"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
On the roof of the exchange house, fierce winds howled. Deidara's blond bangs were blown loose, partially obscuring his vision.
When he looked up, he realized that the sky had long since been shrouded in dark clouds. A torrential downpour was brewing within them.
"That old man is taking far too long. It's about to rain!" Deidara said under his breath, brushing his long hair aside. But at that moment, he suddenly felt a powerful restraining force seize his body. His body stiffened, completely beyond his control.
"What?" Deidara's eyes filled with surprise. He struggled to control his left hand inside his sleeve and formed a hand seal.
"Got him!"
The instant Deidara completed the seal, two figures leaped onto the roof of the exchange house, rushing toward him with blades in hand. With a sharp shout, a short sword and a long sickle pierced through Deidara's body from either side.
"Konoha ninja?" Deidara regained control of his body and turned his head from side to side. The two were unfamiliar, but the forehead protectors they wore confirmed their identities.
"S-rank missing-nin, Stone Ninja Deidara."
"Kill him on the spot!"
Two figures flashed before Deidara as Shikamaru Nara and Asuma arrived in front of him. Looking at Deidara impaled by the blades, Asuma took a deep drag from his cigarette and said with a smile.
"Is that so?" Deidara grinned as he looked around.
His pierced body turned into a puddle of white clay and fell to the ground. More than a dozen Clay Beetles quickly crawled out of it and scattered in all directions.
"A Substitution Technique?!"
"They're Clay Bombs! Move!"
Asuma spotted the white beetles rapidly crawling toward him. He drew a Kunai attached to an Explosive Tag with one hand, grabbed Shikamaru by the