Who is this old man?
How does he possess such explosive speed?
Deidara quickly maneuvered his clay bird higher into the air, increasing the distance between himself and the battlefield below. Only then did he allow himself to breathe easier.
At first glance, he had assumed the man fighting Kakuzu was simply another strong shinobi. However, upon closer inspection, Deidara realized his opponent was actually an elderly man. Yet something about the man's appearance struck him as peculiar.
"They must be shinobi from Kumogakure! Hmm!" Deidara muttered to himself, his characteristic verbal tic punctuating his observation.
Everything pointed to their origin: the distinctive forehead protectors, the powerful Lightning Release techniques crackling through the air, and most tellingly, the kanji for "Thunder" boldly tattooed across the mysterious fighter's right shoulder. These details clearly revealed the man's allegiance to the Hidden Cloud Village.
"Could that be the Fourth Raikage? But wait—wasn't the Fourth Raikage killed by Shihouin Naraku? Hmm!" Deidara's brow furrowed in confusion.
Having no knowledge of the forbidden Edo Tensei jutsu, Deidara naturally misidentified the Third Raikage's true nature. The possibility that this might be another Kumogakure shinobi never crossed his mind—and for good reason. The overwhelming presence and devastating power radiating from the Third Raikage made it impossible to mistake him for an ordinary ninja. Such commanding aura and strength could only belong to someone of Kage-level caliber.
Sniff sniff...
While Deidara remained focused on studying the imposing figure below, countless needle-thin projectiles formed from iron sand suddenly erupted from the ground, creating a deadly web that completely encompassed his aerial position.
Without hesitation, Deidara casually tossed several of his clay birds toward the approaching threat. A series of rapid explosions followed in quick succession—boom, boom, boom—as flames and shockwaves tore through the metallic projectiles, reducing them to harmless fragments.
Whoosh—
Deidara rode his clay creation through the dissipating smoke, diving directly toward the Third Kazekage with renewed determination. His long golden hair whipped wildly in the wind, but nothing could conceal the excited expression that had spread across his face. Combat always had this effect on him—it made him feel truly alive.
"Since you managed to survive my art, let me give you a taste of something even better!" he called out enthusiastically.
"Take this!"
"Another one has arrived!"
Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto had positioned themselves at a safe distance from the chaotic battle. Rather than fleeing the scene entirely, they remained hidden, carefully observing the confrontation and gathering valuable intelligence.
"Pervy Sage, look! Here comes another guy who can fly!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement.
"I can see that!" Jiraiya replied tersely, his experienced gaze never leaving the battlefield.
Naruto watched the fierce aerial combat with growing excitement, his face reflecting pure fascination. The spectacle of high-level shinobi combat made his blood pump faster with anticipation.
"He can actually fly? And those things he's throwing—they explode! Could this guy be from Iwagakure?" Jiraiya wondered silently.
The markings on Deidara's clothing were unmistakable, and Jiraiya quickly pieced together the newcomer's identity. Having recently led Konoha forces against Iwagakure during the war, he was absolutely certain of what he was witnessing.
That technique could only be explosive clay—a signature art of the Hidden Stone Village.
Jiraiya's mind raced as he catalogued the enemies: Kakuzu was a missing-nin from Takigakure, while the scythe-wielding fighter's identity remained unclear, though Jiraiya suspected a connection to Yugakure. Now this blonde young man had appeared—clearly another rogue ninja, this one from Iwagakure.
Most concerning of all, they all wore identical uniforms.
Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya realized he had severely underestimated the organization that Orochimaru had once belonged to. They had somehow managed to recruit numerous powerful missing-nin from different villages. What could such a group possibly be planning? What were their ultimate goals?
A heavy feeling settled in Jiraiya's chest as wariness toward this mysterious organization took root.
"So Deidara has arrived as well!"
Orochimaru stood motionless atop a massive tree, the dense canopy of branches and leaves providing perfect concealment for his serpentine form. Not a single detail of his position betrayed his presence.
"Since Deidara has made his appearance, it means the remaining personnel will soon follow," Orochimaru mused coldly.
Having already learned that all Akatsuki members had been mobilized for this operation, Deidara's arrival came as no surprise. While the organization had previously made half-hearted attempts to hunt him down, they had never committed their full strength. This time, however, with substantial bounties as motivation and his recent defection from their ranks, deploying every available member seemed perfectly logical.
