Deidara said fiercely, "Let me show you true art, C3!"
Both sides had excellent vision and formed hand seals almost simultaneously.
"Hmph!"
"Clang!"
Two deadly "fat men" met in mid-air, Steam Impurities Explosion violently colliding with C3. No. 18.
The explosion occurred in mid-air, firelight engulfing the entire area.
First, there was a massive roar, inaudible to human ears.
Then, a scarlet pillar of fire, as if substantial, appeared at the center of the explosion. The energy within the pillar shot vertically downwards, pulverizing a small portion of the market, city walls, and forest below. After that, the upper half of the fire pillar broke through the clouds, and the sea of clouds was pushed away in a ring by the explosion's energy. Then, the central area of the fire pillar violently contracted, and in the second second, it expanded dramatically. Finally, a shockwave mixed with clay, steam, and high-temperature grease erupted outwards!
The main area of the explosion was concentrated in the sky, like a fiery red sun had appeared. The shockwave swept across This Country, its momentum akin to the heavens collapsing and the earth rending.
Deidara and his companion were closer to the explosion's center, and the clay giant bird was flipped seven or eight times by the shockwave. Fortunately, both of them were skilled; Deidara and Sasori concentrated their Chakra in their feet, firmly adhering to the giant bird, preventing them from falling.
After shedding the force, the clay giant bird flapped its wings repeatedly, flying several hundred meters away, finally escaping the central area of the explosion.
Deidara seemed to be in a frenzy, his face flushed, incredibly high: "Art, this is the art I pursue! Sasori-sama, did you see it? This is just my C3; if I used my ultimate art, I could definitely blow that guy to smithereens, and this entire area would become a wasteland, ha ha ha ha—"
He closed his eyes morbidly, hugging his shoulders, intoxicated by the pungent smell of burning in the air.
Sasori was very calm at this moment, and in his calmness, there was a hint of bewilderment. Did we get the wrong mission? Weren't we here to rob a small country with little military power? Why is the commotion so huge now? The power of this explosion made him feel as if he had come to capture a Tailed Beast.
He wasn't afraid of combat, nor was he afraid of Tailed Beasts, but he just felt that this kind of battle was severely mismatched with his mission pay.
The first thing he had to do when he got back was to find Pain; this job needed a raise!
The brilliant fireworks that illuminated the heavens and earth enveloped This Country. Hot oil and high-temperature clay crackled and fell to the ground like rain. Many civilian houses were burned to ashes by the scorching rock fragments, and the once-flat streets became pockmarked.
Most of the residents were scared stiff. After dozens of seconds, they realized they had to run.
Ino and the others were also running.
She didn't want to be ambushed by the Art Duo. With such a huge explosion, there was no need to signal Kakashi and the others who were lying in wait. If they still couldn't see it, then they could donate their eyes to those in need.
She wanted to just go with the flow, but often, accidents happen so suddenly.
As she ran, she suddenly turned her head and found her old comrades, the Ino–Shika–Choji trio, were all there. The prince of That Country, the mission target, was also there. All four people were present, but it seemed like someone was missing?
She looked at Shikamaru, and Shikamaru also looked at her. Both of their expressions were a bit frozen. Where was Naruto?
"I'm here!"
Before Ino could use her sensory abilities to search, Naruto ran back on his own. Beside him, his Shadow Clone, disguised as the young master of That Country, was carrying an unconscious girl and ran out, shouting and yelling.
This girl was the princess of This Country, and there was a touching country love story between her and the prince of That Country, who was a hostage.
Beside the girl was the strongest person in This Country, a samurai with a samurai sword and a face full of vicissitudes of life (weathered look).
This samurai's name was a bit like Obito's; he was called Takedo.
"Ino! Wait for us!" Naruto's Shadow Clone shouted so loudly that Ino couldn't pretend she didn't hear it.
Deidara, who was searching for their traces in the sky, looked over in response.
"Idiot! You've completely exposed us!" Shikamaru gritted his teeth.
Naruto still felt quite wronged. My Shadow Clone shouted, not me. Why are you scolding me?
The explosion's dust stirred up many scraps of paper. Initially, Ino didn't pay attention; her focus was on the Art Duo rapidly approaching in the sky. When she saw the papers quickly converging in the sky, she immediately realized something was wrong.
The Akatsuki Organization didn't send two people; three came! Even the paper person came!
Dozens of Shikigami flew towards her.
The Shikigami were folded into paper airplane shapes, their wing edges as sharp as knives.
Ino slammed her hand on the ground, and several wild grasses and flowers, infused with her life energy, quickly intertwined and formed a wall covered with thorns and flowers, blocking the paper blades that were comparable to Kunai.
She peered from behind the thorny wall. Konan of the Akatsuki Organization materialized into a human form from countless Shikigami on the street.
This woman, with a delicate face, a light blue paper flower on the right side of her head, light purple eyeshadow, and a lip piercing below her lower lip, gave Ino a rather indifferent look.
"You guys retreat first; I'll deal with her!" Konan could fly. If she were allowed to indiscriminately throw Exploding Tags at the ground, this entire squad would be wiped out. Ino felt that only she could stop her.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A flood, ten times more violent than during the Chunin Exams of yesteryear, appeared out of thin air. The surging water instantly turned This Country into a lake.
As soon as Shikamaru saw the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, he knew she was going all out, and immediately called for the others to retreat.
On the other side, Naruto also dispelled his Shadow Clone and sped away, carrying the princess of This Country.
The little girl was terrified and wanted to cry, but the mental stimulation was too great, and she couldn't cry at all.
Konan coldly glanced at the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave. The Shikigami behind her gathered more and more, eventually forming a pair of paper wings. She floated in mid-air, rapidly increasing her flight altitude, seemingly wanting to bypass Ino, who was a somewhat tough opponent, and first capture the princess of This Country.
"Hmph, where are you running, paper person!" Ino released an Exploding Water Colliding Wave beneath her feet, using the upward lift of the water flow to quickly approach Konan. Once they were at the same height, she stepped on the water in mid-air for leverage, leaped up, and punched towards the back of Konan's head.
She knew that the opponent's Shikigami were afraid of oil, but Ino still wanted to test how waterproof the opponent's waterproof Shikigami really were.
Konan frowned slightly. Her close-combat ability was relatively poor. This angel of the Akatsuki Organization grabbed at the air, and many Shikigami gathered in her hand. Then, she threw a paper spear made of Chakra Shikigami towards Ino.
The water from the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave and the Exploding Water Colliding Wave touched the paper spear, but only a thin layer of the surface got wet, and then it was blocked by the Chakra Konan had imbued into the paper spear.
This guy's Shikigami indeed had a waterproofing effect.
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