56: Chapter 56 Gaara SandfallTwo days later, on the outskirts of Sunagakure, the boundless sea of sand gradually dimmed before dusk.
High in the sky, a giant white clay bird glided silently, with Deidara standing on its back, his long golden hair flying wildly in the dry evening breeze.
He spread his arms as if embracing the vast battlefield, his azure eyes peering through his goggles with a fervent scrutiny of a canvas as he looked down at the towering sandstone fortress below.
"Hmm.Is this the nest of the One-Tailed Jinchuriki?It looks like a dull building block, completely lacking in aesthetic appeal."
He curled his lip, a wicked smile playing on his lips."However, soon, my art will add the most dazzling brilliance to this dull landscape!"
He maneuvered the clay bird to gracefully descend, like a falcon locking onto its prey, searching for the perfect entry point.
He was confident in his infiltration skills, and the Sand Village guards were like slow-witted gerbils in his eyes.
However, just as the shadow of the clay bird was about to sweep across a huge sandstone cliff, Deidara's relaxed expression suddenly froze.
At the top of the sandstone, a figure was already waiting.
Red hair, heavy dark circles under the eyes, wearing a white robe symbolizing the authority of the Wind Shadow, with grains of sand constantly spilling from the gourd behind him.
Gaara crossed his arms, his gaze following the strange bird in the sky, the sand beneath his feet slowly flowing.
He seemed to be a part of this sea of sand, blending into the environment.
Deidara's heart trembled violently.The clay bird let out a silent cry, rapidly rising and hovering in mid-air at the same level as the sandstone, confronting Gaara across the distance.
Without a word, Gaara slowly raised one hand, pointing it at the conspicuous white figure in the air, his five fingers slightly spread.
"Whoosh—!"
The calm sea of sand below seemed to come alive, a massive sand wave shot into the sky like a golden python, with an aura of devouring everything, rushing straight at Deidara and his clay birds!Its speed far exceeded that of ordinary ninjutsu!
"Tsk!You attack without even a greeting?What an impolite guy!" Deidara reacted quickly, stomping on the bird's back.The clay bird, under his precise control, let out a sharp cry and nimbly dodged the attack with a side somersault, just like a real swift.
The attack missed, but the towering sand wave did not fall.Instead, it strangely dispersed and deformed in the air, turning into dozens of incredibly flexible sand tentacles that wrapped around, whipped, and stabbed at the white birds in the air from all directions!
These sand tentacles sometimes coalesce like spears, incredibly sharp, and sometimes spread out like a net, covering a large area of the airspace.
Deidara piloted the clay bird, displaying magnificent flying skills.Each flight seemed incredibly dangerous, yet he always managed to cleverly dodge attacks with subtle movements.
"This is so annoying!This sand!" Deidara said, maneuvering his bird to dodge while quickly swallowing clay with his left hand.
Abandon the pursuit of large-scale creations, and pursue speed.
"C1·Clay Spider!"
He swung his hands repeatedly, and fist-sized white clay spiders were accurately hurled at the pursuing sand tentacles.
"Boom!Boom!Boom!"
A series of explosions resounded in the air!The clay spider exploded violently the moment it touched the sand tentacles, and the flames and shockwaves continuously shattered and disintegrated the sand tentacles.
Gravel fell from the sky like raindrops.
But the resources of the desert are almost limitless!As soon as one sand tentacle is shattered, more sand immediately replenishes it from below, coalescing into new tentacles that attack from even more treacherous angles, without end!
"This is never going to end!" Deidara's eyes flashed with anger, and then he kneaded his hands even faster, increasing his chakra output.
"Double-Winged White Harrier!"
Two smaller, but faster, white clay birds took shape in his hands and were thrown out with force.
The two white hawks emitted a sharp whooshing sound, like two white lightning bolts.Instead of attacking the sand tentacles, they bypassed them and shot towards Gaara's main body in a very tricky arc!
Gaara stood still, slightly raising his eyes to look at the two rapidly approaching white birds.
The sand and gravel suspended around him became denser and more solid, forming a spherical shield on its own.
"Boom!Boom!"
