Turning the little clay spider over in his hand, Hyuga Kagami wore a teasing smile. "I already told you, I've fully recovered. Those few hits just now didn't even count as a warm-up. Why don't you believe me when I'm telling the truth?"
"H-how could this be?!"
Deidara, bruised and battered, paid no attention to Hyuga Kagami's words. Instead, he stared fixedly at the clay spider still struggling in Hyuga Kagami's hand, his eyes filled with disbelief!
He was no greenhorn fresh out of the academy. Though young, he possessed exceptionally rich combat experience and would not underestimate an opponent simply because they were injured.
The reason he had relaxed his guard and fallen for Hyuga Kagami's trick was that this clay spider, which he had deliberately hidden in the folds of Hyuga Kagami's clothes, had remained under his control. He had therefore been certain that it had not been destroyed by the other man's Lightning Release chakra.
That was precisely why he had believed victory was assured and let down his guard.
Seeing Deidara's stunned expression, Hyuga Kagami chuckled. "What, surprised?"
Ignoring his own sorry state, Deidara urgently asked, "Why is this happening? What did you do?"
He truly was shocked. Even now, he could still control the clay spider Hyuga Kagami was holding, proving that it had not been destroyed by Lightning Release chakra. Yet when he had tried to detonate it just now, it had inexplicably failed to go off for the first time ever.
Watching the clay spider struggle desperately in his hand, Hyuga Kagami lightly tightened his fingers. With a crack, he crushed it before saying casually, "Just because it can move doesn't mean it hasn't been tampered with!"
"Th-this...!?"
Only then did Deidara realize that the other party had discovered the clay spider long