In the northeastern outskirts of Star City, still dozens of kilometers from the urban area, this was already the far outer edge of the city. Rolling mountain ranges had replaced the city's steel and concrete, and dense forests blanketed the slopes.
At the summit of one mountain, the entire mountaintop had been shaved flat and poured with reinforced concrete to form the foundation for a radar station.
This was a surveillance radar station operated by the Star Ninja Army Air Force in Star City, used to safeguard the capital region's air defense.
When Deidara's giant clay bird carried Kurotsuchi into the airspace of the Land of Stars from the northeast, it was detected by the radar station, which notified the ground forces to dispatch an air tactical squadron to intercept them.
Two silver-gray fighters resembling peregrine falcons scrambled from the military airfield at the foot of the mountain, tracing two graceful arcs through the sky.
"Whoa, what are those? Scientific Ninja Tools from the Land of Stars? They can fly too, hm!" Deidara had excellent eyesight and spotted the two Peregrine Falcon Fighters approaching from afar.
He stood up from the clay bird's head, raised a hand to shield his forehead, and narrowed his eyes at the silver objects drawing closer.
This was Deidara's first time seeing flying Scientific Ninja Tools.
"They look like some kind of aircraft." Sitting behind Deidara, Kurotsuchi also spotted the two Peregrine Falcon Fighters closing in from the left and right ahead of them, and immediately grew tense.
"Oh no! I remember the teachers mentioning them at the ninja academy—they're fighter planes designed to protect the airspace of the Land of Stars!" Kurotsuchi hurriedly tugged at Deidara's sleeve. "Deidara, descend now! Don't let them mistake us for invaders!"
But at that moment, Deidara's pride and