into his Tailed Beast form.
"Be careful! The Raikage is here too!"
"He's incredibly fast!" Sasori reminded Deidara. While the Raikage's raw power couldn't rival the Eight-Tails, his speed made him an even greater threat.
"Damn Akatsuki!" A flash of lightning streaked across the battlefield. By the time the Raikage's voice reached their ears, his fist had already pierced through Deidara's chest.
His speed had surpassed the speed of sound.
The Deidara that was struck dissolved into a lump of clay, which was promptly neutralized by the Raikage's Lightning Release, rendering it a dud.
Another Deidara emerged from behind. "What terrifying speed."
"Damn Akatsuki! How dare you inflict such damage on the Hidden Cloud Village? I'll kill you all!" the Raikage roared furiously.
Once again, he turned into a bolt of lightning, aiming another punch at Deidara.
Sasori, having previously fought the Raikage, knew that his puppet's defenses wouldn't be easily breached. Thus, the Raikage's primary target remained Deidara.
The Deidara struck by the Raikage's punch exploded into another lump of clay. Yet another Deidara appeared from a different direction.
"I know how fast you are. Did you really think I wouldn't prepare for that?"
"If killing my clones helps you vent your anger, then go ahead."
As Deidara finished speaking, dozens more of his clones emerged from various locations.
The advantage of clay clones was their low chakra consumption. Unlike traditional clone techniques, which required splitting a significant portion of one's chakra, clay clones were essentially small clay constructs. If he wanted to, Deidara could create thousands of them effortlessly.
"You bastard!" the Raikage shouted in fury, but his rage only made him look powerless.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. If you're not going to make a move, then I will!" Deidara's clones began crafting clay creatures simultaneously.
Due to their size, the clones could only create small clay creatures. These miniature bombs couldn't penetrate the Raikage's Lightning Release Armor, but the act itself was more of an insult—a mockery akin to child's play.
The Raikage's face turned bright red with anger. "Don't underestimate me! So what if you have countless clones? I can destroy them all in a second!"
Once again, the Raikage became a flash of lightning, extending his right hand in a Four-Finger Thrust stance. He sliced through Deidara's clones as if cutting fruit.
"Really?"
"Can you really destroy them all in a second?" A booming voice, formed by the collective sound of countless smaller voices, echoed. The Raikage looked up to find himself surrounded by an endless sea of Deidara clones.
"There are three thousand of me here!"
"You'd better move quickly. Otherwise, my real body might get bored and decide to head over to the Eight-Tails instead."
"Damn it! You bastard!" the Raikage roared again, his fury reaching its peak.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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