Deidara's expression twisted with fury.
"Damn it, you fools are far too arrogant!" he roared, frustration boiling over.
For once, he had opponents to engage with directly. He had played the role of a spectator for so long, and now he finally had the chance to face a few young shinobi—but they were proving far more troublesome than expected.
Deidara felt his pride slipping.
Tobi, standing nearby, added fuel to the fire. "Deidara-senpai, perhaps you should hurry… otherwise, we'll be delayed in transporting the Eight-Tails," he said helplessly.
Hearing this, Deidara's rage intensified.
With a swift motion, he unleashed his latest creation: a massive flying dragon clay bomb.
"Behold! Deidara-senpai's Number Three!" he shouted triumphantly.
"This dragon will annihilate them all!"
Tobi's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Deidara's previous bombs had been powerful enough to challenge even Neji's Eight Trigrams Revolving Heaven.
Might Guy and his team exchanged anxious glances.
"If we can't use Earth Release Ninjutsu, this might be the end," Might Guy muttered.
Deidara, sensing their unease, grinned.
"Underestimating me comes at a cost! Art is an explosion!"
His hands moved in precise seals, sending the flying dragon toward Might Guy's squad.
The moment it reached them, the massive construct detonated.
Boom!
The sky trembled as chunks of earth were blasted skyward, leaving devastation in its wake.
"Hahaha! How do you like my art?" Deidara crowed, exuding confidence.
Tobi clapped in admiration.
"As expected of Deidara-senpai, one strike and they're dealt with!"
Ashveil, however, remained composed, observing without flinching.
Deidara's display of power seemed to impress no one.
Deidara, noticing Ashveil's calm, scowled but quickly regained confidence.
Among Akatsuki, he reasoned, perhaps only Uchiha Itachi could earn such approval.
Feeling slightly reassured, he readied another attack.
A colossal flying clay bird materialized above them.
"These small Konoha ninjas are nothing! I'll crush them effortlessly!" Deidara boasted.
But Ashveil shook his head lightly, his tone cool and detached.
"Deidara, perhaps you should check on them. It would be troublesome if your bomb did nothing," he remarked.
Deidara sneered.
"Hah! You jest, Night Feather. How could they possibly survive that blast? Relax, I've got this," he laughed, brimming with confidence.
Suddenly, a torrent of shurikens rained from above, targeting Deidara.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
His Number Three had clearly struck moments ago—how were they still standing?
From the shadows, Might Guy, Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten emerged, ready for action.
Deidara's confidence faltered as he realized not a single target had fallen.
His pride felt bruised.
Ashveil's calm gaze swept over the scene.
"Deidara, it seems your efforts are wasted. These people are not to be underestimated," he said, his tone almost mocking.
Neji narrowed his eyes, activating his Byakugan.
"That seemingly unreliable man… he might be even more formidable than Deidara," he muttered to himself.
"His Chakra… it's unlike anything I've seen. I can't analyze it fully—its threads are fundamentally different from ours."
Rock Lee and Tenten exchanged glances, shocked by Neji's revelation.
Might Guy's expression hardened.
"If that's the case, I'll focus on this new threat. Everyone else, hold Deidara off!"
Rock Lee, empowered by the Five Gates, surged forward with blinding speed.
Gale-like currents followed him as he launched a Leaf Whirlwind Kick at Deidara.
Deidara's clone technique activated in desperation, while he used Earth Release to vanish beneath the ground.
But Rock Lee's kick struck with such force that it created a massive crater, blasting Deidara from his hiding spot.
Dirt and debris coated his body as he emerged, stunned by the sheer power of these young shinobi.
Might Guy, TenTen, and the others pressed their advantage, attacking simultaneously.
Deidara's long-range fighting style, now compromised by the destruction of his flying dragon, forced him to rethink his approach.
Frustration and humiliation boiled over.
Enraged, Deidara activated his ultimate self-destruct mode.
His body began to expand rapidly, a terrifying spectacle beyond anything the group had anticipated.
Neji shouted a warning.
"Be careful! Deidara has activated his self-detonation! The explosion radius is over ten kilometers! We need to retreat immediately!"
Rock Lee, Might Guy, and the others' faces turned pale.
They had underestimated the ruthlessness of the clay master before them.