Chapter 41

"Dammit! Scorpion, wait for me!" The young man with a ponytail hadn't expected the other party to suddenly leap off the giant bird while he was distracted.

Immediately, he controlled the large bird beneath him, guiding it toward the spot where Scorpion had just fallen.

...

The two members of the Akatsuki thought their sudden appearance would go unnoticed, but in the building representing the position of the Wind Shadow among the Five Kages, several people had already detected them from the moment they appeared.

"Oi! Why do I suddenly feel like the puppet master guy is a bit... slow?"

"To dare make a surprise attack without knowing the enemy's defenses?" Xing Liu was a bit stupefied after seeing the foolish move.

If all the members of the Akatsuki were like this, then I should have just gone ahead and destroyed the organization myself.

Otherwise, where would there be room for these clueless idiots to make an appearance?

"Uh... Maybe their strength is enough to make them ignore those defenses?"

In truth, Gaara and the others thought that the Scorpion in front of them was acting too recklessly. If their enemies were all like him, then they wouldn't even need to send for reinforcements. The three siblings could already chase them away.

Of course, their questions were soon answered by the buildings that had caught fire.

"Artistic people really can't be expected to think like normal humans when making their moves..."

After receiving the reports from their subordinates, Xing Liu and his team rushed to the location where Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara had landed, but what awaited them was a sea of flames.

"Wait a minute, this sea of fire doesn't seem like it's just burning..." Xing Liu pointed to the faint purple mist surrounding the flames.

Those who had just escaped from the fire were still celebrating their survival, but before they could catch their breath, they collapsed back onto the ground.

"I knew it. These 'artists' wouldn't just simply burn down houses..."

"Clay bombs + Poison gas"

"This little squad is pretty interesting, huh?"

"Lord Xing Liu, you don't still want to keep slacking off, do you?" Temari, seeing that Xing Liu had only been admiring the enemy's methods without taking action, was already getting a little fed up.

We invited you here for help, not to watch the enemy light fires as if it's a show, right? If you have the time to keep commenting on their actions, why don't you just go ahead and drive them off?

After all, if they continue setting fires, our village will face huge losses...

"Oh? I almost forgot I'm here to help, not watch a show..."

Xing Liu slapped his forehead, finally remembering why he was there.

"Lord Xing Liu... please stop playing around, okay? Our village's finances are the weakest among all the villages. If these two keep setting fires, we'll all be living in tents!"

However, just as Temari was pleading for Xing Liu to take things seriously, a loud sound came from a nearby building, which was soon consumed by a massive blaze.

"Ah! Lord Xing Liu... you bastard! Can you take this seriously?!" Temari, seeing another building engulfed in flames, could no longer hold back and grabbed Xing Liu's collar, shaking him furiously.

"Do you know how much it costs to build a building that tall? And this is just one of many..."

"Ah... I can already predict the scene tomorrow, with all those people from the village who've lost their homes storming our office."

Although Temari was complaining about Xing Liu's laziness, she had no doubts about his ability to deal with the two Akatsuki members.

Xing Liu knew that if he continued to slack off, Temari would go crazy before he could even drive off the arsonists.

So, he casually waved his hand at the houses still burning, and instantly, the fires were extinguished, and the houses returned to their original state before the flames had ever touched them.

"It's just a few burning houses. Restoring them isn't that hard. No need to overreact," Xing Liu remarked, adjusting his clothes that Temari had just messed up. Then, without waiting for a response, he disappeared in front of her, leaving her stunned.

"Can't play unless there's blood, huh? Do you find watching others break down amusing?" Temari muttered a few words, before heading off to the makeshift hospital to help.

Why didn't she dare chase after the disappearing Xing Liu?

Please, if she actually caught up to him, what difference would it make to those who throw themselves at the enemy? Dealing with those two Akatsuki members, that bastard alone was enough.

...

As for the buildings that had suddenly been extinguished, both Deidara and Sasori were shocked. Based on their predictions, even if the Jinchuriki had activated the power of the Tailed Beast, it would have been impossible to put out the flames that quickly.

And what about those houses that had been burned down? How did they suddenly return to their original state?

Could it be that everything they had done was just an illusion?!

"Sasori, what do you think about this?" At first, Deidara had thought that they might have fallen into an illusion, just like Sasori.

But, as a man who spent every day with experts in genjutsu (illusion techniques), Deidara quickly dismissed the idea.

"If we're not trapped in an illusion, it can only mean that they've brought in someone much stronger than us to save them."

As a former ninja from the Hidden Sand Village, Sasori naturally had a deep understanding of the village's military power.

Unless, during the years he had been away, several geniuses had appeared in the village who were as powerful as he was, otherwise, there was no way to explain these events.

"So, what are you thinking? That expert who's protecting Gaara might even beat us together..."

"How about we just destroy the village and retreat?" Deidara was never the type of person willing to sacrifice everything for a mission, and he definitely wouldn't commit suicide by charging into an unwinnable fight.

So, upon realizing this, Deidara thought not about how to defeat the enemy, but about how to escape.

Just as they were discussing whether to fight or flee, a voice suddenly came from behind them, "I say, you're not just here to start a fire and then leave, are you?"

---

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