Chapter Three: A Time to be Palm and Rational
Deidara massaged his temples, desperately trying to alleviate the throbbing headache caused by his new partner. For the past three weeks, he had been stuck in the middle of the forest with the insufferable Tobi, patrolling the border in search of any signs of the nine-tailed beast. Unfortunately, Tobi seemed to have missed the memo on the importance of being a silent ninja, as he incessantly babbled, driving Deidara to the edge of insanity.
However, their mission had finally come to an end, and the Akatsuki duo was now making their way north towards their base. Deidara absentmindedly toyed with the clay in his pouches, glaring at the annoying and childlike man by his side. Though he was relieved to be done with the absurd mission, Tobi's constant questions continued to grate on his nerves.
"No one would miss him. I could make it look like an accident, yeah," Deidara pondered with a slightly deranged grin.
"What are you thinking about, Senpai?" Tobi innocently inquired.
Deidara responded with a grunt, realizing that the best way to minimize Tobi's babbling was to give him nothing to work with. Unfazed by his partner's attitude, Tobi kept on talking non-stop, interjecting occasional questions that he knew Deidara wouldn't answer.
Sighing in exasperation, Deidara wished he had a less irritating partner. Did that Uchiha moron have to endure this kind of nonsense from Shark-face? Of course not...
For the umpteenth time, thoughts of his former partner, Sasori, filled Deidara's mind. Sasori had understood him on a deeper level, appreciating their artistic differences. Though Sasori's art was too subtle for Deidara's taste, their shared interest in art had made their partnership tolerable and, perhaps, even intriguing.
"Deidara-senpai! Look at this interesting moss on the tree! Doesn't it remind you of Zetsu-sama?" Tobi exclaimed in an overly cheerful voice.
Deidara scowled, ignoring the idiotic comment. This partnership was nothing but a joke.
"Hurry up, you idiot," Deidara called out to Tobi, who was lagging behind. "I want to sleep in an actual bed tonight."
As they continued their journey towards the nearby village, Deidara suddenly sensed unusual chakra signatures ahead. He turned to Tobi and asked, "Do you feel the unusual chakra signatures, Tobi?"
Without waiting for a response, Deidara took off towards the town, with Tobi following closely behind. As the buildings came into view, Deidara surveyed his surroundings, honing in on the inn. He sensed four strong chakra signatures along with an odd lower-level chakra, indicating that these signatures hadn't been present three weeks ago when they passed through the village.
Signaling Tobi to follow, they stealthily entered the inn through a conveniently open second-story window. The room they entered was empty, but the lingering scent of generic soap indicated recent occupancy. The two Akatsuki cautiously made their way through each room, searching for any signs of the foreign ninjas.
Finally, Deidara and Tobi reached the last room on the floor, and a mischievous grin spread across Deidara's face as he sensed five chakra signatures behind the door. Nodding at Tobi, who was eager for action, Deidara motioned for him to kick the door open. As Tobi complied, Deidara swiftly rushed into the room, clay birds in his hands heading straight for the startled figures. Just before the birds reached their targets, Deidara's keen eyes caught a glimpse of the hitai-ate adorning the ninjas' foreheads, revealing their affiliation with Konoha. A chuckle escaped his lips. Kohona shinobi. This day was getting better and better.
The explosive birds detonated, leaving three of the enemies injured. However, both Tobi and Deidara noticed small insects swarming to the wounded nins, rapidly healing their wounds.
"Tobi! They're clones, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed in frustration. "Finish them off and meet up with me. We need to find the real ones before they escape!"
"Hai, senpai!" Tobi acknowledged, his usual childish demeanor replaced by a focused determination. He engaged the two uninjured leaf-nins head-on, their kunai clashing briefly before Tobi swiftly spun away, almost too fast for Deidara's eyes to follow.
Leaving Tobi to deal with all 5 of the clones, Deidara swiftly descended the stairs, entering the main commons room of the inn. The terrified patrons cowered as he glared at them, demanding, "Where did they go, yeah?"
Silence hung in the air, and nobody dared to answer. A wicked grin spread across Deidara's face as he pulled out a handful of clay, shaping them into ordinary-looking bombs. Tossing one into the air, he detonated it with a flourish. "Katsu!" The explosion was intentionally flashy and impressive, sending people diving to the floor from the force of the blast.
