An invisible yet impenetrable repulsive force expanded outwards from Pain's Deva Path, leaving Sasori of the Red Sands in a sorry state and nearly on the verge of death Iron Sand Drizzle, however, was strangely suspended in mid-air, unable to advance even an inch.
"Drink!"
Pain's Deva Path was supporting the repulsive field, clasped his hands together and roared. The invisible repulsive field suddenly expanded, sending all the suspended Iron Sand flying. Even Naoki Senju was forced to retreat repeatedly by the sudden repulsive force.
"Phew~ Chief, you're too late."
Sasori of the Red Sands finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although everyone usually didn't like this eccentric leader, they felt exceptionally safe in this dangerous situation.
"How strong is he?"
Pain's Deva Path, as if he were merely going through a necessary procedure, and the answer was of no importance to him.
Sasori of the Red Sands gave a wry smile. How strong was he? If he wasn't strong enough, how could he be in such a sorry state?
"He's very strong, almost twice as strong as we expected, and might even be stronger. He's also very good at provoking his opponents, so be careful."
If Sasori of the Red Sands hasn't reacted by now, then he doesn't deserve his current strength. Naoki Senju clearly knows his abilities perfectly well, and even the Third Kazekage Puppet, his trump card, didn't surprise him at all.
Sasori of the Red Sands would never believe that Orochimaru wasn't behind this; that damned traitor Orochimaru!
Of course, compared to Orochimaru, who betrayed Akatsuki, Sasori of the Red Sands hated Senju Naoki even more at this moment. He knew all about Naoki Senju, but pretended to know nothing, letting him show off like a clown!
Now, recalling what he had just said, Sasori of the Red Sands wanted nothing more than to kill him to silence him!
"It seems the Akatsuki's intelligence system still needs further improvement... Sasori of the Red Sands, I'll take over the target. Go find Deidara and Hidan; they should be the first to arrive."
Although reluctant, Sasori of the Red Sands had come to realize the truth after their previous exchange: he was no match for Naoki Senju, and had no choice but to accept the mission.
"Yes."
Above the desert of the Land of Wind, a large white bird darted across the sky, occasionally scattering small white balls. These balls exploded violently upon landing, sending sand flying everywhere and leaving a noticeable crater.
"Hey Deidara, you're lost, aren't you? We've been flying for so long, the perfect sacrifice is probably already way ahead."
Hidan, gazing at the unchanging scenery below, listlessly started to strike up a conversation with Deidara. Those lunatics of the Akatsuki were just so strange; one second they were fighting to the death, the next they could be joking around without any awkwardness.
"Shut up! If you hadn't insisted on fighting me and accidentally killed that White Zetsu we were using to guide us, would we still be searching aimlessly like this?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Hidan grumbled a couple of times before finally choosing to shut up. However, Hidan insisted that Deidara also bore some responsibility. If Deidara hadn't nearly killed his Shapeshifting Body, he would have already offered the perfect sacrifice to the Lord Jashin, instead of ending up lost.
Can't I even vent my frustrations after being wronged?
Deidara ignored Honey's confidence and Hidan's Hidan. His immediate priority was to find the target of this mission. The fact that the target could take on Ultimate Art C3·18 made Deidara extremely excited, because it meant that other Ultimate Art series would also have the opportunity to be put to practical use!
He longed to send Naoki Senju to his grave with the art of explosion, hoping that his art of explosion would spread throughout the Shinobi World! More and more people would agree that explosions are art, Sasori of the Red Sands's eternal art would ultimately be nothing more than a side path.
But the Clay Bird, which had been flying steadily, suddenly began to shake violently. After Deidara frantically steadied himself, he noticed the pierced wing and realized that it was an attack from the ground.
"Perfect timing! Let this unfortunate guy witness the art of explosion!"
The Clay Bird circled once, and Deidara unleashed countless Clay Bomb as if scattering beans.
Sasori of the Red Sands, already in a foul mood after being attacked from the air once again, manipulated the Third Kazekage to construct a Iron Sand Wall to block the dense explosions, while shouting loudly:
" Deidara, you idiot, take a good look at who I am!"
Deidara: "???"
Flying in mid-air, Deidara could only make out a small black dot on the ground. Only after descending in altitude could he barely make out the Akatsuki. However, Deidara was quite certain that he had never seen this guy on the ground before.
Hidan, hearing the commotion, also peered down, but his final conclusion was exactly the same as Deidara's.
Who the hell is this guy down there? Does his mother know how arrogant he is?
Deidara and Hidan exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning: arrogant guys like this need to be taught a lesson!
In this scenario, the two people who dislike each other surprisingly share the same thoughts.
Deidara dropped Clay Bomb for cover, while Hidan, disregarding the height that would shatter him to pieces, leaped down laughing all the way.
Sasori of the Red Sands below was a bit confused. Could it be that the reason Deidara and Hidan hadn't arrived at the battlefield was because they had already betrayed Akatsuki?
But when Sasori of the Red Sands was controlling the puppet, he suddenly remembered that the Hiruko had been destroyed, so this time he was using Human Puppet created from his own body...
These two idiots don't actually think that Hiruko, do they?!
Although Sasori of the Red Sands rarely reveals his true form, anyone with a modicum of sense could guess that the Hiruko was actually just a puppet, Sasori of the Red Sands, as the puppeteer, must be hiding somewhere else. But Sasori of the Red Sands never imagined that the two guys on it could be so stupid!
Manipulating the Iron Sand to condense into a palm, he slapped the noisy Hidan, then roared angrily:
"You two idiots! I am Sasori of the Red Sands! The Hiruko is just a disguise!"
" Sasori of the Red Sands... Sasori-senpai?" Deidara looked at the red-haired 'little guy' below, who even looked younger than himself, in disbelief. Was he really the mature and weathered Sasori-senpai?
Deidara cautiously lowered his flight altitude again, while remaining wary of the strange Ninjutsu that had just slapped Hidan like a fly, sending him flying a hundred meters away.
"You claim to be Senior Scorpion, what proof do you have?"
A set of Akatsuki uniforms doesn't mean much; even the outer members of Akatsuki wear auspicious cloud robes, making it even easier to imitate.
Sasori of the Red Sands said he was speechless about this idiot, and with a look of utter despair, he raised his right hand to show Sasori of the Red Sands the evidence that best identified him.
" Virgin Ring! You really are Senior Scorpion?!"
One of the ten rings that only core members can inherit, the Virgin Ring belongs to Sasori of the Red Sands. This is an identity document that no spy can replicate, because anyone who has seen these rings is either an internal member of the Akatsuki or is already dead!