A freezing wind swept down from the earthen slope, slicing across the faces of the three men like icy blades.
"Damn it… why would Iwagakure exile one of their key protégés to the village outskirts?"
Yozuki Hayabusa cursed under his breath.
He was the captain of the Falcon Squad, the Cloud ninja unit that had infiltrated Iwagakure.
Including him, all three were jōnin.
They were disguised in the gray-brown clothing of ordinary Iwa civilians. Even their naturally darker skin tones had been altered.
At close range, it would be nearly impossible to identify them as Cloud shinobi.
Originally, the two Cloud squads had slipped through a flaw in Iwagakure's barrier and headed straight for the village center to locate their target.
Only to find—
Even civilians knew that their target had been driven to the outskirts.
So the two squads split up, sweeping along the edges of the village, both moving south in search of him.
Tōroi sighed.
"Captain… I feel like that comment was aimed at a certain famous clan."
"…."
Hayabusa paused.
Right.
Didn't Konoha also exile one of its founding clans to the village edge?
Compared to that—
Iwa wasn't even that bad.
Another jōnin, Usagi, suddenly lowered his binoculars and exclaimed:
"Captain! The target—we found him! He's coming toward us!"
"Huh?"
Hayabusa took the binoculars and looked.
Sure enough—
A blond figure in a dark brown cloak was rushing toward them, clearly excited.
"…."
He fell silent.
"Do we move now?" Tōroi asked cautiously.
Hayabusa frowned.
"…No. The target looks… happy."
Tōroi's expression tightened.
"Could it be a trap?"
"Possible," Hayabusa admitted. "But we approach first. If anything goes wrong—grab the target and retreat immediately!"
"Yes!"
The two nodded.
"Usagi."
"Here!"
"Use the secret technique. Contact the Thunder Squad. Tell them we've located the target—have them converge immediately. Once we capture him, we withdraw together."
"Yes, sir!"
Usagi retreated.
Meanwhile—
Deidara was already closing in.
With a few swift movements—
He landed right in front of Hayabusa.
Panting, he demanded, "You're the ones looking for me?!"
Though he was curious about whoever appreciated his art—
He hated being toyed with.
Tōroi's face darkened as he glanced at his captain.
Had their mission been exposed?
A mole?
Or did Iwa sell them out?
Unlikely.
Then how did the target know?
Hayabusa's expression turned serious.
After a moment—
He smiled warmly.
"That's right. We've been looking for you."
Whatever the situation—
Talk first.
Stall if needed.
…
From a distant hillside—
Orochimaru watched the scene unfold and chuckled.
"Gen-kun… looks like someone beat us to him."
Gen smiled.
"So the Cloud ninjas are here for Deidara too. What a coincidence."
"Interesting," Orochimaru mused. "Very much in line with Kumogakure's usual behavior—coveting other villages' bloodline limits as resources worth seizing at any cost."
Gen shook his head.
According to the original timeline—
This operation would fail.
Deidara wasn't taken by Cloud.
But it did reveal something important—
Kumo's obsession with stealing kekkei genkai.
"Perfect," Gen said lightly. "Let's see what the kid can do."
A new plan had already formed in his mind.
—
Meanwhile—
Deidara's face turned cold after hearing Hayabusa's confirmation.
"I'll admit—it's nice that you appreciate my art."
"But your methods?"
He sneered.
"Piss me off."
BOOM—
A distant explosion echoed.
The Deidara in front of them—
Was just a clay clone.
"Captain!!" Tōroi shouted. "Explosion Release!"
"Lightning Release: Spider Web!"
Hayabusa had already formed hand seals.
Crackle—!
A net of blue lightning spread beneath his feet, instantly covering the clay clone.
The structure destabilized—
The clone sputtered weakly—
Then fizzled out.
"…Tch!"
Twenty meters away, behind a rock—
The real Deidara clicked his tongue.
Lightning users.
His worst matchup.
"Found him," Hayabusa said coldly, locking onto Deidara's position.
"No more games. Knock him out and take him. Fast."
He was still confused about Deidara's ramblings about "art."
"Understood!"
Tōroi formed seals and thrust both hands forward.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Arrows!"
A barrage of crackling lightning bolts shot forward—
BOOM—
The rock shattered instantly.
But Deidara had already escaped.
Mid-air—
He scattered a swarm of C1 clay spiders and various explosive constructs.
Before the Cloud ninja could pursue—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted in rapid succession.
The uneven terrain was blasted into a massive crater.
Smoke engulfed the battlefield.
"The kid's being countered," Orochimaru observed calmly.
"His power is impressive, but he can't get past their lightning net. This won't last."
"Still," he added, glancing upward, "his talent in developing his kekkei genkai is undeniable."
"Only true geniuses deserve Akatsuki," Gen replied with a grin.
—
High above—
Deidara rode atop a massive clay bird, looking down at the three figures below.
"So this is all you've got?"
He smirked.
"Pretty disappointing."
"You said you'd give me a stage for my art?"
He scoffed.
"This?"
The Cloud ninja looked up.
And for a moment—
They had no good answer to an enemy with aerial superiority.
Deidara formed hand seals.
A manic grin spread across his face.
"Now—"
"The real show begins."
"The big one is coming!!"
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