"I said," Deidara spoke coldly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. "Where did those damned ninjas go, yeah?"
A timid voice quivered from the back of the room, "Th- They ran out the back door!" Deidara fixed his piercing blue eye on the woman who had finally spoken up. She appeared plain and mousy, with brown hair and eyes, and seemed fragile and weak. Deidara couldn't help but wonder why anyone would desire such vulnerability.
Suppressing those thoughts, Deidara scanned the woman for any signs of deception but found none. Without a word, he brushed past her, heading towards the back of the building. He paid no attention to whether Tobi was following or not.
Stepping out into the open, Deidara carefully surveyed his surroundings. There was nothing but a fading chakra trail that led directly southwest. He rolled his eyes, hearing Tobi's apologies for the damage they had caused upstairs in his usual childish tone. Ignoring his partner's prattle, Deidara sprang forward, determined to follow the diminishing trail.
With any luck, Tobi would be distracted by something shiny and unable to catch up. Deidara's pursuit of the escaping Konoha ninjas had begun, and he was prepared to unleash a storm of explosive artistry to bring them down.
Deidara paused in his perusal of the enemy. Deidara paused as a nagging sense of familiarity washed over him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had encountered this particular set of trees just minutes ago. Realizing that they were caught in a genjutsu, he swiftly performed the tiger seal, disrupting his chakra flow and dispelling the illusion.
"Those underhanded leaf-nins!" Deidara seethed, his anger fueling his determination. With a swift motion, he molded a massive bird sculpture out of his clay.
Tobi tilted his head in confusion, still trying to make sense of the situation. "Why are we stopping, Deidara-senpai?" he asked from the branch beside his partner.
"Get on the bird, yeah," Deidara replied impatiently, his voice laced with irritation.
Tobi quickly clambered onto the clay bird, hoping to appease his partner's anger. The enormous sculpture flapped its wings and lifted them above the forest canopy.
Deidara steered the bird toward the village, using his scope to scan the outskirts of the forest for any signs of movement. Finally, he spotted two figures running a few miles north of the town. Planning his ambush, he circled wide around his prey, selecting a strategic location to set up his attack. Since the clay bird was too large to maneuver effectively in the dense trees, Deidara sent it farther away to wait for their enemies to finish dealing with the leaf-nins.
Soon enough, the male and female ninjas came into view. A wicked smile played on Deidara's lips as he anticipated the upcoming confrontation. He had prepared mid-level bombs, perfect for inflicting just enough damage to disable his opponents.
When the duo was in the perfect position, Deidara released a barrage of bombs. The woman, displaying quick reflexes, shouted a warning to her comrade with glasses, and both skillfully evaded the explosions.
Focusing his attention on the woman who had sensed his presence first, Deidara zoomed in on her pink, bubblegum hair. But it was her emerald green eyes that captivated him the most as they glared back at him with anger. She assumed a fighting stance, ready to take on the challenge. Deidara felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of such an explosive battle.
"Now this is what a woman should look like, yeah," Deidara thought to himself. The kunoichi exuded strength, independence, and vitality—qualities that intrigued him. He couldn't help but envision sculpting her into a masterpiece, only to destroy it in a spectacular explosion.
As his thoughts continued down that twisted path, a sudden realization hit him like a lightning bolt. "That's... that's Sasori's killer!" Deidara's voice boomed through the forest, a mix of anger and recognition.
"Thought you could get past us, yeah?" Deidara taunted from his perch, his voice dripping with deranged delight. He unleashed more bombs, strategically splitting the two leaf-nins further apart. Laughter tinged with insanity reverberated through the forest.
With the leaf-nins preoccupied with dodging Deidara's explosives, he leaned toward Tobi, his voice lowered to a mutter. "Go after the guy, don't let him beat you, yeah," he ordered his partner.
Tobi immediately leaped down, his sights set on the glasses-wearing shinobi. Deidara had full confidence in Tobi's abilities, knowing he could handle the leaf-nin. Meanwhile, a twisted sense of vengeance burned within Deidara as he turned his attention to the kunoichi, determined to make her pay for Sasori's death.
