The wind howled through the forest as Sasuke and Naruto chased Deidara, their target gliding effortlessly above the treetops atop his enormous clay bird. The Akatsuki member smirked down at his pursuers, his single visible eye alight with amusement.
"You ready?" Naruto glanced at Sasuke, his usual grin replaced with a look of focused determination.
Sasuke met his gaze, the sharingan spinning in his crimson eyes. He allowed himself a small smile, despite the gravity of the situation. "Ready as I'll ever be. I'm going in. Back me up."
Naruto nodded, forming his familiar cross-shaped hand seal. In an instant, a dozen shadow clones scattered into the surrounding forest, their purpose to gather intel and secure the area. Meanwhile, Sasuke surged forward in a burst of speed, his form a blur as he moved into a clearing.
From above, Deidara's voice rang out, brimming with derision. "You're pretty bold, charging in alone!"
Sasuke's sharp eyes immediately caught sight of the odd mouths on Deidara's palms, working furiously to mold clay. Before Sasuke could act, Deidara flung a handful of clay birds into the clearing. They descended rapidly, homing in on Sasuke like missiles.
"Katsu!" Deidara yelled, the explosive command triggering a series of deafening blasts. Flames erupted in every direction, and the air rippled with the force of the explosions. Smoke and debris filled the clearing, obscuring everything.
Deidara landed gracefully on the ground, his grin widening as he surveyed the destruction. "That was almost too easy."
But as the smoke cleared, his expression shifted to one of surprise. Coiled protectively around an unscathed Sasuke was a massive white snake, its scales glistening ominously. Sasuke stepped out from behind his summoned creature, his sharingan locked onto Deidara with cold precision.
"Your tricks are amateurish," Sasuke said, his tone dismissive. In a burst of speed, he vanished from view.
Deidara's eye widened as Sasuke's katana arced toward him, lightning crackling along its edge. He flipped backward just in time, scattering a handful of clay balls as he did so. The clay constructs transformed mid-air into dozens of tiny spiders, which skittered toward Sasuke with terrifying speed.
But Sasuke was unfazed. His blade glowed with the intensity of Chidori as he unleashed a wave of lightning chakra. "Chidori Senbon!" Thin needles of crackling energy rained down on the spiders, detonating them in rapid succession before they could reach him.
"Uchiha? Like Itachi." Deidara scowled, his amusement giving way to irritation.
"Tell me where he is." The mention of Itachi's name caused something feral to flash in Sasuke's eyes. His voice was low and dangerous.
Deidara's grin returned, twisted and mocking. "And why would I do that?" Instead of waiting for an answer, Deidara reached into his pouch, pulling out more clay. The mouths on his palms chewed noisily, spitting out two amorphous lumps. The clay figures began to take shape, growing unnaturally long limbs and grotesque faces. They stood, towering and menacing, their distorted bodies moving with unsettling fluidity.
Naruto dropped into the clearing beside Sasuke, his clones still scouring the surrounding forest. "Looks like you got each other all worked up," Naruto said, his voice light but his stance ready.
Sasuke didn't respond, his gaze fixed on Deidara. Finally, he and Naruto shared a glance, a silent understanding passing between them. Whatever differences they had, they were a team, and that meant something to each of them.
Deidara chuckled, his hand lowering to his pouch again. "I'll admit, you're not bad. But let's see how you handle this." He threw another handful of clay into the air, the lumps forming into a flock of small birds that circled above like vultures.
Naruto gritted his teeth. "I'll take the high ground. Sasuke, keep him busy down here!"
Without waiting for a response, Naruto leaped into the air, summoning a mass of shadow clones that coordinated into artillery units. A row of clones channeled their strength technique into catapulting their partner clone at Deidara's bird.
Sasuke dashed forward, his blade crackling with lightning as he closed the distance to his enemy. The fight had begun in earnest, and neither side intended to back battlefield was chaos.
Explosions rocked the ground, sending shockwaves that echoed through the barren landscape. Naruto and Sasuke worked in tandem, moving like shadows across the terrain.
Deidara hovered above them on his massive clay bird, grinning maliciously as he unleashed another wave of clay spiders. The creatures skittered across the ground, detonating one by one in brilliant bursts of fire.
Sasuke's sharingan spun furiously, analyzing the trajectory of every blast. His Chidori-imbued blade danced through the air, cutting through clay creatures with surgical precision. Each time one of Deidara's creations came near, Sasuke was there to intercept it, his speed and reflexes fast as his lightning chakra.
Naruto, meanwhile, gripped a staff formed from his Wood Release. He spun it with practiced grace, smashing the clay constructs before they could reach him. The sharp crack of wood against clay rang out over the cacophony of explosions. Despite his tenacity, a few blasts managed to injure him, leaving scorch marks on his skin. Naruto clenched his teeth as the familiar rush of his healing factor kicked in, repairing the damage almost instantly. His hearing returned in waves, the tinnitic ringing subsiding as his chakra surged to patch the wounds. "That was close," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. His grin never wavered.
Deidara, perched atop his clay bird, watched the two with a mixture of annoyance and begrudging respect. "You kids are tougher than you look," he called out, his voice carrying over the din of battle. "I'll give you that. But let's see how you handle this... It's time to unveil my C2!" With a flourish, Deidara reached into his clay pouch. The mouths on his palms chewed furiously, spitting out lumps of clay that quickly expanded and twisted into shape. In moments, two enormous dragon-like constructs emerged, their grotesque forms hovering menacingly in the air. Naruto and Sasuke halted their movements, their eyes locked on the new threats. Deidara hopped onto the back of one dragon, his grin widening as he looked down at his opponents. "You'll love this," Deidara sneered. The clay dragon roared, opening its massive mouth to spew dozens of clay spiders into the air. The tiny constructs rained down in every direction, scattering across the battlefield like seeds. Naruto and Sasuke moved instinctively, darting between explosions and avoiding the spreading chaos. Deidara's voice rang out again, smug and mocking. "Oh, did I forget to mention? The battlefield is now covered in my mine traps. One wrong step, and BOOM!" He gestured grandly, as if his words needed the aid of gesticulation.
