Iron sand spread through the air, forming a barrier that condensed into countless spears stabbing toward Deidara.
Under the airtight barrage, Deidara's giant bird was quickly riddled with holes.
"Damn it."
His body plummeted downward as he infused chakra into another prepared giant bird.
Grabbing its leg with one hand, his expression grew serious.
Although he hated Sasori's self-righteous attitude toward art, he had to admit that the man was a troublesome opponent.
That iron sand could both attack and defend.
While forcing him to dodge everywhere, it also blocked all of his attacks.
If this stalemate continued, even the massive amount of explosive clay he had prepared over three days wouldn't be enough.
Thinking this, Deidara accelerated at full speed, pulling away from the Third Kazekage puppet.
Seeing this, Sasori snorted coldly. "Trying to run?"
A smile returned to Deidara's face. "I came here to have everyone recognize my art, not to fight a stubborn guy like you."
"So… just follow behind me and watch."
As he spoke, the explosive clay in his hands stopped targeting Sasori and was instead thrown straight toward the ground.
Sasori's eyes sharpened at the sight. The iron sand barrier in the sky rapidly gathered, forming a massive defensive net.
"Art is an explosion!"
"Katsu!"
Boom!
A large amount of explosive clay detonated against the iron sand, the violent shockwave scattering the surrounding clouds.
"Useless. If you've got the ability, try blocking all of my masterpieces."
After mocking him, Deidara sped through the sky while continuously tossing explosive clay downward.
Sasori's head throbbed.
No matter how large the iron sand's defensive range was, it couldn't cover the entirety of Konoha.
And Deidara's flight speed was extremely fast. If he focused solely on escaping, the Third Kazekage puppet couldn't catch him.
Just as Sasori was at a loss, the Konoha shinobi on the ground had already completed their formation.
Under the observation of the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, every piece of explosive clay Deidara threw was exposed without exception.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Needle Senbon!"
Countless senbon formed from lightning chakra shot densely into the sky.
All explosive clay struck by the lightning needles instantly lost their ability to detonate.
After the lightning barrage, another group of shinobi slammed their hands onto the ground.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The squad unleashed powerful wind techniques to disrupt the airflow, greatly slowing the descent of the explosive clay.
"Earth Release: Myriad-Mile Earth Flow Wall!"
Thick earthen walls rose into the sky, sealing off the space above completely.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Beneath the earth walls, another layer of water defense formed, isolating heat, reducing impact, and preventing debris from collapsing down.
After Yuzuru unified Konoha, all shinobi underwent joint training exercises.
Their coordination had become like that of an army, far beyond the old three-man squad system.
So no matter how Deidara rained explosive clay from above, he failed to damage Konoha in the slightest.
Even the villagers watching the spectacle showed no intention of hiding.
"Is this Konoha's current strength?"
"This reaction speed, this coordination… it's like a precision machine!"
Standing among merchants, Kurotsuchi couldn't help but mutter in shock.
Though still young, as the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, her insight far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Witnessing Konoha's coordination under sudden attack left her stunned.
She had always believed Konoha was strong because it had too many powerful individuals.
Now it seemed that wasn't the case at all. Just their coordination alone was enough to crush other nations.
She silently prayed, "Deidara, just leave already. If this continues, you're going to die!"
High in the sky, Deidara also couldn't help but marvel at what he saw below.
"Perfect coordination… it's like a work of art…"
"But even so, I'll make you acknowledge my art, hmm!"
Plunging both hands into his pouch, Deidara spat out a massive clay white dove.
"C3: No. 18!"
The clay dove descended from the sky, growing larger and larger.
"Not good!"
For the first time, panic appeared on the faces of the Konoha shinobi.
With just a glance, they knew this attack was different.
If it exploded, their strength likely wouldn't be enough to stop it.
"Katsu!"
With a shout, the clay dove exploded.
In a blinding flash, endless yellow sand surged upward.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed across the heavens. The terrifying shockwave cleared the skies above Konoha, and even the distant Hokage Rock at the edge of the cliffs was blown to pieces.
"What a terrifying explosion… I almost died…"
Even shielded by the sand, the people of Konoha could still feel the extreme terror.
At this point, the villagers below finally realized the danger and began rushing toward underground shelters.
"Damn it, even my No. 18 was blocked?"
Deidara's expression grew increasingly irritated.
Repeated detonations had already consumed a large amount of his chakra, yet none had succeeded.
If everyone hid away, then even if he displayed his art, it would be meaningless.
Thinking this, his eyes hardened as he prepared to launch another attack.
He refused to believe that Konoha could block every single one of his attacks!
"Phew..."
The yellow sand scattered across the ground, then gathered atop the Hokage Building.
Karura, breathing heavily, set down the gourd in her hand and sat on the ground, clearly exhausted.
Fugaku said solemnly, "Karura, you've worked hard."
She waved her hand. "It's fine. I've just used too much chakra."
"Fugaku, is there a way to stop him?"
After hearing her question, Fugaku shook his head. "We lack aerial combat methods. Aside from Sasori, no one in the village can threaten him right now."
"I'll send someone to notify Nagato."
"No need."
Yuzuru's voice sounded beside him.
Fugaku turned his head and saw that Yuzuru had appeared at his side at some unknown time.
Fugaku said excitedly, "Yuzuru, you finally came!"
Yuzuru shook his head. "I've been here for a while. I was just observing."
"So far, the village's ninja army training results are quite good."
"As for the rest... leave it to me."