Two white hawks crashed into the sand shield, and the flames instantly engulfed Gaara's figure.
As the smoke and dust cleared, the sand shield continued to circulate, completely unharmed.
Gaara didn't even flinch at the hem of his robe.
"Tch!It's really tough!" Deidara changed his flight direction.
They are no longer just passively dodging and sporadic counterattacks, but have begun to take the initiative.
He piloted the main bird, drawing a huge '&' shape in the air, his hands moving like butterflies flitting among flowers.
More clay spiders, like white silk threads, swooped down from the sky.They no longer attacked only the sand tentacles, but instead, like white fleas, tried to bypass the tentacles' blockade and fly directly towards the area around Gaara.
In an instant, light and shadow intertwined in the sky, the flames of explosions mingled with golden sand waves, and small white creations chased, collided, and annihilated each other with agile sand tentacles.
The sounds of roaring, grinding sand, and exploding clay were incessant.
Deidara's crimson robes fluttered wildly during the intense maneuver, and a fanatical smile graced his face as he felt as if he were playing a raging symphony.
Gaara, standing atop the sandstone peak like the eye of a storm, controls the vast sea of sand, combining offense and defense with precision and efficiency.
The sand tentacles sometimes dispersed to attack, sometimes coalesced into giant hands to strike, and sometimes transformed into dense sand rain to cover and strike.
His gaze remained calm, as if the intense air battle before him was merely a tactical simulation.
The battle gradually intensified.
With his aerial advantage and the versatility of his clay explosions, Deidara turned the sky into his personal stage, launching a relentless offensive.
Gaara, on the other hand, remained calm and collected, constructing an impenetrable wall of sand with the endless sea of sand, making his defense airtight and his counterattacks incredibly swift.
Deidara several timesAttempts to close the distance and bombard them directly with a more powerful explosion were all accurately predicted by Gaara, who forced them back with larger sand waves or suddenly rising sand walls.
He even tried to attract attention with clay creations, while his main body would launch a surprise attack from a blind spot, but Gaara's sand seemed to have a mind of its own and could always defend itself in time.
"Damn it!This guy's sand is practically alive!"
Deidara was panting, sweat beading on his forehead; the rate at which the clay was being consumed made him feel a pang of heartache.
Unable to gain the upper hand after a prolonged assault, he was subtly suppressed by his opponent's unwavering composure, which somewhat dampened his artistic pride.
This won't do!He needs a more powerful "work," one that can decide the outcome in one fell swoop!
He abruptly manipulated the clay bird to forcefully pull it back to a relatively safe distance, and then plunged his hands into the clay bag at an even faster speed.This time, he took out a special clay mixed with his own highest-level chakra.
He took out a large clump, stuffed it directly into his mouth and chewed it, concentrating on refining his chakra, a more excited, even somewhat ferocious smile appearing on his face.
"It seems that without a true masterpiece, we won't be able to make this Kazekage Jinchuriki lower his noble head!"
Meanwhile, atop a tower with an excellent view in Sunagakure, Naruto, Sakura, Temari, Kankuro, and others were closely watching a fierce battle in the distance that defied conventional understanding.
Watching Deidara navigate the swirling sandstorm with incredible speed, and Gaara's unwavering defense, Temari gripped her three-star fan tightly, her knuckles turning white: "That Deidara.he's as annoying as a fly!Can Gaara's sand even catch him?"
Kankuro, controlling the puppet crow, said in a deep voice, "He's too agile in the air, and his explosives are very troublesome.Although the Kazekage has the advantage of terrain, it will probably be very difficult for him to take him down."
Sakura's palms were sweating as she watched the scene of immense destruction, and she instinctively looked at Naruto beside her.
Naruto's sharp gaze was fixed firmly on Deidara.
He paid particular attention to Deidara's unique kneading gestures and the special chakra fluctuations that occurred when the clay exploded.
"Completely reliant on external objects.those clays are essentially combat tools that bear the explosive energy of chakra, just like kunai and sword blades, only their material form and mode of operation are different."
Naruto analyzed in his mind, "In that case."
He inexplicably felt a sense of anticipation.
"An artist who relies on painting tools will be betrayed by their own palette." Interesting!
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