Chapter 251: The Art of Annihilation
On the ground, in the center of the massive, slow-moving Konoha invasion column.
The Yamanaka Clan's sensor ninja—a vital link in Nara Shikaku's command structure—suddenly trembled violently. His eyes, fixed in a meditative state, snapped open in panic.
"Lord Shikaku!"
Shikaku, riding his personal deer and watching the formation, immediately turned his sharp gaze toward the sensor. "What is it?"
"The chakra of the two reconnaissance squads we sent to the rear... All of it... it's gone!"
"What?!"
Shikaku's expression, usually one of serene confidence, changed drastically.
"All disappeared?! Simultaneously?!"
"Yes! Just now, Lord Shikaku! The chakra signatures of all eight members of both patrol squads—including the two Jōnin leaders—they vanished instantly!"
Shikaku gasped softly. [Eight ninja, including two Jōnin, eliminated in such a short time? Before they could even send a warning?]
"This is big trouble..."
Shikaku's mind raced, calculating the implications.
[To be able to achieve that level of silent, instantaneous elimination... their strength must be at least Kage-level! And there are two of them! An S-rank ambush!]
[What is their goal? Given our location... the most likely target is the Jinchūriki, the captives, or Lady Tsunade herself!]
"Immediately inform Lady Tsunade!" Shikaku shouted, making a decisive decision, shouting at the guards beside him. "Use the fastest communication jutsu! The enemy is extremely strong! This is not something ordinary ninja can handle!"
"Have all non-combat personnel and prisoners retreat to the center of the squad! Form a tight defensive perimeter! Protect the core!"
"Quick! Move!"
The urgent order was quickly passed down through the formation. The entire massive squad, already fatigued and spread thin guarding the captives, began to stir, falling into organized chaos.
At the head of the column.
Tsunade was already annoyed, looking at the agonizingly slow marching speed enforced by the large number of Sunagakure captives and medics.
"Seriously, Shikaku! With so many burdens, how long will it take to get back! We should have just left the civilians and made the trip in a day!"
She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Just then.
An Anbu ninja, his body blurred by the Shunshin (Body Flicker Technique), appeared instantly in front of Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade! Urgent intelligence!"
"Lord Nara Shikaku sent word that enemies have appeared directly behind us! Our two reconnaissance squads sent to the rear have been completely wiped out! Chakra signatures gone!"
"The enemy is extremely strong and is rapidly approaching our location!"
Tsunade's expression instantly darkened. The annoyance vanished, replaced by cold, furious resolve.
"Completely wiped out?"
She suddenly turned around, ignoring the Anbu, and looked at the sky behind the slow-moving formation.
Indeed. A small, rapidly growing black dot was visible against the high, cloudless desert sky!
"Hmph! Overconfident fools!"
A cold killing intent, familiar and frightening, flashed in Tsunade's hazel eyes. [How dare they act against Konoha's main invasion force! Who are these arrogant bastards?!]
"Iwa! Shunichi! Tokuma!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"
Three of Konoha's most elite Jōnin, veterans chosen for their absolute reliability, instantly appeared behind Tsunade, snapping to attention.
"There are two of them," Tsunade said, her tone grave, assessing the threat. "Their full strength is unknown. But to be able to quickly eliminate two Jōnin-led patrol squads means they are no ordinary opponents. They are S-rank."
"Stop them! At any cost!" Tsunade ordered, her voice sharp. "They must not be allowed to disrupt our formation, and even less to approach the Jinchūriki! Buy Shikaku time to secure the prisoners!"
"Understood!"
The three Elite Jōnin replied in perfect unison.
Without further words.
Their figures flickered. Tsunade and the three Jōnin shot backward, turning into four afterimages, rushing towards the very rear of the squad to meet the incoming threat.
At this moment, the giant white clay bird in the sky was already close enough to be clearly identified.
On the giant bird, two figures wearing the distinctive black cloaks adorned with ominous red clouds were clearly visible.
One, a young man, was tall and stood arrogantly on the bird's head.
The other, a bizarre, hunched figure, was hidden inside an ugly and strange puppet, Hiruko.
"Hmph!!"
In the sky, Deidara, standing on the bird's head, let out an extremely excited, manic roar!
Deidara looked down at the dense crowd of panicked Konoha shinobi below. They were scrambling, trying to form defensive lines, looking like ants panicking in an anthill. His eyes gleamed with a morbid, artistic fanaticism.
He suddenly grabbed a large handful of his special clay from the pouch on his waist.
The mouths sewn onto his palms quickly began to chew and mold the clay, working with incredible speed.
The next moment, he spread his hands wide.
More than a dozen palm-sized, perfectly lifelike clay spiders appeared in his palms, twitching with contained chakra.
"Let me show you what instant art truly is, hm!"
