Chapter 154
"Deidara, retreat." Although Sasori was facing an assault from two opponents simultaneously, he still took the time to inform Deidara that the mission had failed and he needed to withdraw immediately.
A troublesome enemy was about to enter the battlefield, making it pointless to linger any longer.
Deidara was struggling. He wanted to retreat, but he couldn't.
At first, he thought this little girl would rely solely on her "toy," but who would have expected her to be ridiculously strong in close combat as well? Especially since she had just summoned a panda—an annoyingly persistent creature that constantly attempted sneak attacks. It was infuriating.
"I'm running low on clay. I need to end this quickly," Deidara muttered. Unlike conventional ninjutsu, his explosive techniques depended entirely on his Nendo (Explosive Clay). Even the most skilled artisan cannot craft without materials. Without clay, most of his attack methods were useless.
Under Zixu's guidance, Hyūga Chinano's Jūken (Gentle Fist) had evolved beyond the standard Hyūga fighting style. Each of her movements was adapted dynamically to Deidara's reactions. If Deidara attempted to keep his distance by using his explosive birds, he was fine—if not, a single strike from her would seal all his tenketsu (chakra points).
"Tch, what an annoying kunoichi. I've failed twice now. Next time, I'll just blow this whole place up, un," Deidara growled, spitting out another batch of grasshopper-shaped clay bombs from the mouths on his palms. These tiny creatures hopped toward Chinano, their movements deceptively cute.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Chinano fired off several precise shots from her small pistol, now finally cooled down from its last use.
"Nothing special," Chinano said disdainfully, her voice drifting into Deidara's ears. The insult made him, already seated on his massive clay bird, abandon any thoughts of retreat.
"Oh? Is that so?" Deidara's pupils contracted to sharp points, veins twitching on his forehead.
"Ha! Hahahaha! You ignorant peasant! I'll show you true art! 'Nothing special?' How dare you say that?!" Deidara, momentarily forgetting his usual speech pattern, still remained atop his massive bird. Despite knowing it made him an easy target, he refused to descend.