Just when everyone thought the battle was decided and Gaara's surging sand sphere was about to completely subdue Deidara, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
At the critical moment, Deidara suddenly hurled a carefully crafted Clay Bomb from his robes.
With a thunderous boom, the sand sphere was struck by a blast like lightning in a storm, tearing apart and scattering in every direction.
Deidara used the blast's recoil to break free, riding his Clay Bird as he soared into the sky.
At this sudden turn of events, a grave look flashed across Gaara's eyes.
He knew that ordinary sand could no longer restrain this intruder.
Without hesitation, he used his strongest sand: the sphere surrounding him now, Absolute Defense.
A crack silently appeared on the sphere's surface. Then, an unprecedented torrent of sand burst through it, moving with a speed and force on an entirely different level from the sand they had seen before.
The stream of sand seemed to have a life of its own, carving sharp trails through the air as it rushed straight at Deidara.
Deidara twisted and dodged in midair, but the sand pursued him relentlessly. At last, with a piercing whistle, it clamped down hard on his left hand.
At that moment, a smug look flashed across Deidara's face, as if he had anticipated this.
For Kankuro and all the Sand Shinobi on the ground, the sight was an immense boost.
They cheered, as though they could see victory within reach.
Just then, Deidara made a decision that left everyone stunned.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with determination, and resolutely severed his left hand, which was tightly wrapped in sand.
Despite the excruciating pain, a near-manic smile spread across his face.
As his left hand fell away, the sand restraining him seemed