Deidara revealed a cruel, triumphant smile and suddenly waved his arm in a wide arc!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The dozen or so explosive clay spiders, like a celestial maiden scattering deadly flowers, drew more than a dozen precise parabolas in the air. They plummeted, falling in a devastating blanket fashion towards the most densely populated area—the terrified Sunagakure prisoners and the guards huddled beneath them!
"Oh no!"
Tsunade's face, which had been set in a grim expression of resolve, changed drastically to horror!
The opponent's first move was not a duel. It was a massive, lethal area-of-effect attack targeting the weakest point of the column—the non-combatants and captives!
"Iwa!" Tsunade roared, pointing frantically.
"Understood!"
The Elite Jōnin named "Iwa" roared back, a moment of hesitation costing lives. He slammed his hands onto the ground!
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" (土遁・土流壁, Doton: Doryūheki)
RUMBLE—!
Yellow sand and hardened earth surged violently upwards!
A massive, thick earthen wall, formed instantly from the desert floor, rose just in time, blocking the path of the dozen or so clay spiders!
In the sky, Deidara showed pure madness in his eyes!
"Art is a BANG!"
"Hmph!"
BOOM—BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!!
A series of deafening explosions suddenly erupted! The dozen clay charges detonated simultaneously against the defensive wall!
Terrifying flames, concussive force, and smoke merged into one colossal, unified shockwave!
The violent, irresistible shockwave slammed into the newly risen earthen wall!
CRACK!
In the very first moment of contact, the surface of the sturdy earthen wall let out a groan of unbearable strain!
Crack! Crack, crack!
Spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly, centered exactly on the explosion points! The wall held, but barely.
The devastating aftermath of the explosion—mixed with countless shattered earth and stones, now turned into high-speed shrapnel—instantly swept past the areas behind the earthen wall!
The shrapnel ripped through the air, hitting the vulnerable, huddled masses.
"Ah—!"
"Help!"
"My leg!"
Flesh and blood flew everywhere! Screams rose from the rear of the column!
Dozens of Sunagakure prisoners, huddled together for safety, were instantly torn to shreds by the violent shockwave and high-speed flying debris!
Several other Konoha Chūnin responsible for guarding the prisoners were also brutally blown away by this irresistible force, their fates unknown!
Everyone—the hardened Jōnin, the surviving captives—was completely stunned by the terrifying, indiscriminate, and utterly unreasonable power of the explosion!
In the sky.
Deidara threw his head back, letting out a morbid and fanatical laugh that carried over the lingering smoke.
"Hahahaha! Did you see it! That instant flash! That exquisite wail! The suffering! That is the supreme art! The flash of creation and destruction!"
"Uncle Scorpion, your slow-moving, eternal puppets will never understand this instantaneous brilliance in a lifetime, hm!"
Inside Hiruko, Sasori's muffled voice remained unnervingly calm.
"Boring. Focus, Deidara."
"Hurry up and capture the Jinchūriki. Complete the mission."
"Tch, a guy with no appreciation for aesthetics."
Below.
Tsunade looked at the tragic scene before her—the shredded bodies, the wounded Konoha Chūnin, the sheer, ruthless disregard for life. Her eyes burned with a cold, furious, therapeutic anger.
"You bastards..."
She glared skyward, her voice dangerously low. "You scum in the sky, get down here and die!"
"Oh?"
On the clay giant bird, Deidara looked down. He let out a playful, mocking whistle.
"It seems she's the leader of this ground squad."
"Tsunade. The Legendary Sannin," Sasori's muffled voice came from within Hiruko. "Her presence complicates things."
Deidara pouted, then looked down at Tsunade from above, speaking in a mocking, arrogant tone.
"Quite a temper, aren't you, old hag? But before you challenge the artists, shouldn't you first weigh your own worth?"
The three Jōnin behind Tsunade—Iwa, Shunichi, and Tokuma—had already spread out, subtly, expertly, locking onto the two figures in the sky.
The standoff was absolute. The battle was on the verge of breaking out.
"State your names." Tsunade's voice was calm, cutting through the smoke. But beneath the calmness was a volcano about to erupt. "Who are you?"
Deidara was about to launch into a boastful introduction of his art.
But Sasori, the veteran, spoke first, his voice muffled and devoid of emotion from inside the puppet.
"Akatsuki."
Tsunade was slightly startled. She had heard that name.
A mysterious, exceptionally dangerous mercenary organization composed entirely of S-rank rogue ninja.
They accepted any request, acted without scruples, and their methods were extremely cruel.
Jiraiya had once sent back some fragmented, vague intelligence about their movements.
She hadn't expected to encounter two of their members head-on, so far from any major nation, today! They were here for the Tailed Beast.
The threat level had just escalated beyond Jōnin-level defense. It was Kage-level engagement.
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