Of course, Orochimaru harbored no illusions about defeating the entire Akatsuki organization with merely two Edo Tensei puppets. Such a feat would be impossible, even with reanimated Kage-level shinobi.
Currently, the Third Kazekage and Third Raikage working in tandem had successfully gained the upper hand against Kakuzu and Hidan. Their chances of victory looked promising—a result that pleased Orochimaru greatly.
This experiment had exceeded his expectations in terms of effectiveness.
As for what would happen next, he had already prepared contingencies.
"You five—prepare for action!" he commanded softly.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama!" came the unanimous response.
The Sound Five, led by Kaguya Kimimaro, had been positioned strategically behind their master. Upon receiving the order, they immediately burst from their concealed positions and raced toward the center of the ongoing battle.
"Even though victory remains unlikely, we can still create significant problems for the Akatsuki organization. With any luck, we might even eliminate one or two of their members," Orochimaru reflected with cold satisfaction.
A sinister smile curved across his pale features. The Akatsuki had been pursuing him relentlessly for far too long—did they really believe he would simply accept their harassment without retaliation?
Since he was about to stage his own "death" at Akatsuki's hands anyway, venting some of his accumulated frustration seemed like an appropriate parting gift.
"Hehehehe..." His distinctive laugh echoed softly through the trees.
"Wait, what's happening here?"
Deidara maintained his position on the clay bird, engaging in increasingly violent aerial combat with the Third Kazekage. Each successive explosion grew more powerful than the last, filling the sky with brilliant flashes and deafening roars.
During the extended battle, Deidara began noticing disturbing inconsistencies. His explosions had clearly connected with their target multiple times, inflicting what should have been serious damage. Yet his opponent's recovery rate defied all logic. Even more unsettling, Deidara could detect no trace of life force emanating from the enemy whatsoever.
Instead, an eerie aura of death seemed to cling to his opponent like a shroud.
What could possibly explain this phenomenon?
The more Deidara observed, the stronger his conviction became that his enemy was nothing more than an elaborate puppet being controlled by some unseen master.
Having partnered with puppet masters for extended periods—including Sasori, who had transformed his own body into a human puppet—Deidara possessed considerable expertise in recognizing such techniques.
The subtle wrongness he detected, the mechanical quality of movement, the lack of natural reflexes—everything pointed to external manipulation rather than autonomous action.
Speaking of which, where had Orochimaru disappeared to?
Boom, boom, boom...
Several of Deidara's more powerful explosive creations detonated simultaneously, engulfing the Third Kazekage in a massive fireball.
Ignoring the significant risk of being attacked by the Third Raikage while distracted, Deidara forced his clay bird into a rapid descent, shouting toward Kakuzu, who was once again picking himself up after being violently knocked aside:
"Hey, Kakuzu! What exactly are these two opponents?"
"Are they some kind of puppets?"
Bang!
Kakuzu's body slammed into a boulder with tremendous force. The Third Raikage's overwhelming physical strength was becoming too much for even his durable form to withstand indefinitely.
While Kakuzu possessed several powerful ninjutsu that could potentially damage his opponent, executing such techniques required time and concentration—luxuries the Third Raikage refused to provide. The legendary shinobi's explosive speed meant that even successfully launched attacks would likely miss their intended target.
Crash!
Stone fragments scattered in all directions as the black tendrils extending from Kakuzu's body latched onto a nearby tree, using it as an anchor to swing himself away from danger. He barely avoided the Third Raikage's devastating punch, which reduced the solid boulder to powder with casual ease.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Dozens of clay birds descended from above, forming a perfect circle around the Third Raikage's position before detonating in perfect synchronization.
Flames and smoke instantly swallowed the legendary Raikage's form.
Only during this brief respite could Kakuzu finally answer Deidara's urgent questions.
"Those two are already dead—they're puppets summoned through Orochimaru's jutsu! Unless you possess sealing techniques capable of binding them, conventional attacks are completely useless!"
"However, if we can inflict severe enough damage, we might temporarily restrict their movements!"
"If you want any chance of winning this fight, we need to locate that snake bastard first!"
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