At this moment, Deidara was already running farther and farther away.

Facing two powerful Raiton (Lightning Release) users, his clay art could be said to have met its natural enemies — almost completely useless.

Well, maybe it still had some use — like throwing out explosions nearby to create smoke.

That's exactly what Deidara did. Clay spiders were tossed around and detonated instantly, leaving Sasuke no chance to neutralize them with Raiton, turning them into duds. The explosions created a thick smoke cloud, and Deidara began to maneuver in secret.

But the next second — a lightning-charged blade pierced through his body.

"Chidori Eisō (Chidori Sharp Spear)!"

Sasuke's Kusanagi sword elongated, wrapped in lightning, striking true.

Yet Deidara wasn't so simple. The pierced figure slowly turned into clay — a substitution!

The speed was shocking. Even Sasuke and Kakashi hadn't noticed when he used the Kawarimi (Substitution Technique). And now, he was nowhere to be seen. Could it be he really ran?

Just then, a whistling sound came from above. They looked up to see Deidara riding a clay bird in the sky.

"You two Raiton bastards! How dare you defile my explosive art!" Deidara cursed viciously. "Now that I'm in the sky, I don't fear you anymore! Taste my super explosion a—"

Before he could finish, his words choked off. He saw Kakashi and Sasuke step into the air using Geppō (Moon Step), rushing toward him and his clay bird. He was instantly dumbfounded.

What? You can run in the sky too?

That's not scientific!

At this moment Kakashi was extremely grateful he had copied Natsuki's Geppō long ago. Facing flying enemies now, he wasn't helpless anymore. Sasuke, too, had secretly learned it, seeing how convenient it was.

Truth be told, he had "secretly learned" a lot — for example, Taiyōken (Solar Flare). He never paid Natsuki a single patent fee for that.

"Shunshin Maboroshi (Body Flicker Illusion)!"

Sasuke unleashed Shisui's Body Flicker Technique. Several illusions surrounded Deidara and the clay bird, all charging at once, leaving him no time to react.

Deidara hurriedly pulled out kunai and slashed wildly — only to hit nothing.

"Illusions? Wait, he said 'Maboroshi'... then where's the real one?!" He became guarded.

But Sasuke's speed was overwhelming. His true body and illusions intertwined, striking from all sides. Deidara couldn't resist — after only a few exchanges, his whole body was covered in wounds, miserable beyond belief.

Kakashi arrived as well, lunging forward with a Chidori straight at Deidara's chest.

"This is your fault! If you want me dead, then I'll take you with me!"

Deidara suddenly stuffed a large amount of clay into his mouth. His body began to swell grotesquely.

Seeing this, Sasuke and Kakashi immediately knew something was wrong and retreated at once.

Deidara's body kept expanding bigger and bigger — and then, with a deafening roar, he exploded.

The violent blast in midair produced an immense shockwave, flinging Sasuke and Kakashi away.

Luckily, they had reacted quickly. Though shaken, they weren't seriously injured. Still, they were stunned — Deidara had chosen to self-destruct?

So… he really killed himself?

Rather than be slain, he sacrificed himself for what he called "art"?

Neither Sasuke nor Kakashi was so easily convinced. They immediately scanned the area, trying to spot any trace of Deidara.

On the battlefield, Sasori, Chiyo, Guy, Neji and the others also paused instinctively, glancing toward the aerial explosion, each showing different expressions.

"Deidara… is he dead?" Sasori muttered.

"Konoha's shinobi… truly formidable!" Chiyo couldn't help but praise.

She knew all too well how dangerous Deidara was. He had stormed into Sunagakure alone, gravely injured Gaara, and dragged him away. His strength was undeniable. And yet, now he had been forced into self-detonation by just two Konoha ninja. That alone spoke volumes.

Hatake Kakashi's reputation was already great — nothing strange there.

But that Uchiha boy… it seemed he was the one leading the assault the whole time. His strength was terrifying.

Moreover, Deidara had earlier mentioned keeping his guard against the little girl with twin buns. She had just smashed through several of Sasori's puppets herself, proving she was even stronger.

Then there were the "green kappa" and the "white-eyed one." Their taijutsu was nothing short of superb.

Behind them, another "small kappa," clearly a disciple, wasn't weak either.

Even that loud-mouthed blond brat, though annoying, was the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. Even if his skills weren't polished, he couldn't be underestimated.

Truly, Konoha overflowed with talent. Compared to them, Sunagakure's young generation was pitifully thin. Aside from Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari, there really wasn't anyone noteworthy.

Good thing, Chiyo thought, that the Sand and the Leaf were allies now. She, as an old woman, could worry a little less.

Meanwhile, Tenten had been watching closely the entire time.

Not only monitoring Sasori's side of the battle, but also keeping her eyes on Deidara. She didn't believe he would simply blow himself up and die. Most likely, it was a fake-out with a substitution.

Thus, when Deidara "self-destructed," she carefully observed. And sure enough — she sensed faint chakra from underground some distance away.

Without hesitation, she acted.

"There!"

Tenten hurled a specially prepared kunai into the ground at that spot, then summoned a massive number of explosive tags via Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) and detonated them instantly.

"Kinton Ōgi: Go-jūman Kibaku Fuda no Jutsu (Money Release Secret Art: 500,000 Explosive Tags Technique)! Art… is explosion, dattebane!"

The declaration made everyone freeze, faces turning strange. Was Tenten… infected by Deidara?

But sure enough — Deidara suddenly burst from the ground, roaring, "That's not art, damn it! Clay explosions are the only true art! Explosive tags are heresy!"

BOOOOM!

The answer was a cataclysmic explosion.

Everyone then understood — Tenten had seen through Deidara's fake suicide, realized he had hidden underground with substitution, and deliberately mocked him with his own "art" line to bait him out. For someone like Deidara, letting others desecrate his "art" was unforgivable. And Tenten exploited that weakness perfectly.

Naturally, he was forced to show himself — only to walk straight into death.

Five hundred thousand explosive tags — their power was immense, no weaker than Deidara's clay bombs, and unlike clay, they couldn't be short-circuited by Raiton.

When the smoke finally cleared, the battlefield revealed a massive crater. At its bottom lay Deidara's mangled corpse — utterly lifeless.

Sasuke and Kakashi landed beside it, confirming the body was real this time.

Thus ended the life of the clay explosion "artist" — perishing ironically, in an explosion not of his own making. Pitiful, laughable, tragic.

Sasuke cast a glance at Tenten, silently sheathing the Kusanagi. He wasn't surprised by this outcome — he knew how formidable Tenten was. Still, the so-called "Money Release" always gave him a strange feeling.

He remembered — the first time she had used it was in the Forest of Death, against Orochimaru. Later, against Kimimaro. Each time, the number of tags grew higher. Now she had reached five hundred thousand.

But Sasuke knew… that wasn't her real limit. It was just her own restraint. With her wealth, she could probably unleash fifty million tags if she wished. The only reason she didn't was to avoid wiping out her own allies with the sheer blast.

Kinton (Money Release) — truly the most plain, yet the most terrifying of all styles.

(End of Chapter)

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