"Captain! There's a massive flying creature approaching from the direction of Amegakure!" a Sunagakure shinobi reported urgently.
The jōnin commander grabbed the binoculars and took a look at the enormous white beast in the sky.
"Prepare for battle!"
"Yes, sir!"
The small border outpost burst into action. Shinobi scrambled up and down the watchtowers, taking positions and readying for an assault.
A messenger hawk was released into the sky, soaring back toward Sunagakure to deliver the intel.
In the blink of an eye, the dragon reached the outpost. It opened its massive jaws and unleashed a swarm of strange, clay-crafted birds.
Moments later, the entire outpost was engulfed in explosions. The detonation tore through every inch of the small stronghold.
Hyuga Gakuya activated his Tenseigan, locking onto the remaining survivors with pinpoint precision.
"Water Style: Water Arrows."
Jets of water coalesced before him, sharp and fast, piercing through walls and striking down every last survivor without mercy.
Gakuya turned to his companions. "Let's move. Next outpost."
...
Deidara was giddy with excitement, proudly showing off his work.
"So? How was it? My art—C2-style explosives, total air dominance! Before they even saw us, they were already dust!"
"Impressive," Gakuya said with a nod. "A truly ingenious approach."
"Haha! Of course it is!"
Using the same method, the three-man team took out outpost after outpost. With Deidara's relentless bombardments and Gakuya's precise cleanup, not a single survivor remained in their wake.
...
That is, until they encountered someone they'd rather not see.
Deidara was still joyfully bombing targets when, without warning, a cloud of shimmering gold appeared beneath the clay dragon.
The particles scattered evenly through the air—until they suddenly surged together and formed a massive golden hand that reached up and grabbed the dragon's underbelly.
Almost immediately after, a volley of arrows—each affixed with explosive tags—rained upward toward the clay dragon.
Gakuya quickly weaved hand signs. "Wind Style!"
A gust of wind burst from him, redirecting the arrows back to the ground.
"Bastard!" Deidara shouted. "You want to see real art? I'll show you! C2 Dragon, full power!"
The dragon released its final payload—targeted clay bombs—raining destruction down on the sand shinobi below.
But on the ground, a massive dome of golden sand rose up, shielding the Sunagakure forces beneath it.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions tore through the battlefield, but all they did was slowly chip away at the golden sand defense. The shinobi inside remained unharmed.
"Gakuya, get the puppet ready—we're switching mounts." Deidara detached the part of the clay dragon trapped by the golden hand and left behind a clay clone.
The three of them leapt onto Gakuya's puppet falcon and soared into the sky, while the clone and the remaining clay dragon descended toward the Sunagakure troops.
"Die!!!" the clay clone screamed.
Gakuya glanced down as the dragon collided.
A miniature mushroom cloud bloomed beneath them, followed by a deafening explosion. Shockwaves rocked the earth and sky alike.
Even from this high up, the three of them felt their ears ringing. They clutched at their heads, grimacing from the pressure.
"You couldn't have warned us?!" Gakuya shouted—though to be fair, if he hadn't yelled, Deidara probably wouldn't have heard him anyway.
"Hahaha! That's art!" Deidara yelled back, completely misreading Gakuya's tone as praise.
Gakuya sighed. Whatever. Let's go clean up.
...
The puppet falcon began its descent. As they got closer, Gakuya scanned the ground.
Corpses of shinobi—charred, mangled, unrecognizable—littered the area, surrounded by molten golden sand. Even with the Fourth Kazekage's protective techniques, it had turned into a graveyard.
Deidara's Explosion Release was an undeniable force of war.
The ground sizzled with lingering heat, and the golden sand fused beneath their feet.
"Anyone see Rasa?" Sasori asked, glancing around. He was clearly invested in turning the Fourth Kazekage into one of his puppets.
If he could combine that Magnet Release with his Third Kazekage puppet, it might unlock entirely new possibilities.
Gakuya activated the Tenseigan once more, scanning the area.
"He dug a tunnel underground just before the blast. He's probably headed back to Sunagakure."
Sasori clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Tch. What a waste. Would've made a fine addition to the collection."
"No worries. I'll just make another C2 dragon, track him down, and bring his head back for you!" Deidara said cheerfully—but as soon as he took a step, his legs gave out.
Gakuya caught him before he hit the ground.
He wasn't at full capacity yet—his chakra reserves and efficiency still had a ways to go before reaching the level he'd have in the future.
Still, lasting this long with a C2 dragon was impressive enough.
"No need," Sasori said, waving off the idea. "The mission's complete. We're done here."
...
The three of them climbed back onto the puppet falcon and headed toward the Land of Rain.
When they returned to the Akatsuki base, the other members—led by Pain—were already waiting.
Because of their encounter with the Fourth Kazekage, they'd fallen behind schedule.
The moment Deidara saw them, he rushed over, bursting with energy as he bragged about how he'd driven the Kazekage into a panicked retreat with his beautiful C2 explosions.
He hadn't stopped talking the entire trip. Even the dogs they passed had to hear about it.
"You did well," Pain said, handing them three briefcases filled with ryo. "Your reward for completing the mission."
"Thanks, Leader." They each accepted their payment.
Sasori passed his case to Deidara without a second thought. "I barely lifted a finger this time."
Deidara took it without hesitation. Being a shinobi was expensive, and his special clay wasn't cheap to make.
Kakuzu knelt down, eyeing the trail of gold dust they'd left behind.
"What's with all the gold sand on your shoes?"
"Oi, oi, Kakuzu, were you even listening to my story?!" Deidara launched into the tale all over again—how he forced the Fourth Kazekage to flee in disgrace with the overwhelming power of his art.
But Kakuzu wasn't interested in the story. His attention was laser-focused on one thing: the golden sand.
Rasa could produce it. And judging by the aftermath, the battlefield had been littered with the stuff.
"Where did the battle take place?" Kakuzu asked, pulling out a map.
Gakuya pointed to the spot.
"Thanks. Sasori—if I retrieve the Fourth Kazekage's corpse, can you turn him into a puppet that mass-produces gold sand?"
Sasori smirked. "Of course. Chakra-based gold sand won't last forever, but if we dig up the gold deposits with puppets, it's practically free labor. Most of Sunagakure's income comes from his gold anyway."
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. Rasa had just made his personal hit list.
...
"Leader, since the mission's done, I'm heading out for a break," Gakuya said, already turning to leave. He wasn't going to let his rare vacation time go to waste—especially not after it had already been interrupted.
"Fine."
"Hey, hey, Gakuya, don't go yet! I haven't seen the art you've been working on!" Deidara called out, trying to stop him.
"Next time. I'll show you eventually."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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