As it happened, on the road back to Konoha, Kakashi ran right into Deidara, who had come to search for clues about the One-Tail. The moment they came face-to-face, both sides were dumbfounded.
Two pairs of dead-fish eyes stared at each other for a second. Kakashi immediately closed in, while Deidara swiftly leaped back to widen the distance.
However, because Kakashi failed to pull Deidara into close combat, their roles as pursuer and fugitive were instantly reversed!
The clay bird sprang up from the ground and took to the sky, whipping up a fierce gust. Spider-shaped bombs dropped one after another from its back, seeking out Kakashi's position before exploding!
Kakashi, meanwhile, used rocks and forests for cover as he dodged and fled in every direction, making for quite a comical sight.
Since Akatsuki usually operated in pairs, Kakashi had no reason to fight to the death. In the end, he used genjutsu and the Shadow Clone Technique to slip away before Sasori could arrive to support Deidara.
After a while, Sasori arrived while controlling Hiruko. Seeing that part of Deidara's sleeve had been blown apart by something sharp, leaving a deep bloody gash on his arm, he asked, "...Who did you run into this time?"
Deidara curled his lip, clearly displeased. "Kakashi."
Damn Sharingan, damn Lightning Release. As expected, everyone connected to the Uchiha Clan was a disgusting bunch of bastards! If he had been prepared just now...
"..." Sasori could not be bothered to comment on Deidara's failure to keep him. "Let's go. If we can't find the One-Tail, we'll capture the other Tailed Beasts first."
Hearing that, Deidara thought of the recent intelligence and responded as though all the air had left him. "Ah, ah~ Is it the Two-Tails?"
"What else did you want to catch?" Sasori