The figure slowly turned around, revealing a young face wearing a carefree, cynical smile. On his forehead was a Hidden Stone Village forehead protector slashed across the middle.
"Hm? Isn't this Konoha's Copy Ninja, Kakashi? What a coincidence." Deidara grinned, his gaze sweeping over Kakashi.
Then it landed on Ling Yue and Sakura behind him, lingering for two extra seconds on Ling Yue and the Pikachu on her shoulder. "You even brought two little girls? Tsk, is Konoha that short on people? Hm."
Kakashi's expression darkened completely. His Sharingan locked firmly onto Deidara as he shielded Ling Yue and Sakura behind him. "Deidara of the Akatsuki... why are you here?"
"Akatsuki?!" Sakura sucked in a sharp breath, her face instantly turning pale.
She had heard Kakashi-sensei talk about that terrifying organization!
Ling Yue's heart tightened as well. It was actually Deidara! That guy's Explosive Clay was a large-scale destructive weapon. This was bad!
Instinctively, she raised her chakra, pushing the state of [Zetsu] to its limit. At the same time, she quietly whispered to Pikachu on her shoulder, "Pikachu, get ready. This guy is extremely dangerous."
"Pika!" Pikachu also sensed the dangerous aura coming from their opponent. Its little face tensed, and the sparks on its cheeks began to crackle more actively.
"Why am I here?" Deidara tilted his head, seemingly finding the question amusing. "Of course, I heard there was some interesting material around here. But it looks like you got to it first. What a pity."
He glanced at the scroll behind Kakashi, which sealed the samples and the rogue ninja.
"But it doesn't matter. Since we ran into each other, I'll test out my new art while I'm at it! Hm! Let me show you the sublimation of an instant!"
He pulled his hands from his sleeves.