The sheer scale of the explosion was staggering.
Everyone in Akatsuki saw it.
They had been stationed across the battlefield, preparing for the next phase of their plan.
But when they turned back—
Their main headquarters had been wiped out.
And not just by any attack.
A massive, nuclear-like explosion.
The impact was unbelievable.
Among them, Konan was the most shaken.
She knew that Obito and Nagato had been there—and neither had emerged.
Even with Nagato's power, surviving that level of destruction was unlikely.
Without hesitation, Konan activated her Paper Angel Technique.
Her body transformed as massive wings of paper unfolded behind her.
Then—
She took off, soaring toward the looming mushroom cloud, her heart pounding with fear and determination.
---
At the same time, the assault team led by Kankuro and Sai was advancing toward the center of the explosion.
A few kilometers ahead of them, the once-flat wasteland had been completely leveled by the shockwave.
Suddenly—
Cracks split open the ground.
Boom! Boom!
Mud and debris flew as two figures in black cloaks with red clouds burst out and landed.
One of them immediately turned toward the towering mushroom cloud, his voice filled with an almost worshipful madness.
"Hahahahaha! This—this is the greatest explosion in the world! It's perfect!"
It was Deidara.
His eyes shone with pure admiration as he stared at the massive cloud of destruction.
"This—this is the ultimate art I've been searching for!"
Beside him, Sasori stood silently, his expression blank.
"Hello? That was our headquarters that got blown up. How are you even enjoying this, Deidara?"
But Deidara, trembling with excitement, turned to him, eyes wide.
"Sasori, you just don't get it! This is true art!"
Sasori let out a slow sigh, glancing up at the colossal mushroom cloud stretching across the sky.
Even he had to admit—it was an incredible sight.
It was his first time witnessing an explosion of this magnitude.
"It looks like Akatsuki is nearing its end…" he muttered. "The Five Great Nations clearly had more hidden away than we thought."
Then, after a pause, he added flatly, "Not that it really concerns me anymore."
Sasori lifted a hand, examining his own body.
A strange, detached feeling settled over him.
His face was cracked, his eyes dark, his body reconstructed—clear signs of the Edo Tensei.
He was no longer truly alive.
The two had been positioned here to ambush enemy forces—but instead, they'd ended up caught in the massive blast wave.
Sasori still remembered the crazed look in Deidara's eyes when the explosion erupted, as if he wanted to consume the destruction itself.
If Sasori hadn't pulled him back, Deidara would have been obliterated by the shockwave.
"Shouldn't we go back to check?" Sasori asked. "Our leader and Madara were caught in that blast. Think they survived?"
Deidara scoffed, crossing his arms.
"As if! Against this level of art? There's no way they made it out!"
Sasori stared at him, unimpressed.
"You sound way too eager for them to be dead."
---
In the barren wasteland, Kankuro and his assault team spotted two small black figures in the distance.
"Someone's there! It must be the enemy!"
The squad quickly noticed the same thing.
Kankuro's expression hardened.
"Stay alert!"
Avoiding a fight wasn't an option.
The landscape had been completely flattened by the shockwave from the explosion. There was nowhere to hide, no cover—only open battlefield.
They had no choice but to face the enemy head-on.
---
Meanwhile…
Standing in the distance, Sasori and Deidara had already noticed the incoming ninja force.
"Oh? Looks like the ninja alliance finally caught up," Sasori muttered, watching the approaching squad without much interest.
He wasn't concerned.
At this point, there was very little left in the world he cared about.
Deidara, on the other hand, groaned in frustration.
"Ugh! What a pain. I was hoping to admire true art up close! But fine, I'll just blow them all to bits first!"
---
As Kankuro and his team got closer, they clearly recognized the red cloud cloaks.
Kankuro's grip tightened.
"Akatsuki… Just as I thought."
The assault squad consisted of Kankuro, Sai, Omoi, and several other ninjas from different villages.
Without hesitation, Kankuro unsealed his scroll—
Boom!
A human puppet appeared in front of him.
The very same puppet body that once belonged to Sasori.
But before they could advance—
"Wait! Don't get too close!" Sai warned.
The squad immediately stopped.
"You're thinking of making a plan first?" Omoi asked, absentmindedly sucking on a lollipop.
"Kankuro, you can't just charge in recklessly. You need to consider all possibilities," he added.
Kankuro ignored him and turned to Sai.
"You have a plan?"
Sai's eyes flickered toward the massive mushroom cloud still lingering in the sky.
"Maybe… we should test things out first—using the Apostle Beacon."
---
Meanwhile, Deidara watched the group stop moving.
"Boring."
Without waiting, he raised a hand and tossed out a scroll—
Boom!
A massive white clay bird materialized.
Deidara hopped onto its back, glancing at Sasori.
"Senior Sasori! Let me handle this alone—I'll blow them all away!"
With that, he took to the sky, soaring toward the ninja alliance.
The distance between the two groups was still considerable—but the battle was about to begin.
The open landscape provided a clear view in all directions, making it easy to spot enemies from afar.
Even so, the actual distance between the two sides was still about two kilometers—too far for an immediate clash.
But as soon as Deidara took flight, Kankuro recognized him instantly.
An Akatsuki member.
Explosive clay user.
Weakness: Lightning Release.
Kankuro didn't hesitate—he turned to Omoi.
"His weakness is lightning! Sai, take him!"
Without a word, Sai pulled out his scroll, dipped his brush, and began to paint at lightning speed.
In just a few strokes, a bird took shape—
Then, with a quick hand seal—
"Super Beast Imitation Drawing!"
Screeeech!
From the ink, a large bird materialized, flapping its wings.
Sai immediately leaped onto its back, then glanced at Omoi.
No words were needed.
Omoi understood and jumped on as well.
With that, Sai took to the skies, heading straight for Deidara.
---
Kankuro watched the two flying figures from below and sighed.
"The Apostle Beacon won't be too effective against an enemy like him," he muttered. "We'll have to be careful to avoid his detonating clay."
But then his gaze shifted—toward Sasori.
"That other one… we can use it on him."
Kankuro's hands flashed through hand seals, then pressed down on the ground.
"Apostle Beacon!"
At that moment—
A glowing halo and intricate runes lit up beneath Sasori's feet.
A second later—
A pillar of light shot into the sky.
Sasori blinked.
"…That looked oddly familiar."
___________________
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