Chapter 100
Just as Deidara was laughing wildly, the scene before him suddenly shifted. A wave of dizziness struck him, but it was far more than just disorientation. The very fabric of space itself seemed to warp. The trees and the night sky folded together unnaturally, flames merged with decayed earth, and Hyuga Chinano, whom he had just seen engulfed by the explosion, now stood before him, wreathed in fire.
Chaos. Surreal. Fractured. Those were the only words Deidara could use to describe this bizarre sensation.
From the flames, Chinano emerged, the firelight casting long shadows across her cold, indifferent face—eerily reminiscent of how the setting sun once illuminated Uchiha Itachi.
"Foolish man... fall into the illusion..." Her voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable weight, echoing words spoken by Itachi himself. That comparison alone made Deidara, a man who prided himself on his art, boil with rage.
Driven by anger, Deidara forcefully broke free from the illusion. After all, Hyuga Chinano was no Itachi. Her expertise in the Sharingan was not nearly as refined—it consumed too much chakra, limiting her ability to maintain it for long periods. By sheer chance, Deidara managed to snap out of it.
"Damn it... Damn it!" he seethed, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably. Losing to genjutsu again? Unacceptable. He had already suffered defeat at the hands of Sharingan once—twice now, the result was the same.
Sasori, however, paid no attention to his partner's tantrum. His goal remained clear: locate the One-Tail Jinchūriki and uncover the technique used by Gekkō Hayate. Unfortunately, he too was met with resistance.
Standing before him was a red-haired woman, dressed in pajamas, rolling up her sleeves with a determined look.
At first, Sasori dismissed her as just another ignorant villager throwing away her life. He had no interest in dealing with such people and intended to bypass her entirely.
But Karin had no intention of letting him through.
With a swift motion, she clenched her fists and took a stance, as though preparing to throw someone over her shoulder. However, she never made physical contact.