"That's just great. Sasuke, any bright ideas?" Naruto growled under his breath.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, the sharingan analyzing every detail. He could see faint traces of chakra in the ground, marking the locations of the buried mines. "Stay close to me," he said tersely. "I can guide us through this."
Naruto nodded, his trust in Sasuke absolute. He twirled his wooden staff, his chakra flowing through it as he prepared for the next onslaught. "Let's take this guy down."
The two locked eyes, their silent communication speaking volumes. They knew the stakes. Gaara's life—and the safety of their village—depended on them.
Deidara chuckled, his amusement growing as he watched them prepare. "Let's see how long you can keep up with me. Katsu!" The sounds of explosions erupted once more, Naruto and Sasuke dodging through the minefield as Deidara's clay dragons rained destruction from above.
Naruto's hands came together in a firm snake seal, his voice echoing through the battlefield. "Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
The earth groaned in response, and the trees surrounding the area surged upward, growing at an unnatural speed. Their trunks twisted and intertwined, forming a sprawling canopy that blanketed the landscape in green. Platforms and thick layers of solid wood emerged high above the forest floor, creating a safe haven amidst the chaos.
Sasuke leapt onto one of the platforms, his sharingan blazing. He smirked at Naruto. "Nice going. This'll help neutralize his high ground."
"Let's take this guy down for real." Naruto grinned back, the sweat on his brow doing little to dampen his resolve.
"You think some trees are going to save you?" A voice mocked. From above, Deidara sneered, his eyes darting wildly as he took in the newly formed forest. He reached into his clay pouch with both hands, the mouths on his palms chewing frantically. This time, however, he did something different: he stuffed the clay into his own mouth and began to chew, his expression deranged. He spat out a massive glob of white sludge, which began to twist and morph into a gigantic humanoid construct—a grotesque simulacrum of Deidara himself. "You think you can defeat me?" Deidara's voice grew manic, his laughter echoing through the forest. "This is my ultimate art! C4 Karura!" The massive construct began to pulse and swell, its form shimmering with a faint, unnatural glow. With a deafening roar, it exploded in a plume of smoke, sending waves of invisible subcellular explosives throughout the area. The nearby birds and wildlife disintegrated instantly, their bodies dissolving into nothingness. Deidara's maniacal laughter echoed through the chaos. "It's over! Sublimate! Katsu!" As the smoke cleared, Deidara's grin widened.
He watched as Naruto and Sasuke seemingly dissolved before his eyes, their bodies disintegrating just like everything else. "That's it!" he shouted triumphantly.
Then, his grin faltered. His vision wavered, and suddenly, two crimson sharingan filled his sight. Deidara's heart sank. "Genjutsu?!" Sasuke appeared behind him, his body cloaked in the sinister black markings of his Curse Mark Second Form. His hand crackled with the electrifying power of Chidori. Without hesitation, he plunged the technique into Deidara's chest. The satisfying crackle of lightning gave way to an unsettling squelch.
Deidara coughed, blood dripping from his lips—until his body began to collapse. "You think you've won?" he hissed through gritted teeth. Suddenly, his body crumbled into clay, reforming into a clone that wrapped itself around Sasuke. "Welcome to my masterpiece."
Sasuke's sharingan widened as he realized his mistake. He was encased in an enormous bomb, its surface riddled with Deidara's twisted visage.
Deidara emerged from the shadows below, his grin widening as he activated his trap. "Enjoy my C4!" He spat a clay bubble that floated toward Sasuke, expanding to engulf him. Sasuke felt his body tremble as the subcellular explosives began to infiltrate his system. But just as Deidara prepared to finish Sasuke, the forest shifted. Deidara's vision blurred, and once again, he saw the crimson glow of the sharingan. "Damn it!" he cursed, memories of Itachi flooding his mind. "Not again!"
Before he could react, Naruto emerged from the trees, flanked by a shadow clone. They carried between them a Rasengan of immense size, its swirling chakra roaring like a hurricane. Deidara's eyes widened as the two Narutos closed in on him. "Take this!" Naruto roared. "Great Ball Rasengan!" The massive sphere of chakra slammed into Deidara, sending his body careening through the air like a ragdoll. His body crashed into the forest, tearing through the trees.
Deidara coughed, his body battered and broken. "You brats!" he spat. In a final act of desperation, he prepared to detonate himself, molding a small clay sphere in his hand. "I'll take you both down with me!"
Naruto and Sasuke braced themselves,Naruto forming a snake sign. Before the explosion could consume them, a massive wall of trees erupted from the ground. Naruto's hands were steady as he called forth his Wood Release. The trees intertwined, forming an impermeable dome around them that shielded them from the blast. The explosion shook the earth, the force of it felt miles away. When the smoke cleared, Naruto and Sasuke emerged from the protective cocoon of trees, their bodies unscathed. Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow, his grin as wide as ever. "That was close."
"That technique took you long enough." Sasuke smirked, his sharingan still glowing faintly. As they stood amidst the wreckage, the two teammates shared a silent nod of understanding. The fight wasn't over, but they had survived the worst of it. For now, they were ready for whatever came next.